honda dealer

[MSbigred]

my 84 big red es has no spark. the bike needs some extensive electrical work...will the local honda powersports dealer work on my relic, or will most dealers refuse to work on something this old?

[HuffieVA]

It generally depends on the dealer, but a lot of the older dealers that actually were in the business because the liked motorcycles and supported the sport are long gone... This is true for all makes, even Harley, When I was a kid fresh out of school I bought a 75 Sportster (about 15 years old at the time) and there were still mom and pop bike shops that would take a part off of a bike on the floor to get you up and running... these days the "T-Shirt" shops look at you like you have leprosy if you ask about something more than five years old... you say Tecate, they think your looking for a red sport bike, you say Husqvarna and they try to sell you a weed eater... Its a shame but that's what the worlds coming too. If you do find a good shop, support it and let them know how much you appreciate them actually having a passion for what they sell... in the meantime shop manuals are available for download for most older models of bikes and nearly all trikes, I think you will find that the electrical systems on these are very simple compared to today's standards and with a little studying and a little bit of hands on experimentation you can probably build a wiring harness yourself, otherwise there is always the classifieds on here or everything eventually shows up on eBay...

Good Luck,

Rodd

[MSbigred]

thanks for the reply.
i bought a new plug wire from our small dealer here today.. they didn't give much impression of a dealership, more of a hangout for local enthusiasts. i'll ask if they will look at the bike for me tomorrow. meanwhile i guess i'll refer back to my manual and see what i can do with the hackjob wiring on this thing

edit: apparently this place has been run by the same folks for 30 years, and their mechanics have been working there for 25 years. i have a feeling i'll be able to get my trike serviced here no problem

[rdlsz24]

apparently this place has been run by the same folks for 30 years, and their mechanics have been working there for 25 years. i have a feeling i'll be able to get my trike serviced here no problem

You're lucky to have a place like that nearby. I don't even have a Honda dealer near me anymore, they closed up shop a couple months ago. They kept hardly any parts in stock but at least they were cool and didn't laugh when I ordered trike parts, unlike the asshole Yamaha dealer near here.

Rob

[MSbigred]

the place here suprised me when i asked for a plug wire, front brake cable, and tail light bracket for an atc200 and they had the parts on hand. it's good to know i'll be able to get my trike serviced by the dealer if i ever really need to, but i discovered a guy down the road who works on four wheelers and atv's. i'm just gonna take it to this guy's shop to have the wiring done right (any kind of electrical gives me a headache)

[The Goat]

95% of dealers haven't made money in the last three years. They may have good months, but at the end of the year they find themselves 100k in the hole.

There are very few dealers out there now making money. Mom and pop joints still in business are doing it with low overhead and huge service departments. Parts, service, and financing is where a dealership makes money, a lot of people ge confused and think these places are supported by the manufacturer... The little bit of money you get means nothing.

If it was me, I'd bring my unit to the dealer for something I'm not doing myself. Too many independents do crappy work.

Even I'm yamaha bronze certified and first level Honda. It means jack. Get to know your techs at your local dealer and request gold techs only touch your unit.

[Lord Letto 20]

Up Here, Closest Honda Dealer is K-W Honda @$75 Per Hour Labor Vs $25 Per Hour at some other place in New Hamburg
http://www.kwhonda.com/index.htm
Vs.
http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-motorcycles-other-STRATFORD-AREA-MOTORCYCLE-DIRTBIKE-REPAIR-W0QQAdIdZ281468059

SPECIALIZING IN DIRTBIKES, OLDER MOTORCYCLES , ATV's & SNOWMOBILES
COMPLETE SERVICE AND REPAIR AT THE VERY AFFORDABLE AND REASONABLE RATE OF JUST $25/HR
-TUNE UPS
-CARB CLEAN, REPAIRS & REBUILDS
-SUSPENSION SERVICE, REPAIR & REBUILD
-ENGINE REBUILDS INCL CRANKSHAFT and CYLINDER. REPAIR
-ELECTRICAL
-AND ANYTHING ELSE YOUR BIKES MAY NEED INCL. DETAILING!!
Pick up, and delivery available.
Full time hours, and in fifth yr with MANY satisfied, and repeat customers all with rates at a fraction of dealership cost
FAST turnaround!
ALL bikes are field tested to ensure satisfaction before being deemed "finished"and delivered back to you

* Located in NEW HAMBURG just 15 minutes from either Stratford, or KW

[MSbigred]

hmmmm looked good until i saw 25$/hour for labor. i think i'd go down to like 40$/hour, but anything under that and the old addage "you get what you pay for" comes to mind

[Frankencelery]

Goat, I agree in theory with the idea of supporting your local dealer, but my Honda dealer (Garvis Honda) here in Des Moines won't work on 3-wheelers. Probably a liability issue. Some years back I brought my '85 Shadow in to be worked on, and they told me that newer machines came first, so mine was going to be a while. Ok, taking care of warranty repairs first I understand, but it didn't sound like that. It sounded like "age discrimination"! And the guy on the showroom...forget about him. He acts like he's doing you a favor to talk to you. And mention 3-wheelers to anyone there, and you get a "It's your funeral, buddy" type response.

Sorry MSBigred, I hijacked your thread and turned it into a rant. I'd take it to the guy down the road, but I have one suggestion. This is just my own personal opinion, but I would tell him "no jury rigging please". I hate having to work on a machine that's been rewired in whatever way the person thought would work, and you can't figure out how anything is hooked up.