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Dealer won't work on bikes over 10 years old

10K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  Brent Thompson 
#1 ·
I was getting some parts at a local Kawasaki dealer a few days ago. I asked a question about service on a 2008 KLR. They said they won't work a Kawasaki over 10 years old. I wouldn't want to buy a Kawasaki from such a dealer.

Anyone have thoughts on this?
 
#3 ·
I’d tell them that I’ll just take my business elsewhere then. There are plenty of third party motorcycle mechanics out there.

From their point of view, it’s not a money maker for them and they are in business to make money. So it’s understandable. Their technicians may also be certified on older motorcycles or willing to take on the liability. If you are a current customer, own a newer motorcycle purchased by them, they might be more willing to work on it.

I know the BMW dealer I used to use works on any age BMW, but they also charge a pretty penny for it too. Brand loyalty is based on long term customer satisfaction, so if you feel the need report your experience to Kawasaki and see what their response is.

FWIW, I bought my KLR because there isn’t much maintenance or work I can’t do on it myself in my own garage.

What work did you need done on your motorcycle?


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#4 ·
I didn't don't need any work on my KLR. I can handle most anything that it may need. The 10 year drop dead point came up while I was buying some parts for my 2008 (over ten years old).

It seems strange to me. Hourly service work on any bike no matter how old should be just as profitable as on any other bike. Older bikes might even need more service, so they are just cutting themselves out of profitable work.
 
#8 ·
I've heard of it but not experienced it with our local dealers; I think it's absolutely stupid; the same hourly rate applies regardless of the year of bike and, in the case of the KLR, they are mostly the same from 1987 up.......and almost identical 2008 to 2018 so where's the rationale in working on a 2010 but not a 2008? Makes zero sense to me and I wouldn't support a dealer that adopted such a policy.

Dave
 
#9 ·
Or,

Them: "our policy is that we don't work on bikes that are more than 10 years old"

Me: "my policy is not to buy anything from a dealer that wont work on a bike that is more than 10 years old".

They are biting the hand that feeds them and these days when everyone is buying stuff online and the brick and mortar stores are closing daily, it seems more than a little foolish


Done.
 
#10 ·
I think part of the reason many dealers refuse to work on bikes older than 10 years has to do with the price of repairs versus the value of the bike. For instance, a mid 80's Yamaha Virago may need some $1,300 worth of repairs at the dealer and the bike may be worth only $1,200. Plus, even the dealer may have difficulty obtaining parts for a bike that old. So, in this instance, most bike owners would not opt to spend $1,300 on a bike that's worth $1,200.

Jason
 
#13 ·
1) Many bikes (DR650, XR650L, etc. etc.) have long production runs well in excess of the 10 years bandied about here.

2) The cost of parts/repair vs. the cost of the bike should be the OWNER"S choice, should it not? Usually how it works is that you take the bike in for a diagnosis/estimate and that work is billable regardless of whether or not the Owner decides to proceed. IME Many dealers will throw out a rough budget for bikes like your Virago exaple.


Dave
 
#11 ·
But even 1-5 year old bikes can be mis-maintained & abused / crashed to the point of not being cost effective to re-condition.

Dealerships & independant repair facilities always have to use discretion when discussing repairs & maintenance.

I'll give an estimate, but I will not give a Bid for repairs. One never knows what you'll run into, until the job is totally done. Like GoMotors own recent engine swap/rebuild.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I have a 35 year-old Honda XR350. Guess I'm on my own, eh?

The idea that a dealer won't do the work because the bike isn't worth it, is silly. A $500 repair is $500 in revenue, even if the bike isn't worth scrap. But yeah, the dealer could have any number of reasons, and it's their decision: they don't have to take your money.

If it's a "worthless" bike, but the owner loves it and wants to keep it running, there will be someone who will do the work. With my 1984 XR350, I may need to rebuild the engine. Seems like a good time to learn how to rebuild an engine...
 
#17 ·
I may be wrong and it may depend on jurisdiction, but it's my understanding that if you turn your vehicle over to a shop and then don't pay the repair bill, the shop owner can legally keep your vehicle until you do pay it.

Could this have anything to do with this policy? I can't imagine the legal wrangling involved if a shop owner had to take such a thing to court in order to sell the vehicle to recoup unpaid bills. Maybe it happens all the time: I don't know. It might make a shop owner think twice about doing 2K worth of work on a motorcycle that Blue Books for 1K. And, just because it's worth 1K doesn't guarantee you can sell it for that much, if you can sell it at all. They might be stuck with it for awhile.

I bought my current ride at a larger, multi-brand dealer, but even if they were still a Suzuki dealer (they're not) I wouldn't take it back there to be worked on. I'd rather deal with a smaller, family-owned shop that's been in the same place for 50 years that's right down the street from me. They don't sell Suzukis, but I bought a battery from them and am going to order some tires from them next Spring and have them put them on for me.

In the few times I've been in there I let them know I respect the fact that they've been in business for half a century and will be relying on their expertise and obvious business savvy in the future, and I mean it: I'm not just kissing their ass to stand out. I remember going into that place when I was 6 years old and my older brother had motorcycles. You don't stay in business in a small market for 50 years if you don't treat people right. Hopefully this will establish a relationship I can count on if I need something more serious taken care of down the road.

Yeah, I most likely could get the tires cheaper if I bought them online and took them in with me to just be mounted, but I'd rather just do the whole deal with them if they're willing to get the tires I want and sell them to me. I do things like that and, down the line, I might need something done and they might very well say, "Well, even though we're not a Suzuki dealer we'll help you out because you've been good to do business with us for awhile. We don't care if your motorcycle is 10 years old and it's one we've never worked on before."

Plus, I've already decided my next motorcycle is going to be a Yamaha and, if they're still in business, I'll buy it from them even if I could get it a little cheaper in the city.

I'm Old School. It's called "Establishing A Rapport." It's very important in all aspects of life whether you're talking about somebody doing a couple thousand dollars worth of work on your motorcycle or it's the person bagging your groceries.

After a few decades wandering the Earth, you get a pretty good feel for who's legit with you and is going to treat you right and who's phony and unreliable. And, of course, sometimes you're still completely wrong. As long as you're more often right than wrong, it's all good..........

It seems like people have really either forgotten or dismissed the art of getting along with people for the mutual benefit of both parties involved. Of course, a "good rapport" doesn't guarantee a place will work on your 10-year-old motorcycle, but they at least might go to the trouble to explain to you why they won't.
 
#18 ·
In an earlier life when I did this kind of work the problem surfaced when we were well into a “figure out / fix whatever it needs and discovered it needed a lot more. The customer at that point couldn’t understand how his $1,000 bike needed that much in repair. Then it was a battle to collect what was already invested. At that point everyone was unhappy.
 
#19 ·
As a former dealer, now only an independent repair facility, I fully understand both sides of the issues of older bikes.

But too many owners loose sight of the fact that 3-4 months of payments on a 60 month new loan schedule would have repaired their older unit well enough for another 3-5 years of service (with reasonable maintenance).

I'll gladly work on a '87 KLR or a '73 Z1, as long as we agree on the value of services rendered.
 
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#20 · (Edited)
This must be a regional thing. I've never heard of that around here. There is enough competition locally that the dealers and the smaller shops all seem pretty happy to take in any work you want to bring in even if it isn't the brand they sell. The hourly rate is the same whether it is covered under warranty or by the owner.

Kev
 
#22 ·
Pretty much any dealer says that today. Why would they? if they are trouble shooting a problem its hard to charge you 125.00 per hour to find a broke wire for a bike that may be worth 25% of the new one.
My thoughts are that its a toy to me so I will do all the work myself and if I screw it up well then when I go to the dealer and purchase the new one they can service it.
 
#23 ·
Luckily none around here. I also do almost all my own wrenching but the day I take my bike to the dealer for something I don't have the time or skills/tools to do myself and they refuse to work on it is the last time I buy a bike from them....and I've purchased seven from them so far.


Dave
 
#24 ·
Good point. That said though if you have bought 7 from them they most likely know your machine's and will work with you on complex issues or at least one of the techs will on the side. I would bet on it just because that is the kind of family the 2Wheel circle is. We want to see everyone enjoy the time as we do!

KTM and HD in WF, TX will tell you that. Suzuki will still work on anything no matter badge or age. Not sure about the Honda and Yamaha dealer.

We have a few of private shops with skills in the area also. That's a plus.

BT
 
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