Who can you trust!

[K-9 Rambo]

Hey guy’s what do you think? I had my bike worked on last summer by a Big Dog shop in St Louis. You know the usual warranty stuff, but while I had it in there I asked the mechanic about dialing in the carb on the dino since I had just changed out the pipes. I went from the 2-2 V&H to the 2-1 V&H and he said no that the flow difference between the two pipes was so small that it wouldn’t be a problem. Now this didn’t sound right to me, but I told my self this guy must know what he is talking about since he worked in an authorized dealership “right”. Well when I got the bike back and road it, would back fired really badly when I let off the throttle. You guessed it when I pulled the plugs they were black as a piece of coal. My question is, would you trust these guys to do major mods on your bike (the manager sounds like he really knows his shit) or would you try to find a different shop and if so who would you trust? I live in Champaign, IL and I don’t want to drive 500 miles just to find a shop I can trust. I know if there is any shops close by that dose good work you guys will know. I value your opinions and look forward to hearing from you….

 

[waykool]

Bikers Dream-Peoria
1107 E. Washington
East Peoria, IL 61611
309-699-3929
www.bikersdreampeoria.com

Double D Cycle Inc.
13077 Pittsburg Rd
Marion, IL 62959
618-997-3614

Hollywood Cycle
3637 Woodside
Brookfield, IL 60513
708-485-9099
Hollywoodcycles.com

 

[K-9 Rambo]

Have you had major work done there before they seem like a shoddy operation when I checked them out in the past??

 

[waykool]

No. Any Harley or v-twin shop should be able to help you out with your needs. I took mine to a highly recommended Big Dog dealership in my area and got crappy work. So recommendations mean nada.

 

[TLB08K9]

No. Any Harley or v-twin shop should be able to help you out with your needs.

Dont think that every HD shop will work on your scoot. I asked about just having my bike serviced at the new shop in Texarkana (doolins i think), he asked what I had and promptly told me that they wont even touch it since it is not a harley, no oil change nothing! Wow you would think that they would want all the business they could get with the economy.

 

[waykool]

Dont think that every HD shop will work on your scoot. I asked about just having my bike serviced at the new shop in Texarkana (doolins i think), he asked what I had and promptly told me that they wont even touch it since it is not a harley, no oil change nothing! Wow you would think that they would want all the business they could get with the economy.

Pffffft. What a bunch of nut sacks.:down: Must be some sort of pride thing. :angry: I bet atleast 50 percent of the harleys they service have S&S motors on them. Thats just lame if you ask me.

 

[Reaper]

I bought, and have all my custom, and fabrication work done at Gateway Bigdog here in St. Louis. They are the ones that turned my bike into what it is. I have never had any issues with their work, and have always been satisfied with their work, and service.

I would recommend you take your concerns up with Craig, the owner, and see what he can do for you.

 

[Mongo]

Someone on here said it right “Why pay someone else to fuck up your bike” These things aren’t that complicated most people have already done the set up you have and know what kind of jets and set up you should have in your carb. A little research and some elbow grease will go a long way to save you money and headaches. Think about it the guys working your bike don’t make the best money and aren’t usually the smartest guys in the world. Don’t get me wrong some of these guys know their shit, the majority are just collecting a paycheck.

 

[Mongo]

You can do it!

Someone on here said it right “Why pay someone else to fuck up your bike” These things aren’t that complicated most people have already done the set up you have and know what kind of jets and set up you should have in your carb. A little research and some elbow grease will go a long way to save you money and headaches. Think about it the guys working your bike don’t make the best money and aren’t usually the smartest guys in the world. Don’t get me wrong some of these guys know their shit, the majority are just collecting a paycheck.

 

[barhopper]

I would find a custom shop that is known for motor work. Deal directly with the owner that puts his hands on the motor. Every motorcycle mechanic thinks they know everything and you will get 100 different opinions. Research is the best way and a shop thats been around along time is a good thing.

 

[surferdude]

There is so much wealth of information on this site that you should be able to do about anything that you want to do. I'm sure if you ask a question on "how to whatever" you would get more information than you need. The more you know about your dog the more you will appreciate what you have. :flag: :2thumbs:

 

[BorgerBigDog]

I think you have a perfect situation if you find someone and he cant get the bike to run smooth, Dont use him again. I had a mechanic tell me my s&s intake was impossible to tune that i wasted my money. I believed him until i found a local guy here thats a certified harly mechanic.He has a job just works on bikes when he is off work. 30 mins. he solved my problem. GOOD LUCK

 

[waykool]

Someone on here said it right “Why pay someone else to fuck up your bike” .

Who said that? :roll:

 

[K-9 Rambo]

Hey thanks guys. the reason I don't do it my self is I don't have a garage I can work in and I just had shoulder surgery, so I kinda wanted to have it ready for riding season.

 

[Marco Polo]

I hope you find someone you can trust without too much travel or hassle since you can't really do the work yourself. That sucks to be afraid to have the "experts" work on it and destroy your pride and joy. My last ride had a few trips to dealers who were just pathetic and then I went to a performance shop for a lot of work thinking they'd be better and it was actually even worse. I have a garage now...

 

[Moespeeds]

In my experience, dealerships suck. The reason is that truly experienced and skilled mechanics usually will not work in that environment. The first year I had my bike I stumbled between 4 dealerships, trying to find someone to reliably fix this thing. I got fed up and started fixing it myself with the help of this forum. The biggest help was befriending an old mechanic at a local chop shop. I would pay him to come to my garage and work on the bike with me. In the last 2 years I have learned so much about these things, there is nothing I won't tackle, and now I'm fixing my friend's customs as well. So I guess the bottom line is, dealer mechs are usually poorly trained and underpaid, and will not take the time or make the effort to properly service your bike beyond an oil change.or minor adjustments. Your best bet is to learn it yourself or befriend someone skilled

 

[Gas Man]

Who said that? :roll:

Yeah who's the asshole that uttered those words? :lol:

 

[stlmikie]

I am with Grimmy on this one. I can't imagine Gateway pulling that. If nothing else for the money you would be paying.

 

[Muggs]

Gateway is a very reputable dealership. I have had extensive motor work done on my pit and have had nothing but good experiences from there. If you have a problem with them and aren't satisfied confront them about it. Talk to Tim or Greg...they will make it right.

 

[Coolbreeze]

That 2-1 big radius is pluged up pretty good. I did a port and polish, cam and cylnder decking on a 08 ridgeback that had those pipes on. I tried to pull the baffle and cut it but couldn't get it out. I told the customer to either get the baffle out or get better pipes.