Can it really be this hard to find a competent mechanic?

[K-9 Rambo]

Am I the only one who has trouble finding someone I can trust to work on my Dog? I have a 06 Mastiff and I live in Champaign, IL 140 miles NE of ST Louis, 120 miles S of Chicago and about 140 miles W of Indy. I wouldn’t take my lawnmower to Bikers Dream Big Dog in Peoria, IL (80 Miles NW) they can never answer any technical question I have and seem to have a “ I’ll fix when I get to it attitude”. I have had a bad experience with Gateway Big Dog even though they seem nice enough. They told me I didn’t need my carb re-jetted after I changed out my exhaust from a 2-2 to a 2-1 V&H. I asked the mechanic if he were sure that it had been my experience that you always changed jetting when you changed out pipes and he said it wouldn’t be that big of a difference to bother with! Needless to say he was very wrong! ! ! All the local shops only work on Harleys I tried to have my dynode the other day to dial in the carb at one of the local shops and after waiting two days they call me and tell me my bike is too long to fit in their Dyno. Am I the only one who has this kind of problem getting his Dog worked on or do I live a charmed life! Any suggestion would be appreciated……..:bang:

 

[PurpleDog]

I dunno man, sounds like you're having some challenges to work through...could be some kinda karma type thing or some shit...
might try getting rid of contray's to help bring peace....I mean just take your screen name for instance Rambo - desire for easy pull clutch, K9 - yet list 06 Mastif... Were you riding a motorcycle when you went to speak with 'em? Which kind?



Nah, I wouldn't like to be trying to find someone to trust with my bike either....jus having fun w/ya.

 

[outdoorsman26]

try Jamies customs in Big bend, WI they are pretty nice people!! I personally take my bike to pokerville iron works they are out of blue mounds, WI. hope this helps:2thumbs:

 

[stig]

oh man! dont get me started on this...
hollywood cycles in brookfeild ill.......... among other things "machined" my intake with a grinder..the mechanic told me this and was proud!

americas open road (now closed)chicago area...among other things put new oil cooler lines on(was not asked to,they were new)and had them kinked so bad oil was hardly flowing, i had to buy new lines myself.bike also came back with someones old wore out seat,not mine!

steel customs in Indianapolis... made an appointment with them a week and a half in advance,made the 300+mile one way trip through a snowstorm,get there and he wont even let me on the property. he sends a stooge out to tell me he dont want to work on my bike, and i had planned on trading mine in on something new he had on the floor!

road hawgs customs in crown point indiana an authorized service center(was)...brought in bike for the wheel recall,and it was runnin like crap, they have it for over a month.(find out later its because they think the EHC is the igniton module!)its snowin out when its finally done. load it in my trailer, get home and find they had broken both allen bolt wheel adjusters

oh man!>>> and bikers dream peoria, bought my bike new from there,, a month later they had my bike destroyed,my bike has never looked new since a month after i bought it. i brought it there for a bad shake at 55 MPH or so.. a month and a half later i get the bike back and its scratched to death, they didnt even try to stop their tools from damaging anything,they took the whole front end off,ended up being a bad tire.....fork fluid leaking everywhere. and they stripped out my front brake bolts.

i could keep going,but i never took typing in school,thats why im so "quiet" on this site, i alway want to say more,but dont want to type it all out.

so, no, youre not alone try to fix as much as you can by yourself

 

[Gas Man]

Read my sig...

nuff said

 

[K-9 Rambo]

Man Stig and I thought my story was bad ! If noth'n else I think you one uped me. We must really love these motorcycles to put up with such shity dealerships. Hu?????

 

[BorgerBigDog]

Its a SHAME that some places are SHIT and others SHINE,geuss its that way with all dealerships and shops, Good luck to all of you that have to take a bike IN for work,i could use some of that luck also.I geuss we all could :2thumbs:

 

[Vegas]

I wouldn't give up on that dealer just because they didn't think your bike needed rejetted. I wouldn't think switching from a 2-2 to a 2-1 would require a rejet unless you are talking about the stock pipe.

 

[stlmikie]

What was the name of the guy who told you it didn't need rejetting. I am haveing a hard time with that one. Anyone who works up there know that. Greg would like to hear about that. Like I said in the other thread if not for anything else than to get easy money.

 

[littlef66]

Your closest dealer will be in Indianapolis. Steel Customs is a great dealer and they are off of Rockville Rd. on the West Side. I bought my bike there and they have been great. Their service department is great.

 

[Moespeeds]

Forget the dealers and find a small shop or a mechanic who knows Harleys and pay him to come work on it at your place. The bottom line is that if you can't learn to work on these yourself, chances are it's going to be very expensive in the long run, or a very short trip when you get fed up.

 

[scubaman15]

oh man! dont get me started on this...
hollywood cycles in brookfeild ill.......... among other things "machined" my intake with a grinder..the mechanic told me this and was proud!

americas open road (now closed)chicago area...among other things put new oil cooler lines on(was not asked to,they were new)and had them kinked so bad oil was hardly flowing, i had to buy new lines myself.bike also came back with someones old wore out seat,not mine!

steel customs in Indianapolis... made an appointment with them a week and a half in advance,made the 300+mile one way trip through a snowstorm,get there and he wont even let me on the property. he sends a stooge out to tell me he dont want to work on my bike, and i had planned on trading mine in on something new he had on the floor!

road hawgs customs in crown point indiana an authorized service center(was)...brought in bike for the wheel recall,and it was runnin like crap, they have it for over a month.(find out later its because they think the EHC is the igniton module!)its snowin out when its finally done. load it in my trailer, get home and find they had broken both allen bolt wheel adjusters

oh man!>>> and bikers dream peoria, bought my bike new from there,, a month later they had my bike destroyed,my bike has never looked new since a month after i bought it. i brought it there for a bad shake at 55 MPH or so.. a month and a half later i get the bike back and its scratched to death, they didnt even try to stop their tools from damaging anything,they took the whole front end off,ended up being a bad tire.....fork fluid leaking everywhere. and they stripped out my front brake bolts.

i could keep going,but i never took typing in school,thats why im so "quiet" on this site, i alway want to say more,but dont want to type it all out.

so, no, youre not alone try to fix as much as you can by yourself

This is the reason to learn to work on your own bike. JMHO

 

[T.Byrd]

Rambo, I take mine to Double D Cycle in Marion Ill. The owner name is Daryl he has been working on American V-Twins for over 30 years and he is a Big Dog draler also.