Yamaha Dealers

Just a sort of general question here... I've seen some posts from time to time recommending taking your bike to a dealer. My local dealer here will not look at anything over 10 years old. Same goes for the Harley dealers. Am I just unlucky? I can order parts from them, which I do not, because they are cheaper via Chacal or other places. Just wondering....
NTgirl

 

My local dealer here will work on older bikes, but only in the "off season." They won't work on anything older than, I believe, 7 years during the summer.

 

Also here overseas, bringing a old bike like ours to the dealer will probably makin him' looking like "errrr....ouh....what now?" or, in case of "classy" dealers something like "the junkyard is 2 miles away".

The fact is that here nowadays, they only live on selling bikes and charging noobs with 150-200 $ for a oil + filter change, old bikes with problems due to the age are just a problem and a waste of time and often they have no idea how to put their hands on.

Some weeks ago, i went to this shop -that by coincidence was also a big Yamaha dealer- to buy a tankpad.

The guy asked me for witch bike it was, i answered that i want just a universal tankpad and that he didn't have one dedicated for my model

Again, same question and i answered "XJ 650"

his reaction:

 

I've run into the same problem. Our local Yamaha dealers won't touch anything older than 1990. And they can't seem to get much in the way of parts for anything older than that. And when they can get parts, it's usually a nut, bolt, or washer. Checked prices for a few metric bolts that the heads were stripped and got sticker shock. $3 to $4 for a metric bolt that I instead bought at the local hardware store for less than a buck.
I just think the dealers want to keep things simple. With Ebay and other internet sellers, I pretty much find the OEM, NOS or aftermarket parts I need for a lot cheaper.
Another example: I also have an 79 XS1100 and it has a middle gear drive case with gear oil. Tried to order the dipstick for checking the gear oil level. Local dealer could get it for $5.95. I though not bad!! Until they told me it would be $15 shipping and handling. Went to XS11.com and found a drawing of the dipstick with dimensions. Made my own from steel bar stock from the hardware store for about 25 cents and an hour on the bench grinder gringing it to size.

 

Just a guess, but since parts can be hard to find or not available any longer, that is a liability that shops don't want to take on. If they tear something up, they can't just go and buy a replacement part at their cost and move on. They could lose their shirt in a heartbeat if they tear something up.

 

Funny thing is that you don't see this same behavior from car dealers, or watchmakers for that matter. Why do motorcycle dealers get to behave like this?

 

Probably because the manufacturer cuts the parts supply and there is not enough critical mass to make it profitable enough for aftermarket parts manufacturers. For the most part, the expense for these old bikes are long forgotten, so people end up junking them.

An every shrinking market means no support. If you compare it to cars, motorcycle sales are a drop in the bucket and even more so once you start looking at models with runs for limited years. I would venture to guess in the dealer's eyes, we own the Edsels, Corvairs, etc. Don't think you could take a Corvair into a Chevy dealer today to get it fixed.

Not trying to defend dealers.... Just looking at the facts....

 

Not sure how bad it is for the car dealers, but I know how bad parts availability is for old watches. If a watchmaker damages or loses a part in your old Rolex during a cleaning, he could be out a couple hundred dollars to get a replacement. That is part of their justification for the cost of service, but it's also part of their expertise and part of doing business.

It's unfortunate that motorcycle dealerships are so flush with work that they can thrive with a business model that doesn't require the same level of competence.

 

Agree. It would be nice to have the option.

But we are hobbyists as much as bike owners. Main stream folks go for the newer rides, and we revive the classics.

 

Sure you could. But you'd get the same degree of "expertise" that you get when a bike shop works on an old bike that they have no clue about.

We've had lots of horror stories about the shops that DO take in our old bikes, take someones money, and manage to f* the guys' bike up worse.

Yes, it would be nice to have the option, but the option would have to include COMPETENCE and sadly that is not often the case.

 

Working on them is to much fun to leave to a dealer...

 

There are independent shops that specialize working on older bikes. I would ask around and see if you have any shops like that in the area. The dealerships have a revolving door as far as employment goes. The likelyhood of getting a mechanic that worked on our bikes back in the day still working for the same shop is highly unlikely. I would interveiw the shop/mechanic like you are hiring him. Find out all you need to know to turn your bike over for service. Its all about trust. If you can't do the work youself just be smart about who you hire and check with other customers to see how they like or dislike the shop you are thinking about going to.

MN

 

Agreed. The thread is titled "Yamaha Dealers." Finding one of THOSE to do competent work on a bike as old as ours IS nigh on impossible.

+1 in regard to independents; unfortunately guys like MiCarl are few and far between.

 

There is a guy that works at m&m in kalamazoo Jeff Sea that when I asked about my bike he remembered that they put the leaded fuel sticker on the side cover. He is the service manager there pretty decent guy he helped me out with some warranty issues on my skidoo.(they sell multiple brands). They still probably would work on the bike properly but he is a good guy to talk to about the old iron it seems.

 

My local doesn't work on anything older than '02. But, a good friend of mine is sales manager there. He hooked me up with their best mechanic who will do side work. Greatest thing to happen to my bike. Great work and only $40 hour. It's good to have friends.

 

I found a great one last year in Anoka, MN. Little hole-in-the-wall place just crammed to the brim with old Jap bikes waiting to be worked on. Asked the guy if he was in the Yellow Pages and he said "no I don't want to be - I have way too much business already as it is." There is a market out there for servicing older bikes. Food for thought these days.

 

Yamaha has discontinued all parts for the XJ series bikes.(so I was told by two Yamaha dealers here) So unless a dealer has stuff lying around, they won't have parts.

A motorcycle salvage may have anything you're looking for if you look long and hard enough. Just buy off Chacal, it takes the guess work out of things.

Like others have mentioned you can find little mom and pop motorcycle shops that will work on older model bikes, they enjoy the challenge.

But with this web site even the mechanically challenged can fix an XJ. They even know what "the thingy on the carb body that holds the whatsis" means.

 

This is not an accurate statement. This was someone too lazy to look or put in a special order. Many parts are still available. Most of them are in Chacals warehouse just waiting for you to need them.

 

That's probably a good thing.

For what it's worth, I have XJs through my shop all the time. Less than half of them are LtDave's. :wink:

 

I think I may have found a dealer here that actually works on older bikes. I'm gonna take a trip down there next week. My first question ... Do you work on classic Yammies. So if, yes, then what do you know about multiple carbs.? If they know about that, then let me speak to said mechanic.... Hi. do you actually possess a YICS tool and know WHY you have said tool and what it does? SO sad. LOL. I just need to become a mechanic. period.
NTgirl

 

NTgirl, you might get away with that kind of interrogation, but us guys would wind up chewing on a wrench. 8O