I just stopped by the mechanic who worked on my 1999 Magna. (Others had turned me away due to its age) well- he did not want to work on something that old and didn’t know of anyone who would.
Then stopped at another shop and the same story.
i feel your pain.
i have a 1997 buell that needed some advice, and the local harley place told me that :
a) they wont work on buells
b) they wont work on anything over 20 years old anyway.
apparently my problem is minor, and well within my abilities to fix, but what you describe is a common problem these days.
i ride various older british motorcycles, fifty to sixty years old, and am quite comfortable taking them down to the bare crankshafts, but the harley was something i was unfamiliar with. but now i m unavoidably researching yet another motor to be able to deal with its specific foibles.
this idea that a machine becomes an orphan after 20 years is not a practice i want to encourage, but since thats all i ride i have no voice in the matter.
please continue to keep us informed of your journey.
There's aways two sides. For the customer it's this or that simple. For the shop it's all about finding the parts you need and the time it takes to do the repair. Today time is not cheap and adds up fast then the customer gets a shocker, and it goes back and forth. Back to the shop it's not worth the aggravation.
Hmm my modern machine is a 2016 Moto Guzzi.
But then there's a 30yr old Honda scooter that I appreciate more each time I ride it.
A 60 yr old Dodge and a 100yr old Fiat.
Old stuff has a fixability that new stuff lacks.
Still needs fixing though.
The 3 engines in the basement belonging to Dennis are another level of simple.
Average ages is 120yrs so bit of a different challenge.
For the old engines you can likely fabricate anything that they would need for parts. Not so much for the Guzzi.
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
Yup. I have my own little museum in my garage. Nothing running anymore
KZ440,500,1000, Bultaco Matrala,
and a 1976 Triumph TR6.
and now the Goldwing rig. I feel like moving out of the house and leaving all that stuff behind!
harley shop revisited:
a mechanic at the trucking company i work with had a similar issue with the same harley shop. about a year ago he went in and they had a 2006 sportster for sale-- a trade in. he bought it for US$6000, liked it pretty well.
then he broke the brake lever somehow. went to the harley shop to get one.
we cant help you.
what do you mean? i just want to order a new brake lever.
its 20 years old. we dont do that.
you sold the bike to me 6 months ago and you wont order me a brake lever?
no.
well since im here, id like to buy a tire and get it mounted.
we wont do it. its over twenty years old.
its a tire, and you sold me the bike 6 months ago!
sorry.
now, perhaps this shop is swamped for business, and cant help him get a new brake lever. i can understand that. but to refuse to sell him a tire and to mount it?on a bike he bought from them?
this is why my mechanic will never buy another harley.
thank you for listening.
Sad story about a company that trades on heritage.
Taking money for a bike they won't service?
I know it requires a broader knowledge base, but U tube alone should cover that.
Is it the sue em risk?
Or just lazy greed?
Kathleen, You might look at goldwingsdoc.com as they talk about all years of goldwings and what ever problem you have someone has had the same problem and it will be addressed by many. It 's a great forum.
Don Mitchell Bellville TX
