When Flowing Gas = No Good!

OK, so I rolled the Shadow that has been occupying the space between by two others bikes into the drive today and decided I probably start it.

I say this because it has been sitting for some time and well, it is for sale. (That's another story.) Anyway a person had called and said they would be trying to come by today to look at it and I decided it would probably be smart to make sure she was running OK.

The bike sputtered a little and was running like it need choke so I pulled the choke out and all of the sudden I see fuel pouring out from under the carbs.... UHG!!!

So, two hours later after pulling the carbs off of the engine and pulling them apart to clean out the vanish and gunk, the bike is running like a top once again!

I guess tomorrow I will pull out all the stop for the garage sale!

New Parts Rock

There is nothing like a new part to get a motorcyclist's heart purring.



And if you take that part and customize it to match your bike, well all the better.

I can't stand to half-ass a job and I honestly like to making things like a factory would or better. I mean the cheap looking stuff is for others. I want strength and reliability.

Do it once and do it right!!

Repairs / Maintenace SUCKS!

I've had issues with my Honda and with my Buell. My Honda has spent a good 3 months in the shop at different times, basically sitting waiting for someone to decide something. My Buell about 3 weeks for the same thing.

Only once did I actually get something fixed that I did not have to do myself, but I thought I would post up why this happens.



I recently posted this response to a guy who is having an issue with a chaffed wire on his wiring harness. The quick and proper solution would be to replace the harness. Of course that would mean that someone would have to cover the cost and admit it was not perfect to start with....here is why.

The high level of seeming incompetence is in reality a mixture of indifference and our wonderful legal system.



Dealers want to sell bikes, do regular service and not deal with issues that require any thought. They think that any issues with design (even though they put bikes together) should be dealt with by the manufacturer. And if they didn't put the bike together or sell it to you, their attitude is one of a hurt child, who has to do their siblings chores while they are sick.

This attitude comes from years of consumers demanding cheaper prices, which has stripped a lot of profitability away from shops. That profitability used to pay for a couple extra techs, or allowed the salary of a really good one. That money is gone, and it paid for the time it takes to troubleshoot. Now, a bike that needs a few hours of looking at to isolate an issue has to wait, because without other work being done, the shop will not exist. That and what tech wants to work for free?

On the legal side we have the manufacturer.

They set up a repair guide and offer suggestions and a path for troubleshooting. If they vary from that, they must document it, and follow up to make sure it is not a widespread problem. IF it is a widespread problem, they must then issue a recall.

The bottom line is, if they replace your harness, they are admitting (or would appear to be admitting in a court of law) to a widespread problem and would be liable for that repair on ALL ST1300s, not just yours.

In the long run, your potential lawsuit for death or injury would cost less....(Sad, but true fact or the US legal system today.)

It is not about doing the morally correct thing, it is about doing the proper thing to remain a business that supports hundreds of thousands of employees.