Had Enough!!

[TopCatGr58]

I have to agree with alot that has been said, especially regarding any "Dealership" type place, they want you to buy new bikes,not fix old ones!!

Private repairs shops are where you can get the better service and experience, cause they Want to work on bikes, any and all of them!

I have to give Kudos to the shop just outside of Suches, Ga., [Mike Terry's Motor Sports Plus] back in Oct. '03. I was at the VJMC rally, my rear tire of some 10+ years(many sitting) had finally gone bald, much to my surprise, and so I arrived at their shop at 7:30 am Saturday, dropped the tire off the frame, at 7:45 they came out and inquired what I needed(they didn't officially open till 8:00), told them I needed a tire, they had the brand and size I wanted, mounted and balanced it, and even applied fresh grease to my shaft splines, and had it ready at 8:10am, had it back on and was on the road at 8:30, made it back for the 9:00 ride meeting and didn't even miss breakfast!!!

So...I say go for it DragXS11. You probably won't get the guys with the new bikes that need warranty work, but there should be plenty of other older ones around that need work!!

[sksxs1100]

The local Yammie dealer here in Beuamont has been around for years... in 73 he ordered and sold 50 XS650's He said it was his biggest single order to date. A few years back, before i found this group I took mine in to have them do a once over to see if it was safe to run, also asked them to check it out to see if they could find a miss. They couldnt find it without doing some teardown and i didnt have the cash. I figured it out later ( triple cleaning) But they did have a full dress 78E in there that had jumped cam chain. They had replaced it and it jumped again.. i was thinking about it last night, kids putting together the new bikes , and the service guys at that time were more harley than yamaha...I bet i could fix that 78...lol The owner sold out to a guy a year or two ago and the Harleys are gone.( totally diffrent store.. damn rich lawyers now chargeing $4k to $6k over retail..LOL)
It might be better now, but like ya'll have said... they dont like working on old bikes..
A totally diffrent shop scared up my wheels changing a tire(not to mention mounted the rear backwards.

AS to your own shop, this group and my 78E have both got me sucked in. I have been thinking about trying to open a bike salvage place for over a year now. I have started collecting info already from Texas DOT, EPA, and sites about opening your own small buisness... If I do go for it , it will still be along time before i could. Since one of the main things is money. luckly i know ppl in the salvage and used auto buisness that i can talk to about it since the laws are the same. My thoughts are to cater to spesfic groups , IE XS 11's 650's and triples(sell as complete bikes if possible), GS1100's CB750's and whatever else i can find a good market for.
If anyone has any info or advice on this i would really love to hear it

There is only one bike salvage here local and claim to have the largest used parts inventory in the USA. I have been there and bought from them, they charge Half of list price for used parts and there stuff isnt too well sorted. IE.. a shelf that is for yamaha wiring harnesses has 10 bins on it and the harnesses are just thrown in in no type of order, 1 bin could have a 78xs and a 96fzr, and a 2005 r1 all mixed... no way to keep accurate track of inventory.

[dragxs11]

Well thats a lot of good input. For my situation, I think the most feasable way to go is to start with just a little Bar & Grill with a retro bike theme. You could come in and throw up a pic on the wall of your bike, or some place you've ridden. It would likely be seasonal so expanding to a full service wing would be a big step. But maybe even just a two car garage in back where if someone comes in with an issue, we can take it back and have a look(I would get the "education"). We don't have any place like that around here, even just to hang out. I think it might work....we'll see.

[Dennyz]

Build it, we will come!

[LoHo]

I like your idea for a shop and a diner in the same building. Corbin in Hollister, the seat and accessory company, has a restaurant next to their shop with windows running the length of the floor, so one may watch their big bucks seat being fitted to their ride. Granted, they are not a full-service shop with grease and bike guts all over, but it shows that they are on the up and up and are willing to put their professional skill before public scrutiny.

I've been working on a project bike for three years now, and I pay myself only $15 an hour. I'm getting rich and going broke at the same time...

[Toolmaan]

I am a auto mechanic in a small town at a independent repair facility. Very similar to a independent motorcycle shop. We strive on customer service, we wash windows vac out interior and even wash the car if the ticket is high enough. We will let customers come back into the shop if they ask, but they can't stand there and watch, we simply explain to them what we are doing and if they have any questions, then they either wait or go home. They seem to like the feeling of being able to talk with the mechanic, or service writer. Right across the street there is a motorcycle repair shop that has been there over 25 years. A one man shop specializes in bikes like ours, older standard type bikes, Yamaha, suzuki, honda, 70's-to 80's. He makes a killing all year long, has great service, and he like us will talk with the customer some, let them know what he is doing to their bike, but he also doesn't really allow to be watched over, neither do we in auto repair, Basically customers get in your way, some of the older men tell you about how they didn't do it like that when they were a mechanic, and how we should do it like they did, bla, bla. Just my .02. I do think your idea is a good one, if you do start to get into making good money just don't let the money paint your eyes and then slack off on service, because then it will hurt in the end.

[Czekus21]

I thought about doing something like that here in S.D. but $$$ are what's stopping me. I do work out of my garage and I'm always busy working on something or another but It takes alot of my free time cauz I do work a regular job with over time and am on call for one week out of every eight. A shop with food, beverage, pool table, pin ball, foos ball and a Dyno. Even if people don't come to get their bikes worked on. They'll come for the Dyno, and the rest of the stuff. Remember to have year round designated motorcycle parking. Any cage parked in a bike spot will be crushed.
I'll also pay you a visit while visiting my bro in Reno and my sis in Carson City. If you need a good mechanic who knows how to jerry rig old stuff and make it work, Let me know and I'll talk to my bro.

[RS Thornton]

Hey, I don't care if they serve food I would just like to have good service! I called the service departments to ask about some work on my bikes, and got the feeling they were about as well trained as the 10 minute oil change places. I decided that a good shop manual and my time would be better at working on my bikes, especially the older ones. Last fall had a little gravity problem and my royal star went over on me, so I had to take the bike in for an insurance estimate. The 90 minute inspections took over a week, one of the reasons was they could not get price and part numbers, so I looked them up on the web and gave them the information. When I went to get the bike the battery covers were bouncing around in the saddlebags with a handful of bolts! The shop was surprised when I chose not to let them do the $4000 insurance repair. Probably worked out better that I took the cash and bought replacement parts on ebay.

And don't even get me started on the local HD shops and the attitude toward non-HD machines!

[jeffe]

I am lucky enough to have a shop close to me here in central Ohio where the guy works on only old Japanese bikes. It is not his main job but he does because he likes to do it. His prices are comparable to the Yamaha dealers. You just can't get in a hurry.

[Geezer]

My aunt lives in a town out in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. I've had thoughts of relocating my internet business there and also hanging out a shingle for bike repair and computer consulting.

The economy of the last three years has pushed me back into the bike business and I'm not 100% sure why I ever gave it up...

Geezer

[graybird78]

go for it!!!!. where i live there are 2 shops that cater to the older bikes . one is a used parts and repair shop. he is mainly kawasaki,but is very knowlegdable about other makes. the other is a aftermarket parts and repair. both are very good. the kaw guy did some work on the xs for a kz i had. was very pleased with the work. we have only 2 dealers, neither one has expressed any interest in working on the older bikes. they have a few older bikes sitting outside. most needing lots of work. i did have a bad run in with a small independent shop once. long story short i retreived my bike in pieces, and had to fix it myself. just remember to treat those as you would like to be treated.

[steelcat]

Out here in Elko, the yamaha dealer is pretty good. He can at least order in parts ( or will try). The shop is not bad, the guys have been wrenching on bikes for quite a while. It is just tough to get anything in. Went down there to have some work done a year ago & there was a waiting list ( 3 to 4 months!) < Yamaha was having a safty recall at the time>.
Reno is a bit far if I need something done, but if nessary I could make it.
Are you going to try to have it open in time for the Reno Ralley?

[xsivebiker]

Dealearship with a Resturant

In our capital city of Charleston, WV, the H-D shop there has a resturant complete with viewing windows of the mechanic's area.
I've never been there, but a friend has. Also there was an article in the newspaper complete with photos when the place first opened, aprox. 3 yrs. ago, of which I'm basing this info from memory.
I'm pretty sure they don't sell "meals" just burgers, fries, sandwiches and such.
So Matt, your idea WILL work.
My two cents worth: Whoever said that our XS's are generally older than the mechanics that do the work; your absolutely right!
And not only have they never worked on an XS before; usually our's is the first XS that they've ever seen!
Ride Safe,
Greg
'80 XS1100-G "Christine"
'93 KLX650-C1

[Geezer]

Originally posted by steelcat
Out here in Elko, the yamaha dealer is pretty good. He can at least order in parts ( or will try). The shop is not bad, the guys have been wrenching on bikes for quite a while. It is just tough to get anything in. Went down there to have some work done a year ago & there was a waiting list ( 3 to 4 months!) < Yamaha was having a safty recall at the time>.
Reno is a bit far if I need something done, but if nessary I could make it.
Are you going to try to have it open in time for the Reno Ralley?

The town I'm thinking about is Hawthorne. Houses are dirt cheap there but there's almost no work.

Better than half of my work only requires a broad band internet more beyond the normal small town stuff. I'm more toying with the idea than serious at the moment but that could change...

Geezer

[GNEPIG]

OK..... in defense of all those young guys out there just starting in the field of motorcycle mechanics...we've all had to start somewhere...hopefully some place where there are more experienced guys than new ones...and that yours is not the first bike they've ever worked on
in defense of the cycle shops... unless you've worked at a one
you dont know the bullsh*# that some of the customers try to pull and just how cheap and weenie some of them are. and to let them hang around in the back while your trying to work, getting in your way, bitchin about every thing and trying to tell you how to do your job... this does not help you get the job done right or efficently...very distrative... some shops won't work on the old ones because most of the time the repair bill cost more than the bikes are worth...these customers call twice daily the day after they dropped it off and ask if their bike is done yet, and when the bike IS finished and they get the total you never hear from them again. then the shop is stuck with the bill and a bike with no title.
..this does not mean that all shops are good ones but not all are bad. the best ones are usually the ones that are not dealerships
...but the best way to GETTER DONE is to learn how to do it your self...
the mistakes you make at first are valuable experiences later