Erdoc48
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
- Messages
- 1,409
- Age
- 60
- Location
- Myrtle Beach, SC/ Sometimes Colorado
- Bike
- 94/00/04 STs, FSC600
Agree…haven’t been to the dealership (or actually any MC shop, even independent) in > 10 years.
New Honda St1100 Owner ... Some questions
- Thread starter BodineJCS
- Start date
Bmacleod
Site Supporter
Thats a pretty broad brush that you are painting all dealers/shops with. Just because you have had a bad experience with a dealer, doesn't make all dealers bad. The general consensus here is that because of the age of these bikes and the internal dynamics within dealers, unfortunately it is getting harder to find quality mechanics to work on these bikes. This would be hard to dispute. The best course and the one preached here the most is to educate yourself , using the knowledge available here to do your own repairs and maintenance. I believe because of the experience level here with these bikes, as opposed to some/most dealers, your odds of getting quality information here is greater. Also being discussed, it is also possible to get wrong/bad info here or elsewhere on the internet. You need to do your research. A good example would be of a guy here last year that took his bike into what he reputed to be a good shop and asked them to change his plugs and the shop did exactly as told and put in the factory specified plug and the guy was irate, stating that they were the wrong plugs, although they weren't, because someone gave him bad advise. He continually bashed the dealer for doing exactly what he asked
If, however, you are not able to do your own work, it is highly recommended that you do your research and find a good shop to do the work for you. I cant believe there are NO good shops out there, but unfortunately, yes there are some bad. I see forums where people are asking for recommendations for local mechanics and I see where a good number of people will recommend someone in their area. Word of mouth is the best way to find someone reputable.
Bmacleod
Site Supporter
The argument here is that many of the modern Honda mechanics DON'T have experience with these bikes. With the low number of ST's on the road, they may work on one maybe every couple of months, give or take, but not every day. I wouldn't be surprised if 50% of Honda mechanics haven't laid a wrench on an ST, but that is not a statement of fact, just an opinion.
I bought my VFR700FII new in 1986, and like yours, it's never been to Honda except for initial PDI. Shortly afterwards, I became a part time wrench (full time college student) at the local Honda, Yamaha, and BMW dealership. Our sister store carried Kawasaki as well. My colleagues were very good mechanics and taught me well enough that I've rarely had to bring any of my bikes to the shop. I find a certain satisfaction in diagnosing and solving problems. That doesn't mean that I don't solicit the advice of others who may have more experience or knowledge than I do. It doesn't hurt to "listen" and learn from the experience of others. I can take apart most of my bikes better than the average backyard mechanic or DIY'er, but I will still defer to my friends and colleagues who are mechanics (fewer years and fewer miles than me, mind you) In MotoGP and World Superbike even though they may not have specific experience with my platform. For me, just because I can (and have done) most of the my work myself, doesn't mean that the experience of others won't provide me with a different way of looking at things. Obviously, perspectives and the way they are described are relative... what is "vibration" to you may not be the same to others. And as an owner of a 40-year old bike from new, I'm sure you know that your bike will not feel identical to the same model belonging to another. This is where the experiences of the "more seasoned others" becomes more valuable, IMO.
I'm a bit curious as to why you "have put at least 50 or more tires on the bike, all by hand." If this is a way of asserting your prowess, I get it -- sometimes we need to set a framework so that others who don't know us can understand where we are coming from. If it's a flex or a point of pride, I applaud your accomplishment. But take it from someone who does A LOT of motorcycle tire changes on all kinds or wheels, have some (more) pride for your bike and invest in a tire changer - I recommend nomartirechanger.com I've done hundreds of tire changes by hand with nary a nick, scratch, or mark, but I'll always remember the few when I scratched the wheel. All it takes is one slip of a tire iron and your bike is no longer "pretty mint." YMMV.
There sure are a lot of complaints thus far about... Well, everything.
Probably get a different bike that you're more familiar with and like better? No sense trying to force a square peg into a round hole here...
Probably get a different bike that you're more familiar with and like better? No sense trying to force a square peg into a round hole here...
Nearest Honda dealer couldn't find the time to do a state safety inspection on my ST13. Local Harley dealer inspected it for me. I do my own maintenance, and a friend who is a Honda tech and has worked on both the ST11 and ST13 handles anything I can't.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
At the end of the day, you have to do what works for you in your area.
Since no one (that I can find) in my area really wants to touch a ST1100 and I still want to ride them, I learned to do the stuff myself.
And I have accumulated parts that I think I might need in the future.
I think a big issue with Honda shops and ST1100s these days is the lack of easy available parts and their rarity.
If not already, those will be the big issues with ST1300s at some point.
Since no one (that I can find) in my area really wants to touch a ST1100 and I still want to ride them, I learned to do the stuff myself.
And I have accumulated parts that I think I might need in the future.
I think a big issue with Honda shops and ST1100s these days is the lack of easy available parts and their rarity.
If not already, those will be the big issues with ST1300s at some point.
I have a good reliable independent workshop to do the repairs i can't do like tires and brakes everything else I do myself . My Toyota car dealer I had to let them go some 15 years ago as I knew more about the care and feeding of my old 20 car.Thats a pretty broad brush that you are painting all dealers/shops with. Just because you have had a bad experience with a dealer, doesn't make all dealers bad. The general consensus here is that because of the age of these bikes and the internal dynamics within dealers, unfortunately it is getting harder to find quality mechanics to work on these bikes. This would be hard to dispute. The best course and the one preached here the most is to educate yourself , using the knowledge available here to do your own repairs and maintenance. I believe because of the experience level here with these bikes, as opposed to some/most dealers, your odds of getting quality information here is greater. Also being discussed, it is also possible to get wrong/bad info here or elsewhere on the internet. You need to do your research. A good example would be of a guy here last year that took his bike into what he reputed to be a good shop and asked them to change his plugs and the shop did exactly as told and put in the factory specified plug and the guy was irate, stating that they were the wrong plugs, although they weren't, because someone gave him bad advise. He continually bashed the dealer for doing exactly what he asked
If, however, you are not able to do your own work, it is highly recommended that you do your research and find a good shop to do the work for you. I cant believe there are NO good shops out there, but unfortunately, yes there are some bad. I see forums where people are asking for recommendations for local mechanics and I see where a good number of people will recommend someone in their area. Word of mouth is the best way to find someone reputable.