Out of the Tidewater/Peninsula Area

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Dealer Name:: FREDERICKSBURG MOTOR SPORTS
Dealer Address: 430 KINGS HGWY,
City: FREDERICKSBURG
Phone or URL: 540-899-9100
Brand of MC: Honda
Model: 2006 VTX 1300R

After hearing from other VTX riders about loose steering head bearings and their dealers not covering under warranty, I called Fredericksburg Motorsports and spoke with Scott in service. He ordered the 1800 VTX tapered bearings without hesitation and advised me they would be covering this problem under warranty. In turn, being in need of a new set of tires, I purchased a set of Metzlers and had them install them. I was called on my cell by Scott the next morning and advised they were done and the bike was ready to pickup (a day earlier than expected!) Now this is good service! I would highly suggest to anyone in the Fredericksburg area to call Scott for their service/warranty needs.

JEFF GOSSMAN

Monday, January 21, 2008
Dealer Name: Rocky Mount Harley-Davidson
Dealer Address: 928 N. Winstead Ave.
Phone or URL: 252-446-7292
City: Rocky Mount, NC
Brand of MC: Harley Davidson
Model: 99 Softail Classic

I went with a friend from Elizabeth City to buy a Night Train he saw on RMHD site. I had always wanted to purchase one, but figured it was beyond my wallet! While my friend decided which bike he wanted, I was approached by Brock Peppers and asked if I was there to buy one too. I told him I would love to but the cost of a new bike was out of my range. He showed me a GREAT used bike and gave me an unbelievable deal on it. From start to finish of the process it was 15 min. My friend wanted some mods on his bike that would take a week. They said it would be no problem and if I was in no hurry for my bike they would deliver them to our house together, NO CHARGE. On top of that, our first service was free and considering mine would be the 10K check up costing $400 plus, it was an amazing deal. Then Brock gave us a card to get lunch on them at the dinner right next to the shop! The price of the bike my friend bought was almost $3000 cheaper than the HD shop in our town and was worth the drive. If you want a great bike at a great price with customer service that is top notch, Rocky Mount is the place to go!
Don Yurko

Saturday, December 29, 2007
Dealer Name:: Shenadoah Harley Davidson
Dealer Address: Staunton Va. City:
Phone or URL: 888-515-2083
City: Staunton, Va.
Brand of MC: Harley Davidson
Model: 2008 HD/ Roadking Trike

Had a first encounter with this dealer and as always was treated with warm welcome, (country people are like this). Sales people as well as service personel well informed of their products and no pressure was applied to sell you anything. Everyone very helpful. They converted a Road King that I purchased into a "Trike" and did a super job in doing so. If I lived in that area it would be my number one choice dealer.
Claude (Hank) Hinkle

0022407
Dealer Name:: Anderson Bros.
Address: Hyway 17
City: Elizabeth City NC
Brand of MC: Yamaha
Model: 650 Silverado 2007

Larry and Jennifer of Anderson Bros Yamaha in Elizabeth City NC gave me the best deal for more than $1,400 (counting dealer prep, taxes, etc...) I purchased a 2007 650 yamaha silverdo for the 2006 price. Also, the first service maintenance was free ($15 for oil..) A savings of about $150. It is well worth the ride to Elizabeth City!!!!
Charles M. Lavene

012107
Dealer Name:: Demons Cycle
Phone : 954-943-0000
Pompano Beach, FL
Brand of MC: Other
Model: 2000

I won an auction on ebay for a 2KW starter for my 2000 Titan. I received the starter and mounted it to the bike. I immediately found that I have to push the starter button 3-5 times before the jackshaft will engage the flywheel gear and spin the motor over. I called Demons Cylce and spoke with the guy who answered the phone. I explained (or tried to between his interrupting me) the problem and all he had for me was obviously I installed it wrong. That bike has eaten several starters so I am very familiar with installing them. I gave up and tried again an hour later only to get worse service from not only the same guy who answered but also one of the mechanics with a foreign accent who ultimately ended up hanging up on me. What I thought would be a quick call and answer to my problem turned into a nightmare with me being out $182 for a starter that's defective. To make matters worse they gave me my first negative feedback in over 195 transactions on ebay and ruined my 100% positive rating. Their comment in the feedback they left me was that I can't turn a screwdriver. Shows their bad attitude towards the customer. So if you are bidding on an item that being sold by Demons Cycle be aware that "IF" you need help after the sale it won't be there.

NOTE: To be fair to them they have over 19500 transactions on ebay with a 99.2% positive rating. Although their negative feedbacks consist of 11 in the last 30 days, 36 in the last 6 months and 100 in the past year. 5 of the negatives came within the last 3 days!! By reading some of their negatives I get the feeling that other customers have had the same experience I've had. So as long as your part works properly, you'll be ok. But if you need help you're on your own.

Dealer Name:: Cycle World of Daytona Dealer
Address: 2900 Bellview Ave.
City: Daytona, Fla
Phone: 386-257-2600
Brand of MC: Honda
Model: 2004 Aero

Hi all; While we were in Daytona for Biketoberfest my scoot came down with a bad case of a flat tire (fortunately it was a slow leak and it went flat overnight while it was parked) HRC (Honda Riders Club) performance exceeded my expectations and was Johnny on the spot with a wrecker (About 35min arrival time).

Cycle City of Daytona was contacted and was very friendly on the phone and within a few minutes I had a new tire waiting for me and just mentioning HRC placed my bike on the next available lift.

The service department was clean, air conditioned (Much to the relief of the staff) and well organized the professionalism showed in their work and care of details which I found to be a pleasant surprise during the madness of Biketoberfest.

In short order my bike was finished and Deb and I were back on the road. I will have no second thoughts about leaving my bike in the care of these professionals should I need some type of emergency service while in Daytona Beach.

Barry "Animal" Herbert

Dealer Name: DC Cruisers
Dealer Address: 7520 Lindbergh Dr.,
City: Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Phone: 1-866-668-6253
Brand of MC: Other
Model: 2004 HBS Wicked

I own a 2004 Hellbound Steel Wicked. During my trip to Bike Week in Myrtle Beach this year I blew a head gasket. When I returned home, I called DC Cruisers in Gaithersburg, MD to get it fixed. I called them on Fri. 20 May 2005, described the problem and said that I needed the bike back for the Rolling Thunder ride to DC on 29 May. They said it was no problem and I delivered the bike to them the next morning on Sat 21 May.

I called them on Tues evening 24 May and found out that they hadn't even started to work on the bike. I called again the next day (25 May) and was told the gasket kit they needed wouldn't arrive in time for the bike to be ready for Rolling Thunder. So I called the General Manager, Alan Shoup, and asked if he would look into the matter. He called back about an hour later and said he had good news. The gaskets had miraculously arrived that morning and the bike would be ready for pickup Sat. morning 28 May in time for Rolling Thunder. It turned out to be 5:00 PM on Sat evening before the bike was ready.

So what's the beef? The bike wasn't ready when expected, but I still had it in time for Rolling Thunder. That's nothing to whine about and actually it isn't the reason I'm writing this.

What pissed me off are the lies, the dishonesty, and the arrogance of DC Cruisers' employees. When I went to pick up the bike I was told I had to see the General Manager Alan Shoup. Shoup told me all the delays in repairing my bike were caused by me telling them that the engine size on my bike was 107 ci. Hey, I bought a 2004 Hellbound Steel Wicked. Their specs for the 2004 Wicked are an S&S 107 ci. engine. It turns out the engine on my bike had been bored out to 113 ci. How would I know that? DC Cruisers is the manufacturer's representative dealer, but this caused them a big service problem. A phone call from them to Hellbound Steel with the engine number should have solved the problem. But I guess it was easier to blame it on the customer. Then Shoup presented me with a bill for $675.49. I told him the bike was under warranty and he immediately asked if I had the warranty paperwork with me. I gave him my policy number, but that wasn't good enough. I had to pay the bill in full myself. He said as far as he was concerned, I was a street customer since I didn't buy my bike from DC Cruisers (I think this had something to do with the delay in repairing the bike also). Evidently street customers aren't treated the same as those who buy their bikes from DC Cruisers. So I paid the total amount ($675.49) and put the bike in the trailer. What I didn't know was that the mechanic had not replaced my throttle and starter cable clamp or secured the oil filler cap under the seat. I noticed the missing cable clamp as soon as I got home, but I didn't find out about the leaking oil from the filler cap until the next morning while riding in Rolling Thunder. Good indication of their competent service department.

Shoup told me to fax him my warranty information so he could submit the invoice to Warranty America and recover what I had paid. Shoup said Warranty America would probably not reimburse the entire $674.49, but he would try to get what he could from them for me. Nice guy right?

A couple of days later I called Warranty America and asked about the settlement on the invoice they received from DC Cruisers. They said that they had paid the claim in full. I asked how much they paid and they said "You should know, you signed the invoice we received." I told them I hadn't signed anything and I asked again for the total amount. They told me it was $851.98! DC Cruisers had submitted a different invoice and had inflated the charges on the original invoice. A repair claim for $851.98 was what Warranty America received with my forged signature on it verifying the charges. DC Cruisers recovered an additional $177.49 on top of the $674.49 that I had paid them.

So, you would think with the additional $177.49 profit they received, DC Cruisers would return my $674.49. No, they only returned a credit of $564.49 to me. They received more than $674.49 from the warranty company and they still stiffed me for $111.00. They cheated me and Warranty America out of $177.49. It is no wonder warranty companies don t trust dealers service claims!

I also talked to DC Cruisers owner, Scott Lubore, and he too had no time to listen to the customer. Needless to say I will never do business with DC Cruisers again. I have filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau (Tracking # 2A344-D9F97-9F4AF-2AE74-D99D8-683F2-F9) and I sent a letter to Hellbound Steel (with a cc to all the other manufacturers DC Cruisers represents). I told them they need to re-think their policy of giving this dealer protected territory. If anyone needs competition to keep them honest, it's DC Cruisers!

Bottom Line: Here are the things that pissed me off in a nut shell.
1. Altering the date on the Repair Order to indicate that the bike had only been in their custody for 2 days.
2. No notification that work could not be completed on time.
3. Different story every time I called for information.
4. Attitude toward the "street customers".
5. Hassle getting warranty work done.
6. Inflating repair claim to the warranty company.
7. Forging customer's signature on invoice submitted to warranty company.
8. Pocketing a greater amount of money recovered from warranty company than the original invoice and still charging the customer.
9. Leaving the oil filler cap unsecured.
10. Not replacing bike's original equipment removed by the mechanics.
11. Dishonesty.

Caveat Emptor

Dave Fulcher

I recently completed my first attempt at a custom bike. Using mostly custom parts and Milwaukee Iron fenders. After a few months of riding and some shows I noticed that my rear fender had begun to split down the middle.

I contacted the people at Milwaukee Iron and sent them pictures. They were as surprized as I was to see this. Without hesitation they were willing to replace it, but with the custom cutting I had done I was concerned. It was discovered that when I cut the fender I removed a very important "stitch weld" Milwaukee Iron was still willing to re-weld my fender at no cost to me.

Because of time constraints to get it back on the road for Laconia I asked them if I could bring it to them personally, and they told me to "bring it on up" I drove it up from Virginia Beach and arrived there at noon.

After a tour of their facilities two of the boys got to work on it, Houston, and I'm sorry I didn't get the other's name, but when they were done I was out the door at 1:00 PM!!!!

The fact they were willing to take time to care for my fender in this fashion and thier professionalism makes them a business to be emulated and I will remain a Milwaukee Iron customer for future projects. Everyone I dealt with from the e- mails to walking in the front door made me feel welcome and glad I chose Milwaukee Iron. I'm sorry I did not get to thank Randy in person, I'm sure he is just as friendly as the rest of his staff, maybe in Laconia!!!

Thank You Milwaukee Iron!!!!!!
Mike "Umpy" Burgess
Virginia Beach, Va.
kim-mike@cox.net

Rocky Mount Harley-Davidson
928 N. Winstead Ave.
Rocky Mount, NC
252-446-7292

I had the piston kit, 2:11 cams, Screaming Eagle 2 slip-ons, air breather, and power commander, done on my bike for around $2200, plus they tuned and mapped it on the Dyno. It is a great combo for power and sound, not too loud, but a good step above the stock pipes which is what I was looking for. 62 hp to about 83 and now pushing a little over 100 ft lbs on the rear wheel. The staff was great to work with. Daryl the service guy, Scott the mechanic (request him), and Mike the parts guy are all very knowledgeable and accommodating. There is one other gentleman who's name escapes me who was also very friendly and accommodating while I was there, but his office is behind the service desk. Best of all in this deal, they did it in one day saving me a trip back to pick up the bike. I was in at 10 and out at 6.

Call Daryl and tell him Bruce Bowles from Suffolk sent you. DiamondsAPlenty@aol.com

Rhoads Cycles
Sterling, VA
703-437-6388

I recently purchased a Ninja ZX6E from Rhoads Cycles in Sterling, VA. My first complaint is that they tried to make it look like they were giving me a deal when they sold me the bike. They claimed they would throw in a free riding jacket in with my purchase. They did indeed give me the jacket, but only after they jacked the freight charge to $480

Several weeks after I purchased the bike, I purchased some bad gas at a mom-n-pop gas station. This caused some problems with the bike so I decided to take it to Rhoads to be cleaned and repaired if necessary. That was a big mistake.

When I got the bike back from them, the tank had several scratches in it. One of the gas lines they removed had a slight cut in it and they put it back on anyway. The final issue is that they never bothered to tighten the threaded nipple attached to the main gas line. This caused the tank to leak all over the engine.

It took several weeks for me to figure out where the leak was. I tightened the bolt and have not had a problem since. The scratches are still in the tank and I refuse to take my bike to them for any future work.
Scott Macri

Alachua County Choppers
18135 NW US Hwy. 441
High Springs, FL
32643 386-454-9621

DESTROYED MY HARLEY & CHARGED ME $2500 FOR THE PLEASURE!

May 2004 I brought my 1995 FXSTSB to A.C.C. for a leaking base gasket. I have always taken special care of my bike as it is a daily rider, and had never had any problems with it before. Two weeks later A.C.C. replaced the top end gaskets and I paid my bill. Immediately after leaving the shop one of my buddies pointed out that my bike was blowing blue smoke. I returned to A.C.C. and told the owner the problem. He said that it was probably just some blow by and should stop after it burns off and not to worry about it. Against my better judgment I stuck with my plan to ride to Laconia for the annual bike rally. Upon my return to Florida the front cylinder blew the three week old gasket.

July 2004 I returned to A.C.C. with the bad news. The owner told me “these things happen”. He stated that I should buy a Harley remanufactured motor for $2195 plus labor as that was best. Of course I scratched my head at this suggestion. Who ever heard of having to rebuild an entire motor for a simple top end job??

I declined his suggestion and had him rebuild the top end again, this time with new studs, pistons, valves, springs etc.

August 2004 After almost two months of sitting in the shop my top end was finally finished. On the very second day after getting it back and riding it below 3000 rpm and under 60 mph my cam bearing took a sh%#&t. Once again my bike returned to A.C.C. I was told that the bearing going out had nothing to do with the work the owner had done. It was simply coincidental that it went two days after picking the bike up.

September 11, 2004 After yet another three weeks, the cam, cam bearing and damaged case was repaired and I paid my $1076 bill which was $200 more than quoted, and I was told by the owner that he was “doing me a favor” because they had nine hours into it! Nine hours??? Sounds like a lot of time and money for a cam job huh!

September 14, 2004 Unbelievable as it may sound; a mere three days after picking up my bike for the third time I noticed oil spatter all over the cylinders. Upon closer inspection I saw that the front rocker box gasket was pinched and spewing oil! I once again returned to A.C.C. and I was pissed.

The owner came out and said “it looks like it’s only the rocker box gasket, its no big deal”. I informed him that IT WAS A BIG DEAL and after spending a total of 2 ½ months without my bike and $2500 that I don’t expect to see oil drop #1!!!! He offered to once again repair his previous repair and I told him he would never touch my bike again. Instead I took it to the Harley dealer and they repaired it at his cost.

At this point I can no longer trust what was once a very reliable motorcycle.

September 20, 2004 One week later I went to make a purchase with my bank card. Imagine my surprise when it was declined? After checking my online statement I noticed that I had been charged $1076 twice by A.C.C. The bank representative said it was an error on A.C.C.’s credit card machine and it would take a couple of days to straiten out. In the mean time I am completely out of money!

Machine error or not, as far as I'm concerned this is the last straw in a very bad experiance. IF YOU VALUE YOUR MOTORCYCLE, STEER CLEAR OF ALACHUA COUNTY CHOPPERS!!!
Frankie "5 Angels" Feeley
Fort White, FL
franke5angels@yahoo.com

First Flight Motorcycles
8291 Caratoke Hwy.
Powell's Point (almost to Kitty Hawk) NC
Phone (252)491-5080

This is a fairly new Harley shop owned by a fellow who ran a Harley dealership for 30 years in upper Virginia. The mechanic is a Harley certified and factory trained mechanic who used to work for OBX Harley as their chief mechanic.

I've had work done by him many times in the past and have never had any problem whatsoever. They even give a discount on parts to OBX HOG members....something even OBX Harley doesn't do!

They don't have any new motorcycles for sale since they are a private shop, but if you want good work done and are looking for an older bike at a very reasonable price, check them out. Two very knowledgeable fellows, willing to go the extra mile for their customers, just a good place to stop and look and talk with some really great people, who will treat you right.

I'm praising them because I know my work will be done right by a great mechanic. I still deal with Bayside and OBX Harley in Elizabeth City, but as their business has grown, so have their prices! That $3000.oo above msrp on new bikes will keep me on my old one for a good while yet, and since First Flight charges $10 bucks an hour cheaper in labor charges, gives a HOG discount, and has great people working there, I am forced to share my little bit of business with this smaller, honest, and private shop.

Kent Pritchard
Camden, NC 27921
bgizmo48@yahoo.com