Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Opinion ~rame rigidity based on perfect triangulation. Adjustable steering head to suit your riding style. - New long-travel suspension sets new standard for superb . overall handling control. - Technically advanced transmission perm its immediate start-up In any gear. - Front fork features breather valve to easure consistent action. - - T ewre ch speaksou Here I sit, listening to the "Dodgers Are Dead" ball game, and thinking ab out the motorcycle industry as a whole. I have been involved in motorcycles since 1956, and I am a professional mechanic. I make a fairly good living working on Don't lose the race... because 01 breakdown! Complet e V i ctor weld i ng & cutt ing ou tf i t wi t h cylinder s can so l ve t hose problems! ' V ery po rtabl e ! E x cellent for home & on the ro ad! . Sale price only S~69.50 S~ ;l/J':ce Sales tax where eppti coble. Outf its shipp ed require pre-paymen t. 9·$0 Wayne WELDING EQUIPMENT CO. :101 E . HI S t •• santll An .... CA 71"·541~U:5 4012~1 :s~= :t.dPt.::~:~ i:ZCtol~;~;~. ~ ':l00 10 1 W. C ra"', Tucscon , AZ &02·&22-C'51 If you've got the goods, we've got the connections We manufacture club jerseys! BILL WALTERS LEATHERS 10 BW 44550 . Victory Blvd. Burbank. California 91502 motorcycles, but what I see for the future concerning motorcycles is not good. I think, in my opinion, I can finally assess the customer's and mechanic's position. I was a Service Manager fo r a large dealership for three y ears until I could not stand the pre ssure an y longer. I carried t he wei ght of . this job everywhere I went. I will comment o n some of the most frust rat ing points I have come across. 1 . Dealership attitudes (o wn ers ). Their firs t and primary concern is the dollar. Great ! I enjoy it too. We are all involved in free enterprise somewhat. Most dealership s do not offer their employees any benefits, medical or otherwise, compared to other businesses dollar-wise, Most dealers think of a mechanic as an unscrupulous ch ar acter, of low esteem and de cadent mannerisms. Their first complaint is t hey can 't hire good , competent help. Well, what do they have to offer? No pension plan, no credit union, no insurance or very poor coverage (if one wants to buy it ), no sick pay, poor working conditions, insufficient sho p tools, no visible parts inventory, and above all , poorly-trained Servi ce Management personnel. Now I ask, how are you going to lure good competent mechanics into the industry when all that 's offered is a paycheck that they earned an yway? The average mechanic is a young man, who is interested in motorcycles. His idea is to st art working on motorcycles from scratch or with very little knowledge , and will usually work cheap so he can learn as he goes , at the customers' expense. Of course th ere are schools you can at tend, but one or two ye ars is no t sufficient to reall y do good work in the open j ob mar ke t. Most of the younger guys get discouraged with their employers' attitu des and then m ove on. A remark I recently overheard a customer make was, " Everyti m e I come in here there are new people , why ?" The next motorcycle sh op y ou enter, look for a mechanic over 30 years old. Ask the Service Manager how much expe ri en ce mechanics have on your brand of motorcycles. I think yo u'd be shocked. Did you ever ask to talk to the mech:mic that worked on your bike? To describe what was wrong with your !>ike? ~o. th ey don 't want you ~tel'V1ewmg someone that they think is mcompetent and might give you doubts that can't be absolved. Most dealerships think of their service departments as a necessary evil , and main t a in them because of . distributor pressure and agreements. Granted, the distributors have schools to train and update on new models, but the dealers will not let a mechanic go . If he makes good money, they don't want to lose his day's pay. Also, they figure if he does learn something, he will look for a better j ob. My an swer to that is to have schools at n ight. So the mechanic has to learn as he goes, again at the customers' expense. So I say customers, don't complain about the mechanic. You want decent wo rk for your money, start at the top and demand it I . 2. p~s pricing. The motorcycle industry IS the only ind ust ry I ever he:rrd of wi th the p!ofit margin it enJoys. No wonder big business has bought into it in the last few years. Most parts managers have the attitude that the motorcyclist is a type of fellow that not o nly rid es his bike for economical transportation but also enjoys it. So to keep' it running reasonably , he will pay through the nose, and I feel bad to see them do it. I ~ truly shocked and dismayed at the pnce. of moto!cyc1e tires compared to car tires, Car ~s hold up more weight and last five umes longer. There is no reason for it. I don't see why W mston or Goodrich, etc. can't make a good, economical motorcycle tire. You are charged what you will bear. 3. l' o u the customers. First and f oremost, n o on e makes a perfect ~otorcycle (ye~) . Any machine has an Inherent quality called production manufacturing defects. There is no one who doesn't make mistakes. I read Consumers Un ion reports and all the ~s they .test have sample defects. Also, If you thmk the bike you ride now is noISY, hard-starting, leaks oil , etc., take a ride on an older bike or talk to an owner of one of the big singles. Sh udder / But I agree t hat for what they cost , the y should be relatively trouble fre e . It shoul d not need a major tune and service every 1,000 miles. 4. Accessory parts. Racks, crash bars, shock absorbers, etc . .• How can y~u guys charge the money you do fo r things that don 't fit ? Nine out of 10 crash bars either have to be filed , slotted, or bent to fit, and at the least bump, give away an ywa y. Head ers four-in-on e etc. They leak, are too loud and the motor usually runs worse than stock mufflers. Granted, they do sound good, but $ 160 for fo ur p ipes and a fibreglass muffler? I driv e a one-ton V8 Dodge van. A co m ple te set for the van, four tubes each side with gaskets and bolts , costs $55. If that is not exploiting the average motorcyclist , then 111 never see it. Also t he set for the van fits and does not leak, plus increases the gas mileage. Well, so much fo r what I've been thinking. The Dodgers lost and I'm not bitter. They gave the game away. So , I say, next year 111 probably be in a different line of employment. I think the majority of the motorcycle public will get fed up and boycott the high cost of parts and poor service. I don't know what the solution is, I only know it is getting worse. I wish I could help I In the meantime, I will continue to ride my bike to work, also in District 37 events, and hope it doesn't break. It 's getting harder to explain to the wife that I need a new part. She says, how much is it ? I tell her, then duck. All I can say is please! I need to ride my motorcycle and relax. . R. D. Baker

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