Why?

[saread]

Why are the Yamaha parts desks around here such fucktards? One has absolutely no issue with charging you $13 for an oil filter, or $30 for an air filter, or $75 for a set of brake pads; and another can't seem to order parts when you ask. Another bitches at you about his parts department getting killed by the internet. Christ, try being a consumer in this market and it ain't hard to figure out. The interweb is cheaper, the guy ordering the parts is competent, and the place you order the parts from will actually get them for you, and I don't have to listen to you whine about your customers. Jeezus, if I didn't love my FJR so much there is no fucking way I'd own one based on the service you get from the local shops. I won't even start on the service departments....

 

[dravnx]

Try competing with the internet and ,at the same time, paying decent wages to your parts department employees. It can't be done, thus you end up with know nothing, pimple faced kids working part time at the parts counter. We did it to ourselves.

 

[Ignacio]

 

[SLK50]

What's a "parts desk"?

I haven't been back to the dealer since the day

I picked up my bike. Circa 2006.

 

[El Toro]

The guys around here are quite good. Parts and service.

Maybe wages are naturally lower here, so it works.

I deal with the same professional parts and service people year after year at Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Triumph, and KTM.

 

[garyahouse]

Kinda depends where ya live. I've found the Yammie shop's prices on things like filters and oil to be so outrageous that I decided to get my advice from this forum. Have been enjoying reasonable prices ever since. If it wasn't for this forum, not sure I'd have ever bought an FJR. I learned quite bit about them right here before I bought mine.

Gary

 

[FJRay]

When I lived in NW Wa. I always dealt with Skagit power sports and had excellent service. I bought eight bikes there and had all the warranty work done there. The only fight was with the ticker but that was before it became a popular issue. Once I pushed it through is was taken care of promptly.

With over 50 years in the service and parts business I've found the customer is as much to blame for poor service as the counter help. If you go in with a chip on your shoulder thinking you're going to get screwed you probably will. Keep it light and friendly and things go much better and I always found when you put a box of donuts by the coffee machine things really go well.

 

[saread]

Don't forget the sandy vag Iggy. I got some of that too. Better to bitch a little here and have a little fun with it than make some poor under paid guy behind the counter suffer for his management. I'm trying to support the local dealers, but that needs to come back in customer service and respect for the customer. I can get over paying a little more for my stuff if it's fun to go get it. Some of the Toyota dealers around here are really good at that. I actually look forward to going over and getting stuff from them. There's a local Kawasaki/Honda dealer that I like to go into. They don't know me from Adam but have always bent over backward to be helpful and friendly. it's out there, just not at the Yamaha shops I seem to wander in to. Oh well, I'll get over it. I just need to put the bike back together and go for a rip.....

 

[bergmen]

Well, out here in BFE northern California, the closest Yamaha dealer (where I bought my 2014 A) is 45 minutes away. And they deal mostly with boats, dirt bikes and ATVs. The street bikes are a tiny percentage of their biz. So, for me, it is Bike Bandit or Ron Ayers.

Dan

 

[Pterodactyl]

Our local Yamaha dealer went tits-up over two years ago....... I haven't had a complaint since.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Same here, didn't sell enough bikes so now they are just a Honda dealer. Is it me or is MaMa Yamaha screwing up big time.

 

[SLK50]

It's you. Or the economy. Whichever is bigger.

Since I've never met you, I'm going with economy.

 

[Powerman]

I need a set of plugs for a FJR1300 2006.

Brings me two, how about the other two?

Oh, you want spares? WTF?

Four cylinder Ace, thanks for playing.

 

[Hammer Down Brown]

I went for the 600 mile service on my 2016. It calls for changing the final drive oil. It takes about three ounces. They charged me $22.50 for a full quart and give me the rest of the bottle and it was leaking.

I hate being treated like a sucker. I paid them but for that money, they lost a customer.

 

[DennisJ]

I've never had a problem with service or parts at Adventure Motorsports in Monroe. I don't buy a lot of parts there simply because of the pricing but when I have needed something quickly they have always come through. If you are heading south, Yamaha Power Sports Plaza out by Gresham has a decent parts department but shipping is expensive, about like all the others I have tried.

 

[El Toro]

FJRay wrote:

With over 50 years in the service and parts business I've found the customer is as much to blame for poor service as the counter help. If you go in with a chip on your shoulder thinking you're going to get screwed you probably will. Keep it light and friendly and things go much better and I always found when you put a box of donuts by the coffee machine things really go well.

******************

You got that right!!!

Customers waltz in acting like effin' genii. They've got internet. The dealer is a stealer. Yada yada yada ....

A light hearted approach with no assaholic tendencies, and stuff generally works.

If they're really the dumbasses some of you say you experience, they'll be out of business by next spring.

They're just guys like you who followed their love of motorcycles into the business.

 

[Kelvininin]

When I lived in NW Wa. I always dealt with Skagit power sports and had excellent service.

I use to live in Seattle and rode victory motorcycles. I have bought two bikes from SVP. Had a lot of service done up there, until some drama unfolded and they unloaded on of their main guys.

After that, these days I do pretty much all of my own maintenance including tire changes.

 

[rbentnail]

Yeah, the parts desk is a two way street. Complaints from customers always remind me of that old joke,

Kid goes into the parts store and says, "I need new spark plugs for my bike."
"What bike ya got?"
"It's blue."

 

[TripperMike]

Kid goes into the parts store and says, "I need new spark plugs for my bike.""What bike ya got?"

"It's blue."

You may laugh at that, but he still brought me the correct plugs.