For myself, owning a motorcycle has always meant working on it myself. Since the warranty ran out on the Harley-Davidson Superglide I purchased new on December 13th, 1978 I've yet to take any of my motorcycles to a shop or dealer for repairs. I've rebuilt engines, fixed clutches, tuned and synced carbs, laced wheels, mounted tires, relined brakes, balanced rims and tires, rewired, repainted and repaired every bike I ever rode. And I sometimes did it more than one time.
I guess it makes sense to dealers to avoid working on older bikes (no need to inventory old parts, no worries about charging more than the bike is worth, easier to sell new bikes, etc...) but it's good to know that people like Benjamin Segal of Gaston Motorcycle Werks has decided to go into the business of repairing older motorcycles.
I especially like his motto, "Good/Fast/Cheap – You can only pick two."
Considering the economy and predicted gasoline prices in the coming months, I predict you'll see more shops vying for the older bike niche.
0 comments:
Post a Comment