Another normal {sigh} guy

[echoyankee]

I was actually pointed to gaijin's thread by a certain helpful someone here on the board.  



I have a 2001 Tiger that had some kind of trouble with it's cooling system.  (thread 1361)



Then I read about a gaijin's story (thread 1366 and also thread 1464)



I took a look at the service manual (my german from high school is somehow, remarkably in tact after all the years of alcohol!).  



The take home message to me, was, even if I correctly exchanged the coolant, I could still have scalding hot fluid spraying out of the instruments at me.  (The one lone reservation I had about getting aboard the Tiger in the first place.  Thread, well, a post made a hell of a long time ago.)



Solution: rent a van, build a ramp ($30!) and take the bike to my Triumph repair facility.  I caved.  I am a wimp.  I have no tools.  



Gaijin's frustration in his 1464 thread is something I can relate to.  





My situation:  Two Triumph service facilities:  #1 is 16 miles away, but I have to go through some hellish traffic to get there.  #2 is about 50 miles away but has a good reputation and does quality work.  The other facility, 10 miles away, went out of business before the Rocket III came out and, well, that fellow was ringed with Harley dealerships.  It was a matter of time before he went down.  



I have waited a full month for the Tiger to come out of the shop.  It has been a painful time.  During this time, I'd considered contacting Triumph corporate and starting my own dealership and repair facility!

[BykBoy]

My situation:  Two Triumph service facilities:  #1 is 16 miles away, but I have to go through some hellish traffic to get there.  #2 is about 50 miles away but has a good reputation and does quality work.  The other facility, 10 miles away, went out of business before the Rocket III came out and, well, that fellow was ringed with Harley dealerships.  It was a matter of time before he went down.  

Were did you end up taking the sick cat? I used an outfit in Lodi (sp?) NJ that would pick up the cat and drop it off for an extra $75. It was very convenient, but I never got the "warm and fuzzy" feeling that they actually did all the work they said they did.

[ridin gaijin]

Hey EY and bykBoy--



Thanks much for the kind thoughts. As it happens today I picked up the Tiger.



I have very mixed emotions. On the one hand is all the frustration, anxiety, etc. previously expressed.



On the other, the dealership owner spent considerable time on the phone apologizing to me for the delays and missed communications. He had someone come in today (Sunday) to open the shop because it suited my schedule. And after $900 (!!) worth of work--discounted by the cost of the first repair attempt--he maintains he has improved the compression to better meet our high-altitude needs (7,000 ft).



The bike did not overheat on the way home. It did run slightly hotter than I remember but not anywhere near the halfway mark. It was kind of an anxious ride back and at the moment I'm conflicted. Of course I'm happy to have the bike again...but unable to completely let go of my distrust. As I am taking my kids back East to visit my parents (guys, I used to live in NYC (Brooklyn) and Arlington too!) for 2 weeks, my riding season may well be all but ended, barring a gentle autumn in the mountains.



Anyway, that's the way it shook out. Thanks everyone who posted your thoughts and ideas!

[echoyankee]

Were did you end up taking the sick cat? I used an outfit in Lodi (sp?) NJ

The outfit in Lodi is the one that I refer to above as "ringed by Harley dealers."  They are, to my knowledge, not doing business anymore.



The resultant overflow and usual summertime deluge has migrated northward to Rockwell Cycles.



It took a month for me to get my bike back and I did spend a fair amount of money, but when I did show up to collect the motorcycle, the mechanic who did work on my bike interacted with me directly and showed me the parts he changed out and also took time to point out several other maintenance tips to me, some that were pending, some that were not, and also pointed out a money saving (in parts) purchase option that I could execute for one of my pending service necessities.



The other thing going against me is that I pretty much just blindsided them by showing up with the motorcycle in a rented van one day without much warning.  (Had the van for another task and was available to me for a limited time.)



It may be that I'm just blinded by the joy of having the Tiger back, but in spite of the long wait and the missing dollars, I'm happy with the service I received.



Best,



echoyankee

[echoyankee]

Were did you end up taking the sick cat? I used an outfit in Lodi (sp?) NJ

The outfit in Lodi is the one that I refer to above as "ringed by Harley dealers."  They are, to my knowledge, not doing business anymore.



The resultant overflow and usual summertime deluge has migrated northward to Rockwell Cycles.



It took a month for me to get my bike back and I did spend a fair amount of money, but when I did show up to collect the motorcycle, the mechanic who did work on my bike interacted with me directly and showed me the parts he changed out and also took time to point out several other maintenance tips to me, some that were pending, some that were not, and also pointed out a money saving (in parts) purchase option that I could execute for one of my pending service necessities.



The other thing going against me is that I pretty much just blindsided them by showing up with the motorcycle in a rented van one day without much warning.  (Had the van for another task and was available to me for a limited time.)



It may be that I'm just blinded by the joy of having the Tiger back, but in spite of the long wait and the missing dollars, I'm happy with the service I received.



Best,



echoyankee