Getting yourself serviced

Garibaldi

Was just talking to the fine gents at Philip McCallen motorcycles (in Lurgan) the other day, and they mentioned something I thought might be good to let ye know about. I'm not sure if it's something that any shops down here ever think of doing, but they said that if a few bikes went up to them for servicing, they'd do a good deal on the price. That said, they didn't specify how many bikes they had in mind for the deal, or how good the deal would be.

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it, as I'll probably be heading up there for my next service (and I wouldn't mind a wee discount, if others were up for giving them a try ).

http://www.phillipmccallen.com/

p.s. They'll also have a stand at the Belfast Bike Show, at the start of February. They say it won't be as big a show as the RDS, but with no RDS show this year (not exactly a terrible loss) it might be worth a spin up to that too.

KTRIC

So what you're trying to say is this guy gave you a good servicing ?? :eek:

Garibaldi

No, but he *promised* he would. You wouldn't want to make a liar of him, would you?

Garibaldi

Well, I took the plunge and went to RR Motorcycles & Marine, in Lisburn (http://www.rrmotorcyclesni.com/), to get the bike serviced. I was originally booked into McCallan's but, the night before I was due to head up, I checked the email, and they'd sent me a message saying that they actually wouldn't be able to look after me, as they were no longer official Aprilia dealers. Disappointed and angry were the key words that morning. Anyway, they directed me to RR Motorcycles, so I can't be too angry with them. There's the usual stipulation, by the way, that I am in no way connected to RR Motorcycles, other than as a satisfied customer, who believes credit should be given when it's due. Especially given the many gob****es I've had to deal with in the Dublin area for all these years.

RR are very easy to get to, being only 400m, or so, off junction 6 of the M1. It's a very pleasant ride up there, taking about an hour and a half from Dublin airport (90 c toll for bikes on the M1, btw). The staff are great (Tommy - owner and Kiefer Sutherland lookalike, Tracy - who really seems to know her bikes, and Mark - the chief mechanic, who seems too young to have such a depth of knowledge), and couldn't have been more helpful. As I was going through the litany of problems I've been having with my bike since leaving it in to get serviced by a certain dealer in Dublin, Mark would just nod and say "I bet I know what that is" (and he was invariably correct). To be honest, it was a breath of fresh air not to have to face the usual "tut tut tut, that's a tricky job, man" BS.

From replacing all the parts that seem to have been mislaid by the previous service mechanic, to stripping the front wheel, taking it to a nearby bearing works, having them fabricate new bearings from scratch, and rebuilding the wheel in under 40 minutes (the previous bearings had been severely damaged, and were disintegrating, due to someone hammering something into the hub that shouldn't have been there - the mind boggles). He was also able to immediately identify what the elusive problem was with my throttle idle speed (where it had been revving up and down for no apparent reason). The oil had been overfilled, and was filling the airbox, which interfered with the operation of the stepper motor that controls the idle. "Sticking throttle cables" was the reason I was previously given. Me ar5e!

All told, he worked on the bike for about 6 hours, fixed all the cock-ups, replaced any bad parts, gave it a full service, and is ordering in some new parts for me, that he didn't have in stock. Now, if this had happened in Dublin, you'd probably correctly believe that service would cost in excess of €400. Not here, though. The whole thing (including free flowing decent coffee, buns, and half a sandwich - thanks Tracy ) cost just £190. I couldn't believe it.

Bottom line is, if you're not doing the work yourself, good value and excellent service really isn't that far away. I reckon, if I can help it, I won't be bothering any service centres down here again.

colm_c

Garibaldi wrote: »

Well, I took the plunge and went to RR Motorcycles & Marine, in Lisburn (http://www.rrmotorcyclesni.com/), to get the bike serviced. I was originally booked into McCallan's but, the night before I was due to head up, I checked the email, and they'd sent me a message saying that they actually wouldn't be able to look after me, as they were no longer official Aprilia dealers. Disappointed and angry were the key words that morning. Anyway, they directed me to RR Motorcycles, so I can't be too angry with them. There's the usual stipulation, by the way, that I am in no way connected to RR Motorcycles, other than as a satisfied customer, who believes credit should be given when it's due. Especially given the many gob****es I've had to deal with in the Dublin area for all these years.

RR are very easy to get to, being only 400m, or so, off junction 6 of the M1. It's a very pleasant ride up there, taking about an hour and a half from Dublin airport (90 c toll for bikes on the M1, btw). The staff are great (Tommy - owner and Kiefer Sutherland lookalike, Tracy - who really seems to know her bikes, and Mark - the chief mechanic, who seems too young to have such a depth of knowledge), and couldn't have been more helpful. As I was going through the litany of problems I've been having with my bike since leaving it in to get serviced by a certain dealer in Dublin, Mark would just nod and say "I bet I know what that is" (and he was invariably correct). To be honest, it was a breath of fresh air not to have to face the usual "tut tut tut, that's a tricky job, man" BS.

From replacing all the parts that seem to have been mislaid by the previous service mechanic, to stripping the front wheel, taking it to a nearby bearing works, having them fabricate new bearings from scratch, and rebuilding the wheel in under 40 minutes (the previous bearings had been severely damaged, and were disintegrating, due to someone hammering something into the hub that shouldn't have been there - the mind boggles). He was also able to immediately identify what the elusive problem was with my throttle idle speed (where it had been revving up and down for no apparent reason). The oil had been overfilled, and was filling the airbox, which interfered with the operation of the stepper motor that controls the idle. "Sticking throttle cables" was the reason I was previously given. Me ar5e!

All told, he worked on the bike for about 6 hours, fixed all the cock-ups, replaced any bad parts, gave it a full service, and is ordering in some new parts for me, that he didn't have in stock. Now, if this had happened in Dublin, you'd probably correctly believe that service would cost in excess of €400. Not here, though. The whole thing (including free flowing decent coffee, buns, and half a sandwich - thanks Tracy ) cost just £190. I couldn't believe it.

Bottom line is, if you're not doing the work yourself, good value and excellent service really isn't that far away. I reckon, if I can help it, I won't be bothering any service centres down here again.

Sounds like a decent crowd alright. What did you do for six hours in lurgan?

I know when I leave my bike in for a servicing - I can just pop home or back to work while it's being worked on, even got a loan bike on occasion.

Garibaldi

It being my first time there, and since I had been planning to be in Lurgan, I didn't look anything up about Lisburn (I only got booked in that morning, as soon as they opened, and left Dublin in a big hurry as being left in the lurch by MacCallen's was ruining my tight schedule for the afternoon) so I hung around the shop the whole time (RR are in Lisburn, though - MacCallan's are the Lurgan crowd). The Moto Guzzi eye candy, and chatting with the staff made the time go quickly, though.

fergusdo

Garibaldi wrote: »

It being my first time there, and since I had been planning to be in Lurgan, I didn't look anything up about Lisburn (I only got booked in that morning, as soon as they opened, and left Dublin in a big hurry as being left in the lurch by MacCallen's was ruining my tight schedule for the afternoon) so I hung around the shop the whole time (RR are in Lisburn, though - MacCallan's are the Lurgan crowd). The Moto Guzzi eye candy, and chatting with the staff made the time go quickly, though.

Your reference to Guzzi caught my eye. Are they a Guzzi dealer and did you get a Guzzi serviced? If so, what model?