Triumphrat

09-19-2006

I should have known better.

After years of avoiding Cycle Barn of Lynnwood, WA like the plague due to terrible service and treating women riders like they were non-existant, I bought my D600 from them last year. Why? Because they had changed management, built a new building, seemed to be turning a new leaf as it were. Also, my husband (Jim) was recently one of the service managers, so we got a good deal, and great service from the sales team. Welp, those changes stopped at the door that divides sales from service.

Earlier this summer, my D600 developed a valve cover gasket leak. Nothing big, just some seeping, so I called it in under warranty. Just this August the D600 developed another gasket leak - this time it was the head gasket - still seeping, but more noticable. We did some troubleshooting: cleaned up the engine, took it for a spin to see where the leak was coming from. It was definitely the head gasket and not the valve cover. So I call it in under warranty again after a trip to Crater Lake, Oregon and back. The bike sits dirty and oily for a couple days at the Burn and I get a call from the service manager: "We already fixed the valve cover gasket." Me: "Yes I know. This is the head gasket that's leaking." Them: "How can you tell?" Me: "We cleaned it off, and ran it. You can see where the oil is coming from, and its not the top of the engine." Them: "Ok...we'll clean it up and see if we can tell where the leak is coming from." Also, even if it was the valve cover gasket that they already fixed once, wouldn't they still have to fix it again under warranty?!?!

A week later, I get a call:"The bike is ready. It'll be $400." Me: "What for? This was warranty work." Them:"Its not warranty because its the valve cover gasket that is leaking, and there is gasket sealer on there that this shop doesn't use. Plus, we spent x number of hours trying to find the leak" Me:"Well someone must use it there because we never touched the valve cover gasket. Them:"The manager is out today. Come in tomorrow so you can discuss this with him".

So Jim goes to pick it up today as I'm working. The manager tells him that though this isn't warranty work because of the gasket sealer on the valve cover, AND the fact that the bike has been on the track for track days, they'll waive the fees as long as we never bring the bike back to them for warranty work. They told Jim that the bike was ridden roughly and that the bike shouldn't be ridden that way. (note my times at the local track are a laughable 2:05. The fast guys are doing 1:32s) I know people that ride harder on the street. Most of the leaking has occurred during the road trip to Crater Lake, and not on the track. They said we were welcome to take the bike to I-90 Motosports instead from now on.

So, is the leak fixed? I dunno. The bike is now at home, and I'm still at work.

I can understand the Barn pulling the "this bike has been on the track, so it voids the warranty" thing, but they pulled the "this bike has been on the track and shouldn't be ridden that way" thing. ***?!?!?

I'll be buying a service manual, and race plastics soon.

ChuckofTahoe · 09-19-2006

Hopefully others will start avoiding them as well once they read this.

Copper · 09-19-2006

On what planet should the Daytona, of all bikes, not be ridden "like that"? Isn't that what its for?

I actually bought my Bonneville at Cycle Barn. I wish I had bought from one of the other Triumph shops instead...I have never been impressed with them. It should have been a clue when their first out the door price was over $10,000 on a 2003 in 2005! But I had bike fever, talked them down (a lot) and bought it. No regrets with the bike, but the dealer definitely treats you like you would expect a big dealer to...No feeling of personal service, difficulties with service (especially really long turn around times for simple routine maintenance), and most of all the definite feeling that Triumphs are way at the bottom of the list of the many brands of motorcycle they sell there. Almost like they will sell you a Triumph if you want one, but they would rather sell you one of their "real" bikes....

Actually, I might be a little harder on them than I meant to..I haven't really had many "bad" experiences per se, but nothing above "mediocre" either.....

I am very happy, on the other hand, with Champion Cycle in Bellingham. Its an all Triumph shop, which is cool. If I buy another new Triumph it will be from them.....

Shawn · 09-19-2006

I wasn't a part of this situation, but it seems that the dealer effectively talked themselves out of doing additional work on the bike in the future.

If a mechanic looks at the engine and notices something that they've never used before the next issue is trying to figure out how it got there in the first place; as well as trying to determine if Triumph would support a warranty repair.

Triumph motorcycles that are heavily modified, or raced on a track, tend to be the source of posts like this when it comes time for extensive repairs. It may be part of the reason why the dealer made the waiver offer, because he felt that the bike would always have issues that warranty wouldn't cover.

Some of the hardcore track-day enthusiasts spend many times more on the Japenese superbikes they use exclusively for track days. It can be worse than a Golf Club addiction.

My recommendation is to try running the newly-repaired bike for a while before making a final determination.

Hope this helps,

09-19-2006

Quote:

On 2006-09-19 20:28, Shawn wrote:
<snip>

Triumph motorcycles that are heavily modified, or raced on a track, tend to be the source of posts like this when it comes time for extensive repairs. It may be part of the reason why the dealer made the waiver offer, because he felt that the bike would always have issues that warranty wouldn't cover.

Some of the hardcore track-day enthusiasts spend many times more on the Japenese superbikes they use exclusively for track days. It can be worse than a Golf Club addiction.

I have ridden it since the service has been done. The problem seems to have been fixed. My point, though, has nothing to do with the fact that they fixed the problem or not. My issue is that they said the bike shouldn't be ridden so hard, AND that they won't do anymore warranty work on the bike.

I am NOT a "hard core" track-day enthusiast. I do 5-6 track days per season, but I am still, literally, one of the slowest out there. I do NOT race. Ask my instructors. They would laugh at the thought.

The bike is BONE STOCK. I still have the factory pipe, stock mapping, etc. I only changed the tires because I got a puncture during a road trip to Montana. If I were riding the bike hard, I wouldn't try to take it in for warranty work.

Even if they called me and said that this wasn't warranty work because I took the bike to the track, I would have given them the benefit of the doubt. But their reasoning is all messed up, and still makes no sense to me.

I appreciate you posting your POV on this, but I'm still not convinced.

TFMK(tm)

Will · 09-20-2006

So far, I have had nothing but good experiences with Cycle Barn. I didn't get the best price from them when I bought my 675, but, like Copper, I wasn't exactly in a bargaining mood at the time. The service department has always treated me very well. I am sorry to hear that they jerked you around like that.

For what its worth, I will keep an eye out for you at trackdays. There are not too many D6s that turn up, let alone D6s that turn up with track plastic on them. I only get to the track three or four times a year, but it would be great to get there at the same time.

09-20-2006

Quote:

For what its worth, I will keep an eye out for you at trackdays. There are not too many D6s that turn up, let alone D6s that turn up with track plastic on them. I only get to the track three or four times a year, but it would be great to get there at the same time.

I'm glad you've had good luck with Cycle Barn. I hope they continue to treat you well.

I'm the registrar for NESBA. I've seen you there. My bike is the STOCK red Daytona 600 - with STREET plastics on it. Hope to see you at the next date!

stevent · 09-20-2006

I bought my '06 Bonnie from them and was never so disgusted in my life from the cr*p they tried to pull, from charges that suddenly appeared to numbers changing from one copy to the next to trying to charge me over $1k in set up charges. I felt like I was in a Chrysler dealership or something. I slammed them to Triumph, and on their owners survey, I even had the manager call me and try to kiss my ass on parts discounts.

I told him the same thing I'd tell anyone else, I'd push my bike past their shop before I'd buy a sparkplug off them, they are the most unscrupulous dishonest motorcycle dealership I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I wouldn't piss on the building if it was on fire.

Copper · 09-21-2006

Yeah, but how do you really feel, Steve? :-D :razz: :-D

Garyhjd · 09-21-2006

wow steve,

The only reason I won't go in there is because they charge more than msrp on everything. Shoot I can order stuff from MA's in North Dakota cheaper than getting it from Cycle Barn.

Oh and the fact that the sales people have ignored me when I have gone in there.

Oh and the fact that at last years cycle show when I tried to look at the bonnie the sales guy wouldn't stop sitting on it. Not a good way to sell a bike.

But then again Champion in Bellingham is awesome, Howard is a hoot.

I will see how Moto International/ Cycle Mart does in Olympia with future warrenty work.

Gary