For my Two Wheeled Buddies... Byron Powersports in GA...

[sirhrmechanic]

So a friend of mine, Stan, was riding from TN to Florida a few days ago... He had a flat on his old Gold Wing. I'll let him tell the story:

"Just endured a nightmare at Byron Powersports. I have never been treated so unfairly in my life. Briefly, I was traveling from Tennessee to Florida when my Pirelli Route MT66 tire blew out - after less than 3000 miles! Called AAA and after over three hot hours they finally showed up. The driver said there was a dealer just a few miles away so he took me there, to Byron Powersports. I called them as we were loading my bike and they had the tire and said bring it to them, they could do it in the morning. They were just closing so they took my bike into the shop and told me they don't work on old bikes (83 Gold Wing). I said how about I come back in the morning and remove the rear wheel and they could just put a new tire on. The service writer said yes. I got a motel, returned the next morning, anxious to get on the road to make it to my father's 96th birthday in Florida. When I got there service manager Bobby Hootman asked me what I was doing there and I told him about my predicament, and that I would get the wheel off myself. (He also asked my why I was riding such an old bike, indicating that if I broke down I couldn't get parts for it. I told him I could get parts and he argued with me. Been riding this bike forever, and have no problem getting parts. He was like putting me down for riding this great old motorcycle). He then said ok but I couldn't do it in the shop. I said sure, could you help me push the 800 pound bike outside and help me get it up on the centerstand (tough to do alone with a flat tire, especially when you're 70 years old). He said wait here a minute and I sensed something was amiss. He came out and said they couldn't help me, and that I'd have to get my bike off their property. I tried my best to get them to let me just take the wheel off and have them put on a new tire. Nothing doing. It's a lot longer story, and after practically begging and arguing I knew I was screwed. 400 miles from home, with a flat tire, AT A BIKE SHOP THAT HAD THE TIRE IN STOCK and I had to get towed out of there. He said his boss said it was an insurance issue. I paid a wrecker $88 to bring it about ten miles to Capital Cycle, where they cordially did the whole job for me. I'm sure Byron Powersports has some alternative slant on this, but in my 52 years of riding I've never encountered anything like this. It's pretty grim when a motorcycle shop won't help a rider in distress. I ended up missing my dad's birthday, and don't know how many more he may have. By the time I got a new tire I couldn't have made it to Florida that day; so I was forced to go back home for business commitments. Dad was understanding, as I'm sure he would be considering the circumstances. This didn't have to happen... "

By all means.... share widely... And if you happen to live nearby... let the insurance-happy weenies at Byron Powersports know that there are lots of people who think helping a fellow rider transcends one's weenie insurance agent. And then there are those who only want to sell new bikes and insult those of us who ride vintage iron.

Cheers ,

Sirhr

 

[Blue Sky Country]

What a fucking cunt, this "Byron Powersports" is...

There are many businesses out there that really should not be doing business or interacting with the community that they profess to serve. Just like "gunsmiths" or "gun stores" which really does not give a fuck about guns or the shooting sports besides shoving a toilet load of bad advice and wrong information down our throats and then expect us to buy whatever overpriced and unnecessary shit that they want to clear their inventory of and make bucks on. All the while showing nothing except incompetence, neglect, or downright arrogant nose thumbing in the shit that their business advertises as what they are SUPPOSED to do. Now, veterans to a particular sport, whether motorcycling or shooting, or both, like a lot of us, tends to see right through bullshit just from years of experience. It is the newbies that suffer, and they are often driven away from the sport forever when they come face to face with classic douchebag stuff like what is described in OP's post.

We live in an age of information now, thank the Lord. Call them the fuck out and drop a huge steaming turd on their online reviews. If applicable, contact the area's equivalent of a Better Business Bureau and leave them a nice word about the company in question.

 

[ZY100]

This got my goat...gave them a call and asked how old is too old of a bike to work on....

Lets give them a few calls...ask for Bobby Hootman.....they dont work on anything older than about 2000.

Might make him rethink customer service for a long time rider.

ZY

https://www.byronpowersports.com/

478-654-6760 300 HWY 49 South Byron, GA 31008

 

[Basher]

Hard to find a good shop these days. I had two screw me over for more than 10 months last year over an inability to properly clean, rebuild, and synch four carbs on my ‘03 FZ1. First shop was a charlie foxtrot and yanked me around for just shy of six months before I had enough and got upper management involved. Second shop was owned by a buddy, but when he died in a plane crash about five weeks into trying to figure out what the first shop ruined/did wrong, that place quickly fell apart as well.

Neither place could manage simple phone calls to keep my updated on anything. As someone who’s worked as a service advisor and has extensive customer service experience, that blew my mind. And as someone who’s trained as a bike tech and rebuilt the bike when I got it, some of the crap they tried to pull over on me to bill more hours was outrageous. Sad to see the industry going this direction, but that’s been my experience. Lazy, uneducated techs, lazy and dishonest advisors, and management who doesn’t give a damn either until you start to threaten legal action. A real shame.

Sorry to hear your friend had to endure the same run-around. I’ll remember that name, in case anyone asks.

 

[Supersubes]

They don’t work on old bikes? As if old bikes are more complicated and harder to work on? Dumb!

 

[davsco]

damn, your bike is not only at, but in, their shop and they can't/won't take off the wheel and change the friggin' tire?

and they're not 'working' on an old bike, just changing the tire. pretty basic stuff.

and just fyi a lot of folks/companies blame insurance companies for not letting them do whatever, but i've read/negotiated a lot of corporate insurance policies and really never saw any unreasonable limitations.

 

[Spblademaker]

Got an 85 Interceptor. Some places don’t know how to work on anything they can’t plug in to a diagnostics computer. Also the reason I carry a tire kit with inflator.

 

[ArmyJerry]

shoulda bought a Harley, the new ones are the same as the old ones and can be rebuilt on the side of the highway witha screw driver and pliers... that being said, fuck that dealer, he should write to the mother ship.

 

[Mwalex]

Are they on Yelp? If so, blast the crap out of them.

 

[huntingthem]

Stay the fk away from ANY bike shop that ends in "powersports"...

 

[huntingthem]

shoulda bought a Harley, the new ones are the same as the old ones and can be rebuilt on the side of the highway witha screw driver and pliers... that being said, fuck that dealer, he should write to the mother ship.

If he was on a Harley he sure as fk would not have had to wait 3hrs for help lol

 

[oneshot86]

They don’t work on old bikes? As if old bikes are more complicated and harder to work on? Dumb!

it was a tire, does new and old round mean different?

 

[Supersubes]

it was a tire, does new and old round mean different?

Exactly, their excuse was stupid.

 

[Lapuapalooza]

IMO this is how dealerships in general operate. If your a Harley dealer, you should work on any Harley made after 1902, Fords clear back to the Model T, and Honda’s ever since 1946 (after the war). This day and age it’s also too easy to spread the word from a less than satisfactory experience as a client. This should put a business in the position to take care of anyone they are able to, especially in such extenuating circumstances.

 

[Supersubes]

shoulda bought a Harley, the new ones are the same as the old ones and can be rebuilt on the side of the highway witha screw driver and pliers... that being said, fuck that dealer, he should write to the mother ship.

It’s a good thing, because having to work on it roadside is a real possibility.

 

[Basher]

Stay the fk away from ANY bike shop that ends in "powersports"...

Ain’t that the truth!!

 

[Redmanss]

Went looking around for any other info on this joint, they have a response on their FB page.

In response to Stan Chiras and the negative reviews.
All of us at Byron Powersports are motorcyclists ourselves and can relate to your predicament from last week. When you arrived after hours, our staff greeted and informed you to the best of their abilities. The next morning when we discovered that we did not have your tire in stock, we decided to call around for you and get a gameplan for you at the next closest dealer who could take care of you on arrival. Then we arranged a tow truck directly to that dealer. We wanted nothing more than to get you back on the open road. Please contact our management team directly and we can take care of any other concerns you may have. Byron Powersports did not and would never leave a fellow motorcyclist stranded!

I can't see what kind of reviews they may have recently received since I don't do FB, but one end or the other has some false info. As a habit, I usually take the end who has nothing financially invested in lying to be the truthful one.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Too old, huh? I just sold my '76 Gold Wing last summer. And I rode that bike all over Western Canada AND down to Sturgis. Amongst many other rides, too.

Sorry for your hassles. Some businesses just shouldn't be in business.

 

[QuickNDirty]

Damn, this shit is going all over...

 

[Clearlight]

What a bunch of turd burgers, it’s super easy to write up an insurance waiver/disclaimer to cover their
sorry asses in cases like this. I’ve got flats all over the world on bikes and can swap a tube or plug a
tyre myself. Not everyone is set up to do this, nor should have to if within spitting distances of towns
with bike stores.

 

[10ring'r]

A "real" mechanic is hard to find, these days. That's why the're called "techs" now. If you can't plug it in or pop a couple of pins, they just can't work on it! I did a lot of my own work when I was heavy into bikes, sync, carbs? jetting/tuning? susp. work/tuning? porting/flowing heads? A lost trade nowadays. Sorry to hear of your situation, I've spent many years riding cross-country on bikes ( standards & GoldWings for around 300k miles), and luckily have never experienced what you did. Good luck on future rides, from here on out. Mac

 

[Marinevet1]

IMO this is how dealerships in general operate. If your a Harley dealer, you should work on any Harley made after 1902, Fords clear back to the Model T, and Honda’s ever since 1946 (after the war). This day and age it’s also too easy to spread the word from a less than satisfactory experience as a client. This should put a business in the position to take care of anyone they are able to, especially in such extenuating circumstances.

I don't know any local Harley dealer that will work on anything older than an Evolution, if that.........

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I don't know any local Harley dealer that will work on anything older than an Evolution, if that.........

I know our local HD dealer won't go earlier than, I think 96 or so for regular service.

But for a tire or an emergency or to get someone on the road... they will move heaven and earth. I've known the owner to come in on a Sunday and change a tire himself to help a stranded rider.

The rules are different when it comes to someone who is broken down or stuck... than for scheduled maintenance or service! Or at least they should be.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[Xshot]

I know our local HD dealer won't go earlier than, I think 96 or so for regular service.

But for a tire or an emergency or to get someone on the road... they will move heaven and earth. I've known the owner to come in on a Sunday and change a tire himself to help a stranded rider.

The rules are different when it comes to someone who is broken down or stuck... than for scheduled maintenance or service! Or at least they should be.

Cheers,

Sirhr

Harley dealers better wake up. The #1 N.A. Harley dealer for the past few years just closed up. It was located in Janesville, WI and not to far from me. H-D corporate is hurting and new bikes aren't selling well. There are probably several thousand H-D's for sale in my general AO. If you need to sell you'll be nearly giving it away. Used prices haven't hit bottom yet.

I do all the work on my 2005 FLTRI, because it easier than dealing with them - now they're gone.

 

[CuTm]

What a joke.

 

[softcock]

Same up here in OR. dealers wont touch a bike more than 20 years old . There not in business to fix . There in the business to sell new inventory .
.