Topic: Dealer parts prices

[dkruitz]

I was pleasantly surprised when I ordered 4 new carb kits yesterday from the Honda dealer, as their cost was comparable from what I'd seen on ebay and other online sources at $16.49 each.  Once I get that done, I'll redo the brake and clutch cables.  Mufflers?  Well, that's a different story - unless you want to spend over $1000 on new Honda ones! Ouch.

How has your experience been with dealership parts?  Oh, and their service dept said they wouldn't touch my bike, but the parts dept was happy to see me.

Oh, quick question, what size is the spark plug and do you need a special socket?  All three of mine will not fit it and/or get down in there to remove the plugs.  ('71 CB500)

[mmtsquid]

Sorry to jack your thread, but your your comment about the dealer not touching your bike hit home.........

Why won't Honda dealers work on these bikes?
After I bought my bike, I went to them to get the carbs worked on, and you would have thought I had asked to have anal sex with his daughter.............
If I have an old chevy, I can take to a chevy dealer and they are more than happy to take my money!
It really doesn't make me want to buy a new Honda if they won't service it after a given period of time.......

[bryanj]

Best tool for the plugs is the honda wrench from the tool kit, still available as a spare part. Mufflers may be dear but they never run as well on anything else and if the rest of the bike is up to scratch they realy finish it off

[crazypj]

There are a lot of reasons dealers wont touch them, main one is, they don't have anyone who knows how. (and if they break something its going to be expensive or impossible to replace.)
 You could get in touch with Honda and ask what they suggest (probably taker to nearest dealer )
 American Honda have come down hard on dealers who want to be retail outlets only (no workshops or service facilities)
Not sure what they would or could do about 'vintage' bikes, although, I'm pretty sure they would like to help (could you get better publicity than 30+ yr old bikes being ridden around?) They will have a list of techs who are in the trade and completed courses back in the day though, (I'm registered with American Honda) maybe they can direct you to a dealer in your area where someone is still in the workshop?
PJ

[mmtsquid]

You know, I really shouldn't complain...........getting declined by the dealer was probably the best thing that could have happened to me - it forced me to find this site, and do the work myself!
Now that I've done the homework, I'm not the least bit scared to tear the bike apart and fix anything!

[jaknight]

Hi dk,

     Good thoughts, PJ........... When I first got my '74 750 K4 and was naive enough to go to a Honda dealer for getting this 'n that done, their excuse for not touching it was that they don't touch anything older than a '92.......

     They claimed that it was too difficult getting correct old parts........ what I heard in my head was that they wanted a quick turnaround with parts from off of their shelves now......... I have never had a problem getting the correct parts with orders I have placed with those whom deal in vintage Honda parts.........

     Actually, my local Honda dealers have done me a wonderful favor........... by getting me to dig in and learn more about my bike and smacking my knuckles and getting greasy......... now, I know the exact status of things on my bike and I have much more confidence in things.......... because I was there myself.......... and I know that there really is a new filter in the oil housing ..........

     MM..........Yes, my thoughts exactly......... you have a faster keyboard than me........

     ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

[mark]

Dang..
Called my friendly neighborhood dealer about some parts........................
and got a clueless wet-nosed kid who had never even HEARD OF a CB550.
No luck there. Guess I'm back to poking around online.

The spark plugs are 18mm and an excellent socket is(was?) available from MAC Tools - SC112.
OR.. take the rubber out of your 5/8" plug socket and stick it into your 18mm deep socket.

Happy trails.

[Steve F]

Hi dk,

     Good thoughts, PJ........... When I first got my '74 750 K4 and was naive enough to go to a Honda dealer for getting this 'n that done, their excuse for not touching it was that they don't touch anything older than a '92.......

     They claimed that it was too difficult getting correct old parts........ what I heard in my head was that they wanted a quick turnaround with parts from off of their shelves now......... I have never had a problem getting the correct parts with orders I have placed with those whom deal in vintage Honda parts.........

     Actually, my local Honda dealers have done me a wonderful favor........... by getting me to dig in and learn more about my bike and smacking my knuckles and getting greasy......... now, I know the exact status of things on my bike and I have much more confidence in things.......... because I was there myself.......... and I know that there really is a new filter in the oil housing ..........

     MM..........Yes, my thoughts exactly......... you have a faster keyboard than me........

     ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

Not only that, but the mechanic isn't going to lie to you either! (you hope).  

[dusterdude]

i think the main reason is,they dont want to get stuck with an old bike with a 500 to 1000 dollar repair bill and the owner says f it and leaves it there.

[dustyc]

Thanks for the heads up.  I assumed the dealer would be much higher than some of the online places.  I've already noticed ebay can be significantly higher. 

Since this sounds like the first time taking out your plugs, do yourself a favor and get a piece of fuel line about 8" long(you'll want it flexible, not really rigid).  When you're putting the plugs back in, put the fuel line on the end of the plug and use that as a handle to reinstall.

[oldfordguy]

If I have an old chevy, I can take to a chevy dealer and they are more than happy to take my money!

I have to disagree with this.  The Chevy dealer would not touch my 1928 Chevrolet National, nor will the Ford dealer touch my 1929 Model A Ford (and I wouldn't let them, either!) As was mentioned before, they don't want to be the one that breaks something that cannot be replaced.  Personally, I wouldn't ever let a dealer (or any other mechanic) work on any motorcycle I or any member of my family were going to ride.  I value my life too much for that.  That's also why the brakes on all my automobiles will also always be done by me.  No way am I going to trust some unknown person with my or my families safety.  I've seen too many jobs done by shops either poorly or simply wrong.  Not to mention many shops will lie, cheat, and steal from you at every chance.  This may not be that big of a deal with a car (except for brakes, they are important) but with a motorcycle you have much less room for error.  The scene from Mad Max always comes to mind where the Goose is smoking down the highway when the rear axle comes loose and locks up the rear tire.  Ouch!

[BobbyR]

Dang..
Called my friendly neighborhood dealer about some parts........................
and got a clueless wet-nosed kid who had never even HEARD OF a CB550.
No luck there. Guess I'm back to poking around online.

The spark plugs are 18mm and an excellent socket is(was?) available from MAC Tools - SC112.
OR.. take the rubber out of your 5/8" plug socket and stick it into your 18mm deep socket.

Happy trails.

I had a bad experience in Florida at a Honda dealer. The punks behind the counter were giving me some crap so my NY came out. The owner pulled me aside and told me he had a CB750, but "I don't make money on keeping old bikes running.
I use a dealer in Mamroneck NY call House of Honda. I am getting OEM parts from him at a very good price and friendly service. I just completly rebuilt my master cylinder with all new Honda parts and i have better brakes than ever. $60 all told.  

[malcolmgb]

Dang..
Called my friendly neighborhood dealer about some parts........................
and got a clueless wet-nosed kid who had never even HEARD OF a CB550.
No luck there. Guess I'm back to poking around online.

when you go to your Honda dealer go with the part number no need to worry about their competence at looking for the part then.

[mark]

Dang..
Called my friendly neighborhood dealer about some parts........................
and got a clueless wet-nosed kid who had never even HEARD OF a CB550.
No luck there. Guess I'm back to poking around online.

when you go to your Honda dealer go with the part number no need to worry about their competence at looking for the part then.

True, BUT.......
On the parts list, there are 2 different #s for carb gasket sets. No explanation of the difference.(4 of 1 or the other - or 2 of each?)
If I take a wild-a$$-guess and order wrong - I'm screwed.
The dealer is a 60mi round trip from here. Quite a haul just to find that this idiot's guess isn't any better than mine.

[Gordon]

You can't always blame the dealer, or any shop for that matter, for not being too willing to work on older bikes.  Look at it from their point of view.  Most people who are going to take their old bike to a shop for service do so because they don't know how to work on it, and don't really care to learn.  This means they don't really have any idea of how much work it's actually going to take or how much the parts are going to cost.  Many non-mechanically inclined older motorcycle purchasers tend to think that because they bought their bike for $200, they think it should be cheap to fix and buy parts for, too.  The overall value of the bike has nothing to do with the value of someone else's time to work on it, but a lot of folks don't seem to see it that way, and they get pissed when a mechanic tells them it will cost $300 to rebuild a set of carbs.

[mmtsquid]

The more I think about this, the more I understand their perspective - but I think somebody would really clean up by working on old japanese bikes!

[Jonesy]

There is only one guy around here who will work on them- and he knows this and "charges accordingly".

I used to work in a mower shop and it's almost the same situation when someone brings in a model we don't sell. Dig around to find a parts book (This was before it was all on-line, mind you). Determine the parts needed. Find a distributor for those parts. Set up an account. Order said parts, etc.

All of this takes time and human resource that could be directed into quickly repairing bikes with readily-available parts through an established network and getting them out the door. This makes the dealer and customer happier as more work can go through and the guy gets his bike back sooner.  Imagine if I brought my bike in and after a week or so found out that it might take up to 2 months to hunt down and locate the required repair parts.. I wouldn't be too happy.

[bwaller]

Just check around for an independant shop, there is usually someone out there that will repair all Japanese brands and has access to oem parts. Some of these guys started out working in a dealership anyway and will have shop manuals and microfische. Strike up a conversation about your "mature Honda" and see if you get a bite!

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Dang..
Called my friendly neighborhood dealer about some parts........................
and got a clueless wet-nosed kid who had never even HEARD OF a CB550.
No luck there. Guess I'm back to poking around online.

The spark plugs are 18mm and an excellent socket is(was?) available from MAC Tools - SC112.
OR.. take the rubber out of your 5/8" plug socket and stick it into your 18mm deep socket.

Happy trails.

Carefull here.  Yes, the hex on the plugs are indeed 18mm, put plug wrenches are often sold by the thread size of the plug, which is 12mm.  I know this because when I went down to the local independent M/C shop and asked for an 18mm plug wrench, he looked at me cross-eyed and asked just what kind of bulldozer was I trying to fix? 

[azuredesign]

Don't know if it's helpful with the 500/550, but the Pep Boys outlet store near me carries NGK plugs. I got a set of D8ES for $1.89 per. More than a buck a plug cheaper than the Honda dealer, and much closer to me. Just a thought...

P.S. They also have Castrol motorcycle oil in gallon containers for less than Honda m/c oil.

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Here is a pic of the wrench I have had the most success with.  Extra long with a sliding T-handle.  Thin-walled so it can get into those very tight plug wells like #2 and #3 on a 550.  Carry it with your under-seat tool kit.

[grumburg]

Honda's parts availability is 2nd to none. Finding that out trying to find parts for my winter project (66 Suzuki x6 Hustler). Doing a cs90 Benly in the mean time. Parts are not a problem. Guess I have the best of both worlds. A good friend is a 30+ year Honda mechanic that does the pain in the a$$ jobs for me (carbs mostly) on the side. I asked him about dealers working on old bikes. He gave me 4 reasons they avoid them. 1) Old bikes have too many suprises after they are taken apart and plug up the shop when you have to wait for parts for some unforseen repair 2) The least knowledgeable owners have the most unrealistic expectations. 3) They become money pits they may or may not get paid for. When the bill is more than the still unrideable pile is worth, good luck trying to collect the bill. 4) Most of the mechanics are younger than the bikes and don't have a clue how to work on them. They will work on a know customer's bike that is in good shape, but he said that last several years, since old hondas have become "cool", they have had some bring in some POS that was in the barn for 30 years and expect them to waive a magic wand over it. I don't blame them.

[mark]

The spark plugs are 18mm and an excellent socket is(was?) available from MAC Tools - SC112.
OR.. take the rubber out of your 5/8" plug socket and stick it into your 18mm deep socket.

Happy trails.

Carefull here.  Yes, the hex on the plugs are indeed 18mm, put plug wrenches are often sold by the thread size of the plug, which is 12mm.  I know this because when I went down to the local independent M/C shop and asked for an 18mm plug wrench, he looked at me cross-eyed and asked just what kind of bulldozer was I trying to fix? 

Hmm, haven't heard that one before.
Maybe he was cross-eyed because somebody put something funny in the funny cigarettes he was smoking?
Got my socket from the friendly neighborhood MAC Tools guy - pn: SC112 and it is stamped 18MM for the 18mm hex size.
Besides.. he should have known that those 18mm-thread-gasket-seated spark plugs were for the pony motor in your old CAT.

[jtb]

Got an 18 MM deep socket from Sears.  Works great!