Well, I can honestly say that I have never had a major issue, just maintenance and light installs so I can't address how they would handle major issues.. Any suggestions for service?
Well, for my 6k service, I called around to get prices and see how long it would take. The dealers in Taylorsville, Lake Norman, and Honda WS all quoted about 300 bucks. Taylorsville wanted to keep Clyde for 3 days or so, Lake Norman 1 day or more, and Honda WS would make a definite appointment.
So, then I called East Tennessee ATV, a dealer that Lamont has mentioned favorably. Honda WS is a 1.5 hour ride for me, of pure boring interstate. Besides, I had lost confidence in them. ETN ATV quoted $150, and make appointments. They are a 2-hour ride away, but it is through the mountains, a much more pleasant ride. So I made an appointment. Our experience went like this:
My sister made an appointment also, and her hubby went with us on his Harley. Our appointments began at noon, so when we got there, we asked if there was a restaurant within walking distance for lunch. It was 95 degrees. Jason looked at us and said it was too far for anybody to walk on such a hot day, and gave sis and I a new RS off the lot to ride to lunch, telling us to go wherever we wanted, and to take our time. So, we enjoyed lunch and returned, then petted and talked to the on-site cockatoo who said "I love you" to get more attention, and our bikes were ready in a couple of hours. On the way home, our Harley man had forgotten to put in his earbuds, so we all pulled over, and sis noticed a part that was dangling from his bike. So we all went back to see if ETN ATV could help. They fixed the Harley in minutes, and didn't charge anything. A very positive experience.
And they even changed the spark plugs, something that other dealers usually don't do at 6k!
After that, if I have any questions, they are always eager to provide an answer. They know exactly what I ride, and even recognize my voice, although I have only called a handful of times. I now have a bald tire, and they squeezed me in for my 12k service early next week, although they are swamped with seadoo services right now. So I have no complaints at all, and recommend them to anyone I meet. It is also a family business, and I like that; businesses like that seem to take a bit more pride in themselves and their work.
If this ever changes, believe me, I'll let you folks know. But so far, East TN ATV has been great, and by far the most affordable. Of course, it would be a much longer ride for you, I guess. But, if it means anything, my sister is moving back to the east coast soon, and although she will actually be living at the coast, she is planning to take her spyder to ETN ATV for service if possible. I'm guessing that it'll be a 7-hour trip for her, one way, but she will probably plan her service visits to coincide with sister visits
