Steering fix and dealer kudos

[GaryTheBadger]

Today, ten minutes from arriving at the 2nd day of Bikes, Blues & BBQ, my steering, for the first time ever, exhibited the symptoms that resulted in the BRP recall. The bike is a 2008 SE-5 with 8000 miles.

While discussing the situation with the experts at the Bradford Marine/BRP demo display, my conversation was overheard, and after a quick phone call, I was told if I could get to the Springdale Bradford Marine shop right away, they'd do the recall before they closed. Bottom line - they went WAY out of their way so I could safely enjoy the rest of Bikes, Blues & BBQ! Kudos to Mr. Bradford, Terry Brown and Steve the service rep who did the work in just two hours. And he let me watch. And ask questions. And be a pest.

I was able to enjoy the rest of today at BB&B, and get home safely, without fear of driving off the freeway.

By the way, as others have said, the post-recall steering seems smoother and with a slightly quicker steering ratio. Aside from the safety issue, it's a worthy update.

Here's my baby in surgery a few hours ago...

 

[Dochands]

Glad to hear your BBB was not QQQ and they did it ASAP so you can say TGIF. LOL

 

[Raptor]

Glad to hear your BBB was not QQQ and they did it ASAP so you can say TGIF. LOL

WORD DOC! Were those actually words? :roflblack: :roflblack:

 

[Raptor]

Today, ten minutes from arriving at the 2nd day of Bikes, Blues & BBQ, my steering, for the first time ever, exhibited the symptoms that resulted in the BRP recall. The bike is a 2008 SE-5 with 8000 miles.

While discussing the situation with the experts at the Bradford Marine/BRP demo display, my conversation was overheard, and after a quick phone call, I was told if I could get to the Springdale Bradford Marine shop right away, they'd do the recall before they closed. Bottom line - they went WAY out of their way so I could safely enjoy the rest of Bikes, Blues & BBQ! Kudos to Mr. Bradford, Terry Brown and Steve the service rep who did the work in just two hours. And he let me watch. And ask questions. And be a pest.

I was able to enjoy the rest of today at BB&B, and get home safely, without fear of driving off the freeway.

By the way, as others have said, the post-recall steering seems smoother and with a slightly quicker steering ratio. Aside from the safety issue, it's a worthy update.

Here's my baby in surgery a few hours ago...

That is so cool Badger! BIG kudos to Bradford Marine. That was above and beyond. Enjoy your revitalized Spyder! :thumbup:

 

[bikeguy]

Glad you got the new DPS. Bradford Marine sounds like an excellent dealer. Where are they located? We tentatively have an Arkansas trip planned for next spring. It would be nice to know where a good dealer was, just in case.

Cotton

 

[patdcop]

I called Bradford Marine today and they told me they did not have any in stock to replace and I was 21st on the waiting list.:gaah:

 

[curly]

Not to create a argument (Gary you know I wouldn't do that with you), but I've had two separate experiences with Bradford Marine in Springdale, and both were terrible.

1st time I was ready to buy a spyder (told the salesman those exact words), and they wouldn't let me test drive off the lot. Told me I should go test drive at another dealership then come back to buy from them.

2nd time was to have them look at the bouncy fuel gauge and the rear shock loosing air. They tried to tell me the fuel gauge was normal (even when the bike was not running, no one sitting on it, the needle was all over the place). Then tried to tell me I didn't have a air shock in the rear.

So while I'm very happy to hear Gary got taken care of so well, I would still warn people away from Bradford. And in fact I do warn folks away from there when they ask where I bought it.

Just throwing that out there, so folks have a little more information to make their own decision.

And Gary, I'm looking forward to heading to B,B&BBQ with you today.

 

[fastfraser]

Always good to here the good and bad ! Anyone got the ugly ? :roflblack:

 

[SpyderAnn01]

I, like Gary, had a fantastic experience with a dealer (RT Sales, Zulu, IN) while on the road. They went above and beyond and got me back on the road for SITS. While there are some out there who don't like them what they did for me will not be forgotten.

Gary, I'm glad you also found the good.

 

[GaryTheBadger]

BIKEGUY: Bradford has four stores in Springdale, Little Rock, Hot Springs and Texarkana, all owned by the same man.

 

[Dragonrider]

Almost every dealer has supporters and detractors. Gary had the advantage of delivering a serious PR win - BRP was right there, and they were able to react.

I just bought a RTS, that was shipped from HK in New Hampshire. My RT was there on consignment, and HK stepped up and finished the DPS recall before Allied came to pick up the bike. I was first on the list.

I can't begin to sing enough high praise for HK, and they will always be on my recommended list - but is the same true for the local customers? I'm sure it's not. BRP requires an old DPS for a new one, and for most dealers, this means one at a time, first come, first serve. That doesn't mean the dealer or service is poor.

I also believe there are only a handful of dealers who have had enough units sold, to have a truly skilled mechanic team for Spyders. Those that have discovered those few, have found a gem - and those dealers who have a "Lamont" as a customer, will be challenged to be the best of the best, so it's up to us to be the "Lamont" for our dealers.

Just my $0.02 .. :spyder:

 

[patdcop]

While I have to wait a while, I am ok with that. When we (wife and I) bought the spyder, we shopped around a bit. I live between Bradford and Cow town dealers. I made lots of phone calls to sales managers in a four state area looking for the best deal. Most stated I would have to pay MSRP and when I found the best price I started to shop that price back to the dealers I had already talked to. I ended up buying mine in Alton IL. at a price the closer dealers just laughed at me for, including Cowtown and Bradford. That certainly doesn't mean they are bad dealers.

I am glad Gary got the service finished quickly as he needed it. Hope to see some of you at BB&B Saturday!

 

[SpyderWolf]

Glad to hear you were able to get it taken care of right after having an issue with the steering. Timing doesn't get much better than that.

I also appreciate you taking the picture, as it shows how much of our Spyders needs to be disassembled in order to do the replacement. So, those of us that have front end mods need to be aware of that before taking it in, and possibly need to take the frunk off ourselves before taking it to the dealer.

 

[bikeguy]

BIKEGUY: Bradford has four stores in Springdale, Little Rock, Hot Springs and Texarkana, all owned by the same man.

Thanks, Gary. It's always good to know where to locate a good dealer with a good service department when you're on the road. My local dealer is Family Powersports in San Angelo, Texas and I would highly recommend them.

Cotton

 

[Some Guy]

I'm a big fan of my dealership. They've always treated me very well and done top notch service. I stopped in there last night to inquire about getting the DPS recall done. When I asked if they had any DPS units on hand, the parts manager told me she stuck one away for me because she had a feeling I'd be stopping in after returning from SITS. :2thumbs:

For the record, I've never had ANY problems with my original DPS. I'm anxious to see how different the new ones are; I keep hearing lots of good things about them.