would anybody else be mad

[Jeff]

I don't know Dave.. We're making a lot of accusations, excuses and comments when most of us are not involved in it.

People are calling it like they see it.  K3 is sick of seeing people get bent over.  You just want people to give this shop a chance since you've had a good relationship with them.

In the end, Jeremy still has no bike and Jim has no comments as of yet.

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Here is a purely hypothetical question, free of accusations, suppositions, or excuses.  We all know that blown motors have tossed people to the ground.  Bad suspension has tossed people to the ground.  This has been happening since the beginning in racing.  Mostly, this is why the less adventurous among us pay a top-notch shop to handle the scarier aspects of our bike preparation.  Now, getting tossed to the ground can sometimes have tragic results.  So if a hypothetical shop makes a habit of doing shoddy work, how long does it take before Murphy's Law comes into effect, and said hypothetical shop is responsible for a tragedy?
Scary, scary stuff.  I HATE seeing people get hurt more than anything else in this world, and sure hope that it never happens to anybody, reguardless of who prepped their bike.
That said, I sure wouldn't want Team Hypothetical Racing on the side of my bike, trailer, or website if THAT actually happened....

Hey, here's a story about how to really do it right.  Ed Kwaterski of Trackside Engineering rebuilt my Ohlins shock on a Thursday.  On Friday, the shock blew all it's oil and nitrogin onto my rear tire.  Somehow I didn't crash.
Back in the pits, I discovered that my battery tray had come adrift, beating on the shock resevior until it loosened up.  This was in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM ED'S FAULT!  I called Ed, told him what had happened, and told him that I had to race the next day.  He said "Bring it."
So Ed finishes rebuilding my shock for the second time in two days at about 10:00 Friday night.  Meanwhile, his VERY PREGNANT wife has cooked us a delicious dinner!  After I eat, I try to pay Ed.  He says, "Naw.  You paid me yesterday.  Besides, some guys might not have admitted about the battery tray, and left me wondering if I'd made a mistake."
THAT is how a business should be run.  Turns out it was also a very wise investment for Ed, too.  I've brought Trackside Engineering thousands of dollars in business since that day, and I'll never forget or stop telling people how he looked out for me.

[DAmico]

Dave how long have you been involved in motorcycles? With every dealer and their brother doing the wholesale thing every tuner has access with OEM stuff. And if you buy it you get the associated support (warranty). Hell when we started Badger the OEM shit was the first and easiest hurdle out of the way.

jer you only need to look at the shops reputation from day on and see the shit that they push out of there(they are afraid to roll it). Good luck, consider yourself screwed like the rest.

Ed RULES, PERIOD!! He may not be the quickest, but is the best!! HE  is the guy who made all my bikes fast from day one. Anyone that has seen my stuff knows that I didn't have big motors or anything crazy, just Ed in my corner tape measure and clickers in hand.

[jer271]

does anyone have an 04/05 600 motor i can buy,  or does this builder chris and jason are talkig about possibly have one. my year is pretty much shot for points right now after pre enterig the whole year.
what really sucks is this was supposed to be my first year with suspension  done right and a good motor, so i was pretty excited till now.

[Super Dave]

Here is a purely hypothetical question, free of accusations, suppositions, or excuses.  We all know that blown motors have tossed people to the ground.  Bad suspension has tossed people to the ground.  This has been happening since the beginning in racing.  Mostly, this is why the less adventurous among us pay a top-notch shop to handle the scarier aspects of our bike preparation.  Now, getting tossed to the ground can sometimes have tragic results.  So if a hypothetical shop makes a habit of doing shoddy work, how long does it take before Murphy's Law comes into effect, and said hypothetical shop is responsible for a tragedy?

Well, we can go further back in the hypothetical situations...

How many riders have thrown themselves to the ground because of their own actions that resulted in blown motors?

How many riders have thrown themselves to the ground just because of errors, period?

How many riders have been thrown to the ground because of motors that were assembled by the original manufacturer?

These things all happen.  I don't think there is a way to even necessarily say that one's lap times will always improve on the newest bike.  Sometimes riders don't improve the next year.  Murphy's Law? 

Every year costs will go up.  If you can't afford new, one buys used.  Used.  I'm not sure of my expectations of warranty on a new product purchased for road racing even when compared to used.  Either is going to be hard to get done in a timely manner for no cost.  If you can, well, good.

Is there an angry section about helmets? 

[Super Dave]

Dave how long have you been involved in motorcycles? With every dealer and their brother doing the wholesale thing every tuner has access with OEM stuff. And if you buy it you get the associated support (warranty). Hell when we started Badger the OEM shit was the first and easiest hurdle out of the way.

Long time.

Anyone can purchase OEM parts through a dealer.  Pretty simple.  But unless you're a OEM franchised shop, you're not buying direct from the OEM US distribution channel.

Not sure where all this is going, but someone seems to be saying that "said shop" is "cut off" from suppliers.  Seriously, unless someone has some paper work to show it... 

[catman]

Hey all - K3 hooked me up with Valley and i am happy he did - i bought a sv700 that they rebuilt and it runs like very strong- just practicing with it and should be ready early July at ccs event- it feels bullet proof but i will know better later- shop seemed very savvy with the couple of "extras" i had them install- i dont post much but with the difficulties ive had w my 650 and "mechanics" that  i started and wasted so much time with early here in my endeavors, the importance has definately been increased in my experience to do just what our more experienced posters/racers are saying- find a highly regarded shop and stay!Thanks again CHRIS, been workin alot to pay for bike and van so 1st race and maybe only race this year is comin soon -Cheers all- John in NJ

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Hey John, glad you're happy!  I have 100% confidence in Brian's work, and in his shop, Valley Racing.  Any time I make a recomendation, I take it very seriously.  My own reputation as a racer, a writer of racing books and articles, and as a track coach is what gives my recomendations credibility.  I'm very careful not to recomend a shop which might do shoddy work and embarrass me or damage my reputation.
You've got one of the nicest SVs in the country there, and from what I've heard even THAT wasn't enough for you, because you had Brian make it even tricker!  It will be very exciting to hear how you do when you start racing the beast! 

[251am]

what really sucks is this was supposed to be my first year with suspension  done right and a good motor, so i was pretty excited till now.

Hang in there, and keep shopping for a motor. I did not pre-reg as you had but my story is a parallel to yours in the suspension dept; I dumped major cash at same shop only to spend first 2 rounds at RA & BHF sorting out what was so badly screwed up.

a. Don't let some person here muddy the waters with bizzare reasoning and tangents.  Trust your instincts and get your shit the f*@k out of their shop.

b. Now, when your motor and your piece of mind are back together again with a new builder, such as Valley, be an adviser. When you see someone directed to that Shop 10, fill in the uneducated on your story in a quick PM.   



c. Start to have fun again. Think of that furry K3 beast stalking the pits and you're scowl will soon disappear!!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Again with the furry beast shit....

[251am]

Again with the furry beast shit....

Come out of the cave, away from the typewriter, to a barber...


Hey Chris who's the Valley Racing engine builder? I thought I saw the phone # somewhere here...

[catman]

Thanks K3- yea Brian's  Valley Racing in lower area of Chicago isnt right  around the corner from me but with all ive wasted so far on HOPE SO techs, has not helped and is costly, have racebike will travel!- 251 ,i hoped suspension work was correct for too long before i realized my  coments went nowhere for long enough-i know its an expensive hobby but i had many sucessful national level snowmobile racing years way back and have no trouble turning throttles, but need to feel a lil confidence in the machines' accuracy/compliance/etc  and until now, i can only say ive had better handling streetbikes in the past, and mostly what i am in this for is to ride better stuff! I will rely on Brian in the future for motor work if needed,but a more local suspension shop- is helping me with suspension and a hi load charging system failure that has plagued me also,which i spent the last 2 of my last 5 start up years with- it has failed in latter part of races ( i heard the helmeted grins of formerly beaten coracers later in races)and has been a real disheartening start of roadracing for me- its playing on a edy dyno now and isnt coming home till its done ! point of all this is ,i would have accomplished much more since i started if i had taken K3's and a couple others advice  (use highly touted by experiencd racers" shops)early on instead of relying on the local guys who got me started,then mostly crashed and faded away in the same and next year,taking $ and disregarding my suspesion issues! I learned from them a very important thing- the responsability of attaing the results i expect from myself liies with myself!!!! :boink:I intend to keep on anyway and will hope to get in a round or two before the season ends- my graduating from rutgers daughter wont be needin mo $ from here on also-  Thanks again k3 the way i see it you singlehandedly kept me in the sport- at 51 next week, idont want to waste lotsa time as i did early on! I will spend where i feel my $ affects a shop in a way that i am their reason for sustaining their customer service is their highest priority only from here on! John in NJ  Catman  in my "ARCTIC" days