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*Disclaimer*
I am not of the opinion that all corporations are evil or anything to that extent. This is simply a story of how Suzuki treated me well when I first started riding. 'Nuff said, end of story.
I was 19 and just obtained my endorsement. After shopping around all the local shops and getting treated like crap, I decided to take my business out to a Ma and Pa shop about 30 miles away from me. The family there treated me like one of their own and explained (overly) about which bike may or may not be best for me. I think I spent a week there, almost every day looking at the different models, sitting on them, thinking about how it would ride. It took me awhile but I ended up getting a 2000 GS500. Brand spanking new, built in Japan and shipped over.
Now, mind you, I was still a beginner and really had no clue about motorcycles and all the ins and outs. Sure, I knew how to ride thanks to the MSF course, but I didn't know crap about warming up a bike and all that. Well, it was getting a bit colder and I had to wake up before the sun came up for my job. I had decided to go out and start warming the bike up while I continued getting ready inside. I fired the bike up, left the choke open and went inside. I'm tooling around inside and all of a sudden I hear my bike shut off. I think, "Ok" and go back out and get it running again. I couldn't have been inside for two minutes before she stops running again. I go outside and I start freaking out! The headers were a very bright red and all I could smell was burnt plastic and oil. I thought I was totally screwed and I hadn't even put 2k miles on the bike.
I call up the dealership after I had gotten off work and informed them of the situation. They said they could see what they could do for me if I could get the bike to them and after paying them a nominal fee ($50?), they came all the way out to where I was living and picked the bike up for me. I was on the phone constantly with them about what was going on with the bike and who would have to pay for it. I find out that I had pretty much fried the bike, blew o-rings, gaskets, you name it. I'm not even sure how much it would have cost to fix it, probably over $2,000. It didn't really matter though because the dealership really went out of their way for me, explained to Suzuki that I was a brand new rider and all that and Suzuki footed the bill. Granted, the bike was under warranty but it was clearly operator error that caused the damage. I couldn't beleive that a company as large as Suzuki would give a crap about some kid and his bike.
I am not of the opinion that all corporations are evil or anything to that extent. This is simply a story of how Suzuki treated me well when I first started riding. 'Nuff said, end of story.
I was 19 and just obtained my endorsement. After shopping around all the local shops and getting treated like crap, I decided to take my business out to a Ma and Pa shop about 30 miles away from me. The family there treated me like one of their own and explained (overly) about which bike may or may not be best for me. I think I spent a week there, almost every day looking at the different models, sitting on them, thinking about how it would ride. It took me awhile but I ended up getting a 2000 GS500. Brand spanking new, built in Japan and shipped over.
Now, mind you, I was still a beginner and really had no clue about motorcycles and all the ins and outs. Sure, I knew how to ride thanks to the MSF course, but I didn't know crap about warming up a bike and all that. Well, it was getting a bit colder and I had to wake up before the sun came up for my job. I had decided to go out and start warming the bike up while I continued getting ready inside. I fired the bike up, left the choke open and went inside. I'm tooling around inside and all of a sudden I hear my bike shut off. I think, "Ok" and go back out and get it running again. I couldn't have been inside for two minutes before she stops running again. I go outside and I start freaking out! The headers were a very bright red and all I could smell was burnt plastic and oil. I thought I was totally screwed and I hadn't even put 2k miles on the bike.
I call up the dealership after I had gotten off work and informed them of the situation. They said they could see what they could do for me if I could get the bike to them and after paying them a nominal fee ($50?), they came all the way out to where I was living and picked the bike up for me. I was on the phone constantly with them about what was going on with the bike and who would have to pay for it. I find out that I had pretty much fried the bike, blew o-rings, gaskets, you name it. I'm not even sure how much it would have cost to fix it, probably over $2,000. It didn't really matter though because the dealership really went out of their way for me, explained to Suzuki that I was a brand new rider and all that and Suzuki footed the bill. Granted, the bike was under warranty but it was clearly operator error that caused the damage. I couldn't beleive that a company as large as Suzuki would give a crap about some kid and his bike.
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