So I call FLATOUT today ..

[TheCafeKid]

There is a slight chance that my son Adam may be riding up with me (have to clear it with Jim first too).

I am looking forward to it .. \\/

This is not acceptable ..

Poor old girl, she'll be good as new soon enough

 

[mriddle]

I emailed Chris back and identified myself as a GSR member.

Told him he should check in once in a while .

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Flatout is the way to go IF you want to save money, and IF you're not in a hurry for your parts. You could probably find pros & cons at any business. Flatout has a lot more going for them than not.

A lot of people around here are taking BassCliff's "recommendations" as gospel. Now don't get me wrong, I admire his passion & enthusiasm. =D> But his is just one opinion, and only that. Problem is, a respectable business gets a poor reputation as a result.

Flatout still can't be beat when it comes to prices. And when it comes to customer support, Flatout is the ONLY parts supplier that has a member on this forum. I wish that bit of news would make headlines around here. His name is Chris, and he is Chris@flatout. You should contact him by phone at the Greenwood store. He is their internet sales department.

Yes flatout is slower, and yes they have that stupid signature rule. ](*,)

Of course...that's just my opinion. Personally, I plan ahead and take delivery at the office. I would not hesitate to go elsewhere if I was in a hurry. But for the most part, I'll stick with flatout. :-\"

 

[Tom MLC]

i thought jeff from z1 was a member here, no?

If that's true, I apologize and stand corrected. What's his handle?

 

[mriddle]

see post #11 here ..

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=120389

If that's true, I apologize and stand corrected. What's his handle?

 

[Tom MLC]

Excellent! I will keep that in mind. I have done business with z-1 from time to time. Love the NY accent!

Hey, your e-mail still no workie. What happened with that swing arm? How 'bout a PM.

 

[mriddle]

I have to pack it at work to and get it weighed for ship cost.

Been swamped... really sorry

It is in the trunk of my car and I will get to it.

Excellent! I will keep that in mind. I have done business with z-1 from time to time. Love the NY accent!

Hey, your e-mail still no workie. What happened with that swing arm? How 'bout a PM.

 

[Joe Nardy]

I placed my first order with Flatout a couple weeks ago on a Sunday. I got a confirmation email that Tuesday, March 18th. Since then I've heard nothing. I checked the order status this evening and nothing has changed since March 18th. I sent them an email tonight for an update. It's been over two weeks and I still don't know if my parts have shipped yet. I got my credit card bill the other day and the full order price has already been charged. So far I'm not impressed.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[gbw]

I ordered a bunch of stuff today. The stuff I need quick I ordered from Z1. The stuff I need quick and Z1 didn't have I ordered from BikeBandit. I did however end up ordering a petcock from Flatout. They had the part I want at the best price. I don't remember exactly but I think I saved about $20 (including shipping) with Flatout.

If the petcock arrives in the next 3 or 4 weeks it will be fine. I can live with what I've got that long. I'll probably be rebuilding and syncing carbs and playing with valve shims almost that long.

BTW...the order I placed with them 2 weeks ago arrived today. Got a phone call this morning with a recorded message that said, "a UPS package will be delivered to this address today and someone must sign for it" or something like that. Fortunately we were home today so no big deal.

Have a great evening,
gbw

 

[bwringer]

There seems to be quite a bit of confusion here... many of you have a faulty mental model of how these businesses work, and your expectations are often unrealistic.

Flat Out is a large-ish Suzuki dealer in Indianapolis. They have microfiches on their web site and you can order OEM Suzuki parts there. They provide real part numbers, and have the best parts prices. (There are lots of dealers with online fiches provided by Power Sports Network, but many obscure part numbers or charge more.) As noted above, Flat Out tends to not communicate very well and they require a signature upon delivery, which is confusing, silly, and aggravating. However, you will get your parts and if there's a problem, real people will make it right.

Z1 deals in aftermarket parts for older motorcycles. They do not sell OEM parts. When you order a valve shim from Z1, you get an aftermarket part from their stock. Nothing at all wrong with that, and they can usually ship the same day. However, they do not stock or have access to parts only available from Suzuki, like piston rings, seals, etc.

These are COMPLETELY different types of businesses.

When you order a valve shim from Flat Out (or any dealer), they place an order with Suzuki. Depending on what warehouse your part is in, they usually receive the part in three to ten business days, then repackage your parts order and ship it to you.

NO ONE is sitting on a huge stock of every Suzuki part ever made. ALL the sources for Suzuki parts are stuck with ordering through the exact same system of Suzuki warehouses. Consumers are not allowed to communicate with or order directly from Suzuki.

Suzuki's warehouses do not communicate with the dealers very well, either. It's quite common with parts for older bikes for it to take a couple of weeks for Suzuki to locate the part and send it to the dealer. The whole time, they don't tell the dealer anything, so the dealer doesn't have anything to tell you either.

Flat Out is certainly not perfect by any means. When you want a rock bottom price and don't care if someone holds your hand or if it takes a few days longer, they're great.

When you need a part the absolute fastest way possible, visit a large local dealership and prepare to pay through the nose.

I tend to use BikeBandit for smaller orders, where their low shipping costs and speed (they're located in California, and tend to receive Suzuki parts the quickest from Suzuki's large California warehouses) offset the 15% higher prices. They normally ship USPS to me, which is reliably only two days to Indiana. (They used FedEx a couple of times, which apparently uses asthmatic donkeys to cross the plains... but that's another rant.)

Flat Out is generally reserved for larger orders where I'm not in a hurry and the savings can be significant. Since I'm local, I just go pick up my order and we verify everything right there at the counter, which saves on shipping hassles and confusion. Given Indiana's sales tax increase to 7%, Flat Out's price advantage is lessened.

I've tried a couple of others, including Carolina Cycles and Babbitts, and neither were able to communicate any better, and both made minor errors. (Carolina completely lost my order until I called a few days afterwards, and never did email me one update. On an order for four parts, Babbitts left out a small $1 rubber cushion which I never did receive. It wasn't worth my time to call, but not an indication they're paying much attention, either.)

 

[gbw]

...your expectations are often unrealistic.

Unrealistic expectations are not unusual for me. Thank you for your explanation. I really learned something from that. I didn't realize the different nature of the businesses or where folks like Flatout get their parts. I will keep this in mind and try to cut folks a break.

Thanks again,
gbw

 

[Steve]

A lot of people around here are taking BassCliff's "recommendations" as gospel. Now don't get me wrong, I admire his passion & enthusiasm. =D> But his is just one opinion, and only that. Problem is, a respectable business gets a poor reputation as a result.

Personally, I don't think he has that list posted as a 'recommendation' as much as it is a list of available resources. All these differences are nice to know, though. 8-[

.

 

[Guest]

Don't have any prior experience with Flatout, however I've used Bikebandit and Z1 and several others. Remember to compare apples to apples. Flatout is a Suzuki dealer and sells Suzuki parts. A lot of them are harder to obtain than an after market item like a handlebar. I placed an order with Flatout for some carb parts and a few Suzuki only parts. They responded quickly with a conformation and shipping info e-mails. Parts are due tomorrow only 10 days from ordering. Seems like good service to me, especially since my local dealer won't lift a finger to find any part for a GS. Ray

 

[TheCafeKid]

Valid point. Unfortunately, aside from general maintanence items, Z1 doesnt really stock a whole lot. Which is ok. My suggestion of Z1 was generally for those parts that you NEED NOW, as in yesterday, to keep the bike in tip top. As far as OEM parts, i stick with BB or Babbitts, never tried flatout as of yet...

 

[Guest]

Z1 deals in aftermarket parts for older motorcycles. They do not sell OEM parts. When you order a valve shim from Z1, you get an aftermarket part from their stock. Nothing at all wrong with that, and they can usually ship the same day. However, they do not stock or have access to parts only available from Suzuki, like piston rings, seals, etc.

for the sake of accurate info, i beg to differ... z1 can get oem parts (although doesnt stock them)
because of their good communication, i order oem parts from z1 even though it takes longer to get them

i fully aggree with everything else you said, though, mr bwringer :-D

 

[bwringer]

for the sake of accurate info, i beg to differ... z1 can get oem parts (although doesnt stock them)
because of their good communication, i order oem parts from z1 even though it takes longer to get them

i fully aggree with everything else you said, though, mr bwringer :-D

Interesting -- I didn't know Z1 did that. Of course, any independent shop can set up an account with a distributor and order OEM parts.

It's yet another pebble on the mountain of evidence that Z1 has incredible customer service -- you're on the other end of the planet, yet they're willing to give you the kind of service that keeps you coming back.

 

[Guest]

Interesting -- I didn't know Z1 did that. Of course, any independent shop can set up an account with a distributor and order OEM parts.

It's yet another pebble on the mountain of evidence that Z1 has incredible customer service -- you're on the other end of the planet, yet they're willing to give you the kind of service that keeps you coming back.

yup, that IS why i keep comming back and also say nice things about them to other prospective overseas customers (the z1 also charges just the actual usps shipping costs, unlike many other places, and being down under, it makes a lot of difference)
regards

 

[Joe Nardy]

Well, day three and no reply to my email asking for a status update. Flatout's website still shows my order status as 'reviewed' as of 3/18.

While I understand the OEM parts order process and don't expect to receive parts in a couple days this is bad service. I figured I'd have my parts within two weeks or at least a status. BikeBandit has always sent me status emails if a part is hard to locate and when they do locate said part. They are sometimes slow as well but at least they let you know what's going on. And I don't think they charge your credit card until they ship the items (I could be wrong about this).

If I ever receive my parts from Flatout, which I'm beginning to doubt, that will be my last order with them.

Joe

 

[posplayr]

That is bad for Flatout

That is bad for Flatout

but you can call the phone number for online sales. I have always had someone pickup and be helpful, even if e-mail contact was sparse.

With OEM parts you have to be aware that some of the vendors will hold up an entire several hundred dollar order just for one screw if they are waiting on it. BB for example will not split orders you have to delete items from the order with the back ordered part and re order it in a separate order.

So something to keep in mind is to check back with the vendor to see if anything is back ordered or otherwise delayed and separate that item out (usually after the order was made) and reorder from same source or go else where.

Posplayr

 

[TheCafeKid]

It has been my experience with Babbitts, that they will split orders. As stated thier shipping costs are a bit higher, and small items end up being more expensive (weird stuff that cost 79cents elsewhere, costs 2and some change from them) BUT their other prices tend to beat BikeBandit but a lil bit. This is counteracted by the shipping costs i guess, but like i said they will split orders. Just an FYI.

 

[Joe Nardy]

but you can call the phone number for online sales. I have always had someone pickup and be helpful, even if e-mail contact was sparse.

With OEM parts you have to be aware that some of the vendors will hold up an entire several hundred dollar order just for one screw if they are waiting on it. BB for example will not split orders you have to delete items from the order with the back ordered part and re order it in a separate order.

So something to keep in mind is to check back with the vendor to see if anything is back ordered or otherwise delayed and separate that item out (usually after the order was made) and reorder from same source or go else where.

Posplayr

That's all understood and fine. However, in today's world, electronic communication is the standard. If I can order parts online and receive a confirmation email with a reply email address it shouldn't be unreasonable to expect a response. If I knew what was going on with the order I could make changes if necessary. I have had several instances with BikeBandit where items I ordered were backordered. BikeBandit has always sent me emails explaining the status. If Flatout had done the same I wouldn't be upset. However, I have no idea what the status of my order is other than 'reviewed' and that my credit card has been charged the full amount, despite having sent an email asking for a status update. I understand if others have had good luck with Flatout. I have ordered a lot of things online and Flatout is the worst at communication of any vendor I have ever dealt with. I expect to get my parts at some point but will take my business elsewhere from now on. If anyone asks my opinion on Flatout it will be negative. I will explain the reason for my negative feelings and point out that others have had good experiences with them.

Thanks,
Joe