INDY vs MOCO

[spdrcr137]

General question for the Forum.

Im just curious which would be prefered and why, a good Indy shop or the dealership working on your scoot?

[jammer45u]

I prefer doing my own work. If I weren't able or qualified to do a job I'd go with a good Indy. Most of my friends that don't do their own work use Indys as well.

The dealers in my area don't keep their mechanics long. With the exception of one or two key players at each dealership, they churn people.

A good Indy probably will be doing the work himself, or is small enough to personally oversee the quality control of work being done in his shop.

[MilesToGo]

As a general rule, Indy shop owners are more experienced and work at cheaper rates. They usually only have a couple of full time mechanics too, which means you actually get to know the person that's working on your bike. Like anything else, it's best to get recommendations before deciding.

[cernunos]

Halloo. As Jammer said, "I prefer doing my own work.". That said, there are some operations I cannot perform out of my ten by twelve "shop". For those operations I use INDY shops mainly because I have a good rapport with the owners. I would use the services of the local MOCO if needed, but I have a pretty good rapport with them also. I think yer best bet is to visit the various shops, talk with the people, get a feel for how they treat their customers, etc.

C.......

[Lefty]

I've had recent experience with two reputable Harley shops and an independent regarding a steering head issue. Long story but the gist of it is both harley shops said everything is fine and the indy fixed/adjusted it properly quickly. If you want more than to add chrome or change the oil go to an independent mechanic. That is of course if you can't or don't want to do it yourself.


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[monkeyboy]

All good advice from above. Keep in mind that with some of the newer, more reliant on electronic dependent models, some indys might not have the tools to diagnose the problem, if that's why you are asking. Anything that you can't do yourself as far as general maintenance, because of time or space restrictions, the reputable independent is the way to go. Typically cheaper, faster turn around time and a better understanding of what you want done.

[JayFL459]

Have a Jewel for an Indy where I am, but do a little research about his Rep before just blindly spending your hard earned money .. Is true some of the newer Models have special needs for diagnostic machines and tools the Indy might not have ..

[spdrcr137]

Just getting a feel for the public opinion on Indys, I know I prefer them

[Bear64]

I worked at a Indy shop part time for many years, after my regular day job...we were a good shop.. now I do no work on my own bikes let alone anybody else's bike...but here is the deal, sometimes we need to support the HD shop, if they lose business then they will perhaps need to close up...do we really want that? I know all the horror stories about the "Stealers" not my words by the way, there are of course bad dealers, I freely admit that, but there are also bad Indy's out there..folks it is a crap shoot, if the dealers close will you be able to buy your next new bike from a Indy?? something to think about..

[RogerDodger]

OP, the simple answer to your question is this:
The preferred shop is one you can trust to repair your bike properly while doing no other damage to your bike. It will be a shop that will treat your bike like it's the one they will ride home themselves.

[monkeyboy]

Originally Posted by RogerDodger

It will be a shop that will treat your bike like it's the one they will ride home themselves.

And I might add, will treat you like they should their mother, looking at your best interests.

[MilesToGo]

Originally Posted by Bear64

I worked at a Indy shop part time for many years, after my regular day job...we were a good shop.. now I do no work on my own bikes let alone anybody else's bike...but here is the deal, sometimes we need to support the HD shop, if they lose business then they will perhaps need to close up...do we really want that? I know all the horror stories about the "Stealers" not my words by the way, there are of course bad dealers, I freely admit that, but there are also bad Indy's out there..folks it is a crap shoot, if the dealers close will you be able to buy your next new bike from a Indy?? something to think about..

Competition from Indy shops is good for us. The dealerships already charge too much for labor. Think what it be like with no competition. Around here the dealerships are not hurting for business. Any dealership that goes under has usually either built to much overhead or has bad business practices. I'm just glad i'm able to do most of my own work.

[spdrcr137]

I live in a town of 8000 we have a hd dealership, 25 miles east we have another hd dealership, 30 miles north we have another hd dealership. Im pretty sure i can find a place to buy a bike.That being said, I was going to have the dealership put new cams and heads on my bike. While waiting for my heads from Bean I took the RK to the dealership for a rear tire when I picked up the bike and rode it home to put in the garage I tryed to open the saddle bag to put away my gloves and the lid would only open slightly. WHen I took a close look they had installed the bags incorrectly damaging the pins that hold the bags on. I purchased the tools and did the heads and cams myself. The owner asked me why I didnt have him do the work I explained to him that if a tech cant even put on a saddle bag why would I believe he could build my motor? He wasnt happy but it is what it is.

[machinist]

what Jammer said though it all comes down to who you trust. I use one indy for regular stuff and parts, another indy for engine tuning (an hour away), and a dealer a little further away then that. I use my local dealer when I need a moco part fast that I am willing to pay list for. (I ought to cut the local dealer some slack though because the guy managing the place now is trying to whip it into shape)

[Thermodyne]

There are good and bad shops out there. Bad indy shops tend to not last. Dealers tend to be more indifferent than bad, but I have seen some awful work come out of dealer shops. Dealers are also sucked into the high end presentation by the MoCo. While indy shops tend to be about the work and not so much the appearance.

Main difference is that dealers work off of higher labor rates and use cost-times to price their parts. Indi shops usually sell parts at suggested list less a discount. Example: 4 SE twinkie tappets cost $250 from the dealer. 4 very hi quality aftermarket tappets cost $72 from an indy. Same specs on the tappet, in fact they have the same specs as millions of GM tappets which can be had for $10 a pop. Nothing odd or special about them at all. But thousands will gladly pay what the dealer asks for them.

The Dealer also has the issue of pleasing the factory rep. The rep says don't address that issue unless we say so, and the dealer obeys. And the dealer is never ever gonna say that your part failed because it was cheap Asian built junk. An indy will usually call it as it falls.

Also, with an indy, you can usually speak with the tech about your issue. Not so at many dealers. The MoCo formula is that you only speak with a service writer and management.