Chicago - Reputable Repair Shop Needed

[tonemand]

Well, after 15 years of riding/owning, I have incurred my first vandalism to a bike I have owned and now need to take it in to get it repaired.

The police woke me at 3:30 AM to let me know my 2007 FJR 1300A was on it's right side parked out on the street. Hard case is gouged badly, mirror is shattered and pivot arm got pushed all the way in, scratches/gouges in about 5-6 areas of the plastic up front. I have yet to ride it and see if something past the cosmetic was damaged as well. I got off the phone with State Farm, and they can't help with a recommendation (cause the database is not populated with enough info to provide me with one...), and the original dealer (Chicago Cycle in Skokie) is a pretty far haul from where I live (south suburbs of Chicago), as well as the shop family has recommended just across the state line (Xtreme Motorsports in Hammond, IN), so I am trying to stay local. If I cannot find a reputable place locally, I will take it to Indiana, but not my first preference.

Anyone got a shop within the south burbs that they can give two thumbs up to?

I hit a bunch of the dealer threads, but didn't see anything pop out regarding repair shops in my neck of the woods.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Tony

 

[rnees]

on the wrong side of the city from you, but I've been dealing with DesPlaines for years and years (bought 3 bikes from them...)

DesPlaines Yamaha/Suzuki

1529 Rand Rd

Des Plaines, IL 60016

(847) 298-3322

 

[FJRBluesman]

Lets see.... an honest place in Chicagoooo.... Nope, can't think of any.

Good luck.

 

[RiderCoach Lar]

Tony- What a shitty situation. The fact that someone would do that to your (or anyone's) bike makes me sick :angry: I only hope the bad karma catches up to the POS who is responsible.

As far as dealers go, I recommend Rich's Yamaha in Lockport. From Alsip, they're a straight shot down Route 83 (west) to Archer Avenue (Route 171). Turn left and follow Archer to 14354 S. Archer. John is the service manager. Tell him that Larry (the local FJR guy) recommended them. They're my local dealer and I've found them to be fair, honest and reliable.

Good luck with your situation and let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. BTW, I have a trailer you're free to use if you need it.

 

[cougar8000]

Call Nielsen and ask for Tom. Tell him Alex sent you. They are the furthest from you

 

[tonemand]

Well, a good story and a happy ending for me on this one.

I had State Farm out to get the estimate, and the guy who did it (besides coming three days after promised - lucky I was home and hadn't gone to work when he rang the bell and rolled me out of bed...) had me walk him around and show him what I noticed. Of course, the first things out of his mouth are "Yeah, they can buff this out, and they can paint this..." while pointing at the cowling, hard luggage cases, etc. which had me concerned, since I was unaware of the advancements in technology that allowed a body shop to buff out deep gouges (not to mention the rivets holding the colored lid onto the black shell of the hard case) in molded plastic products, but who was I to argue, since I am not a body guy

In the end, the estimate was for $779, minus my $250 deductible, which was mostly for paint work. Then he tried to sell me on taking it down the street to a "State Farm Certified Repair Center", which I didn't plan on doing. After considering taking it to Rich's in Lockport (thanks Lar!), I realized my 8k service was due, and having the prepaid service agreement with Chicago Cycle, I took it up to Lincolnwood/Skokie and let them have a look. It seems the recession hit their shop and as I was filling out the paperwork for them, the service writer told me that they just laid two techs off, and in a karma-like response, they took in 100 bikes that same week. He told me I probably wouldn't get the bike in under the agreed timeframe for the prepaid service, to which I explained that as long as I got it back before my vacation ended (was planning on putzing around the area with the wife and kids anyway, with little anticipated cycle time), I didn't mind.

They called the next day, after doing their own estimate, and informed me that the damage estimate was in excess of $2000 (ended up being ~$2600 total), so I had to call State Farm, get the number for the adjuster, call Chicago Cycle back, etc. Finally after the differences were hammered out, I authorized the repair to begin, and they said 10 days for ordering parts and doing the repair. Good news was it took 7 days from the time of the estimate to completion. The better news is the bike looks like it did when I bought it, which made me wonder even more how satisfied I would be if someone tried to buff/paint the stuff instead of replacing the parts, which is what ended up happening. Not that I doubt the ability to paint plastic, but show me some "1-3 years later" pics, cause I have my doubts!

When I bought my bike in August 2007, Chicago Cycle was a recommendation from a family member, so even though it is a hike from the South Side, I was happy with the sales process, and now I am pleased to say, am happy with the repair one as well. Not to mention the service work I have had done there previously (they did the ignition switch recall, along with the ECM service bulletin that was outstanding for my '07), which makes that a triple treat for me as a buyer from that dealership. I'd definitely recommend service work there for anyone in the area that was not happy with their original dealer.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions for shops - much appreciated!