I have never needed to use heat to remove blue locktite. It always comes loose with proper impact. Red loctite is another matter, but no one uses red loctite if they don't intend that the fixture be permanent anyway. There is no need for it on 99.9% of fitments.
The dealer told the poster where to go for further service .... literally.
That's the sure sign of an ******* interaction. It is a sure sign that the dealer felt diddled.
FWIW, if you study at any modern business school, you will discover that some customers are not worth the trouble.
It is better to send them away and take your lumps.
The bad pr will eventually evaporate if it's a one off deal.
There is no more "customer is always right" mentality in business ... because it is no longer true. The customer is often just another manipulative jerk.
Stop and think for just a minute.
I am not a dealer and have not worked in a dealership since August of 1973, so I am not grinding my own ax here.
A dealer is just a motorcycle enthusiast who loved motorcycles so much that he wanted to make them his life's work.
Nearly every motorcycle dealer in the US was started for the love of motorcycles.
Dealers are not "out to get you."
Dealers are not "dumb as rocks."
Dealers are struggling, with lousy margin, to make a living.
Dealer service departments generally have to stand on their own these days, so they're trying hard to survive in a climate where bikes change nearly every year, and where internet forums present data to argue that the dealer's mechanics are idiots ... not nearly as smart as the smartest guys, who often are computer jockeys, and who are permanent denizens of some internet forum.
Bikes like the FJR are NOT very common at most dealerships. So sometimes there is a learning curve to come up to speed when addressing an issue on an FJR.
I get along by recognizing and empathizing with the dealers issues. If I have to pay a bit, I suck it up. It is worth it to have a good relationship and good support.
You would be surprised how often a dealer will treat you like a colleague if you act in a collegial way. This is true from BMW to Suzuki. Yamaha to Triumph. Honda to Ducati.
Unlike many here, I don't have the time, even in retirement, to fool with many maintenance items.
I've had nearly 3 dozen bikes in my life, and I usually have 3 to 6 at any given time (4 at the moment).
I'd rather ride (or do other things) than fool with a project. I suppose that the fact that I am a collector of collections, focused on guitars, firearms, motorcycles, photography, audio reproduction, audio recording, and other diversions, impacts how much time I'm willing to fool with bike maintenance.
But on this issue of the dealership buggaring up the tire change, I think the end result, i.e. it ended well but they told the poster to go somewhere else in the future, gives credence to my speculation that the dealer did not feel as though they'd been at fault.
No this is not a rant about leaving the forum.
And no, this is not a late Festivus airing of grievances.
I just don't think it is healthy to always assume that the dealer is out to get you, or that you are smarter than the dealer, or that forums are the place where you will aways learn the most about your motorcycle.
This is a good forum.
The FJR is a great bike.
But have a little sympathy for the poor shmoes who sell and service the bikes. You can't all do a fly and ride to D&H ... and even if you do, you may not be able to suffer through Jerald's political rants
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