Great, my next bike is going to be a Ducati and I will buy from Redline Performance.

 

sounds like you found a really good place! too bad we all can't have a place like that!! glad you got it up and running so soon!

 

confusing to read

 

whats so confusing? he got his bike from the shop, rode it home, it broke down, they offered to give him a ride, he was already home, he droped it off the next day, it was fixed later that day free of charge.

 

Good deal, Mike. I agree Ducati makes a quality product, but Redline, from my experience, is the exception to the rule as far as Duc dealerships go. I've been into two since moving here, wandered around their showrooms for ten minutes or so, checking out bikes. Nobody said a word to me, as if I wasn't good enough to buy one of their precious bikes. They had nothing I was interested in so I left without seeking out help, but it bothered me that I got not so much as a "welcome, let us know if you need any help". Noticed the same thing at other duc dealerships I've walked into. Redline has always been very cool, I've bought parts (non-ducati) from them and even hung out socially with Scott, I would buy a bike from them.

 

That does suck. And unfortunately, that's sometimes all it takes for people to be turned off from a dealer.

While I can say that I almost always hear them welcome everyone into the shop, and make sure to ask them if they need any help, even if they're just browsing, I don't doubt your experience. But I can tell you that if they new about this experience, I'm sure they'd want to fix the problem, and make your next visit better.

I can't speak for other Duc dealers though. Nobody likes pompous ass holes. While it is a "Ducati", it's still a motorcycle. And I see no reason to be rude or ignore possible customers.

will they offer pick up and fix it next day to Washington state?

Probaby not same day. But Ducati Roadside Assistance does cover all of North America. ;D

 

will they offer pick up and fix it next day to Washington state?

 

Sounds to me like you have a great dealership to work with. I would be wary of associating customer service with a brand though.

 

This.

Redline most likely isn't awesome because it's a Ducatti thing, they're awesome because it's a Redline thing. You're giving too much credit to the badge on your tank. My guess is that they'd be like that if they sold Suzuki's or mopeds instead.

 

Wait, aren't they a "steal"ership?

 

:thumbsup:

My heart nearly stopped when I got your original text... I'm glad it worked out so well.

 

Mike, I think you misunderstood me, Redline was the one duc dealership that actually noticed I entered their store and was interested in the fact that i might be there to purchase a motorcycle.

 

Indeed I did.

Sh-t.

 

So how much did you pay for the Ducati name and service?

 

Tell me where you can buy a comparible bike to mine, and I'll give you a comparison. ;D

I went into a Duc dealer here in Houston. Was greeted and they wanted to sell me a bike. Told me they were willing to do anything to sell me a bike, EXCEPT lower their price!

You did it wrong.

 

I went into a Duc dealer here in Houston. Was greeted and they wanted to sell me a bike. Told me they were willing to do anything to sell me a bike, EXCEPT lower their price!

 

Well....they HAD to do SOMETHING nice to keep the Peeps happy since their bikes are always down. :roflmao:

 

Define "always"?

24 hours in 11,000 miles I don't think is too bad.

Apparently you're a tougher customer to please.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how many people who don't own and have never owned (and in many cases, never even ridden) any given brand of motorcycle, but they seem to be experts on the rigors of ownership, or performance, or whathaveyou, of that particular brand/model. It doesn't matter if it's ducati, triumph, harley, busa, norton, BSA, whatever, it seems like if it's known to be in some way better/faster/more reliable/more expensive than their bike, they are suddenly the expert on all the drawbacks of ownership.

 

Between 4 friends with Ducs, at least 1 is ALWAYS in the shop.

Not that there's anything wrong with that....afterall, Ducati Santa Barbara picks them up with their van.....for a nominal charge!

 

Yup. Always the same argument.

"I have a buddy"

 

Thats lovely. No, honestly. Its good to give credit where credit is due.

 

Right. I know some people with suzukis and one or two of them is ALWAYS in the shop.

 

I do everything myself, order parts online. Don't really need to find a shop that's friendly that way.

 

Why would I order parts online, that might take several days to get to me, for a problem that can be diagnosed and solved in 24 hours, for free, by my dealer? :dontknow:

my ktm didn't leave me stranded for 2 years and 24K miles, not even once
you can keep your bike that needs the dealership and their readiness to fix your problems, I'll stick to the bike that doesn't need extra attention

and FYI I'm glad you're back in the seat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't rely on the service. But it's certainly nice to have. :thumbsup:

KTM doesn't stand behind their bikes like this? :dontknow:

Oh geee....should I put one of them on the keyboard to gain your credibility?

Until you do, your claims don't mean sh-t.

I have a friend who says he saw Bigfoot. Do you believe me?

Sorry, I won't speak from personal experience on this issue because you won't see me purchasing a Ducati. They don't all break and they're not at all POS. I just find it's to easy to learn from other's experience and I don't drink the Kool-Aid.

That's just sad.

I have also always thought it so funny that you choose to come to an SV Forum to pound your chest about your Ducati. Don't they offer a special place for you to do that with other Kool-Aid drinkers? :hug:

1. Seriously, come up with a better metaphor than "Kool-Aid drinkers"
2. I owned an SV for 4 years and several miles. Then I traded it in. I stay so I can keep in contact with friends, and correct people when they're wrong.

 

So as I rolled to a stop on the bike, I realized that what I thought couldn't get worse, just did. But what I guess what bothered me more, was the fact that I wasn't all that upset about the whole thing. I guess I'd become so accustomed to disapointment and failure over the past week or so, that this was just going to have to take a number, and wait to be dealt with, like the rest of the bullsh-t.

The bike started losing power about 3 miles prior. First it was just a little blip in the engine. Nothing too worrysome, although my heart always skips a beat when anything abnormal happens with the bike. I didn't even hear it all that much, with my MP3 player going, and Shadowman blaring in my eardrums.

But it got worse. One light up from my apartment, I had the throttle binned in 2nd gear, just trying to keep up a safe speed in the 55 zone. 500' before the entrance, it died. Not even my turn signals worked. I get the bike into neutral, raise my left arm, and swing the bike into the complex, already starting to diagnose what was wrong.

I phone Redline when I get in the door. "Yeah, I know I was just there. Is John there? Can I speak with him?" I explain what had happened, and John tells me "Well, I've got a guy out on delivery right now, but he can swing by and pick you up within a half hour."

"Well, I don't need a lift. I can bring the bike by tomorrow." I reply. But being that it was offered, means a lot. "Ok, just bring it by, and we'll get you up and runnin'." I'm told.

Unfortunately, the next morning's tasks took longer than expected. I had to get the truck in for a state inspection and oil change. An unexpected Nissan recall, I guess, added more time onto my appointment, postponing the bike getting into the shop until 10:30am. Being that it was Friday, the shop was already busy, so I simply dropped off the bike, told them the problem, and told them to call me when they got it figured out.

At work, I see that my new set of tires are to be delivered on Saturday, so I figure since the bike is in the shop, I might as well just give them the tires, and have them do that while it's in there. I almost buy a sprocket set and chain, expecting I'll have time for that to get shipped, and deliver that to be installed as well. It's summer, and their shop is filled. I'm hoping to have the bike back by the 7th, but I'm sure it depends a lot on workload, part availability, etc.

Somewhere between a laser guided bomb airstrike, and strapping C4 to a motorcycle for a quick bomb-on-wheels, my phone rings. "REDLINE" comes across the LCD screen. Oh, they must have found out what's wrong, I think to myself.

"Hey Mike, it's John. Yer all set bud, you can come get the bike."

???

"But... really? Already?" I'm actually pretty shocked that it's ready. It was the dreaded regulator/rectifier that sometimes goes on Sport Classics. "Also, we replaced the battery, since that was drained by running the bike strait off it for 3 miles." he tells me.

So I fight my way through traffic, and get to the shop around 4:30pm. The bike gets into my truck, with some help with John, and rolls off the ramp at my apartment around around 5:30pm.

Essentially, the bike was fixed, in 24 hours.

And it cost me $0.

Most new bikes come with warranties. In fact, I'm sure probably all of them do. And most shops do warranty work. But how quickly does it get done? How many of them offer to pick you up at your breakdown location at the drop of a hat? How many of them fix only what's wrong, and don't try to coax you into buying something more that's not needed? How many of them will bullsh-t with you in the parking lot, after helping you load your bike, even if it's just ideas of what needs to be done to your bike?

I'm convinced, there are very few.

People complain about how Ducati's are maintenance devils. How people work on them more than they ride them. How their designs are outdated, overpriced, and impractical. No, the R/R shouldn't have failed. But it did. And I can't change that.

To me, what separates Ducati, from the rest of them, is how the problem was handled. I wasn't told to take a number, fill out forms, and told to wait until they called, not being given an estimated time. I'm not treated as just another customer with money to give. I'm treated as Mike, the owner of that Black Sport 1000 Biposto. Similar to "the guy with the beat-up 1200GS", or "the girl with the pink Monster 696". We're treated as motorcyclists.

THAT is why I bought a Ducati. And THIS is why I bought it from Redline Performance.

my ktm didn't leave me stranded for 2 years and 24K miles, not even once
you can keep your bike that needs the dealership and their readiness to fix your problems, I'll stick to the bike that doesn't need extra attention

and FYI I'm glad you're back in the seat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

my ktm didn't leave me stranded for 2 years and 24K miles, not even once

Mine did. The battery took a crap after 3 months. I was out on a ride. I pulled over to meet up with my riding partners for a few minutes. When I hit the starter to get back on the road, there was nothing but a sickening click. The battery was not under warranty (30 day warranty on the battery)

Then there was the valve check for the first service. Oh, and I almost forgot the $18.00 per quart Motorex oil. That made for a $1000 first service and it took almost a month to get my bike back because the shop only trusted one guy to work on the bike, and he was rebuilding an SD motor that grenaded after it spun a bearing - for the second time.

I'm waiting for the day when the oil sight glass lets go and spews hot oil over my L leg. The SD's rectifiers are also known to give up the ghost on a pretty frequent basis as do the water pump gaskets. Some guys keep spares of all these things with them for long rides so they don't get stranded somewhere.

If after reading this you reach the conclusion that like I don't absolutely love my SD, you'd be mistaken. For all its quirks and flaws, its still the most fun bike I've ever ridden. It handles great. Its very forgivable. It never fails to put a smile on my face. If I have to put up with some quirks to keep grinning, that's a just part of the cost of ownership.

 

hahhahahaha your too much, next weeks thread will be complaining that you ate taco bell and didn't get the sh its

 

Gotta luv those DUCS - one day, one day.

 

does duc still gives 2 year warranty?

 

Yes.

Your post kind of makes it sound like you're defending your decision to buy a Ducati here on SVR.

I'm showing a little pride. I apologize.

Bingo! (and do you think it was luck that they had your rectifier in stock?) Mikey, I guarantee you that you doing direct online parts procurement would beat the dealer by 30-60 days for parts from the factory. You can keep the euro-harley and all its heavily marketed charm. 80% of all Duc owners pose with their marques after putting over to bike night, the other 20% ride them gingerly when they are not broken. These air cooled dinosaurs, like Harleys, should be extinct by now. Evolve.

I think it showed that they have a good inventory of parts in their shop, as I'm sure the rectifier for the Sport 1000 isn't unique to that bike.

And using part inventory as an argument against the reliability of a motorcycle is nothing more than straw-grasping against a manufacturer you hate, for some reason.

I guarantee you that there's no way I could have fixed the bike myself in 24 hours.

I'm sorry I don't ride to your level. I've picked up in several posts that you feel I'm slow, look slow, and maybe you've heard others say I am slow. And that's fine. You'll never hear me claim I'm fast. Far from it.

I know my bike isn't a performance bike. That's not what I bought it. I realize it's not on the edge of technology, ready for the track out of the crate, or light-years ahead of the competition when it comes to suspension and braking. But again, that's not why I bought it.

Not all Ducati's are air cooled. Not all Ducati's have soft from suspension. Not all Ducati's are base models with vast improvements needed. I wouldn't judge KTM's reputation on your Duke, so please don't do the same.

I guess I'll never understand why people seem to have such an intense hatred towards a certain brand of motorcycle. People seem to claim to be such "enthusiasts" of the two-wheeled world, making outrageous claims about riding technique, spouting off statistics about power-to-weight ratious on this bike versus that bike, yet when it comes to brand loyalty, it's their bike, or it's sh-t.

Seems like all that "enthusiast" talk is nothing more than a facade of bullsh-t, if you ask me. Why does a bike have to be "track ready" off the show-room floor? Why is an air-cooled engine bad? Why is it that these so-called "enthusiasts" seem to think it's very wrong that in a few minutes, when I get done writing this post, I'm going to hop on my motorcycle, and take a leisurely ride up to breakfast? I'll eat, then maybe stroll down the parkway, enjoying the smells and sights of a warm summer morning. And why does it seem I could have just as good of a ride on an MV Agusta F4, a Harley Davidson 883 Nightster, a BMW 1200GS, or a Vespa?

I guess I'm flawed like that. I guess, to me, it doesn't come down to who makes what, and who's in the lead in GP, and how little I've had to mod on my bike to make it enjoyable.

But on the rare occassion that the bike does fail me, and my dealer treats me well, I DO like to brag about it. I would put money on the fact that if a similar thing happened to my SV, way back when it was new, that the local Suzuki dealer would not have had me in and out in 24 hours. I'd bet you dollars to donuts.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some eggs to dip my toast in. :thumbsup:

 

Your post kind of makes it sound like you're defending your decision to buy a Ducati here on SVR.

 

SUZUKI FTW :rock:

 

1. This has absolutely nothing to do with owning a Ducati in any way, shape, or form.
2. There are very few dealerships that still treat their customers like this, I found one in the South and they were great.