Be very, very careful who does your work
A couple of years ago I purchased a motorcycle from a local dealer. It was a Japanese import and brought in as a write-off. The frame was bent and needed work around the steering head, which was then completed.
When I got the bike the steering felt loose so I complained and the dealer did some work and returned it to me. It was better, but still not brilliant so I complained again and was assured that it was OK and that it was basicaly my imagination. I got busy with life and didn't bother making an issue of it, but was never happy with the steering. A couple of weeks ago I had a new tyre fitted and while the wheel was off I decided to pull the steering head down and see what i could do, thinking it was probably just an adjustment issue.
I discovered that the top bearing was a standard sealed ball bearing, not a steering head bearing, so I purchased a tapered roller bearing and fitted it. Now I'm no mechanic, and there was no improvement, so I took the bike into Sportszone to get them to do the job.
The lads there got stuck in and told me that I needed a complete new kit which they ordered. Then when they went to fit it, it turned out that the frame had never been repaired properly and the bearings didn't actually fit, and that it was in fact dangerous to ride.
It turns out that the mechanics who originally worked on my bike were not actually qualified mechanics. One of them is now out of the industry and the other claims to be a qualified car mechanic, but apparently even that is in doubt.
The moral of the story is if you're getting work done, make sure the mechanic is a qualified bike mechanic and that the dealer is an MTA dealer. Otherwise you might as well do it yourself.
Don't blame me, I voted Green.
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