Do not let D&S Cycle Supply in Aloha rip you off!

Do not let D&S Cycle Supply rip you off!

It's raining outside, not a good day for riding, but I have to ride to the

D&S Cycle Supply for one last time.

D&S Cycle Supply

17050 SW Shaw St.

Aloha, OR 97005

(503) 649-1926

I commute from Aloha to downtown Portland on my 86 Honda Shadow all year

round. This saved me time (30 minutes one way versus 1.5 hours on public

transportation) and money (58 mpg on my Shadow). I do regular oil change and

maintenance myself. Honda dealers don't service bikes manufactured prior to

1990.

Here is what happened. My bike's right fork seal leaked oil, so I brought it

to D&S, a shop suggested by Beaverton Honda a while ago. D&S charged me

$128.93 to have both fork seals replaced. The owner/manager told me that

it's a common practice to replace both seals even if only one leaks. I got

my bike back the same day (Feb 17, 2007). There was no leak on the right

side. However, I noticed the left side seal had wax residue that was there

before the repair.

Did they replace the left fork seal? I went back to D&S the following

Tuesday (they close on Monday) and asked them that question. The

owner/manager and the technician both told me that they did replace both

seals, but not the left side dirt seal. Well, my bad, I shouldn't have

become suspicious of others. But, then, two months later, my bike's left

fort seal leaked!

I took the bike back on a Saturday. The technician inspected the bike and

explained what might have happened - it could be bugs, dirt, . I didn't

really buy it. I wiped both forks clean every time I rode the bike! Anyway,

they were too busy to fix my bike that day and asked me to come back some

other time. After leaving D&S, I went to Beaverton Honda, bought a pair of

all-weather riding gloves there, and chatted with their technicians about

some engine problems my bike had. This time they suggested a technician in

Tigard who fixed "classic" motorcycles. So I went. To make the long story

short, the technician fixed my engine popping problem in 5 minutes, and -

for free. He also showed me how to inspect fork seals with a screwdriver. It

took 2 seconds to pry open the fork dirt seals on my bikes. After seeing the

left fork seal, he said "Does that look like new?"

I took my bike to D&S on May 26, 2007 (two weeks ago) to get it fixed. The

technician inspected the bike and asked me to leave the bike there. On my

way out of the shop, I overheard the owner/manager asked the technician

which bike he inspected. The technician replied: the Shadow last time we

replaced only the seal on one side.

All is well that ends well. I had my bike back the same day and free of

charge. But the story hasn't ended here. Read on!

A couple days ago, my left fork seal started leaking, again! I took my bike

and a screwdriver to D&S this afternoon (June 9, 2007). The owner/manager

told me that it's very likely that the fork tube was bad. The technician

went out with me and, before he said anything, I pried open the dirt seal to

show him the seal that he "replaced" two weeks ago. He then told me that he

didn't replace the seal last time, instead, he just cleaned the dirt, dust,

etc. He asked me to come back some other time to replace the seal. Would I?

Of course not! I went into the store and ask the owner/manager to refund me

for the job they didn't accomplish. He refused (see the link below for

another D&S complaint) and insisted that they replaced the seals both times.

So I told him he's a liar, in front of another customer in the shop.

I thought he didn't care about his motorcycle repair shop based on my

earlier observation on the way he treated his customers. What he did next

showed me that he did care about his shop (or not?). He stepped outside the

counter, grabbed my arm, and yanked me out of the door. "This is my store!",

"Get out of here!", he shouted. "I will call police if you don't leave!",

"The police will arrive in 2 minutes!", "My store has been here for 30 years

to fix the bikes that the dealers won't fix. (I cannot recall what point he

tried to make)" I entered the store again. He yanked me out again, shouting

the same phrases.

I stood outside in the rain for a couple minutes to recompose myself. I have

never experienced such incivility and thought this must be the usual way

people treat motorcyclists. The shop owner must have thought that his

customers have brawn and no brain, thus he can treat them rough and easily

rip them off.

Finally, the owner/manager came out, asked me to show him the fork seal, and

then offered to replace the fork seal if I could wait for 30 minutes. I

really had enough of this. All I need was just a good and reliable service,

which D&S wasn't able to deliver the first two times. I think I am not that

stupid to waste more time by giving D&S a third chance. I hopped on my

Shadow and drove off.

I selected this shop because it's in my neighborhood. After this event, I

realize that D&S Cycle Supply is a shop that I don't want to have in my

neighborhood. They are dishonest and uncivil. I will repost this complaint

on the internet until D&S goes out of business. Let others know if you have

similar experience with D&S. Thanks for reading. Have a great and safe

riding season!

Here is another complaint on D&S posted by someone else in 2001.

http://www.complaints.com/december2001/complaintoftheday.december6.11.htm

PS. After leaving D&S, I went directly to Beaverton Honda and ask them not

to recommend D&S to their customers. They indicated that they also received

negative comments on D&S, so they no longer refer D&S to their customers. If

you like to know the technician in Tigard who repairs classic motorcycles

(including HD and Honda), please ask the service department at Beaverton

Honda.

Comment On This

My fellow dirtbikers and I have nothing but good experiences in dealing with D&S. They have always been reasonable with prices on goods and repairs. Not calling the person with the complaint a liar, but tact goes a long way.

Comment On This

I've had only good luck with D and S, keep going to Beaverton honda, and you will come to love D and S . Great shop, good guys.