Servicing in the North East

RevvingRev

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I saw the recent post sorting out a chap in the south west with a recommended local servicing option

Anybody able to do the same for me here in Aberdeen and for my soon to be 4 year old R1200GS.

Don't mind travelling a bit as I had a pretty grim experience at John Clark earlier this year.

Thanks for any help.


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We're pretty limited up here aren't we RR?

I use Harry Fairbairn in Inverness but as they're a predominately car dealership I don't have a 'relationship' with the bike mechs/techs...

What I do know is the following:

a. They have sorted out my warranty issues no problems at all!
b. Their prices are comparable to other franchised dealers.
c. They offer enticements (off-peak season discounts and have a lovely brew corner [with shortbread and marshmallows...]).
d. They are the only local dealer to me and are where I bought the bike from (and the salesmen are a laugh - Ivor and Paul).
e. THEY ALWAYS PUT IN ABOUT 250ml TOO MUCH OIL AFTER A SERVICE (not allowing for residual oil left in the drillings etc.
f. They don't do tyres.

Other than that, they're fine :-)

When my bike is out of warranty I may start looking for an independent but until then, will probably continue to use them.

Not much help I'm afraid, but my ten peneth!

Andy :thumb2
 
We're pretty limited up here aren't we RR?

I use Harry Fairbairn in Inverness but as they're a predominately car dealership I don't have a 'relationship' with the bike mechs/techs...

What I do know is the following:

a. They have sorted out my warranty issues no problems at all!
b. Their prices are comparable to other franchised dealers.
c. They offer enticements (off-peak season discounts and have a lovely brew corner [with shortbread and marshmallows...]).
d. They are the only local dealer to me and are where I bought the bike from (and the salesmen are a laugh - Ivor and Paul).
e. THEY ALWAYS PUT IN ABOUT 250ml TOO MUCH OIL AFTER A SERVICE (not allowing for residual oil left in the drillings etc.
f. They don't do tyres.

Other than that, they're fine :-)

When my bike is out of warranty I may start looking for an independent but until then, will probably continue to use them.

Not much help I'm afraid, but my ten peneth!

Andy :thumb2

g. They don't do MOTs either - I went to Mitchells for mine.
 
That's a fair run for an MOT, do you not use Tom Adamson? I had my little KLX done a while back, no probs (Tom, Mags or Martin gave it a once over before popping it round to GLM's for the actual test and highlighted items which weren't actually found in the test but they sorted them anyway).

Nice local team (and they've just got the Honda franchise for the off-road side of things too/and are Michelin dealers too :-) ).

Andy
 
Tom's fine but GLM f***** my KTM 525EXC's side stand when they did it's MOT.
I always used to go to Simon at North East in Elgin but he had a long waiting list when I needed my GSA done.
I got Tom to supply and fit new tyres on my GSA before this year's summer tour - no problem.

Where are you based AndyR34? - Europe is a big place!
 
I have been using the Keith garage for the past couple of years for my 12 GSA and my Mamola.

No issues and the guy there (Colin) is BMW trained - ex Shirlaws when they held the BMW dealership.
 
I have been using the Keith garage for the past couple of years for my 12 GSA and my Mamola.

No issues and the guy there (Colin) is BMW trained - ex Shirlaws when they held the BMW dealership.

how long since shirlaws were bmw dealer?
 
Do a search for Bob Ballantyne, Ballantynes Motorcycles, Ellon, he will sort you out :thumb
 
Highly recommend Ian Macdonald (Ghirlbizzo) in Freuchie Fife 07941 648518, a bit of a journey but he is sorting out my bike right now. IMHO well worth the trip
 
spoken to my brother (triumph rider ) he thinks about the same time. do you think shirlaws have missed out on the gs success? mind you they do punt out a lot of triumphs.
 
I think that Shirlaws would have been able to handle the customers much better then John Clark has done over the past couple of decades and I am sure they would have welcomed all the sales with the success of the GS.

There may have been other (BMW) contractual obligations which Roy Shirlaw didn't / couldn't adhere to?
 
Noo ah dinna ken if yir a richt northeaster or fit, or far aboot in Aiberdeenshire div ye bide. Ahm originally fae the Broch bit ah bide in Kilwinning noo. I sort BMW bikes see http://www.bricksnboxers.scot/.
There's been two or three boys fae Doric-land hiv come to me ti get their bikes sorted - ahing fae an '81 R100 ti a K1200 wi a sidecar ont. Ers folk fae Inverness, aye boy fae Wick a mannie fae Strichen.
I hiv the phone number of an aal pal o'mine fa bides in Risarty I ees't help him wi his Super Rocket afore ah wis aal enough ti hae a licence, I'm fairly sure he wid help ye although motor-bike mechanicin' is nae his full time job noo adays.
Thinkin' back ti fan wis it that BMW became "sole franchise allowed" only. I remember Roy Shirlaw takin' a K75s to the TT in 1986. My '98 R1100RS was bought from BetterBike in Edinburgh in July that year. I think it was about '98/'99 - ish that BMW decided that if you wanted to sell new BMW's then that was the only marque you could sell and all the "weel-kent been in the business for years" names ie Shirlaw, BetterBikes (in the Pleasance) Duffas etc lost their "franchise" and Motorrad (Kirkintilloch) was invented. BMW car dealers who were interested could sell bikes if they wanted - from a seperate showroon. Calterdon, Clarks and now Parks in Hamilton.
Hope that helps.
 
Noo ah dinna ken if yir a richt northeaster or fit, or far aboot in Aiberdeenshire div ye bide. Ahm originally fae the Broch bit ah bide in Kilwinning noo. I sort BMW bikes see http://www.bricksnboxers.scot/.
There's been two or three boys fae Doric-land hiv come to me ti get their bikes sorted - ahing fae an '81 R100 ti a K1200 wi a sidecar ont. Ers folk fae Inverness, aye boy fae Wick a mannie fae Strichen.
I hiv the phone number of an aal pal o'mine fa bides in Risarty I ees't help him wi his Super Rocket afore ah wis aal enough ti hae a licence, I'm fairly sure he wid help ye although motor-bike mechanicin' is nae his full time job noo adays.
Thinkin' back ti fan wis it that BMW became "sole franchise allowed" only. I remember Roy Shirlaw takin' a K75s to the TT in 1986. My '98 R1100RS was bought from BetterBike in Edinburgh in July that year. I think it was about '98/'99 - ish that BMW decided that if you wanted to sell new BMW's then that was the only marque you could sell and all the "weel-kent been in the business for years" names ie Shirlaw, BetterBikes (in the Pleasance) Duffas etc lost their "franchise" and Motorrad (Kirkintilloch) was invented. BMW car dealers who were interested could sell bikes if they wanted - from a seperate showroon. Calterdon, Clarks and now Parks in Hamilton.
Hope that helps.

Weel min i dae a ma ane servicin cause im a god with a spanner so i dinna ned tae pay onybuddy else tae dae it fir ma. Bit if at mannie needs some advice aboot a garage at dis at sort o hing im richt gled tae help him oot.
 


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