New Wing and Dealer

I took my new Swing out for some errands this morning and after making the last stop I came out and the Swing would not start. I had 171 miles on it by this time. Even though it is Monday and the dealership was closed I called the manager on his cell phone and told him I was stranded. In less than an hour he was there with a new battery from the shop and installed it on the spot, no charge. The thought behind this was my scoot is a 2010 and the possibility was I had received an old gell cell battery. He made sure the one from the shop was fully charged and she started right up.
I can't say enough about Action Honda and the manager Mike. If you are in central Florida and need help these guys are there for you.

Skyman,
Everything mechanical has those little quirks, and the wing is no exception.
As you know, their is a light in the trunk, that goes on when you open the seat. If you do not close the seat completely, that light will stay on and drain the battery.

There is an aftermarket light unit which fits in the same socket, that has a switch on it. Many people have changed out the fixture, to avoid this problem. Some simply remove the bulb.

Dan

Skyman,

I believe you have encountered another one of those dedicated Honda dealers. They are surprisingly more numerous than we might realize.

Now just so the other side get's it due - (Tongue firmly in place in cheek area) Okay so there is one Honda STEALER that gets it - big deal. Most of them are crooks, you're much better off going to an independent shop because they are all pure. Deep down all stealers are the spawn of lucifer.

Our local shop - KC's (now Cycles Unlimited) is another one of the good ones. They do most of the work on our bikes.

Dan is right about that pesky little underseat light though. Cheapest way to deal with it is remove the bulb and buy a small flashlight.

Thanks for the info on the trunk light. I do remember reading about this issue in the posts. I have been very careful to make sure the seat is closed properly, just as I did on the Reflex which has the same issue. After putting another 30 miles on her with a few stops the problem seems to have been just what it seemed, a bad battery. I have owned Honda's all my life and been amazed at the durability of these machines. My first Honda a C100 cub did duty as a dirt bike, racer, and anything else a 15 year old kid could dream up. It never let me down nor has any Honda I have owned since.
I really do not know of any independent bike shops around me, of course that does not mean there aren't any, just that I am ignorant. I will check around Dale and see what's available. My Honda shop is a good one and I realize not all are but it's nice to have an honest one near me. Here's another example of the honesty I found there. I had new tires put on my Reflex and told the shop manager to change the brake pads while he was doing the tires. I got a call about an hour later from him telling me there was no need to change them as they were good. It would have been easy to charge me for pads as well as labor but they didn't, nice people.

Skyman,

My (pretend) rant about how awesome independent shops are versus dealerships is truly just a pretend rant. I use an independent for tire changes and the like, but I use the dealer for most everything else.

My pretend rant is meant to point at the obvious lunacy of the type of thinking that goes like this: All dealers are crooked and all independent shops are unconcerned with profitability. The truth is a blend of the two. Glad you have a good dealer as do I.

Dale, I can relate to the above and am very glad to have a good dealer to go too. It's sad that not all dealerships or independents try to be above board with their customers. Seems to me if you treat people right they will keep coming back rather then let's screw them kind of attitude. After all their not politician's LOL

I'm not trying to steal the thread, but good dealers are a real plus. If you have a good one, I would support them as much as possible so that they will be there the next time you need them. I went to mine last weekend to see the new CB250R that has been such a rage in the mags, but they did not have one yet. Because I made the 70 mile trip (one way) to see it (it was announced in an online newsletter), they gave me two small cans of cleaner polish. They said that they had been given the cleaner by Honda for promotional purposes, and he would rather give them to a customer that buys from them rather than someone looking for freebies. I like that. I have also used independant shops in the past as well, so you'll have to decide which is more valuable to you.

Hi Gary,
I try to support the dealers as well, mine at least. When a dealer takes care of me I will sing there praises. I like to pass along good info to other riders about a good dealer rather than talk about the other kind.
One good note is I'm loving my Swing! Still have to work (allot lol) on my low speed maneuvers. they are not as easy as the Reflex.

When I bought my bike (used) from an independent, there was no owners manual. The salesman said he would get me one, but when I picked it up, there was still no manual. I asked the salesman about it and he ordered one. I knew I could order one, but I thought they might get a better deal. He paid for it himself, but I split the cost because I got a good deal and he was very apologetic about forgetting to get the manual. There's an old sayiing in retail that people may not complain about bad service, but they will tell their friends. It's sad when we are surprized when we get good service.

Dealer or independent, it really is a function of customer service. Often times we (as the customer) are partly responsible for shaping the customer service we receive. I'm not saying that organizations are blameless, just saying that we have a hand in whether they view us a favorable or a problem customer. That said, good organizations (corporate or private) should make a real effort to please if not delight their customers. Additionally we need to realize that we need both the dealership and the independent shop.

Skyman,

Glad the problem is resolved to your satisfaction.