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If you're in need of motorcycle electric service, I'd like to share a great find I made. About a month ago, I was riding my Concours home from Cocoa Beach early Sunday morning. It's about a 3 hour ride, and along one of the most deserted stretches of I-95 the bike died and I coasted to the shoulder. The bike acted like the battery was dead; dim lights and just a "click" sound from the starter button. I decided to get a battery and try to get the bike home, about 100 miles away. A guy in a pickup came along, and he agreed to give me a ride to the nearest parts store and back.
I put the new battery in, and the bike cranked right up. After stopping for gas I found that the bike wouldn't start again. I got some help and push started it, and it made it back to my garage, where it died completely at the front door. After doing some basic testing, I concluded the alternator had failed. I ran the service manaul tests for the regulator and rectifier, and they both passed. At that point, I started looking at my options.
First, I looked at the price to replace the unit. Best price: $500 online. Then I located Mayer's Motorcycle Electrical Service on the Web. I got a nice email from Kevin stating they'd rebuild the alternator for $200.00. It seemed like a good deal, but I'd have to ship the unit to Colorado and it would take a few weeks. I told Kevin I wanted to look for a shorter repair time. He actually offered to try to help me find a qualified tech here in my area! However, I called around town and found the local alternator re-builder. They took a week to look at it, and then declared the stator was bad and they couldn't get parts. So, I went back to Kevin.
Since the stator part itself lists for over $200, I had to check and make sure I understood what I'd get. Kevin assured me all parts and labor were included for the $200. The unit also comes with a 1 year warranty! So, I sent the unit off to Colorado. Kevin even went further to help me out at this point. Their usual turn around is about 2 weeks. When I told Kevin my son and I were hoping to take the Concours on our summer vacation and that we only had another week before my time off from work came around, he put the rush on and got my unit out the door in a week!
Here's a brief quote from an email I received from Kevin about his business:
"We've been in business for 5 years. Besides alternators, we rebuild magnetos and wire harnesses. We also do electrical system problem tracing/diagnostics. We specialize in complicated systems and rebuild to OEM specifications. One project we are proud of is rebuilding a 1959 Honda CB77 Generator back to OEM condition. We are not a large operation but try to provide a good quality service."
You can contact Kevin at:
[email protected]
303-258-0213
Motorcycle Electrical Service
I put the new battery in, and the bike cranked right up. After stopping for gas I found that the bike wouldn't start again. I got some help and push started it, and it made it back to my garage, where it died completely at the front door. After doing some basic testing, I concluded the alternator had failed. I ran the service manaul tests for the regulator and rectifier, and they both passed. At that point, I started looking at my options.
First, I looked at the price to replace the unit. Best price: $500 online. Then I located Mayer's Motorcycle Electrical Service on the Web. I got a nice email from Kevin stating they'd rebuild the alternator for $200.00. It seemed like a good deal, but I'd have to ship the unit to Colorado and it would take a few weeks. I told Kevin I wanted to look for a shorter repair time. He actually offered to try to help me find a qualified tech here in my area! However, I called around town and found the local alternator re-builder. They took a week to look at it, and then declared the stator was bad and they couldn't get parts. So, I went back to Kevin.
Since the stator part itself lists for over $200, I had to check and make sure I understood what I'd get. Kevin assured me all parts and labor were included for the $200. The unit also comes with a 1 year warranty! So, I sent the unit off to Colorado. Kevin even went further to help me out at this point. Their usual turn around is about 2 weeks. When I told Kevin my son and I were hoping to take the Concours on our summer vacation and that we only had another week before my time off from work came around, he put the rush on and got my unit out the door in a week!
Here's a brief quote from an email I received from Kevin about his business:
"We've been in business for 5 years. Besides alternators, we rebuild magnetos and wire harnesses. We also do electrical system problem tracing/diagnostics. We specialize in complicated systems and rebuild to OEM specifications. One project we are proud of is rebuilding a 1959 Honda CB77 Generator back to OEM condition. We are not a large operation but try to provide a good quality service."
You can contact Kevin at:
[email protected]
303-258-0213
Motorcycle Electrical Service