As you read through these recommendations, you may notice a common thread in them. They are all people that I consider to be notably honest. Either they tend to speak truth as they see it, even if that may not be the absolute best thing for their businesses, or they go way out of their way to help people who may be in a bind of some sort. Or Both!
Honesty and willingness to help count very much in my life, and I rate people who have those qualities very highly—even if they sometimes have other qualities that I don’t find quite as positive.
These are mostly people that I have done business with, and would do so again.
These all seem to be people who will tell you that something is not the best for your bike, even if it means they miss a sale or piss off a vendor.
It takes big balls to act honestly and honorably in this way, and I think that should be rewarded. There are way too many slugs and turds out there who will allow you to screw yourself just so they can make a dollar.
Sam's family have been in the business for decades, his Grandfather having been a very early Harley dealer in the area. Sam himself has owned his shop since the early '70s.
A very interesting shop, with everything from early motorcycles to dead people (yep! Dead people). Friendly staff, and very knowledgeable--especially on early iron, they being one of the few shops around that actually knows anything about Pans and Shovels, or even Knucks.
Unlike many shops, Sam keeps an extensive parts inventory, which is really handy when you’ve broken something and need a part today.
Very reliable, and inexpensive rates. Most importantly, they are honest. My dealings with Sam have always been good. Like many of us, he spent much of his early life doing stupid shit, but he survived it. Sam has nothing to prove, so there is no BS.
These guys are one of the few shops that I will let work on my bike. They do my machine work and other stuff I’m not equipped to do.
S&G Cycles
1114 Galloway St
Columbia, TN 38401
Ph. 931-380-0202
Website: http://www.sgcustomcycles.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/S-G-Custom-Cycles/346637742019152
The “J” in J&L, Jim has a relatively new shop, having been in business for only a few years.
His is one of the few close-by shops in my area, and as a result, his clientele includes a high percentage of the local riders—especially the TC owners.
Jim’s “real” job is as a police captain on the Lawrenceburg force, but he opens the shop every afternoon when he gets off duty. (And no, he’s not a cop when he’s in his shop, he’s a rider like the rest of us).
One of the things I like about Jim is that if he doesn’t know something, he will not pretend that he does. And if he screws up, (and we all do from time to time) he will make it right. He will stand behind whatever he does.
He does a lot of “stage II” hop-up work, installing cams, pipes, air cleaners, and so on, in addition to his service work. Stocks a reasonable inventory of tires, batteries, oil, etc. He is actually a high-volume Drag dealer, along with all the other major brands and distributors.
For a part-timer, he’s got a hell of an operation.
J&L Cycles
922 Wesley Chapel Rd.
Lawrenceburg, TN 38464
Phone: 931-766-2197
Website:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-L-Cycles/160834523941005
Scott is one of those people who work long hours in his shop, then spend additional hours answering questions on the internet forums, or on email. I respect him for that.
His shop is nationally-known for his porting work, and his heads are on several record-holding engines. He is always willing to help, and will give the best information he can.
Like anyone who runs a business, he ain’t got all the time in the world to have big, long conversations with you about the weather and why grass is green, but if you have a direct question he’ll do his best.
It’s kinda difficult to get technical information from him. He tends to say things like “that cam rips with higher compression”, which is probably true, but often one would like to have a better idea of what “rips” means, so some dyno or other performance numbers might help[1].
He can quote flow figures though, which is helpful when you’re trying to design a combination for a specific power output. In any case, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, simply because he knows his stuff and he’s trying to help.
Hillside Motorcycle & Machine
5225 South Main Street
Munnsville, NY 13409
Phone/FAX: (315) 495-6650
Website: http://www.hillsidecycles.com
Email: spalmer@twcny.rr.com
Bob Woods of Wood Performance in Cropwell, Alabama.
I have been dealing with Bob for quite a while. The first 80-inch engine I built that broke 80 horsepower had a Wood cam in it. Just after he first (accidentally, according to him) created the W6H, I was talking to him at John Golden’s site one night, and he said I should try one in my 80-incher. I thought it was too much for that bike, but I did put one in a 96-incher later.
I have asked him for information and recommendations several times over the years. His answers are often “unconventional”, but that could be said of his products as well. If his stuff were “conventional”, it would probably not be a good as it is.
His cams have aggressive profiles, and are often described as “too noisy”. Never bothered me, though I do admit to being a little worried about beating up on the lifters over the several thousand road miles I do each year.
His stuff does what he says it will do, and if you build it the way he recommends, it will work for you. Having said that, he can be a little impatient if you ask him too many questions, or ask him why he makes such and such a recommendation. I understand that, because he’s busy, but be warned that (in my opinion) he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, nor put up with phonies. Treat him with the respect he deserves, and you’ll be okay.
Wood Performance
3440 Martin Street South, Suite 6
Cropwell, Alabama 35054
Phone: 205-525-4949
FAX: 205-525-4940
Website : http://www.woodcarbs.com
Email: bob@woodcarbs.com
My youngest Son lives in St. Louis, so I ride up there quite a bit. And since I cannot quit screwing around with my engine, I have at times experienced a breakdown on the way there or back. One time, the damn thing just quit on the interstate. I remembered having seen the Surdyke sign a ways back, so I called them, hoping they could come get my bike and at least get it to their shop where it would be safe while I figured out how I was going to get home and get my trailer, so I could get it back to my shop.
They showed up shortly with a covered trailer. We loaded the bike, and the driver volunteered to haul me all the way to my Son’s house in St. Louis. This is 40-50 miles away at least! And no charge!
I have always been well-treated by dealers when on the road. The tradition of giving travelers priority when they’re broken down is well established among dealers everywhere[2], and much appreciated by guys like me, but I think Surdyke went beyond the call of duty in this instance.
I make it a point to make many of my online purchases from the Surdyke website as a result. It’s my way of showing my appreciation.
If you’re in that area, stop by. If you are ordering something online, go to their site. Plus, they have decent prices.
Surdyke Harley-Davidson
2435 Highway 67 South
Festus, MO 63028 |
Phone: (636) 931-8700
Website: http://www.surdykeharley.com
John and his Wife Sandy are now out of the mobile dyno business. After ten years of living in their motorhome all Spring, Summer, and Fall, setting up at Daytona, Sturgis, and similar events, I guess they just got tired of it. As I myself have learned, "home" can be a good place to be.
Over those years they met many people and made many friends, including myself and my Brother. In fact, we made it a point to travel to several locations a year where they were to be, just to have a destination someplace far away.
Though not “super-technical”, John has made so many thousands of runs over the years that he just sort of “knows” what a bike needs and what will work. That experience is invaluable when you’re trying to make your living out there in the real world of working on bikes. (I just wish he had turned over all of his dyno run records to me. Thousands of records of what works and what doesn’t!).
Last I heard, he still had his shop in Joplin, even though a tornado ripped that town apart a few years ago. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi.
Note that there is a company in Bunnel Florida that goes by the name Rolling Thunder Dyno FI, or something similar. Though I've been to Bunnel a number of times, I don't know them. They may be the best guys in the world, but they are not the people that I am referring to here.
(The Rolling Thunder name and equipment has been sold to Route 66 Cycles in Miami, Oklahoma. I spoke to them, and while they do local events, Rolling Thunder Dyno no longer tours nationally).
John & Sandy Golden
1106 Van Winkle
Joplin, MO 64801
Website:
Facebook:
My Brother and I were riding around the country one year, and while in South Dakota noticed a highway sign for Klock Werks. We decided to detour over to Mitchell and see what was up. Brian was at the shop that day, and showed us around the whole operation. We were there over an hour, taking up his time, and he was a great host. His operation is small compared to his reputation. In truth, I sorta expected a bigger place--like when you go to Arlen Ness' operation or similar. But, that "smallness" actually made the visit much better. We went back in the shop and looked at some of his personal bikes he was working on, talked about one that had an X-Wedge in it, spent some time discussing B2 heads, looked at the then-new windshield he was introducing, etc. This is a really nice guy. Go see him.
Klock Werks
915 South Kimball
Mitchell, SD 57301
Phone: (605) 996-3700
Website: http://www.kustombaggers.com/
Was on a trip up in that area of the country one time. As it happened, I was travelling near La Crosse on a Saturday, and decided that I'd go by and see if S&S was open. While they weren't officially open, there were still a number of people working that day. Spoke to a few, one of which was Jon Olson, who is a Technical Instructor there. He gave us the VIP tour of the warehouse, the manufacturing operation, the R&D area, etc. Lots of good technical discussion about S&S products. I thoroughly enjoyed that afternoon. These guys didn't have to go to all the trouble they did, and didn't have to spend all the time they did. Maybe S&S isn't the family operation it seemed to be a few years ago, but they haven't completely lost their touch.
I have to add that I use S&S products a lot. I especially appreciate the quality of their cast/forged/machined products. To spin one of their crank assemblies in one of their cases is enough to give a gearhead an erection. Well, at my age maybe not an erection...
S&S Cyle, Inc.
235 Causeway Blvd.
Lacrosse, WI 54603
Phone: (608) 627-0721
Website: http://www.sscycle.com/
As has happened to me so many times over the years. I was riding down the highway on a trip when the bike broke down. This time it was in some forsaken part of Nebraska, in the middle of nowhere. Damn thing just suddenly quit running. No spits, no pops. Just quit. Called these guys to see if they were open (forgot to mention this was a Monday, when most tradtional shops are closed) and someone answered. It was the owner, and yes, they were closed. He was just in the shop doing something or other. He said he'd wait around and I should bring it on in and they'd put it inside until next day when they could work on it. Got a tow the 30-40 miles to the shop, and he was waiting when we got there. While we were in transit, his Wife had made us reservations at the motel across the street! Small-town hospitality at it's best!
Got the bikes inside, went across the street, ate, etc. Next day, they figured it out. (Turned out to be a defective battery, which just suddenly went dead. Replaced it and no further problems).
Another instance of a dealer going out of their way to help someone broke down on the road. When you're out there, dealers can save your life.
Harley Davidson Sales (Columbus HD)
410 23rd Street
Columbus, NE 68601
Phone: (402) 564-8733
Website: http://www.columbushd.com/
I strongly recommend the web site, and NRHS as a result. Though I have not had any personal experience with them, and they appear to specialize in Sporty performance, the information they provide appears accurate and free of advertising bias. This is very rare, and should be encouraged.
NRHS V-Twin Performance LLC
1804 Skyway Drive Unit A
Longmont, CO 80504
Phone: (303) 702-1600
Website: http://www.nrhsperformance.com/
Footnotes:
[1] In all fairness, I know from experience that when you’re talking to someone you don’t know, it’s difficult to know how to talk at their level, so you tend to dumb down the conversation. Most people that ask guys like Scott a question probably are not well-versed technically—and probably don’t even know that they’re not.
[2] And anyone who calls them “stealers” is a low-mileage/local-only/newbie turd. If you knew anything at all, you'd not just stand there nodding your head when they said something you shoulda known was wrong for you. When you need help from a dealer--especially on the road, they’re there. Yes, they charge premium rates for their services, and no, they don't always get it right, but they are on average more reliable than the usual "wrench" in a local independent shop. You know---the one in that old gas station down the road? The one that swore you'd "pull yer arms out of the sockets" if you'd put an EV79 and drag pipes in that stock-compression 80-incher you have...or the equivalent BS for a TC? (But then, he never asked you about your current engine did he? Or how you ride? Or much else...?).
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