Live in Brantford - looking for shop that specializes in suspension work | GTAMotorcycle.com

Live in Brantford - looking for shop that specializes in suspension work

FriendlyFoe

FriendlyFoe

Well-known member
My carb'd zx6r needs the forks freshened and im not sure of where i want to take them. I'll be giving the shop the new seals, the oil i want used and the specifics of level height that i would like. I want them disassembled, cleaned and put back together properly as i will be racing this bike at the end of the month. I'd take them to Donald at platinum powersports as he has never steered me wrong, however at a 3h drive i was wondering if i could find something a bit closer to Brantford.

Any recommendations?
 
Why them? Have you had work done there? Do you know anything about the techs who work there?
 
FriendlyFoe said:
1)Why them? 2) Have you had work done there? 3) Do you know anything about the techs who work there?
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Just in case you're NOT trolling:

1) Because YOU asked & I posted up the best shop in Brantford.
2) Yes and very good advice is readily available.
3) I do. Drop in and see for yourself. Might be a bit of an 'eye opener' for you.
 
Wow lose the attitude. You provided no information other then the name. How am i supposed to know if thats the only bike shop you've been to and just started riding, or if you're a pro racer with lots of experience? All i asked for was more info and why them.

I've been in their store front looking for crush washers, doesn't really give me any insight as to the quality of their work.
 
And after posting this thread i realized there was someone i should just be asking. I have a shop i'm going to take them to. Thanks for the recommendation tho.
 
FriendlyFoe said:
Wow lose the attitude. You provided no information other then the name. How am i supposed to know if thats the only bike shop you've been to and just started riding, or if you're a pro racer with lots of experience? All i asked for was more info and why them.

I've been in their store front looking for crush washers, doesn't really give me any insight as to the quality of their work.
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Attitude? ok.......sure.
You asked one question in your 1st post - it was answered.
You say you're going 'racing'? If you haven't yet heard of the owner / technician, you must be new to the sport? (he will gladly walk you through the shop - at least he did for me, and it was during his B-King build).
I've neither 'just started' riding, nor am I an 'experienced racer' ------- not sure what that has to do with your initial post, but w/e.
I did start riding when I was 15 though, and I'm almost 60 now...... if that matters.
IOW, I've been to quite a few shops over the yrs - most of which are long gone.
 
OP like Gary says http://cyclepro.ca/ i have order parts from them for my quad....nice and friendly people.....Gary's not full of Attitude he is a great guy actually...
 
Gary said:
You asked one question in your 1st post - it was answered.
You say you're going 'racing'? If you haven't yet heard of the owner / technician, you must be new to the sport? (he will gladly walk you through the shop - at least he did for me, and it was during his B-King build).
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I've done a couple SOAR rounds this year and yes am somewhat new to the sport, and have no idea who the owner or what his reputation is hence asking for more details. I've also had enough bad experience with auto mechanic shops to do lots of research before trusting my stuff to anyone. From the quick chat i had with the guy up front i got the impression that they were more drag racing oriented but that was just an impression.

I will consider them in the future if i need work done. For now i have somewhere else that i'm going to take the forks for a freshen. Cheers.
 
Like has been already said, CyclePro. Any work that I need and can't do myself I go there. Any parts need ordering, I call Cathy and she gets me what I need. Contrast that with something I ordered from Sturgess in Hamilton back in May, even thought they said it would be a couple of weeks, I still haven't heard anything back from them. Clearly their customer service is much different from that of CyclePro. If a part is taking longer to get in, Cathy usually calls me and tells me when it's expected in. Awesome people to deal with and they will always have my business. Of course getting your bike in sometimes can be a challenge as they are quite busy.

I will say that I've also had good experiences with BrantfordMotorcycle on Colborne. But they are my second choice.
 
You say you're just getting started in racing. You'll find that you will start to "network" as you meet more and more people. Make sure you are NICE to people, treat people with respect and that when you can, you help people.
This has served me so much with my racing. I now have people that will give me parts to use, numerous shops that pull strings to get my parts at last minute notice, have a dealer who pulls parts off brand new bikes sitting in the showroom if I need the part NOW, people that give me dealer cost on all my parts etc. All this because of how I deal with people, and that I help people out when I can. I've given away brand new parts still in the package I had as spare to someone without expecting anything in return, and in the end it pays off.

I can't help you too much as my shops are all MX shops, and Delhi is the closest shop to you that I use.

Just trying to give you a bit of advice.
 
I have gone to Grand bend a day early for SOAR, just to have Platinum do my forks, and I don't regret it one bit. We made the endurance race, and won it, no doubt in thanks to Donald and Devo.
He did the seals and I was able to race as they were leaky beforehand.
The next round we went a day early again, and he did some fork springs and custom spacers, and sag and damping setup. It was like a new bike. Much easier for me to race......and won again.

For any srvice, I will say wholeheartedly that I can't thin of anything I wouldn't trust Donald to take care of on any of my bikes, new or old, street or dirt, carbed or fuel injected, Japanese or European. Period. Donald's never steered me wrong since 1998 when I went to him for the first time.

I have gone to Cycle Pro for certifications or tire swaps cuz they are local, and I like Craig and Cathy Mark, but Craig is the first person to tell you he rides in straight lines, and doesn't know what to do when a corner comes up. This is part of the reason I would happily go to him for dyn work, but not suspension. He is a drag racer on a 400 HP bike. The problem I have with asking him to do suspnsion work, is that he has zero experience in the kind of riding that I do, to be able to discuss with me the symptoms I am experiencing and drawing from his knowledge to sort out a best course of action to remedy a suspension problem.

As for Brantford Cycle across town, I had one really bad experience witht hem. I dropped off my GSXR1000 with a new chain and rear sprocket, and asked them to change it. When I came back after work they handed me a bill for $189 + tax. Anyone with a chain tool and a socket set knows that is insane, and I told the service guys they had one chance to sharpen their pencil and correct the invoice. They refused, so I told them I had six bikes in my garage, and rather than making money from a continuous flow of parts and service on my bikes for years to come if they had made me a happy customer, all they succeeded in doing was raping me on one invoice and would never see another dime of my money again....and I also told them I would relay this experience to anyone who would listen.....thanks for listening,LOL
 
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Awesome post omni! Yeah I can't say enough good things about donald, from the things he's spotted on my bike at tech, to his suspension setup skills he always seems to know exactly what to do to make it better. He actually spent a ton of time with me at the last gwb track day getting the bike I'd pulled out of storage from basically unrideable to on rails. Every change we made all day made the bike better. Definitely what he was meant to do with his life.

Also good to know that my initial impression about cycle pro was correct. Thanks for all your input its really appreciated.

And rme, point taken.
 
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