My wife and I own a motorcycle. During fair weather season (which is quite long in Texas) I tend to ride to work 3-4 days a week. At between 35-40 miles per gallon, it saves me a fair amount of money – and it’s a lot of fun to ride.
Motorcycles do require a bit more maintenance than cars. There’s the regular oil changes, coolant changes, lube jobs and such; but, there is also chain or belt changing, and close monitoring of various mechanical pieces which make the bike safe. Although my wife is more than capable of maintaining the bike, we tend to take it to the dealer for maintenance. This is something I don’t normally consider for our cars.
They do good work, of course. That’s the main reason we take the bike there. They also charge us a fair price – at least it seems fair to me. Another reason, though, which stands out in my mind is the relationship we have with the people who staff the service department. When I call to make an appointment to bring the bike in, which is about once every 12-18 months, the service manager always remembers us. He asks how we are doing, how we are enjoying the bike, and whether the problem they fixed last time we were in was still fixed. I don’t know if the dealership has a tremendous CRM system or if the service manager has a tremendous memory – either way they make us feel like we’re part of the family.
We could take our bike to a closer shop, but we drive 20-plus miles out of our way because these guys are good and they treat us well. They are responsive to questions via email and phone and take the time to chat with us when we come in.
That’s the kind of business I like to work with. How about you?
