Sorry Bergini, was never meant to be an insult...I'm with you on an old but very trick and spotless 04'. I'd have rewarded the effort with a decent order for parts and on going I spend and my fellow berg entusiats spend a good amount of coin annually on our blue and yellow toys.
Some years back maybe 7 or 8, it was lunchtime on a Saturday, I'd walked the length of a street and gone to at least 7 bike shops to purchase / order a hand full of valve cap stem caps / valve removers. Nobody wanted to know or assist in taking an order.
By chance I end up at a place and the guy is punching in the alarm code to close the door as I roll up. Ask's me what I need, tells me to wait as he races against the beeping alarm back into the workshop and return with a handful. With my wallet open I say great, thanks and how much...don't worry mate you're right he says.
Ever since that day I've travelled past more than 10 motorcycle shops to purchase tyres, tubes, brake pads and every single thing i can from him for my Berg, my 950 and the various Harleys I've owned past and present. Don't know if he's the cheapest and couldn't give a ****....I've bored more people with this story than I could even lie about since that day and put more people on to him for road and off road tyres etc than I can remember.
I understand that many ask who's the cheapest, where online can I get that...and I understand it's tough in the bike industry, I've owned bike a shop myself. The reality is as a customer, I prefer the best value and that means the service and advice you tend not to get online....when all of the shops are gone who's going to assist us with suspension set up, who's going to have the finesse to massage our engines back together with more grunt and power than before...mmm
But for the bike shops....we need remember that not every potential customer is a tight *** idiot...I remember a time when the YZ 250 went from a yellow metal tank to a plastic one....a time when a YZ 250 D was considered old junk. funny how it works....try and buy one now for under 4K, further look at the specialists that sell the parts and have the knowledge, who's making the dollars now...?
Now I'll get off my high horse and shut my pie hole.
I'm with you Bergini...thank god for enthusiasts and the UHE
Cheers