Another GSPD driveshaft episode! ////WARNING////

[URBAN INFIDEL]

Okay, I really didn't mean for this to take an ugly turn - but I started something here that I didn't intend! I do appreciate the suggestions of other solutions, and I do want to retract anything that was negative - it really wasn't my intention, but looking at the responses I can see that is exactly how it looks. So, my apologies to all, and most specifically to Guy!

So it looks like my drive shaft is toast, and I do not have spare parts for this particular shaft to send to Guy Henderson in order to repairs my old shaft. What have others done in this instance? Any good suggestions would be great.

[lloydunknown]

"I immediately took the photo attached here* and sent it off to Guy for his opinion. After not getting a response for days Ipacked up the drive shaft and sent it along with the check for $450."


You took a pic and sent it to the repair man for advice. You didn't get any response so you just mailed the broken part to him. It's the beginning of the riding season for a lot of people that only ride in fair weather. He is probably extremely busy. I would have waited until I knew what he was going to do with the broken bits before I shipped it. Also, you're talking days here not weeks.

[pjm204]

Originally Posted by lloydunknown

"I immediately took the photo attached here* and sent it off to Guy for his opinion. After not getting a response for days Ipacked up the drive shaft and sent it along with the check for $450."


You took a pic and sent it to the repair man for advice. You didn't get any response so you just mailed the broken part to him. It's the beginning of the riding season for a lot of people that only ride in fair weather. He is probably extremely busy. I would have waited until I knew what he was going to do with the broken bits before I shipped it. Also, you're talking days here not weeks.

Yea, I'm going to have to agree. I mean it sucks that your shaft broke, but the timeframe here is pretty small. I've waited over 6 months waiting for gun parts, and weeks for bike parts. I think you might have jumped the gun sending him the shaft without waiting for his response on the picture. I'm sure he'll get you sorted out but these things take time.

[SOLO LOBO]

+2 on the above comments. Guy has been an outstanding vendor and has always gone above and beyond for me.

If you check Guy's web site, you will see that he is one of the most respected custom machinists producing vintage Indian parts.. BMW stuff is a minor component of what he does.

When you go to a highly respected specialist, who is a one-man shop expecting immediate turn-around is a bit much. Just try and get a BMW transmission rebuilt by one of the few rear specialists... you may see a 3-4 month wait at best! and that is before they open it and give you an estimate!

BTW, I believe you could re-assemble your bike to be a roller without the shaft if needed.

Ted Porter sells a replacement fully-serviceable driveshaft for $579

[Airhead Wrangler]

Guy is a good... um... guy. You were hasty and sent your part to him before hearing back. Don't bad mouth the guy for your own slip in judgement. Yes, this being the beginning of the riding season for many parts of the world, I'm sure he's slammed as he's a one man operation. If you just gotta have it now, go buy one of those new aftermarket shafts. Getting your old one repaired isn't going to be as fast as you apparently want no matter who you go to.

[ericrat]

Edited, no longer relevant.

Eric

[URBAN INFIDEL]

@pjm - Yeah, I hope you are right and this does get sorted. I know that things take time, but when you are in communication with someone and not just working blind, I tend to think a reply email isn't that big a deal. I am hoping that this works out and in the end I can report positively on all counts - just want to document the experience here as a help to others.

As for the "busy season", parts break, drive shafts break, and good mechanics are ALWAYS busy. I was told to expect the normal 3 week turnaround, so I don't think this is a seasonal issue. This isn't my first rodeo. By the way, sending the picture was my idea - I was not told to do that or wait for response prior to shipping. Not sure that means I "jumped the gun" really, but I do get your point.

I am still holding out hope that this works out - just a surprise so far. I hate surprises.

Eric - that was quite a response! You sound defensive - Bent? Broke? Maybe just stay with the facts instead of getting editorially creative. Also, I am not trying to slander anyone here, just inform others - this is an issue that is common for a lot of us (the shaft issues) and we are all at some point dealing with it. I have no idea how this is going to work out.

[AntonLargiader]

Originally Posted by ChiTownAirhead

...- just want to document the experience here as a help to others.... I am still holding out hope that this works out .

Funny, I thought you said:

I am writing this to warn others.

With big WARNING letters on the title about your brief and incomplete experience with a vendor who found that your driveshaft was more damaged than you thought and couldn't discern this before he actually saw it.

Warning noted... probably not the one you had in mind, though. What's your real name?

[ericrat]

Originally Posted by ChiTownAirhead

Eric - that was quite a response! You sound defensive - Bent? Broke? Maybe just stay with the facts instead of getting editorially creative. Also, I am not trying to slander anyone here, just inform others - this is an issue that is common for a lot of us (the shaft issues) and we are all at some point dealing with it. I have no idea how this is going to work out.

You post is slanderous towards a respected shop doing good work. Do you need someone to point it out to you?

If the shaft came out in pieces, parts are bent and broken, no need for creativitiy. Simple inference based on experience.

The shaft from Ted look like a pretty good deal. That could be a ad, "I got the shaft from Ted Porter Beemershop, and it was a great deal!"

Eric

[URBAN INFIDEL]

I have edited the original post as this was getting out of control and was not at all what i intended. No need to continue the threats! I apologize to anyone I offended here, and I thank you all for the responses - even the angry ones!

@ Solo Lobo & Wrangler - thanks for the level headed and helpful replies.

[AntonLargiader]

Maybe the response wasn't what you intended, but you said what you wanted to say. Without your original post our responses have no context.

My '94 GSPD developed a knock - and I mean a knock, nothing horrible, and I was less than 2 miles from home when it became noticeable - so I came straight home. The knock was audible when I turned the rear wheel by hand, so I was pretty sure it was the drive shaft.

I started reading everything I could about the fixes for shaft failure - a lot on this site! It seemed that there were two sources that seemed trusted and popular for shaft repair/rehab: Bruno's in Ontario and Henderson Precision in the States. I liked what I read about Guy Henderson, his posts here and the fact that folks went out of their way to state that he is an honest guy, etc. So I contacted him, told him what was up, and asked if he had shafts available and time to rebuild mine if needed. He asked how bad it was but I told him I hadn't removed it yet. When I pulled the drive shaft I was amazed that it came out in two pieces! How this functioned to get me home was beyond me. I immediately took the photo attached here* and sent it off to Guy for his opinion. After not getting a response for days, and with the garage blocked by the GS (this one wheeled GS blocks what little garage space I have) I packed up the drive shaft and sent it along with the check for $450.

After not hearing anything, I tracked the UPS shipment - the shaft was delivered to Guy on Thursday, it was now the following Tuesday and still no word (Guy had said he'd contact me once he received the shipment) so I emailed Guy again to ask if he had indeed received the shaft and what his thoughts were on the schedule of things. I was surprised and dismayed to get a reply that said that the shaft was beyond repair and if I "could come up with a good rear half of a shaft, I can mate the two to make a serviceable unit." I am confused, I led to believe that was what he was going to do!

I am now stuck, the bike is in bits and not going to be easy to move, and I am confused as to why Guy is now not able to do what he advertised. I would have appreciated a response to my email with the picture as the condition is clear and it would have saved me the $20 in shipping and the time spent waiting for the reply. I was under the impression that Guy had shafts for sale or could rebuild one if it was serviceable - instead he is simply throwing up his hands - I have no shaft at all now and I guess I am getting nowhere with this? Not at all what I expected from a member of this forum who enjoys what seems to be a good reputation.

I am writing this to warn others. This isn't finished yet, and we will see if the reputation is indeed deserved. I asked Guy if he had another shaft I could buy, and explained that his reply, however late, was not what I expected. I mentioned that had he responded to the email/photo we would have a very different (better) situation. I am awaiting his reply, and will reserve judgment until I hear from him. This is just a huge disappointment and I am not sure what else I could have done differently to avoid this. I will post the outcome as it develops. I will say that had I read this post, I don't know that I would have sent my business to Henderson. Stay tuned...

* I am currently unable to attach the image here - I will try to sort that out and get it posted

[URBAN INFIDEL]

To everybody else who can accept an apology, thanks.

I talked to Guy, and we are good - he IS a good guy, and a solution is in hand.

Can we all move on now?

[ontic]

Originally Posted by ChiTownAirhead

I talked to Guy… he IS a good guy, and a solution is in hand.

I think this deserves re-quoting. Despite the original 'half cocked' post, because of all the support he has gotten, I think the only message that a reader will take from this is that Guy is an excellent person to do business with.
I imagine having a public presence on these kind of forums can be a double edged sword for some of these professionals (Guy, Anton, Wirespokes, etc, etc).
All I can say is thanks for being here and doing what you do guys.

Myself,
Like many others, I've got a custom triple clamp set from Guy which is beautiful and perfect.
He also worked out and provided a plug and play Scotts stabiliser mounting kit for my G/S, including a pin tower that he makes himself. He had to work things out, order parts, and provide a custom made part- and he didn't even get to make any money on a stabiliser sale to go with it because I had bought a cheapy second hand one off ebay.
Did all this happen overnight? No of course not. I was patient and it happened in good time and I have 200% satisfaction with it.
Good on you Guy!

[fishkens]

Whee! All this in just over 8 hours. I heart the interwebs.

[Wirespokes]

I'm glad this all worked out! None of us are perfect and sometimes we lose track in one way or another. The important thing is to repair the damage, make things right and move on. I grew up with the dumb idea that once something was said, it was too late to retract it.

Bull S**t!

It takes some guts to admit you're wrong and then fix it, especially in a group situation! My X never did.

I get stuff from Guy - a real stand-up kinda guy. You know, I think we're all pretty cool here!