I'm in an old GoldWing forum on fagbook and there was a dude on there that was talking about his 95 GW that he picked up for $5k with 65k miles on the clock and how it's just one thing after another and he "lacks the skillset displayed by members in the forums to do the work himself" and he pays shop rate to have the work done and the repairs are killing him. He can't even do regular maint on it and was asking for honest opinions on what he should do. I will probably be skewered but I suggested he sell it and get something new with a warranty...
As many of you know I work in the powersports industry and I deal with this type all day every day. They wear their lack of mechanical knowledge like a badge of honor. They... "have a guy for that". Or.. "my mechanic says..." When you try to explain how to do something to them they act like they've been blindsided with kryptonite. The best scenario is when they decide they've been fleeced by the rubes enough and they're going to "take care of the problem themselves". That's when they try to shake me down for info... "How DO you change the oil on an outboard motor?" "You dump the old oil out and replace it with fresh. Unscrew the old filter and put a new one on." "Where's the oil filter located?" "It's the thing on the side of the crankcase that looks like an oil filter." "What's a crankcase?" They probably end up taking it back to "their guy". "That asshole at the boat store was no help at all.." Well sir... People like YOU are why our industry has a very lucrative service dept..
Can you imagine the THOUSANDS of dollars spent over a lifetime due to refusal to acquire a skillset which is felt to be beneath you?
