I brought my bike to Performance Cycles in Billerica Mass (Not to be confused with the other Performance Cycles in Shrewsbury, Ma) for a handle bar adjustment, replace neutral switch, horn and to fix front brakes which were good but needed some TLC as they only engaged at the last inch. I also asked for a general general safety check and explained not to do anything too elaborate. Just make sure the wheels were not going to fall off. I made it very clear to Bill Sullivan the owner that I didn't want to get into a $400 or $500 bill and if it was looking something like that to let me know before he started the work. When I finally got the bike back he handed me a bill for just over $500 and told me that he had over 10 hours into the bike! Whaaat? Being the good guy that he was he explained that because he wanted me to spread the word about how great the shop was that would cut this labor charge down from 10 to 7 hours labor and rounded the bill to $500 even. No visa, just cash or check. I have replaced whole car motors and transmissions in less than 10 hours and probably less than 7 and it's not what I do for a living! I guess right there I knew who I was dealing with but gave him $500 cash and called it a day. He explained that he had to put a new rubber boot or something in the master cylinder because the previous owner used the wrong fluid and from here on I would just have to drive the bike at least 500 miles so that the fluid equalized because I have double caliper brakes. Huh? I have never heard of such bull but I figured I would give him the benefit of the doubt because I have never owned a large bike like this with double calipers up front. He explained that after I put 500 miles on the bike and the brake fluid equalized and all the bubbles came out of the line that I would just need to bring it back for about 10-15 minutes to bleed and then it would be all set. To be fair the handle bars were now firm as they were loose previously, the neutral switch worked but he put in a $15 used horn that failed the 3rd time I used it. All the fluids were checked but I didn't ask him to do that as this bike was bought off a meticulous person who only serviced the bike at Harley Davidson on a regular basis. My brakes didn't seem any better or worse than when I brought the bike in and it is more than questionable if anything at all was done to the brakes as he had gone on vacation immediately after I got the bike back. When I finally returned after 500 miles on the bike to bleed the brakes he had the bike there for about a week and didn't return several calls so I could get an update. In short it was a long 10-15 minute adjustment! Finally I decided to just go there to find out just what the heck was going on. They were working on the bike in the front of the garage when I arrived. They had my chrome caliper covers chrome down on the ground and brake fluid all over the front end, wheels, seat, you name it. I was pissed as this bike is in pristine condition but I didn't say anything and simply asked what was going on. Bill finally came out and told me that they bled the brakes about 40 times and it just would not hold. This is absolutely the point that I knew Bill and his mechanic were not only bull artists, slob mechanics but also had absolutely no idea what the were doing. He said I could leave the bike and they could replace the O rings and take it things further but we are talking hundreds more dollars I'm sure. He also told me that he had way too much of his time into these brakes and that he couldn't afford to keep loosing money on this bike! Whaaaat????? I told him that I just wanted the bike back, brakes or no brakes so his mechanic put it back together and I left with scratched and bent chrome caliper covers and brake oil soaked front end, tires and seat. The brakes completely let go before I got home about 7 miles away and the horn let go about the thir time I used it. I never asked for a used $15 horn. I just asked him to check out why it wasn't working. I found another mechanic that fixed the brakes in an hour for $90. This new mechanic confirmed that it was total bull that you need to ride a bike for 500 miles to equalize the lines. I knew that anyways but gave Bill Sullivan the benefit of the doubt. Bottom line, these guys are total ripoff artists and hack mechanics. The most may have cost them was in parts and fluid was probably $50 total if that for a $15 neutral switch and some brake fluid. No way in hell it took anywhere near 7-10 hours to do this work. Maybe a few hours the most. Your nuts if you take your bike or any vehicle here, real nuts! He also sells used cars so buyer beware!. Go elsewhere, anywhere else! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! read more
