Help me find a mechanic! Seattle area

[dlim]

I live in the Seattle, WA area and I have a recently acquired 2007 ST1300.

Can someone PLEASE recommend a few knowledgable and affordable mechanics in the metro area???? I would like to establish a relationship with a trustworthy and skillful ST1300 mechanic. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Igofar]

Welcome to the forum.
Click on the word Riding in the blue banner, then scroll down to the RAN list, and scroll down to Washington for members near you.
You may want to ask TODD for advice on a good, trustworthy, mechanic.

 

[Keith Weller]

welcome from Essex England to the evergreen St

 

[cjames431]

Welcome to the worlds greatest motorcycle forum.
Stay away from South Bound Honda in Lakewood. Their techs don't seem to know how to read the service manual and they hold the contract for maintaining the State Patrol bikes. Nash in Auburn is overpriced. Haven't had any experience with I-90 Motorsports nor with the northern end dealers.
If you are handing wrenching having the white curtesy phone on speed dial is the way to go. @Igofar has all the answers to all the problems .
@ToddC used to live in Seattle until he evacuated to the east side.

 

[SMSW]

Unfortunately, experienced mechanics who know ST's are few and far between. First, there were not a lot of these bikes manufactured, and they tend to be so dang reliable that Honda mechanics get to see few of them from week to week. Toss in all the usual staffing problems that most businesses are having, keeping personnel and obtaining parts problems and you've got a perfect storm for bad service.

I was lucky to find a good mechanic. I was telling my ST woes to several guys at a local Guzzi breakfast and one guy suggested an independent named Kevin. He owned a Gold Wing, (as did Kevin), and had a good experience. I found Kevin to be a good mechanic, but unfamiliar with the bike. He willingly read my Service Manual, had good diagnostic skills, and proved to be an honest and reasonable mechanic. My point here is I literally stumbled across this guy. I cannot recommend him to you because since he is about 2,360 miles east of you. Larry - @Igofar - is closer. Take his advice and reach out to local ST owners.

 

[ToddC]

Welcome to the worlds greatest motorcycle forum.
Stay away from South Bound Honda in Lakewood. Their techs don't seem to know how to read the service manual and they hold the contract for maintaining the State Patrol bikes. Nash in Auburn is overpriced. Haven't had any experience with I-90 Motorsports nor with the northern end dealers.
If you are handing wrenching having the white curtesy phone on speed dial is the way to go. @Igofar has all the answers to all the problems .
@ToddC used to live in Seattle until he evacuated to the east side.

Hi Colin..!!
Sorry but I did all my own wrenching when living in the soggy side of the state.
And then I met Larry....... @Igofar . The Godfather of ST1300s. The guru of ST whispering. The soothsayer of problem resolving.
And probably the nicest guy you will ever meet, as long as you don't play cards with him.
I did have Ride Motorsports do my Warranty work on that 03 I flipped. I did take it in naked on a trailer so they didn't have to strip it. They seemed to do the job ok. But it was a simple recall inspection for a couple of Honda recalls.
Good luck and join us for NEWStoc in June..!!!!!
T

 

[ST-Traveler]

Can someone PLEASE recommend a few knowledgable and affordable mechanics

Igofar ---- white courtesy phone
Located very close to your phone.

 

[dlim]

I went to Everett Powersports and someone inside the part/service area started telling me about how WSP, Seattle PD, Mountlake Terrace PD, etc., all use the ST1300 as police bikes and they bring their bikes to their shop for service. I tested out the waters and asked for a quote to install Oxford heated grips and the guy told me it would be 3 hours of labor at $139/hour. It ended up being over $600 after adding the parts, taxes, etc.

I am close friends with MANY motor officers and all of those agencies are on harleys or bmw's. There is ONE last ST1300 rider for WSP and he's turning his bike in this week for the BMW since its time for a new motor for him. His info did not line up, and the prices were TOO high. I need a shop I can trust, or a mechanic I can trust to be thorough and not take shortcuts. There has to be a quality mechanic thats honest around the Seattle metro area that is familiar with this bike....

 

[Igofar]

Or you can do what Todd and several other forum members do and ride/trailer it to see the ST Whisperer

 

[ColinW1981]

I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah still services the final remaining WSP (Bellevue Station) and Issaquah Moto ST1300's. When those are gone, it will be White Courtesy Phone...

 

[dlim]

How are I90 Motorsports rates? Fair for the quality of work they do?

 

[ToddC]

How are I90 Motorsports rates? Fair for the quality of work they do?

Same owner as Ride in Woodinville. I like the owner but have no current experience with the techs or prices.
T

 

[Keith Weller]

have you found a mechanic to work on your bike

 

[dlim]

No. I’m not in a rush to find one, however I feel like when I DO need one I don’t want to be in a rush to look for one. I’d like to have a mechanic lined up for future needs.

 

[Igofar]

Do you do any service work on your vehicles?
If so, you may just need to spend a few minutes on the phone to check and inspect some stuff on your new bike.
A few minutes on the white courtesy phone may save you from being stranded on the side of the road, or some expensive repair bills, tow bills, or worse.
And like the guy on TV says, the call is free.

 

[Chris09]

Put your bike in a box and ship it to Arizona, make sure you drain all the fluids first, and have another bike to ride for a while,
Oh, and if.. you see the guy, ask him if he know's anything about gas barbeque's

 

[mortenk]

I bought a 2007 ST1300 from a guy in Issaquah. I could see that I90 Motorsports did all his service work, and he had been happy about it (this was in 2013 though). I rode the bike for 5 years and never needed service as I did it all myself. I replaced a fork seal, tires, oil and air filters, handlebar weights, battery, and a few minor bits and bops.

If you like to wrench, the ST1300 is a great bike to work on IMO. I now have a 2016 FJR1300 which had some major recall work done by I90 Motorsports as well, and they did a great job. I can't comment on their prices, as this was all warranty work...

 

[John Anthony]

I has been a very long time since I last used them, but Lake City Powersports helped with some maintenance issues on my '03. Here's a link: Home Lake City Powersports Seattle, WA (206) 364-1372

John

 

[JohnK]

How about we do a tech day at my shop - bbq workin on our rides and maybe even a zoom call with IGOFAR - I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the membership and Igofar’s assistance has done for my confidence and ability to do most maintenance on my own. Bring you own parts and fluids. We can bbq and hang out sharing knowledge - thoughts?

 

[dlim]

JohnK, YES! Absolutely! I’d be very interested to learn from you all about some basic maintenance. This is a new bike for me and I want to take good care of it. Please, set up a date!