Vendor Ratings

Vance and Hines Kudos.....

fcwarrior — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:12:01 GMT

My Fiancee has a Vulcan 1600 that has V&H Bigshots as of last Christmas and she really likes them. Recently we discovered they had cracked by the crossover tube. I called and talked with Ryan and he said take a photo of the crack and e-mail with a copy of the receipt to him. She now has a new set of pipes (less heatshields of course) waiting in the garage. I just wanted to aknowledge this amazingly good customer service from V and H.

Great Members List (Post good dealings here)

lagalaxy8 — Tue, 02 Sep 2003 17:34:38 GMT

Below is a list of rswarrior.com members that have had great dealings with other rswarrior.com forum members
(If you have someone to add to the list just reply to this topic and I will add the name)
The smilies mean how many times someone has chimed in about a dealing they have had with the person. (I have not finished the smilies I'm only to page 2, I had to start over because this new site is a pita, it takes quite a bit of time)

Abomb1
ABP
Ajwarrior
Akitadog
AlanH
Alxdrudady
Amospro
Arthur
Arwarrior
AtomicEd
Audio77
aznwrr
BadAndy
Badass01ram
Bakko
Ballz
BartenderSammy
***
Bear
Bernieb
Bengan
BHW
BigA
Bigbear2592
Billyg
Biohazard
Bismark (Cycle Image Reza)
Bkrintraining
Bladerunnner
Blubruce
Bomber Man
Bpk816
Brb03
Britwarrior
Bsoth
Bubba
Buckeyetim
Bucky685
Bugei
Burk
Cadman
Cameron101201
CarKnee
Carl
Cbrmat(Performance Edge)
Centerline
C5yellowfever
Chauvatsum
Chezzo
Chief
Chipperl
Chris_tx
Chonglee2002
Churchkey
Chunkywalnut
Clatterblast
Cmzracing
Cnacton
CrazyRT
Crown
CruiseMissle
Crusteel45
Crxpwred
Cuda426
Coco
Coldone
Correy
Damian
Dangunman
Darkstar
Dberman
Dcu7220
DFW_Warrior
DFWrswarrior04
DJason
Dice
Did Have Cars
DnGrumpy
DOC5339
Drekoe
DT
Dcu7220
Dugzilla
Dws999
Easyrider
Ehacker
808warrior
Ekmaint
Elloco
Eman2squared
Ewells
Faustus
Fifer
Filipinowarrior
Fireblade
First-DT
Flyboy310
FlyingDutchman
Fnj2c
Frankenstein
Fpc187
Garnerwarrior
Gchalifo
Georgkoziol
Ghost
Gkeen
Glideman
GolfHawk
Grizwarrior
Gtwarrior
Gunny
Gypsy81574
Harley-jones
Haitiano06
Hunter1630
Ikaikawarrior
Indy102
Irish
Irongoose(G&S Cycles)
IsleCruiser
J
Jabo
James2008
Jayridgerunner
Jaytee
Jbronson
Jdpark
Jhnfitz
Jimboman
JoeH
johnpettywarrior
Jonathant25
Jpwarrior
Jremacle1
Jslavic
Jshram
Juggernaut
Kenko
Kevingonad
Kjum
Kkjssnowball
Kvz1r
Lagalaxy8
Lawarrior
Lildaddy
Littlewoodg
Liquidbullet
Lohrbt
Longdrives
Lugnut
Macwarrior
Magnastar
Manawar
MaxWar
Metrickkruzer
Messex03
Midnight_run
Midnite
Mightythor
Mrpix
MrWilson
Msm698
Monstrddg
Mxgod360
Myredwarrior
Needanewscooter
NitroCrushr
Nitrors4
Notorious
Novice_warrior
102-copper
05warrior4me
OhioMike
Oldschool
Outlaw Warrior
02warstar
05warrior4me
03BlueRsix
Parabellum
Penzoil
Pep
PhattPerformanceParts
Phatty
Philanderer
PigDog
Preacherman
Purs
Pursuvant
Pwfyrcat1
Ratphelm
Rdwarrior
Reblwarrior
Redbullssg
Red Dragon
Redhorse
Red102
Reelmcoy
Rexwarrior
Rfwarrior
Rf Wiz
Rgwarrior
Richie (Hamilton Motorsports)
Ricky
Rivaeric
Riverat
Roaddog1
Rolltideroll (Hamilton Motorsports)
Ronniej
Rrufast
Rswjay
Rphazen
Rxape
Saylor01
Sangathor
Scooterguy
Scorpion57
Shadow670
Shannnon
Shivaman
Shiznizzle
Sick1
Silverbulit
Sixpakaday
65tux
Skott
Skungy
Skunk666
Sknewytboy
Sliderbkt
Slothy
Smeej
Smiles
Snakeyezzz
SpectorBassGuy
Spanky102
Speedstar
Spudly
Squeaklylizard
Srahz
Stainless
Strtwarrior
357Warrior
Tahoe99
TCarter99
Tedubya
Telerider
Tele52
The Cadfather
The_grider
Thesunjay
The Neck
TommyT
Tropical
Tw1sted
Tvshooter
Underdogg88
Uhhuh
Valley warrior
Val345
Vector18
Venom
Viking
Wannab
Warrlord
WarriorDave
Warrior of god
Warrior1oz
Warrior202
Warstar
WasingtonWarrior
Waterfordwarrior
Wikd
Wirenut
Wip
Xenarchi
Xharleyrdvr
Yager
Yamadogxv
Zbeerman21

People like them make this a great site!!!

Fuel-Moto

repsol61 — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:18:17 GMT

After spending the better part of an hour on the phone with Fuel-Moto, I must say that they are both friendly and very helpful; by the way the auto-tuners for the PC-V has dropped in price to $199.

privateers garage

zaghuun — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:08:01 GMT

hey guys if theres any one in san diego that want to work on there bike this place is great the owner gave me a hand from every thing to my oil change to a 2nd person when i took off my exhust. had all the tools i needed and i even was able to get my lab top a outlet to get my service manual at the station i was given. if you want a palce to work on your bike with a lift it was a very nice place and will go back next time i change my tires or other general maitance. only down side i had was the small selection of oils

Hellriser Customs + Fedex

07midnite — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:47:58 GMT

Some of you may remember my rant about how a certain un-named company screwed me over on my V&H Pro Pipe order a few days ago. I mentioned that if my pipes weren't here by today, October 2nd, I would name names. Well, now I'm naming names! On September 17 I ordered a Vance & Hines Pro Pipe along with a Competition Baffle from Hellriser Customs in California. I spoke directly with Tami when I actually got through on the phone. It seems they are understaffed and use a typical phone recorder to answer their phones when they are busy (very unprofessional). She took my order, gave me a good price, and said they had the parts in stock. Everything is good so far right? Wrong! She then sends me a Fed Ex tracking # via email the next day, September 18 and said that my parts have been shipped. Awesome, I'm a happy camper! So, I checked the tracking # the next day, September 19 and nothing. No information that my parts ever shipped. OK??? Well, I'm thinking, "It's the weekend and Fedex hasn't updated their #'s yet." Monday, September 21, I called Tami at Hellriser and she swears up and down that the parts did ship and that was the correct tracking #. By Tuesday, September 22, there was still no information on the Fedex site that my parts had even been picked up but had only been initiated by the shipper, Hellriser Customs. I called Fedex and they told me the very same thing, the package with that tracking # had not been picked up. In the mean time I should be getting my package no later than Thursday September 24 per the Fedex website. WHAT?????? Tami once again insisted that my order DID ship on the 18th and would be there on time.

Wednesday, September 23, I checked once again with Fedex about the delivery of my package. Once again they said the item had not been picked up and was not in their system. Still have a delivery date of September 24th on their website though. I called Tami AGAIN and told her what Fedex said so she finally called to confirm what I had already been telling her. She called me back and said that the package did ship on the 18th but wasn't exactly sure where it was. She told me, "If you don't receive your order by the 24th, we'll ship another to you and handle the rest from there."

Thursday, September 24th came and went, guess what? NO PIPES!!! Ok, I'll get Tami on the phone and tell her that my order didn't show up. Phone recorder!! Called again Friday morning, phone recorder. Got an email from Tami Friday afternoon telling me that Fedex shipped my order to the wrong address. How could Fedex ship my pipes to the wrong address? I spoke with our local Fedex guy at work and he said that they only ship packages to the address on the label. Tracking numbers are mainly for the customers. So, instead of shipping my order to Houston, Texas; they end up shipping to some small town in BFE, Maryland. How in the hell is that Fedex's fault?

She also told me in the email that instead of shipping me another set ( the ones that she promised to ship the day before if my order didn't show up) that she was having the OTHER customer ship my order directly to me from Maryland. What the ????? Why didn't she just ship the other set and let the other customer send the original ones back to her at Hellriser? That is what most reputable companies would do, right?

Last Saturday, September 26, the other customer actually shipped my order to me. Nice guy, I really do appreciate his promptness and going out of his way to help a fellow biker out. Tami, sends me another tracking #. Guess what? No info on that tracking #. What a freaking joke. The same crap all over again. It also said that delivery should be on Thursday, October 1st. After getting a phone recorder Monday & Tuesday, my wife gets a phone call from Tami with a new tracking #. Hoooooraaay!! This one works and it actually shows that the package has been shipped and is on its way. The Fedex tracking site put a delivery date of Oct 2nd. Ok, it's only one day later but finally, my pipes will be here.

Today, October 2nd, my pipes didn't show up. It has now been 6 days since they were picked up in Maryland. Late this afternoon I called Fedex to ask why my package hadn't been delivered, after all, the website said it would be here October 2nd. They said, "Oh no, it's not supposed to be delivered until October 5th. WHAT??? That's freaking Monday. They said that the Fedex Ground trucks didn't run on Sunday or Monday and my package wasn't even moved from the Maryland site until Tuesday. OMG!!!!!! Now, I'm REALLY pissed. After hanging up with FedexI decided to call them back and give them an ear full. But I wanted to talk to someone in charge. The lady transfered my call to Fedex headquarters in Memphis to speak with one of their regional managers. I gave her the tracking # and she said that my package wouldn't be there until October 6th. Now delivery went from Thursday October 1st to Tuesday October 6th. That is a FULL week and a half since the package was shipped from Maryland. Eleven freaking days??? They could have shipped the pipes USPS and I would have gotten them in 6 days, not eleven. I told the Fedex lady that bit of info as well and that that is why UPS is still #1 and Fedex isn't.

I then called Hellriser Customs to let them know that my order had not been delivered and wouldn't be here until mid-next week. Once again, I got a phone recorder asking me to leave a message. Boy did I!!! I ripped them a new one inside and out. I reminded them that if they would have shipped the order to the correct address the first time, or shipped me a replacement order the following Thursday, September 24th, like they said that they would, things wouldn't have gotten all jacked up. I also told them that they could keep their piss-ant little "10% off on my NEXT order" discount as well because I would never order ANYTHING from them ever again and I would make damn sure that none of my friends did either.

And, that is why I wrote this. Three weeks from my original order date and still no exhaust on my bike. I sold my Samsons that were on the bike last Saturday and shipped them yesterday. And, thanks to the good people at Hellriser Customs and the morons at Fedex, I missed the Texas National Rally today.

Sorry for the rant but I wouldn't want anyone to go through the same crap that I did with either of these companies.

BEWARE FosterRad / Foster Rad - Laser Exhaust I got screwed!

mdfdwarrior — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:38:30 GMT

Just wanted to warn you folks - FosterRad who sells the Laser exhaust, FRK power module, and a few other stuff has screwed me. They do not keep their word and tells you to talk to their lawyer when they don't deliver! Please pass this along to your friends so they won't get screwed too...

OK, so I deal with alot of vendors and dealers for all sorts of parts and stuff. I also write product reviews and try to be fair and judicious with my reviews. I want to post this to serve as a warning so no one else gets screwed like I did...

I ordered a set of Laser Xtreme exhausts back on July '09, same day as when I bought my B-King. At the time I contacted Dr. Robert Foster, one of the owners of FosterRad who sells Laser exhausts. At that time I talked to Dr. Foster about the Laser Xtreme exhaust for the B-King. He told me he had 3 systems being shipped to him and mine would be part of that 3. He indicated it was enroute and would be two weeks to get it. I made a deal with him to order the exhaust. I went a step further and connected him to a dealer who would potentially be interested in being a distributor, carrying the line of Laser exhausts for him/FosterRad. As an exercise to ensure the logistics were proven out, we agreed that I would order from my dealer who would in turn order direct from FosterRad. When I asked Dr. Foster if he would rather I order directly from him, he indicated that it would be fine to order thru my dealer.

Well, the 2 weeks went by and I hear nothing. I contacted my dealer who indicated that they had already placed the order and given their credit card info to FosterRad. They encouraged me to keep in close contact with FosterRad, as well as themselves.

7/23/09: placed order and paid $658.58

8/4/09: I called FosterRad and left a message. I heard nothing back. I sent an email to make sure everything was set and inquiring as to status of my order and heard nothing back.

8/11/09: 2 weeks have come and passed. I called FosterRad and got Denice, Dr. Foster's secretary who told me Dr. Foster was unavailable. After explaining that I just wanted to make sure my order was placed, she directs me to Dr. Foster. He indicated that everything was ok and it will be just another couple of days or so...they would call me back next day to confirm..

8/12/09: I hear nothing back from FosterRad. I figure they were busy and give them a couple of days..

8/14/09: I call FosterRad and speak with Dr. Foster. He tells me he is speaking with Laser exhaust and they will receive shipment in another 2 weeks max and that I will get mine definitely by 9/15/09. They told me they will call me in a couple of days.

8/17/09: I call FosterRad to see if everything was in order. They say yes and they will call me in a few days.

8/24/09: I hear nothing so I call and insist on talking to Dr. Foster. I explain to him that I have been waiting on this exhaust to do a product review and have been working hard to possibly line up a spot on a publication to review his product. The window has closed several times and my promises and credibility is suffering. He says he understands and will make it right to me. Offers to hook me up on their new FRK Power module. I say whatever, I just need the exhaust as promised and that I have already paid since July. He says he will make it right and says he will call Laser right away.
10 minutes later Dr. Foster calls me back and says the exhaust should be to me no later than 9/15/09. He says he will call back in a couple of days.

9/10/09: I hear nothing from them so I send email inquiry, summarizing what we last talked about. I hear nothing back...

9/15/09: deadine is here, I have received nothing. I call FosterRad and leave message. I hear nothing back.

9/21/09: I call and get John at FosterRad. He says he is aware of my situation and it should arrive in a couple of weeks. He will call me back.

nothing....

10/1/09: I get a call back from John. He is nervous and says he will connect me to Dr. Foster. Dr. Foster gets on and has a big attitude. He tells me that this is a highly sought after exhaust and that he is doing me a favor by letting me buy this. He says it's no big deal to him as he can turn around and sell it to the next customer quickly. He asks me if I still want the exhaust. I said yes, just please give me a firm credible date as to when I can really get it. He dodges the question and says well the euro has gone up and you now need to pay $764.93.
I said but I already paid the agreed to price back in July. He says he has no record of payment and tells me if I want it that's how much I need to pay, stating that people all over the world have a high demand for this exhaust and that it would be sold to the next person easily.
I figured I waited this long, fine. I agreed to the new price and said that I was not happy with this. I stated that if he could understand my "heartburn" over the matter of getting bogus dates and being strung along this long, not getting any response to my inquiries and that I had to basically hound them thru the last several months just to get an answer. He interrupts me and says he is a "doctor" and there is no "heartburn" as this is business, trying to be a smartazz. I said ok, do the deal but I will definitely make this experience known. He says, if that's the case then you get no exhaust and we have no deal. I say I will just relay the experience as it happened as that is the truth. He says you have nothing to prove it and hangs up on me...

So here I am on 10/1/09, after having placed my order 7/23/09 and paid for it. I am currently scrambling to try and get my money back on my credit card...

Be warned, FosterRad is a scam! I posted some inquiries on a few other forums and guess what? Apparently this is their normal mode of operation!

Ron Ayers - Tires - Great prices and customer service!

C-one — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:31:58 GMT

http://www.ronayers.com/catalogs/tires/parts.cfm?secid=4&type=66

Never mind

swill — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:02:06 GMT

N.M.

Warning / custom chrome

Warriorone — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:51:44 GMT

I would like to add to a previous warning about custom chrome. My story: On aprox. July 24th I PMed Mike (octaneaddiction) about getting my forks chromed. At first no responce, then he called and we came to terms. We agreed on $ plus fender stays for the chrome job. The turn around time was to be one week after he recieved my forks. Should have had forks back by end of first week of Aug. This is where things started to go wrong. Mike emailed me to say he had recieved my forks but he recieved a big order just after he talked with me. He said he would fit me in with this order. Then I herd nothing.I emailed again and got another excuse. I decided I was tangled up in the typical BS of todays business world and I might as well be patient, I was until Aug 31st.Let me go back a bit; when I sent the forks out I also put the return postage labels in the tubes with the forks. The post master did this in front of me at the counter then he taped it shut so I know it was in there. Anyway Mike calls and says the return postage labels are not all there and I need to send him the return postage.I sent him the postage and he sent the forks.While waiting for the forks to arrive I read a post here that warned of poor chrome work done by custom chrome,pitting,pealing ect. Sure enough my forks are totally f@#ked up. I emailed Mike and his responce is that he was helping a friend set up this business and THAT HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT CHROMING.

1) POOR TURN AROUND TIME

2)LOST POSTAGE

3)MIKE WHO CLAIMS TO BE THE CHROMER IS NOT

4)VERY POOR WORK (NOT USEABLE)

I will have UPSTATEBOB another forum member look at these forks and verify and in time I'm sure I will run into DARKSTAR who I'm sure will also be able to verify.

If someone could find the post I mentioned this should be added to it.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, I WOULD NOT USE THIS VENDER.

A warning about Helmetsetc.com

DesertWarrior — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:04:48 GMT

This is a warning about a ripoff company on the web. I ordered a helmet from Helmetsetc.com and after 6 weeks of trying to find out why I couldn't get the product shipped I got this message from them:

we are no longer able to ship helmets or process
credit card refunds. please contact
your cc company and request a customer charge back and
they will issue you a full refund. thank you
and we sincerly apologize

The website is still up and has no disclaimers on the site to let people know they are supposedly out of business. Don't know what their scam is, but beware of this company.

2-3 weeks for my CP Punishers from Phats?? WTF?

fake — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:24:56 GMT

Placed the order first thing Monday morning and was expecting to get them atleast today. *please allow 2-3 weeks on the CP Punishers 1120's* What in the hell? Why so long Phats????

In case your exhaust tips on your Bub Jug Huggers start to peel...

Shag — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:38:44 GMT

You may encounter a little trouble getting anyone at Bub's to care. Here's the email I sent earlier today that prompted a response with UPS tracking number hours later. Just use it as a form email and change the names around a little...

Hi Brad. Do you have a tracking number for me on the replacement exhaust tips? I haven't heard anything back from you still. I'm about ready to contact the BBB, the attorney general's office, and the federal trade commission to file formal complaints if I don't start seeing results. My patience has run out. Email me a tracking number by tomorrow or I will contact those agencies first thing Monday morning and begin calling numbers at Bub's until I get a manager on the phone who can help me out with this. I don't want to hear any more excuses about how the warranty department was at Sturgis or how someone had a cold. Time's up.

Travis

RIDICULOUS that it came to that. I sent at least 8-9 very polite emails and was very polite on the phone when I spoke to Brad but still I was getting the crappiest response for a warranty issue that I've ever had. I won't buy another Bub's product. I can't wait to see what they say when I return the defective tips and they see how the lower tip is scraped up.

Insight Customs Ripped Me Off

Paranormal — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:29:39 GMT

( Deep Breath... Ok Here we go )   Please read the entire thread...

As many of you know i have been in the process of rebuilding my bike for 2 years and i have a lot of you guys to thank for helping me along the way. As of Nov 08, I contacted Insight Custom's out of Indiana to complete my project.    He specialized in metric bikes and was a local builder for me, he actually build Josh's bike (3rdday) and i loved the stance of that bike and wanted something one off. I explained i have limited funds to complete this project and everything done must fall within my budget which was $3000 ( since i still needed to have the bike painted ). We emailed back and forth for about a month discussing parts and at the beginning of this year we finalized an est. which included...
1. Install of BMS 6 degree tree's w/ new front brake tee for mounting

2. Custom fabricated ( 1 off ) bars w/ chrome tips raked 6 degree to match trees
3. Front & Rear Stainless steel lines w/ install
4. Install of PCIII, along with custom tune & dyno

5. Cleaning up electrical system wiring
6. Tricky Air ride install
7. Custom Fabricate Heat Shield
8. (9) piece red LED kit
9. Install of LED's
10. Custom Fab rear fender w/ LED pocket

11. Install of flex array front & rear LED turn & brakes lights
12. Hidden rear brake caliper mod
13. Fishing bolt out of oil tank
14. Chroming hand controls, perch, cam cover, and the entire left side of the bike

On Jan 16th i approved the est. so work could be started on the bike, i spent the next month researching and purchasing parts many of which where from forum members.

Royale5 _ custom seat
Gryphon - Tach
Scottser - Tricky air
Chester5040- Handle bar's
Danny Cavanaugh - stock seat used for custom use
Bluesnake - 6 degree tree's
Phongleremote - Entire front end
Allcreationwept73- wheels
All of the parts i purchased where in fantastic condition from forum members, the new parts i purchased where

Tribal grips & pegs - XO products
PCIII - purchased used
Tribal chrome mirrors - Demon Customs
11in fender blank
Scorpion i900 alarm - Scorpion Directly
Custom Made Tribal Key
None of these products where purchased without consulting Ben at insight to make sure they where the correct fitment.
On Feb 10th Ben came and picked up my motorcycle and i signed a contract for work, it asked for 50% down before any work would be started. I offered to pay it all up front because i was egar to get this ball rolling, Ben said i didnt need to because i was providing him with thousands of dollars worth of parts. Before taking the bike we walked around it pointing out issues like oxidation from sitting in the garage for a year, rust and other things that will come up when building a show bike. He explained he would need to wash the bike and would due a full inspection just to make sure there werent any other issues that where hidden. I was impressed with his thoroughness initially and signed the contract to begin work and he took the bike that night quoting me 4-6 weeks total for repair.
I contact him on Feb 16th since it had been a week with no update on the inspection, i was a little worried because he left me a vm the day after he picked the bike up stating there was more oxidation than he thought but it should be easily cleaned up, if not he would use some type of spray that harley owners use on there engines to keep the black from peeling.    I sent him over ( 4 ) examples of custom fenders that i really liked and wanted his opinion and how long would fabrication take.   I also confirmed bolt and thread sizes for my order with XO products as well as confirmed the pricing for chroming the custom heat shield.
On Feb 19th we exchanged emails confirming the size for the fender blank i ordered and what gauge strength i needed, i sent over a few pictures because i wasnt sure which to purchase. He gave me his recommendation and i purchased the fender and had it shipped.
Up to this point i havent heard anything about the inspection or any potention issues, just chatting and mapping out the direction for the bike....
Feb 20th received a quote from Paulous for a custom lower cowl from Lithuania, i emailed some pics to Ben to make sure it matched with the direction of the bike. It did so i ordered it that day.
March 4th rolls around and no follow up or contact since Feb 20th, we where quickly approaching the 1/2 way mark of the 4-6 week est. and i have still have yet to hear anything about custom fenders, handle bars, chrome, electrical, etc... Just silence so i resent the email from Feb 16th with the examples of fender plus a few additional examples.
Time goes by and we come to March 25th, i have seen no design or sketchs, pictures or updates and i email Ben requesting all of the above. My painter is waiting for the tank, front & rear ( modified ) fenders, tach cowl & side covers... I again request for pic's and updates; I let Ben know i will be starting a thread on rwassior to track the build. His wife Kelly had explained Ben had been sick & they had a tribute bike that had taken longer than expected and thats why nothing was started on my bike even though we are already at the 6 weeks i originally quoted. I rolled with it because i felt the end of this 2 yrs ordeal approaching and didnt want to cause an issue.
2 days later ( March 27th ) i get a reply from Kelly saying Ben is working on a card board template for the fender and quotes me 4-5 days to get the heat shield cut out by the water jet company. * Funny seeing as i have yet to see any pics or design for my approval * Since i work a lot my time is limits so rather than continue to email i asked to meet with Ben that week. Her reply was that he was meeting with a solider from iraq that week and needed to complete his bike and would follow up with me.    At this point i am very irrate its 6 weeks into this build and absolutely nothing has been done....
April 15th, still no reply or updates since it has gone far beyond my expected completion date i decided to chrome several parts since my heat shield needed to be chromed anyway. I contacted Bucky to get his chromer's info and email him to get an est. on price around ( $400).    I made a detailed list of parts i would like chromed and emailed them to Ben, as well as i listed all the parts that where supposed to be out to the powder coater and water jet companies.
See below...

Here is a list of the parts im looking at getting chromed

1. Brake/Clutch Lever ( after you cut the tip )

2. Switch Boxes

3. Clutch Perch

4. Master Cylinder

5. Gas Cap and Trim Ring

6. Cam Cover (102 Cover

7. Crankcase Cover (Includes Clutch Cover, Generator Cover and Yamaha Insert)

8. Rear Pulley Housing

9. Oil lines

10. Left & right side covers

11.   Front rotors   ( not sure if they can chrome them or if they would just have to be polished )

12. Spike tips from the handle bars

13. Heat Shield ( already have pricing on this piece )

Here is the list of parts for the powder coater

1. Front Calipers

2. Rear Calipers

3. Handle Bars

4. Foot Control levers ( gloss black to match up with the bars )

Here is the list of parts for the water jet company

1. Heat shield ( already working on )

2. Foot control levers   ( Tribal design ) to go with the bigger pegs

April 24th, no answers yet or direction on things.   I get an email thanking me for hanging in there through all the issues. He will be able to get caught up this week and will touch base with me.

At this point Insight is relocating to Herbon IN, which is about 15 min away from where he was but the shop closed for a week. The plan was to have all the fabrication done at this point so the painter would have all the parts back once they where settled in their new place.   It sounded great but in reality nothing had been done in over 2 months. So now im highly upset, I sent him an emailed demanding to see progress but still in a respectful manner. We had open lines of communication and i understood his company was experiencing growing pains but that did not absolve him of his responsibility to me as a paying customer. I had paid him $1000 and he had my bike as well as $5000 worth of parts and i hadnt seen as much as a picture by this point.

His reply on May 4th was that he didnt like the tone of my email & he doesnt like being told what to do, he spent a few hours researching parts for me back in November of last year and was upset that i didnt purchase them from him ( pegs, grips, fender, pcIII, etc...) all of which can be found on any metic builder site.    He then listed at update saying my tricky air leaked, quoted me $750 for chrome ( almost double previous quote from 2 other chromers) & $200 for powder coating and ended his email again with he doesnt take kindly to demands.

At this point im pushed into a corner, he has my money, my bike, my parts and is not coraporating but what can be done? I take the humble route, reply and apologize for the issues & tone in my email but expressed my concerns about time frame again.

May 12th, i recieve my 1st set of pics, the front end is off and he found uni-foam under the tank. ( Dundee ) He mocks up my fender but say's the fender doesnt look right for the design im going for. He complains about the radious or something and convinces me to purchase one from him, I know this is a game to get me to spend more money but i dont care at this point all i want is the bike done.

May 20th, I emailed Ben to offer my set of hands to help out since its been only him working in the shop. I am anxious and want this all completed, he reply's stating he hired two other guys, and for insurance reasons i couldnt come help. Still nothing from the water jet or powder coating or chrome company. Which is funny since he wont give me there contact information. He then request for an additional $1000 as they will have money due for parts coming and going for chrome. Now based on the original paperwork the balance was owed at the end of the project and no where did it state payments or arrangements needed to be set before hand. Its now 4 months into the project and he's asking for more money? I let him know i have some funds coming in soon but would like to keep the project moving and will make a deposit soon. I requested a formal invoice in writing which was never sent.

June 5th, no reply from Ben or anyone from the office at this point i feel like im getting ripped off. The riding season is 1/2 over and still nothing is done just more excuses on top of excuses. I call them several times so i could ride down and talk face to face, im sick of emails and complaining. I want them to own up to the contact and complete this build.

I call and email on June 9th, 14th & finally on June 16th i agree to make an additional payment of $1000 and on June 20th i get an email from Ben with the template for the heat shields. I immediately approved them and got a reply from his wife Kelly that Ben was now out of town for a week at an auto & bike auction. So i wait and finally head down on to their shop on June 26th. Its been 5 months since i met with Ben face to face and we walk around the bike.

1. He never even rinsed it off the dust to see the issues

2. Bike is still in pieces, no air ride, no new electrical work

3. Tank is off as well as entire front end, but no test fitting yet for the bars

4. No mock up for the fender & no chrome or powdercoating, no air ride install.

He explains it away again stating that we are on schedule now and it should all be completed. We talk and set aside all differences and after 2 hours we agree to complete the project by Aug 1st ( my birthday ). He again states more money is needed to cover for chrome and things, so i make an additional payment of $800 on July 1st, he tells me he will email the final fender design. Which is puzzling because he has had my designs since Febuary. I also make formal request for paperwork showing where my money is being spent an accounting overall. Which he shows me written in pencil, i ask for a copy and he says he needs to go over it with Kelly since she does the books and will email it to me tomorrow.   ( never happened )

July 8th, still no design less than 3 weeks till the new due date. I email " since thats the only way i can get a reply " wanted to make sure i have all the fabrication parts to the painter by July 17th so they could be back in time for assembly. I again asked about the accounting.

July 10th, finally modification has started on the front & rear fenders and he quotes me pricing on the heat shield but still no pic's or plasitic templates ( which he has talked about for 4 months). Only his word that things have begun.

July 15th, Ben emails me saying he's working on the fenders but ill need to make an additional deposit to keep working moving on the bike. I reply and state I am not going to do that given the history with this build. I want to see movement before another dollar is spent. Per the contract residual payment is due at the end not before. I have seen no invoices, no bills for payment, no past due invoices, no accounting, not even a revised completion date.

July 17th, Ben emails me again saying i need to pay him an additional $1000 and that since i didnt put 50% at the start of the project in Febuary he was now going to charge me, late fee's, storage fee's & finance charges. He went into a tirad stating this bike has had no flow or design until recently and he will not play games.   I explain to him we are less than 2 weeks before the end of this and i will bring him $1000 once i pick up the fenders for the painter.

July 18th, He finally sends me the actual fender design's which are nothing like what i sent him months ago but i wasnt about to argue. I wanted it done i approved the designs immediately and said i would be there in a few days to pick them up. He asked for the weekend to finish them and would follow up with me.

July 24th, I finally get an email showing the design's cut out of the fender and its close to being done, i am still hoping for the 1st week of august or so for completion. But need major movement, against my better judgement i called and paid Insight the additional $1000 bringing my total paid to $2800. I did so with strict stipulations that i wanted dates the chrome was gona be in, powder coat dates & heat shield dates & custom bars that ive asked about 10 times for a test fitment or at least seeing and approving a design for them.

July 28th Several emails exchange still no confirmation on anything. I finally snap! Still no fender or chrome, powder coating nothing. I damn near pleaded with him the whole month so i could get this done by the 1st.

Here is his reply and i quote

" I'm not going into the money thing with you because you don't like what i say on how i run my builds and my payment arrangements. So, there is no sense in you missing riding season (that will go well into Nov. this year) i will stop all design and build operations on the bike and have everything here for you to pick up (unfinished) as of 8/1/09 which you can have some one else that will give you that "one off " bike you are looking for with all thier bolt on parts that everyone else has on their warrior already. I have been more than reasonable with you and doing this project without the proper funds( which carry penalties and storage charges- for the last guy that ended up at $1800.00) and floating cash to cover my time. So if you choose to follow this path we can make arrangements for your pick up of your stuff that can only be done while I'm here or if you choose to let this bike take shape and come to be one off you can call me Weds. the 29th after 7:30 pm and we can talk. "

So after reading his email basicly threatening me with additional fee's, charges, false storage fee's that would total up to exactly the residual left on the build, i opted to stay and requested he complete the build. I was working so i sent a friend to drive down on thursday June 30th to pick up the fenders. I contact the BBB and file a formal complaint against Insight Custom but i request that it be put on hold until i get Ben's reply. Even after all the drama this was his business and family lively hood so rather than tarnish his name i waited to see if he would actually make some movement on this project. I asked him to complete the build because as i explained at the beginning of the year i only had $3000 to spend on the build, over the course of the 8 months i added $1000 worth of work and he now has $2800 of that $4000, there is no other funds left to find another builder.

So my friend takes the fenders down to the painter in southern indiana and the very next day i recieved 20+ high def pictures and a long email from my painter stating there was some serious issues. The fender's was in horrible condition, none of the cuts made where straight and all of the sides and curves where crooked. None of them where symetrical, and the rear fender had holes cut out and re-welded as if to cover up a mistake. He explained that the fenders would need a lot of bodywork to complete. Now of course i call insight and dont get a reply. I was on my way out of the town on friday 31st.

I returned yesterday and immediatly emailed Ben the pic's from the painter explaining each issue and asked what could be done. I let him know i attempted to contact him before i left with no reply and that i was forced to pay my painter to correct & repair the mistakes on the fenders.

Ben's final email which came late tonight stated he was canceling my project and keeping my funds. He stated that all of his metal work requires bodywork and didnt need to explain why my fender was cut into pieces. He stated I can make arrangments to come and pick up my bike ( in pieces, none of the wiring or anything completed ) he would charge me storage fee's, finance charges & late fee's. And that would be the end of it.   Now when he came and picked up my bike i from my building, my warrior was in running condition ( battery was dead but fully assembled, he picked it up inside of my building which has cameras as you pull in & inside of the garage). The only thing it needed was the swingarm torqued down to spec from my 260 kit i installed. To be told i was gona get a frame & engine back and i would be forced to pick up only pieces isnt right at all, that is not how the bike was picked up and it is not how it should be returned.

I have taken the time to write this email because i am at a complete loss, I am reaching out to my fellow forum members for assistance in this matter but i also wanted to post because I found Insight Customs on this forum and dont want any other member to experience the hassle that i have.

Every single date listed above i have a corresponding email for that date, i have docuemented all my requests for updates, pictures, status reports. Everything over the last 6 months.    I really need some help guys any suggestion would be appreciated. I will also be posting pictures of the work done on my fenders just so others can see the horrible metal work. My painter has also written a notarized statement on the conditions of the fenders and took detailed photos of the repair work he is still in the process of completeing. ( Completeing welding, metal fab, grinding, body filer and more )

Please guys i need some help...

Does Phats include all the mounting hardware for the CP Punisher bars? 1120's

fake — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:39:25 GMT

I've read mixed reviews about Phats Performance. Some say they have the best customer service, while others are saying they dropped the ball. I even read one post where one guy ordered the CP punisher 1120's and there was no hardware, only the bars. I've also read that Phats send the 1120's with all the mounting hardware. So which is it? I need to know so I can order my bars.

jafrum.com impresses me again

Shag — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:56:00 GMT

Great prices, very fast shipping, nice products. No, I have NOT bought a leather vest from them. But I did just order a small leather sissy-bar bag from them for $30 late Friday and the bag was delivered today. Looks really nice. Check them out for your next motorcycle gear purchase.

Bub's warranty department NOT impressing me so far

Shag — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:29:18 GMT

The exhaust tips on my Bub Jug Hugger pipes began peeling badly recently. I sent an email to their warranty department and got a prompt reply telling me that the warranty guys were at Sturgis but that they would get back to me in a couple of days. A week passed and I emailed again to ask for help. I got a prompt reply that was a cut/paste form letter style email telling me what I needed to do to get a warranty replacement. I emailed them proof of purchase as they requested, sent links to pictures of the exhaust tips, gave them everything they wanted in order to get the tips replaced under warranty. No reply for a week. I emailed them again first thing yesterday morning. No reply yet. I'm running out of patience. I'm gonna give them about another day and I guess I'll have to call them and make an ass of myself to get them to honor their warranty.

Deadbeat members!

warstar — Wed, 29 Oct 2003 10:16:39 GMT

I will be the first. I have no problem posting this name for you guys to see because I have PM'd him several times and sent him e-mail. The last contact I have had with him, he said he fell and broke a couple ribs and wasn't out of the house to get it in the mail. I said that was fine, hope you feel better. He could have has his wife, girlfriend, or kids drop it off. After all, it has been over three months. I am not doing this to drag his name through the mud, but to warn you guys incase you run accross him down the road.

His name here is...........LUDI.

"NO" Low & Mean Discount & Bad customer service

Paranormal — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:08:48 GMT

I just emailed low & mean to order there lower chin fairing & they replied stating they nolonger discounts to Rswarrior members. They told me to contact Phat's to order my parts if i wanted a discount since they are nolonger overstocked on the item. I was a little shocked especially after reading about the great customer service & discounts they offer members, so i went to phats site & the dont have it listed. I even called Phats and they had no idea what i was talking about, i walked them through accessing Low & Means site and they told me they would have to speak to the owner and get back to me. Now why Low & Mean is being shady to rswarrior members im not sure but its a shame cause it such a nice part. Oh well just wanted to make you guys aware!

Went to Dennis Kirks Today

Scoper50 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:53:39 GMT

I'm sure some of you have ordered stuff through Dennis Kirks, but being in Minnesota I have the luxery of going to the brick and morter store. I had the day off of work and it was 88 degrees and sunny so I thought it would be a great day for a long ride. The store is about 52 miles from me. So round trip, it's 104 miles. According to mapquest, this trip should have taken just under two hours. The trip started off good. I jumped on Interstate 35 and headed north. A few miles later I saw signs warning of construction and the left lane was closed. A few miles later, I saw the gridlock traffic. I was pissed. It was horrible. Either 5 mph, or just sitting still for about 2 miles. But I made it through, and I thought it was no big deal. I rode another 7-8 miles at 80 mph, and then ran into more construction. This time it was 10 miles long. Gridlock traffic. Barely moving. It was 92 degrees, I was sweating my balls off, and my hand still hurts from feathering the clutch.

So I finally got to dennis kirks, bought a thottle boss and a cable luber. I thought about stopping to have lunch, but at that point I just wanted to get home. I thought heading back would be better. Again, gridlock traffic for 10 miles. Barely moving. When I finally did get moving after I passed the construction I hit head wind that was almost unbearable. It felt like I was riding into a tornado.

So the trip was sopposed to take just under two hours. It ended up taking just under 4 hours to drive 104 miles. By the end of it, I was beat up and tired. I didn't even have the motavation to install my new throttle boss. Although I love new roads. I hate road construction. I wish I would have known about this before I set out today.

INSIGHT CUSTOMS CHECK THE B.B.B. FIRST.

INJEKTER — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:23:18 GMT

seems "bike kit installer" has had some very unsatisfied customers when INSIGHT CUSTOMS tried to do any actual one-off custom work. weld work was amateurish and required additional time and money to be fixed by another outside outfit.

Patrick Racing

Grouch — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:28:33 GMT

I ordered a BAK from them last Friday. My bike is half apart waiting for it to get here. Already installed the AIS, PC-V, V&H Bigshots, and integrated tail light. I thought it should have been here yesterday, but gave it until today. Needless to say it didn't come today so I called and asked for a tracking number. I gave her my name and order number. She told me she didn't see an order from me but saw my payment. She said it would go out tomorrow meaning I wouldn't have it until next week sometime. I asked her to cancel my order and thought I would just go to Autozone and by the filters myself. She said ok.... Then she called back a few mins later and said she would send her shipping girl to UPS now and overnight it to me at no extra charge. I said that would be great!

Just thought I would share the story. They have great customer service in my opinion.

How long does your MSSS order take?

Scoper50 — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:08:58 GMT

I know a lot of you order your parts though MotorSportsSuperstore.com I placed an order for handlebars two thursdays ago, and still haven't recieved it. I understand that I ordered right before the July 4th holiday, so I assume they were off friday. But I would assume that my order would have been shipped by monday. It's friday and I still haven't recieved it. I've tried e-mailing them and I haven't recieved any response. I guess they do things slow in alabama.

phats performance is great!

snowboarderx8 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:15:11 GMT

Well I got bit by the bug and ordered a pair of bigshots this sunday! I already got them and it is early tuesday morning!!! I did standard free shipping (with insurance $2) and i haven't even gotten the confirmation email yet. I could not be happier and am going to install them as soon as i get back from the city.

the discount still works too.

laterr,

Vinnie

your dealers can't be this bad?

paintshakerdave — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:30:12 GMT

I recently needed a part that was in stock across town but when I arrived they said they had it but it was being held for another customer. A point they failed to mention before I drove out there. Then I found this site...check em out.

http://www.ride-powersports-now.info/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=68

wanting new riding gear

02 warrior — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:59:29 GMT

I just bought a Shark RSX full face helmet and if you don't know that is a $500 helmet and thanks to paintshakerdave he told me about this website

motorcyclecloseouts.com. I got that helmet for $180 brand new. Sounds to good to be true, but not at all its true. Hope you guys enjoy