Last year, on 06/20/2012, I purchased a set of Anakee 2 tires for my BMW G650GS at a local dealer. While I enjoy the savings one can find on the Internet, I firmly believe in supporting local businesses, so I try to make as many purchases as possible locally. This particular dealer in question, American Trikes and Motorsports in Keene, NH has always been good to me.
Well, being a dual-sport rider, I tend to save the Anakees for the occasional long-distance trip, and I run TKC80 most of the year instead. After taking one trip cut-short on the Anakees (less than 500 miles), I returned to the dealer and had them switch to TKC80. At that time, I mentioned that the front Anakee has a weird wobble and appears to go up and down at certain speeds. This was mostly an issue at speeds around 40 MPH with the throttle fully closed. I mentioned that I suspected the tire was out of round. Needless to say, with a fresh set of TKCs on the rims, I did not worry about the Anakees much. After all, the dealer said that if the tire was out of round, they would talk to the distributor.
Fast forward to last week. With a long trip planned for mid-July, I returned to the dealer and asked them to remount the Anakees and check the front for being out of round. The dealer mounted and balanced the tire (probably did not check for out of round) and I drove home. When I installed the wheels on the bike and went for a ride, I noticed a wobble. In fact, the wobble was bad enough that when I let go of the handlebars, the front would shake violently. The most aggressive wobble occurs at speeds between 35 and 55mph, but is still noticeable at speeds above 55mph. The wobble is hardly perceptible at speeds lower than 30mph, but the front again feels as if it is rising and falling with each rotation of the tire.
I rode home, again cutting my ride short, took the front wheel off, and brought it back to the dealer. Once again, the dealer check for balance and tire was balanced properly. I mentioned that it was out of round, and reminded the dealer of our conversation when we first took the tires off. He then called Parts Unlimited (his supplier) and was told that Parts Unlimited would not stand behind the product because the warranty period was out. The dealer, to my knowledge, informed them that the tire has less than 500 miles, still has all original mold "nipples" and is not worn at all. Parts Unlimited again declined to replace the tire.
The dealer than told me to contact Parts Unlimited myself, which I did via their website. It has been two business days and I have not received any response from parts Unlimited. I hope that the company will stand behind the product and offer to replace the tire. After all, 90% of the parts and gear I purchase comes from their warehouses.
Measuring the tire, I have found that the tire has a high spot, which is about 10" long and rises 4.6mm above the rest of the tire. The tire is out of warranty by three weeks.
Do you think Parts Unlimited should replace the tire or at least offer a partial credit towards a replacement tire?
About Me
- Henry Martin
- Henry Martin spends his nights writing fiction and poetry, which predominately deals with the often-overlooked aspects of humanity. He is the author of three novels: Escaping Barcelona, Finding Eivissa, and Eluding Reality; a short story collection, Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts; and a poetry collection, The Silence Before Dawn. His most recent published project is a collection of Photostories in five volumes under the KSHM Project umbrella, for which he collaborated with Australian photographer Karl Strand, combining one of a kind images with short stories and vignettes. He is currently working on his next novel narrated in two opposing points of view. He lives with his family in the Northeast.
4 comments:
I would try contacting Anakee. I can't say they would be better to deal with, but I have heard good things.
I would try contacting Anakee. They may stand behind it. I have heard good stories about them stepping up.
Thanks for the tip. I did, and they (the folks at Michelin's Motorcycle division), were very nice, straightforward, and encouraging.
Per their instructions, my dealer will be calling them tomorrow.
In the mean time, Parts Unlimited apparently wants to see the tire (I pay shipping) and wants something like two weeks to inspect it. Hmmm....me thinks the dealer could have done that and the supplier could just take the dealer's word for it, especially an established dealer with a long-term relationship with the supplier.
This, of course, leaves me with no choice other than to purchase a new tire and wait two weeks to see IF they accept it as defective and under warranty.
I don;t mind forking over money for a new tire, but if they decide not to cover it after all this hassle, I will go out of my way and pay extra to avoid buying from their company.
I'm happy to report that the dealer came thru for me, at least for the time being.
The folks at Michelin were good enough to actually call my dealer themselves and talked to the dealer about the tire issue. As far as I know, they left it at the point that a senior Michelin rep was going to contact the dealer to talk about warranty.
The dealer called me back as soon as they hung up with Michelin, and informed me of what transpired. Since my contact at the dealer is not the owner, he said he needed to talk to the owner about what they will do for me in the mean time.
Well, I was driving by the dealership running an unrelated errand, and I stopped by just to say "Thank you!" The owner was there, and after we spoke briefly, he took a new tire and had them mount it for me so i could ride until this issue is resolved. At this time, I was not charged for the tire or mounting/balancing until we hear back from either Michelin or Parts Unlimited.
I just wanted to mention how great it is to have a local dealer who understands what is going on, goes out of his way to resolve the issue, and puts his faith in the system so I can ride next week while the various powers-to-be resolve the warranty issue. All this without making a dime off this transaction (for now), and following thru on a sale that happened last year.
So, a big thumbs up to Michelin for being proactive. And ever bigger thumbs up to American Trikes and Motorsports in Keene, NH. I won't mention names of the people I dealt with, but all of the guys (and gals) always treat me right.
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