Basin Motorcycle Works in Mancos, CO

[bornwildnfree]

I would like to say a huge thank you to Basin Motorcycle Works in Mancos, CO. If you guys are in the Southern CO and need work done on your motorcycle, these guys are awesome.

Grim and I had filled up at the gas station across the street from BMW and were headed out of Mancos on our way home from the most awesome trip I've taken all year (Million Dollar HWY is amazing!). I go to start my bike and hear whirrr click click click. Grim push starts the bike and we take off. Half mile down the road, my oil light comes on. I turn around and head back into town to get some oil and notice this shop on the right side of the road with a big sign that says Motorcycle Welcome. It was 8:40AM and they didn't open until 9 but I saw their tech pulling bikes out of the bay and figured it couldn't hurt to ask if I could get some oil. He smiled and said sure, the owner (Harry) is inside and would be glad to help me out.

I go inside and Harry greats me. I told him I needed oil because my light came on. I asked him if I could take 3 quarts outside and I would leave my wallet and then I would pay for what I used. He said sure, got me a funnel and offered to help me if I needed it. I put oil in the bike (less than a quart) and the oil light goes off but still can't start it. The tech, Erik, helps Grim push start the bike again and I go inside to pay. While I'm inside, the bike dies again and we couldn't get it to start at all. I tell Grim to take off because he's got his family to get to.

I go back inside and tell Harry the bike is dead. He puts all the work he has aside and tells Erik to look at it right away. They couldn't get the seat off (they don't deal with a lot of Japanese bikes, mostly older motorcycles and BMWs) so they asked me to come back and help. Once they got the seat off, they ran a bunch of tests and Erik figured out it was not the battery but something in the charging system. They very patiently explained everything they were doing and why which was awesome and I learned a lot.

While Erik was putting my bike back together, Harry called a tow truck he trusted (see other post about Canyon Paint and Body) and also called the closest dealership. They refused to take my bike so he called the one in Durango and worked with the manager there to get me in that day. When I went to pay, they refused saying they really hadn't done anything. The only reason I didn't leave the bike there and had them order parts is because my bike is still under warranty and they were adamant that Kawasaki fix it for me. Harry said that if I wanted to, I could bring the bike back to them to have them check it over after the dealership gets done because he doesn't trust them and wants to make sure I'm taken care of. All of this with out me spending any money in their shop. It made a bad day seem not so bad! Big, HUGE thank you to both of them for helping a Little girl far from home!

[Ghost]

That's how shops were when I was a kid, I wish more were like that now instead of being buried in their own corporate mindset.


Definitely cool of them, maybe write them a snail mail letter saying what you said here so they could post it up in their shop, could toss in a small gift card for Starbucks or w/e if you really felt like it. I had a customer do that to me once and it completely blew me away and made my week.

[Sean]

Very cool! Sounds like some top notch guys.

[CaptGoodvibes]

I met Harry in June. We had stopped next door for sandwiches but saw a couple bikes parked outside his shop. It was a Sunday and he was getting ready for a ride but his buddies hadn't arrived yet so he gave us a tour of the shop. Very cool!