Let me now sing the praises of Valley Ducati Service and the blessed SpeedDog (peace be upon him). Hopefully it's OK on this board.
First, a little history. I've been taking my bike there for a few years now. I commute and take long trips and pile on the miles. I am therefore in need of maintenance fairly often and too XXX to do it myself. Anyway, I was in an accident recently. Now that the case has been settled I can talk about it some. Basically, I was rear ended by a drunken fool. I was f'd up for a while but am fine now. Damage to the bike was bad enough to be totaled but not frame bent totaled. So I bought the bike back for cheap.
Does this bike look totaled to you?
(https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4229325935_081dfe71f8_m.jpg)
Hell No. SpeedDog did a phenomenal job getting the bike back on the road despite some hassles with the insurance company. He did some tweaks for free afterwards to get the bike in the sweet spot, and I saved enough money to buy the gixxer you see behind it in the picture! Well, kinda. I replaced my destroyed Arrow exhaust with the stocker I had laying around and DucStew gave me a sweet deal on some used black Marchesini rims (no more cleaning the GD white ones!) But our story doesn't end there, oh no.
Every time he does a valve job, my bike feels like an extension of my body afterwards. (I hope there's no penis joke in there). It's unbelievable. What previously had been a good bike has now turned into a great one. Traffic lanes become unclogged, wherever I ride it stops raining, tire life is extended indefinitely. Well, that's how it feels. Maybe he's the only one doing right, I don't know. But the end result is smooth and sweet.
If you are in the LA area you really need to let Valley Ducati Service work on your Duc.
Thank you SpeedDog my brother, and have a great New Year!
[clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]
Great to hear all that! I feel that folks should chime in more about awesome service work so the word will spread. Typically all you hear are bad stories... I like the good ones better! [clap] Congrats on your accident working out in your favor. That too rarely happens. I hope the drunk SOB got criminally charged and is having to deal with that little "issue" as well! >:(
Quote from: zenjim on December 30, 2009, 04:33:20 PM
Let me now sing the praises of Valley Ducati Service and the blessed SpeedDog (peace be upon him). Hopefully it's OK on this board.
[thumbsup] [thumbsup]
There is nothing like a good shop to take care of your bike. [thumbsup]
Nick Larson (Valley Ducati") has been supposeldy "working" on my new 996 engine for well over six month's.
In January, Nick finally told me it would be ready "next week"
-that was 5 weeks ago.
-he's never called back, or answered his cell phone, and Now (March) his 'shop' number has been disconnected.
-other than Nick stalling for half a year, and me now being out my $2,000 engine, it's a Great place to take your Ducati.-( if you never want to see it again.)
just sayin' what's true-although i expect this post will be deleted....
scott petersen
Quote from: zippo on March 03, 2010, 07:46:35 AM
Nick Larson (Valley Ducati") has been supposeldy "working" on my new 996 engine for well over six month's.
In January, Nick finally told me it would be ready "next week"
-that was 5 weeks ago.
-he's never called back, or answered his cell phone, and Now (March) his 'shop' number has been disconnected.
-other than Nick stalling for half a year, and me now being out my $2,000 engine, it's a Great place to take your Ducati.-( if you never want to see it again.)
just sayin' what's true-although i expect this post will be deleted....
scott petersen
I would have been to the store and made sure that the engine still exists >:(
Yes, I've had your engine for over six months.
Four of those months were waiting for you to provide the parts that you said you wanted to get.
Two months waiting for my cylinder head shop to do the valves, guides, and seats.
I'm sorry you're unhappy.
I'm not thrilled with how this has worked out either.
I've called you back, and answered my cell phone.
Dunno WTF you're talking about on the shop line, it works right now.
There was a stretch of time a couple weeks ago when it was out, we were waiting on ATT to come and fix the line.
@AdamX, yes, the engine is still here.
Sry, not taking sides just said what i would have done. Didnt know anything about the company/person in question!
good to finally hear from you nick- since you've not answered or returned messages to your cell phone since december , including my calls last week and today.
your shop number came up as 'no longer in service" twice this morning.
you've had the parts for assembly since december.
so, are you saying the motor was finally ready the first week of januar, like you said?
or are you saying it's ready today ?
thanks
I was just in the middle of postingsome real whip-ass condemantion, etc, etc when Nick just called, and it sounds like we'll have this job wrapped up within a week--and that'll be just fine with me. -hope to end up with the good prices and good work that we discussed last year...
thanks
i'll have to agree with the original poster here. I had both nick and stu work on my bike when living out in california. both were very courteous/honest/ when it came to estimates and also explaining why their prices were such.
Their work was both spot on and also on time everytime for me.
I wish I had an independent shop that charged their prices around me, just as good as any "official" ducati dealer if not better, but cheaper service bills.
At least this was my experience. Valley ducati, go there and become "one of the regulars". Trust me you and your wallet will like their work.
The thing that creeps me out about Valley Ducati are all the Ricky Martin and Backstreet Boys posters on the walls. [cheeky]
Seriously though, I do look forward to finally making it out that way. I am a bit over due for some service.
@zippo - great work on threadjacking, very classy...
poptarts for all my homies
(http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blog/idol/uploaded_images/Pop-Tart-Upright-744538.jpg)
Thanks, zenjim, for passing around good karma. +1 :)
Quote from: Goat_Herder on March 03, 2010, 01:23:21 PM
Thanks, zenjim, for passing around good karma. +1 :)
Somebody needs to point out the beauty in every moment.
Or a dude that can really hook you up with a masterful bike tune.
Quote from: EvilSteve on March 03, 2010, 10:29:46 AM
@zippo - great work on threadjacking, very classy...
I don't think it's a threadjack. If we're saying it's x and his empirical evidence says y, air it out. The truth will set you free.
There was a whole bunch of really positive stuff Nick has done for me over the years that I didn't post because I was afraid he'd get mad thinking everybody would want that level of service. And I don't mean that in a Ricky-Martin-and-Backstreet-Boys-posters-on-the-walls kind of way. [laugh]
OK, one quick story. Not really an example of what I'm talking about, but funny.
I dropped off my bike and went with my band to rehearse in the facility across the street from Valley Ducati Service. Figured I'd pick the bike up in a day or two. I forget what I dropped off the bike for. I think new tires or maybe to install a new set of forks I got from DucStew. The important thing is I told Nick where I was going, but not what room I was in, there's lots of them in there. Anyway. we're jamming away and all of a sudden I see Nick at the door. We stop playing and he walks in. Nick says, hey your front pads are looking pretty rough you want me to change them out? We discuss, and he leaves. My guitar player looks over at me with his jaw on the floor and says, "Now that's service!"
i had posted earlier that after trading a few shots, Nick had agreed to get the Job done this week and then deliver the engine. ( 200 miles roundtrip)
So, i should follow-up and say that he's done just that. -and while i won't be taking it apart again just to check anybody's work, Nick' a smart guy who knows what he's doing, and so everything looks to be right and at this point i'm satisfied with the overall deal. -hope he is as well.
thanks
Quote from: zippo on March 06, 2010, 09:37:18 AM
i had posted earlier that after trading a few shots, Nick had agreed to get the Job done this week and then deliver the engine. ( 200 miles roundtrip)
So, i should follow-up and say that he's done just that. -and while i won't be taking it apart again just to check anybody's work...
You took an engine apart to see if it had been assembled properly?
no, that would be a gross misunderstanding of my post, and common sense.
i have a number of sportscars and sportbikes going back some 20-30 years, any work i send out to others has never been for mere 'assembly', and that's not what anyone would be checking.
thanks
Judging from your posts I would be willing to bet you were the problem in this relationship as no one else has anything but kind words for Nick and his shop.
[popcorn]
Engine delivered and business transaction has been concluded.
Quote from: 1KDS on March 06, 2010, 10:49:20 AM
Judging from your posts I would be willing to bet you were the problem in this relationship as no one else has anything but kind words for Nick and his shop.
Judgment on the internet. This can only go downhill from here...
Quote from: Duck-Stew on March 06, 2010, 12:14:30 PM
Judgment on the internet. This can only go downhill from here...
ya think?
toss's in a box of poptarts.
lights fuse
pow....... instant happy funtime smiles fill the thread
Quote from: zenjim on December 30, 2009, 04:33:20 PM
What previously had been a good bike has now turned into a great one. Traffic lanes become unclogged, wherever I ride it stops raining, tire life is extended indefinitely.
Soooo wanna take a trip out to GA and make it stop being cold or bless me with thy magical moto-powers for a day?
Quote from: Novelo on March 06, 2010, 03:29:43 PM
Soooo wanna take a trip out to GA and make it stop being cold or bless me with thy magical moto-powers for a day?
It's a state of mind amigo.
I'm a leaf in the wind...
Quote from: Novelo on March 06, 2010, 03:29:43 PM
Soooo wanna take a trip out to GA and make it stop being cold or bless me with thy magical moto-powers for a day?
I can do this.
Do you have money?