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Post by yamahalover on Mar 15, 2011 17:57:41 GMT -5
OMG, GUESS WHAT UPS FINALLY DELIVERED TO ME????YEP THE PARTS I HAVE BEEN WAITING OVER A MONTH TO RECEIVE. GUESS WHO'S GOING TO BE RIDING THIS WEEKEND~~~~~~ME ME ME ME.
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Post by zorkle on Mar 16, 2011 0:17:27 GMT -5
i just order over 2k this last week and i got all what i orderd and a few extras.. i went for the big bore kit and cam kit with rockers, and stainless steel valves.. i just about got the motor all together... i emailed him at MIKESXS@aol.com... he emailed me every time within 3 days.. the only thing i see is... i just tried to order some other odds and ends.. and there all out of stock... for how long dunno...
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pamcopete
Full Member
'78/E, '81/H, '82 XJ550, '74 CB750, '81 CB750, '73 CB450
Posts: 167
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Post by pamcopete on Mar 16, 2011 6:34:59 GMT -5
grizld1,
Amazing. The man is gone and you jump in here with this diatribe of personal vendetta just because Mike found a way to make money with the XS650 market and you have not. Really pitiful, Dick...
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Post by grizld1 on Mar 16, 2011 10:15:10 GMT -5
There's nothing personal about it on my end. As far as making money goes, that's not my interest in the hobby, and you don't find me slamming Race-Tech, Traxxion Dynamics, JBM Industries, Works Performance, 650 Central, and other suppliers of quality products and services because they're making an honest buck from what they do. As far as getting personal goes, you've taken a very personal jab at me, and I'm not going to reply in kind.
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pamcopete
Full Member
'78/E, '81/H, '82 XJ550, '74 CB750, '81 CB750, '73 CB450
Posts: 167
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Post by pamcopete on Mar 16, 2011 10:31:11 GMT -5
grizld1,
Well, you are a great resource to the XS650 community and your knowledge is unquestioned. I just hate to see you burn your self up with this ongoing, bitter crap about Mike LaLonde.
Mike sourced the parts for the XS650 from all over the world. He personally visited the factories where he ordered parts in the 1,000's for the XS650, an out of production bike that would have disappeared were it not for Mikes efforts. Many of the independent distributors and dealers of XS650 parts in fact buy their parts from Mike, so he was the resource that kept these people in business.
I don't think there is a single person on this forum or any of the other XS650 forums who does not have some of MikesXS parts on their bike.
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Post by Tom Graham on Mar 16, 2011 13:44:33 GMT -5
I really admire Mikes business model but he did continue to sell some parts after he knew they were unfit for service. He gets away with it because it is so easy to shop at mikexs.net. Quite frankly, it is a blemish on anyone's character when they sell something they know won't work and I'm not saying cheap, I'm saying unusable. Why shouldn't we call Mike on the faulty carb holders, air filters with the 'lip', clutch levers that broke when they tightened on the bar, fragile clutch cables, mismachined dual lobed points cam, soft or poorly machined hardware... Did I miss anything?
But then mikesxs has all this great stuff too! More great stuff than bad stuff I might add, so I wish the bad stuff wasn't sold because most everyone thinks what they buy will work fine.
Anyhow I wish both the cheerleading and the attacks would end. If something is good then say so, if something doesn't work that should be said as well. I'm not going to stop shopping at mikesxs.net, it has great XS stuff.
Tom Graham
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pamcopete
Full Member
'78/E, '81/H, '82 XJ550, '74 CB750, '81 CB750, '73 CB450
Posts: 167
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Post by pamcopete on Mar 16, 2011 14:11:17 GMT -5
Tom,
Well, I bought a lot of stuff from Mike as well, including the infamous clutch cables, which worked fine for me. The one part that was really bad, was his new rotors. I bought one and soon discovered that it ate brushes because the slip ring runout was way out there. I returned it to Mike for full credit and he subsequently stopped selling the rotors, even though he had a warehouse full of them. The thing that bugs me about Dick is that he claims to not buy parts from MikesXS and yet he still complains about MikesXS, so he is just repeating the complaints of others with no personal experience.
It's not like Mike personally made the parts. He orders them from factories that build the parts for the motorcycle industry. It's been my experience that he had done the right thing in terms of not selling defective parts WHEN HE RECEIVES A CREDIBLE REPORT OF A PROBLEM. Not a third hand complaint from someone who hates him and doesn't buy his parts.
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Post by grizld1 on Mar 16, 2011 14:12:24 GMT -5
You unload on me with emotionally-charged, personally-directed language, then you claim I'm bitter and burned up? Try your Rant Radio rhetorical tactics on somebody who'll rise to the bait.
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pamcopete
Full Member
'78/E, '81/H, '82 XJ550, '74 CB750, '81 CB750, '73 CB450
Posts: 167
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Post by pamcopete on Mar 16, 2011 14:18:27 GMT -5
grizld1,
Well, I can not top your rant on page one of this thread about Mike LaLonde. You even accuse him of selling pirated knockoff Keihin carbs without any substantiation.
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Post by grizld1 on Mar 16, 2011 15:11:07 GMT -5
Now there's another rant radio tactic--twisting others' assertions into overstatements. I did not assert that those carbs are pirated. I said they are not Japanese Keihins, that similar units are appearing in the marketplace, and that they are either produced under license outside Japan or pirated, I don't know which. Similar stuff is sold for Brit twins by JRC Engineering. Have a look at a Japanese-made PWK some time.
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Post by headcase on Mar 16, 2011 18:01:27 GMT -5
Pete, I think (though I'm not positive) that Griz might have been responding to a question I asked wayyy back on the other page. If that's the case, then what you may take as an attack on Mike might just be him answering my question. If it's not the case, then I shall step back and let you two gents iron it out. Don't make me stop the car, dammit.
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pamcopete
Full Member
'78/E, '81/H, '82 XJ550, '74 CB750, '81 CB750, '73 CB450
Posts: 167
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Post by pamcopete on Mar 16, 2011 21:26:37 GMT -5
headcase,
Well, yes, I think that he was in fact answering your question, but it doesn't take much to get grizld1 going on Mike LaLonde. I don't think I have ever seen or heard anyone as rabid as grizld1 is about Mike LaLonde. You read his post...what do you think?
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Post by headcase on Mar 17, 2011 17:11:03 GMT -5
Pete - Since I'm a relative noob to the XS650 crowd, I wasn't aware of what was behind some of the negative references to the guy. Not just on this thread or by just one person, but in a few other threads too. There are other positive reports as well. I was just trying to find out if there were any serious issues with dealing with his business (as most semi-intelligent shoppers would, with any purchase anywhere). I understand you veterans have more experience in all kinds of areas, which is one reason I love this forum and respect your advice and opinions. I didn't mean to stir up any fecal matter or start any feuds. If Griz had bad experiences with him, then I don't blame him for sharing since, as stated above somewhere, most all of us have a Mike's part or two on our bikes and it's something to be aware of. Same goes with positive reports too of course. It sucks that he got jagged in the past, and we all know it can happen with even the best-run companies out there, big and small. I've had about 4 or 5 shipments from Mike's and absolutely no issues whatsoever so far. I've had plenty of negative experiences with my ex-wife, and I have no problem mf'ing her to anyone who inquires. Then again the next sucker that she latches onto might think he's treated like a king. In that case I'm still red-assed, and he's happy as a clam. Just the way it works, right? Ok, pretty bad example, but I hope it makes a point. One thing I'm sure we can all agree on, is that it's spring, so let's RIDE!
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pamcopete
Full Member
'78/E, '81/H, '82 XJ550, '74 CB750, '81 CB750, '73 CB450
Posts: 167
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Post by pamcopete on Mar 17, 2011 19:02:17 GMT -5
headcase,
Well, I have run my own businesses over the past 30 years and I know that it is impossible to make everybody happy. Every business has it's problems, and MikesXS is no exception, but my attitude is that the problems get sorted out eventually, maybe not to every ones complete satisfaction, but we have to remember that the XS650 after market is not your traditional consumer market, and there has to be more give and take with the people, like Mike LaLonde, that choose to spend their lives and fortune supporting us. Sure Mike made money. What the hell do people think? Like, he's a Monk or something?
What we do see is that the new owners immediately imposed a long delayed 10% price increase. Mike held this back for a long time, because, despite what some say about him, he always wanted to make the XS650 an affordable bike to keep on the road. You want instant money back returns and on demand 800 number customer service? Fine. As long as you are willing to pay for it. That kind of consumer service would mean a 20 to 30% increase in prices.
So, with Mike, you had to take the good with the bad. Instead of looking at a part that only lasted 200 miles, look at the parts that have lasted 10,000 miles and just take an average of your costs to keep the XS650 on the road. It's like the expression: "Some people see the glass as half empty, others see it as half full".
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kopcicle
Full Member
"don't crush that dwarf , hand me the pliers "
Posts: 150
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Post by kopcicle on Mar 18, 2011 5:48:28 GMT -5
ummm ...
...nevermind
~kop
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