Got hosed at the shop!

[dmansure]

It's seemingly an impossible thing that happened in such a small town, but it did and it took me a year to figure it all out and fix it.

I bought a 78 xs650 from a great guy doing bikes out of his garage in Santa Fe, NM. Was in "OK" shape, not great. Losing power, topped out at 60mph. Moved just outside Denver, Superior, CO. One guy in town named Rolf, "Rolfs Motorcycle Shop". He said he specialized in old Yamaha's. Read some reviews online. Not great. I took my chances. He did a whole rebuild on the motor. TOTAL rebuild. I never mentioned any electrical problems or concerns other than a bulb here and there in the guages. When I got my bike back, he said, "Oh, BTW, I replaced your voltage regulator with a "refurbished" one. I didnt know you could rebuild or refurbish a voltage regulator other than clean, sand and adjust the points.

The bike purred like a kitten and I had it up to over 90mph...for about 3 days..., then I tried to start it one day and...POW, dead battery. I called up Rolf and of course he blamed it on my BRAND new, "Batteries Plus" Super long life, $90, X2 bike battery. I took the batt to the original store, they tested it and said it was drained but a good batt. Said it was a charging problem...

You can see where this is headed. A year later, back in Santa Fe, I stopped by to say hi to the original bike guy, told him my story and he laughed. He said, "Sounds like Rolfs "good customers" needed an XS voltage regulator so he swapped their bad for your good. Then, out of the blue, this guy digs around in his shop and pulls our a 78 XS650e Voltage Regulator. Said it had been sitting around for 10 years and just handed it to me!!! What luck! I went home, swapped them out and....NUTHIN! tried charging the battery and charger indicated that the neg and pos clamps where on backwards. I checked and they were NOT. Took batt into store, and they said, well, theroetically this can happen. somehow you reversed the polarity on your battery. Wow, OK. I got a new one and was back home. Bike fired right up and the headlights and guages were brighter than I had ever seen them before! Problem solved.

When I took apart the old regulator, the long green coil was actually corroded through, meaning no signal could even get to the battery. Under the bell housing the points and all the solder was so thickly corroded that I couldn't tell it was actually metal. This thing was clearly swapped off of some salvage bike and thrown onto mine. So, Dont go to Rolf's in Louisville, CO!!!!

Anyone have any suggestions of what I should do to some justice? BBB? Angies List? etc...?

 

[gggGary]

Let time pass hard to tell what actually occurred the "swapped regulator with a bad one" is pretty far out there probability wise. It sounds like engine overhaul turned out good. If that work was good, a regulator is a tiny concern in any case. Keep your powder dry, Superior is a small town and you have to live there.

 

[dmansure]

good advice Gary. That's what my wife tells me!

 

[XSJoel]

gggGary always comes through with some really good advice. I have to side with him, if it were a large town I wouldn't. But I would have to give his business a review on yahoo and google.

 

[scabber]

Well you should have taken it back to rolf's when the charging problem first happend he may have fixed for you. He may have been a good mechanic and a bad electrician your bike ran good for 3 days. If he used acid core solder instead of rosin core after a year could have trashed the componets. I had a AGM battery reverse polarity on me Put it on a charger on auto charge next day reversed polarity. I don't know how this happened a charger that was given to me free. I hooked up a tail light bulb drained and recharged lasted two seasons. I don't know Rolf or you. If you but had came here for help you wouldn't be bashing him and had one more year of fun. Disputes are handled best man to man.

 

[dmansure]

Well you should have taken it back to rolf's when the charging problem first happend he may have fixed for you. He may have been a good mechanic and a bad electrician your bike ran good for 3 days. If he used acid core solder instead of rosin core after a year could have trashed the componets. I had a AGM battery reverse polarity on me Put it on a charger on auto charge next day reversed polarity. I don't know how this happened a charger that was given to me free. I hooked up a tail light bulb drained and recharged lasted two seasons. I don't know Rolf or you. If you but had came here for help you wouldn't be bashing him and had one more year of fun. Disputes are handled best man to man.

scabber- That's the point. i DID take it back to him. He told me it was not his fault and refused to even look at it. He told me it was the battery. I took the battery to the battery store where I bought it and they said it was drained, but a good battery. The polarity issue didnt happen until a year later. I was charging it and then riding, charging and then riding...over and over. Rolf is the only guy in town, so it took me a year of research online and with old manuals to try and fix it myself, and I tried to call him, just for advice, not even accusing him and he refused to address the issue. You tell me...what would you have done?

 

[scabber]

Well if that's the case I might have tossed a rock or kicked his ass. The no good Bum By the way welcome to the site . Lots of people to help you. Glad to see you found the Problem, nice bike and wife thanks for posting pictures life is good.