i will never go to kahuna again | GTAMotorcycle.com

i will never go to kahuna again

F

freedomfighter

Well-known member
i have had 3 dealins with kahuna and all have been bad
1st i was rebuilding an r6 tranny and clutch and it was nothing but an nightmare. wrong parts ordered, cant find the parts that i need. at the end of the day i had to call yamaha canada to get what i needed.
2nd in june of 2010 i was in the maket for a new arai helmet. so i'm walking around looking at there stock and find one that i like 850.00 give or take.it was missing a side pod so i figured i could get a deal because of the missing parts. she said she would knock of 50.00 ...so ok i look inside the lid to see the snell sticker....snell 2000.
i tell her the helmet is 10 years old. "no its not it's brand new" yes i say it's a brand new 10 year old helmet.. i tell her the helmet is not worth more then a 100.00$
she tell me i dont know what i'm talking about. so i leave.
3rd. i call at 9am to see if they have exhaust gaskets for an 2010 zx6r. the guy said i will have to call you back...1 1/2 hour goes by. so i call back. a differant guy said yep we have them come on down. so i drive from brampton to the shop. i get there they come to the counter with only 1 exhaust gasket and say there computer shows they have 5 in stock and must be a computer error.. bs there machanics must have used them for a job and did not take them out of stock....regardless i said thanks for wasting my f-ing time and walked out.


i would sell my kawasaki before i ever walk into kahuna again.
 
I think they've just grown too big, too fast and haven't been able to find a way to handle the additional volume and complexities in parts and service. They're main focus now seems to be bike sales and gear. The potential for screw-ups in those areas is not nearly what it is in parts/service and yeah; it aint cheap there either.
 
Green Meenie said:
I think they've just grown too big, too fast and haven't been able to find a way to handle the additional volume and complexities in parts and service. They're main focus now seems to be bike sales and gear. The potential for screw-ups in those areas is not nearly what it is in parts/service and yeah; it aint cheap there either.
Click to expand...

Not really, I was sold a bike that was already sold a few hours before and not put into the system. Took a week to get it sorted out and when I finally picked up the bike the track was destroyed. "No problem we will put a new one on at the first service". First service comes no tank. Took almost a year of phone calls and bs before I got it. They called in the middle of winter and asked me to bring my bike down to swap tanks. In the end I took the tank off and brought it down to them. The whole experience with them has really turned me off going there.
 
That's unfortunate. I met a girl working there who was getting into Vet School and she was very friendly and helpful and even got us a discount for my poor student friend.
 
the machanics at kahuna are paid flat rate. they get 1/3 of the of the shop rate at 28$ a hour. you would think that you should get your money's worth, but they don't get paid until the work is released and to customer has paid for the repairs, if the bike sits for a year the machanic doesn't get paid, flat rate insights shoddy work. beware of stealerships.
 
I will never go to Kahuna either, my friend works there and I just give him the money after work and he brings home the parts for me...

As for actual customer service at Kahuna I find it pretty good these days, not any worse then any other dealership. When I call for parts, I make them go and actually check stock before I drive 30min to them for it....Its just common sense when you've been buying OEM parts for 11 years like I have. Stock showing on the computer system but missing from the bin is normal, it happens everywhere from a dealership to a department store....

I spend about $5000-10,000 in parts with Kahuna every year, and I just bought a 2012 KX450F from them in March. They are pretty good in my books since they moved to the new location, and have changed the staff a little...

My only complaint is now that its spring time, the parts department is very busy, and its hard to get them on the phone at times...However that is expected, its spring and they are busy...
 
i'm going to have to agree with the over priced thread reply.

i went in to inquire about buying a new pair of riding boots. I liked the tcx xsquare boots, they're comfy and light, i knew kahuna has them so i went in to check, this was before checking online, anyways, i purchased the boots for 169.99 not thinking i can get them from the internet cheaper...ya i could.

lots of site were selling them at 99.99 with free shipping, plus these boots were over a year old in production. I called kahuna back and told them i found them cheaper at a reputable online store and was wondering if I could do a price match because i do enjoy dealing with Anthony at the parts counter (at this point I was speaking to syd) ... well syd said no they won't price match and said i could return them, i had to ask why they would not price match and keep me as a returning customer, his answer was we don't price match (i understand buying something online is iffy) but he just said....no price matching period. Anyways, i returned them and got full money back, then ordered a pair off of the site i checked out for 99 shipped with no duty or brokerage....I'd say, win for me :)

On a more positive note, Anthony at the parts counter is a pleasure to deal with, i needed a bunch of stuff for my bike just before the spring, he ordered everything for me, gave me advice on tail lights and had everything instock in less than a week! good job Anthony !
 
Green Meenie said:
I think they've just grown too big, too fast and haven't been able to find a way to handle the additional volume and complexities in parts and service. They're main focus now seems to be bike sales and gear.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this as well.
 
Last edited:
I got my alpinestars jacket from them a few weeks ago. Competitive pricing and they ordered in my size.
Nothing but positive here!


oh well, win some - lose some
 
Christina has helped me out as well. Got a good deal on a Hindle exhaust.
 
You can have good or bad experiences whereever you go - luck of the draw but; I perfer to deal with smaller shops as I'm not a regular customer of any shop and I have found fewer screw-ups at smaller shops just because they are not as busy dealing with a higher volume of customers as larger establishments. Regular customers at larger shops have less likelihood of having screw-ups just because they're regulars. It's human nature to treat people you know with more care than those you don't know; especially in business. It's not a conscious thing; it just happens that way.
 
Green Meenie said:
You can have good or bad experiences whereever you go - luck of the draw but; I perfer to deal with smaller shops as I'm not a regular customer of any shop and I have found fewer screw-ups at smaller shops just because they are not as busy dealing with a higher volume of customers as larger establishments. Regular customers at larger shops have less likelihood of having screw-ups just because they're regulars. It's human nature to treat people you know with more care than those you don't know; especially in business. It's not a conscious thing; it just happens that way.
Click to expand...

What smaller shops do you know that are a Kawasaki or Yamaha dealer? When you want OEM parts there isn't much choice
 
JohnnyP636 said:
I will never go to Kahuna either, my friend works there and I just give him the money after work and he brings home the parts for me...

As for actual customer service at Kahuna I find it pretty good these days, not any worse then any other dealership. When I call for parts, I make them go and actually check stock before I drive 30min to them for it....Its just common sense when you've been buying OEM parts for 11 years like I have. Stock showing on the computer system but missing from the bin is normal, it happens everywhere from a dealership to a department store....

I spend about $5000-10,000 in parts with Kahuna every year, and I just bought a 2012 KX450F from them in March. They are pretty good in my books since they moved to the new location, and have changed the staff a little...

My only complaint is now that its spring time, the parts department is very busy, and its hard to get them on the phone at times...However that is expected, its spring and they are busy...
Click to expand...

Funny thing about that change in staff; a couple of people who I liked to deal with are gone, while one person whose mere presence almost cost them the sale of my bike is still there.
 
JohnnyP636 said:
What smaller shops do you know that are a Kawasaki or Yamaha dealer? When you want OEM parts there isn't much choice
Click to expand...

There are none I know of. I meant that I will go there (Kahuna) to buy parts but when I need service I can't do myself, I'll go to a smaller shop or private individuals I know and trust to do a good job. Just don't trust the bigger shops for service.
 
Green Meenie said:
There are none I know of. I meant that I will go there (Kahuna) to buy parts but when I need service I can't do myself, I'll go to a smaller shop or private individuals I know and trust to do a good job. Just don't trust the bigger shops for service.
Click to expand...

The head mechanic that works at Kahuna, use to work at a smaller local shop...Funny thing is all the mechanics have worked somewhere else smaller, its the same people all over the industry...They move from one shop to the other small or large....
 
JohnnyP636 said:
The head mechanic that works at Kahuna, use to work at a smaller local shop...Funny thing is all the mechanics have worked somewhere else smaller, its the same people all over the industry...They move from one shop to the other small or large....
Click to expand...

Who's the head mechanic? I know Smeg from Cycle World West and Craig is/used to be a racer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom