Carl’s Cycle Sales

Here are the facts.
Last Fall I took my front Goldwing wheel in to Carl’s to fix a slow leak on a tire they had previously installed. I told them I have a TPMS inside on the rim and to be careful when they take the tire off. They broke the TPMS.
Carl’s did replace the TPMS.
Recently I took my Goldwing into Carl’s for the last in a series of Honda brake recalls. I was getting close to needing a tire change so I told them to put a new set of tires on while they had the bike.
Picked up the bike and rode it home. It rode kind of different on the way home so I thought I would look it over when I got home. Got home and the new rear tire was 90% flat which means I rode all or part of the way on a deflated tire. Filled it up in my garage, looked like it was holding and rode back to Carl’s and dropped it off.
Next day Carl’s called and said it was fixed. When I was there to pick it up I told them to write on the work order that they had released the bike with low air pressure in the rear tire. They wouldn’t do that so I told them I wanted a new tire. The shop manager argued that the tire did not need to be replaced but he would check it.
I called Bridgestone the tire manufacturer. They said the tire definitely needed to be replaced.
Carl’s called back and said they would replace the tire.
When I got the bike home and was wiping off all the hand prints from the shop I noticed the left front brake cover was damaged. It looked like some chemical maybe brake fluid had gotten on the piece and wrinkled it. I sent a picture of the damage to the service writer. He said it was like that when I brought it in. I reminded him that I had him walk around the bike to look for damage when I first dropped it off.
Carl’s did order a new replacement brake cover. I told them I would put it on myself.
When I was replacing the left brake cover with the new piece I noticed one of the rear mounting bolts freely spun when I turned to loosen it. After I got the other three mounting bolts out I saw that one of the mounting tabs on the rear front fender was broken off but still on the end of the bolt. It was obvious this was a fresh very clean break.
I called the service writer again, sent him a picture. The next day I went in to show him the broken off mounting tab. Again he said it was like that before or I had done it. I told him it wasn’t like that when I brought it in and I didn’t break it.
The service manager said Carl’s would not replace the fender. He said he could check on getting me a discount on the front rear fender if I wanted to order one. I guess when they break parts it’s ok if they give you a discount to replace it.
I used JB Weld to put the mounting tab back on. I’m not sure it will hold but will try it. Might still need to order a fender which I will probably get from Motosport @ a 20% discount.
Jeez, what happened to just paying to get work done right? I do give Carl’s credit for replacing some of the parts but there was a lot of frustration and extra effort to get it done. And I have to still deal with the front fender if the JB doesn’t hold.

Hands down the best Polaris dealership I have ever been to. Their customer service is unremarkable and their knowledge on snowmobiles is unmatched in the industry.

I have been a customer of Carls for over 10years and drive 500 miles ONE WAY to have them build my snowmobiles. I have raced professionally and been in over 10 sled movies. There is not another dealer in the country that I would trust to build my sled. Truly the best in the industry. They are also great with KTM and RZRs: you will not find a better dealer. Jack Struthers is truly the best in the industry; period!

This place is a giant shiny toy store for grown-​ups, or at least those that appear to be grownups on the outside and are able to afford giant shiny toys by going to grownup jobs. The sales staff was knowledgeable and informative and even tolerated me while I sat on things and made «vroom vroom» noisesI they have a little bit of everything from dirt bikes to side-by-side’s to crotch rockets, they even have some wicked new thing called a slingshot that looks like a Street legal transformer race car…
Same goes for the parts department which was well stocked, well staffed and well able to answer questions about fit, performance, etc. Their prices were reasonable and they had most things available without having to special order, at least for what I needed in terms of accessories.
I did have a pretty bumpy first experience with the service department at this dealership. At the end of the day, wrapping up the experience however, I am happy to report that the level of oversight and customer service provided by the General Manager, Jack Struthers has been exemplary. throughout the experience, he has been available to me via phone, email, and in person while at the dealership.
Having ridden dirt bikes for more years than I would like to admit, I know that The an unscheduled departure from «Plan A» is anything but unusual and that we all crash or tip over. The important part is how you act after you have an «off». When confronted with problems that needed attention in the service department, Jack and his service manager located and addressed the problems, then got back up and focused their eyes on the trail ahead. As a result, I would have no hesitation returning to the dealership or recommending Carl’s Cycles to anyone local or passing through that needed help, or even something new and shiny to replace what they rode in on.

I knocked them a star as I too have experienced the arrogant attitude mentioned by others reviewers.
Having said that, although they aren’t the cheapest in town, they have come through for me on more than one occasion. They almost always have what I need in stock, including some things most smaller shops don’t carry. They’re pretty much the only dealer game in town other than Yamaha, so I guess they could have worse attitudes and still get away with it, so I continue to give them my business.

We were on the last leg of a motorcycle trip back to Washington State and I needed to replace my front tire. The guys at Carl’s Cycle were able to get me in the day I called and replace my tire in less than 2 hours. I was really impressed by their service and we were able to stay on schedule and get back home on time.

I’m an out of town person from northern Idaho and was down visiting family in the Boise area this last weekend. On my ride down ID-​55, I noticed that I was getting some surging in the lower gears so I immediately went in to the first dealership that Google spit out and it was Carl’s.
Not only did they walk me through the worn parts of my chain and how that occurs (I’m the second owner of this bike and it obviously got rode a lot harder than I ride it, because the chain should still be good to go) but they made a tech immediately available (in spite of the many machines they had in the shop and the people waiting for them) and did and adjust/​lube job on the spot. They adjusted it so well to the tightest spot that I hardly notice the issue now, and I should be good to go until I can make the time to get the chain and sprockets replaced. Also, the emergency adjustment and their time cost me next to nothing (less than $ 20).
I was so impressed with the service, knowledge and willingness to drop everything to make my bike safe to ride and get me home over 300 miles away that I will probably just have them do the chain job next time I’m in town. When you have a dealership close to home and you’re willing to bike 300 miles to have a routine repair completed, that says something about the shop. I can’t comment on the negative experiences listed here, but I highly recommend this place. Everyone from the cashiers to technicians were friendly and knew what they were doing. I wish I could say the same about my home dealership.

I cannot comment on the sales team, but regarding parts I don’t think I’ve experienced a more rude group of people. They are much more interested in talking to each other than helping a customer. They also make you feel like an idiot when you ask questions about what part you need. Also, when asking questions about parts, the response from the parts team at Carl’s Cycles is frequently «I dunno» without any further comment or follow-​up such as «let me find out about that.» Finally, they are significantly overpriced.
I strongly… strongly recommend that if there is any other option you go elsewhere, or use the Internet, for your parts needs.

I’ve taken my bikes here for years and have had great experiences with the staff and repairs. They are very knowledgeable and treat you well. If you are in the market for a Honda, this is the place!

Well I went in today to buy two new dual sport tires. They told me over the phone they would price match and also do the install for free so I was thrilled I’d be getting a good deal and I wouldn’t have to fuss with doing the tires myself.
I get there and the salesman in parts was very friendly, although I was told on the phone they could price match the tires when I got there he couldn’t do a 100% match. The difference was only $ 10 and being I would have to wait for shipping from the other company I decided to go ahead and do it especially with the «free» installation.
Well. the parts salesman sends me over to service to schedule the tire mounting, I already had my rims in my truck and was ready to hand everything over on the spot. As the service tech is taking my info he keeps looking at the fee chart for labor and is punching buttons on the calculator. Puzzled I asked. «I was told that installation was free if I bought the tires here?» He says… «only for dirt tires not street.» I explain that these tires are going on a dirt bike that is street legal, they are the most aggressive DOT approved tires sold. We go back and fourth for a minute then seeing it will get no where I go back to the sales rep who sold me the tires. He comes over to service and he starts to argue with the service people, mind you I the customer am standing right here watching this whole charade.
The parts salesman was very apologetic and told me unfortunately I would have to pay to have them installed. They did give me a very slight discount because I bought the tires from them but it was around 10%, the installation was over half the cost of just one of the tires. Mind you I can do the install myself but I wanted to get out and ride today and so I just told them to please complete the work. The entire time I stayed cool and collected, I never got agitated or showed I was irritated only slightly annoyed.
At this point I would of been fine with just paying for it and calling it a day but when I went to pick up my rims and new tires he hands me an invoice with an astronomical price… I look it over and they bumped the tires costs up to full retail and charged for full installation + parts they said I needed to have replaced. At this point I was very upset feeling ripped off and wishing I would of just ordered my tires or bought from another dealer in the area. I told the rep about the price match and he stated «let me see what I can do» but he was not re-​assuring and I was very worried now that the new tires were mounted I was backed into a corner. Thankfully the parts salesman had my back and immediately told them to discount the tires to the amount we previously agreed on.
I felt inclined to write this review because I wanted to warn others of the bait and switch approach used, I don’t blame the parts rep for telling me the tire would be mounted free but I do feel that if the customer is told one thing they need to honor it. I also felt like the left hand didn’t know what the right was doing and there needs to be better communication betwean departments. I might go back again to buy parts but I will certainly never deal with their service department again. I read the Google reviews before posting my Unilocal review and a lot of people mentioned how arrogant the staff is. Most of the parts guys were very nice and friendly, the service rep that helped me I would say fell into the latter category but what do you expect when dealing with dealerships, this is typically the standard in this business.
Just make sure to check your invoices before and after the work is completed and if you have concerns get it in writing before you let them perform any work. I would of only offered up mere one star for Carl Cycle’s based on this experience but I had to give two because the parts salesman and one of the floor salesman I talked to where actually very nice guys.