help with new bike (ride, motor, road, Honda)

[Cersei]

I've officially left the ranks of the bike-less

Can anyone suggest a reputable mechanic here near saint petersburg Florida?

I could do Hillsborough as well though Pinellas would be easier as I'm new here so without knowing anyone, i can't really get a ride to/from the dealer. . In Pinellas i could get back on the bus, not really possible from Hillsborough.

I know there are several dealerships around including barneys which is quite close. With that said, in the past i haven't had the best experiences with dealership mechanics. I'm not sure if all the good mechanics have their own shops or if the dealership guys cut corners.

as far as the work, I'm looking at having. ..

Oil & filter change. ..i can probably do this myself.

two new tires installed

chain maintenance

Fork oil change

I cant tell for sure but the bike looks like it may have been lowered. .. So I may need some sort of lowering link and/or fork lowering kit removed. ..

Also need a strange whirring node diagnosed, it's not high pitched, but it's fairly regular and noticeable at lower rpms.

Alternatively if one of you in the area that's super mechanically savvy could do the work then I'd be willing to pay a fair price.

any suggestions would be appreciated.

[pch1013]

Have you tried asking this question on your bike's model-specific forum? Just about every bike has one. Chances are you'll find other riders of the same model in your area, who can help steer you in the right direction.

[Cersei]

Hi - I've looked but haven't found any forums for this particular bike. It's a limited production, rather "oprhaned" bike - a CRF230M. The only CRF stuff I've seen is entirely about the offroad - F models.

As I don't know anyone hear I'm worried about getting ripped off or having shoddy work done at a dealership.

[motordavid]

"orphaned"...I like that, and it is kind of an orphan. Honda made it for US for a yearish.

One forum I found via a quick search, but my guess is that it's thinly traded, as Big Red didn't sell many here, esp the street version:

Honda CRF230M discussion group

I rec'd posting that you need a good Honda m/c oriented Indie in the Tampa forum here on CD; it is highly read and someone is bound to point you toward a decent Indie.
//www.city-data.com/forum/tampa-bay/

A Net search for M'cycle Idies Tampa should get you a few listings, too.
GL, mD

[Brian_M]

Hit up Thumpertalk and ADVrider as well, more generalized motorcycle forums but both have HUGE user bases and the knowledge base tends to be pretty high.

[Cersei]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I've posted now on advrider and the local section of this site for Tampa Bay.

[Last1Out]

Congrats on the new ride!