Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey guys,
I rode down to Kelens on the weekend and asked about a recommendation for a set of tyres (and fitting) and a service.
The response I got was very short and to the point, it was something along the lines of "Service? 'll be a coupla weeks before we can fit you in for service, we're a mechanic down, and ah, tyres you said, ah, yeah, whatev's on the shelf, don've a recommendation and that'll be a coupla weeks too"...
Obviously I wasn't really happy with their response (not that I want them to drop everything and help me but this was kinda poor customer service), so I've turned to you all...

Could you please advise me of a good place to get the bike serviced ASAP either a) out west (Penrith or Mountains area) on the weekend, or b) near North Sydney during the week.
Additionally, maybe while you're writing the response (for those of you with similar bikes), you could recommend a set of tyres for the bike?
Most of the tyre info and recommendations that I could find here are for 6ers!

Finally, have any of you had such poor service from Kelens?
Are they just going through a bad stage because the mechanics had an accident, or is this indicative of their typical attitude?

Cheers!

I have been going to Kelens for a few years & have always found the service to be good
Admittedly I don’t get a lot done when I go there ( I do everything but the valve clearances )
But they try to fit me in ASAP if needed. I have even had the track bike picked up & dropped off.

Lloyd Penn at Artarmon, one of the best mechanics on the North shore. as for tyre choice I would use what he recommends.

Bridgestone BT45s!!!!

and i'll second lloyd penn

I always take my bike to Kelens and have never had a problem, but I always leave it there for about a week. I used to use Mick Dwyer in Coreen ave. He would fit you in quicker than Kelens would and his prices are very competitive.
I am dissapointed with your treatment at Kelens though.

I went into Kelens once and once only, two words 'Grumpy' and 'Barstard'. Spent $50 on something that I couldn't be assed to fetch from somewhere else and left never to return.
Could not believe his arrogance and 'wankerish' attitude.

Might have been me though

Or it could just be Penrith not being North West Sydney

Bought my bike from Kelen's and have had all of the major servicing done by them. Prices seem reasonable and no problems.

I've used Kelens for years and never had a bad response or a bad thing to say about their service or prices. I Bought my 01 ZZR1100 from them in 2003.

6 months ago I was served by Ben and he was just OK but hadn't seen him before so and I assumed he was just learning. I was there a couple of weeks back and noticed another new guy at the counter who looked out of place, maybe you got him and he's not up to speed on customer service yet.

They are always busy for servicing and you need to book in advance.......I'd give em a second chance as their your local ..........

If not, a mate of mine swears by Mick Dyer (ph 4721 1729 at unit 8/121 Coreen Ave) and won't go anywhere else.. (but he rides a suzuki).........

Never have got tyres off Kelen's though as they don't do my favoured Bridgestone. They specialise in Dunlop and Michelin or Pirelli from memory.

Can't help you with which tyres are best...... but If it helps I use Chivas at Granville......... probably cause i'm old and set in my ways.. I just keep going back....

Thanks guys for all the suggestions and info.

smithy5 wrote:6 months ago I was served by Ben and he was just OK but hadn't seen him before so and I assumed he was just learning. I was there a couple of weeks back and noticed another new guy at the counter who looked out of place, maybe you got him and he's not up to speed on customer service yet.

I might, as Smithy suggests, go back and see if I can find someone else to talk to as they are my local. Could've just been a bad day
Oh, and if I need a mechanic near work, it looks like Lloyd Penn, thanks for that Rob and Six Addict!

Six Addict wrote:Bridgestone BT45s!!!!

Six Addict, BT-45's might be a goer, I was looking at them before you suggested them, so thanks for helping me make up my mind on them.

Cheers!

damn, i have no problems with kelens, who did you talk to, they always get me in aslong as i let them know what day im coming down. i have to go in on friday to get the trye swapped over on the twin disc wheel, they just said drop it off and they will gewt it done.

after hearing this i feel abit weird making this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=24507

after hearing this i feel abit weird making this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=24507[/quote]

Do'nt feel weird...... You gotta call it as you see it.............

Hi there,

I know Kelens personally and have had my bikes serviced by them for 20 years. I know they have had a few staff changes recently, but that is no excuse for poor service. They are died in the wool Kawasaki people with 2 green eyes and I would give them another go, they would normally go out of their way to assist where possible and they are one of only a few family Kawasaki dealerships left.

Next time you are there mention your treatment to Len or Christine, they deserve to know.

I can't comment as to the good/bad value for going there as i've never gone there myself, but i have to agree 100% with the choice of BT-45's as they are a great tyre for those small tyres. I can nearly say the same thing about Dunlop GT501's (i have used them before and have them on the gsx).

Just a quick update:
I couldn't wait the "couple of weeks" that it would have taken to get a new set of tires on the bike so I went down to Westerns and got a new set of Dunlop GT301's put on for $290 while I waited (luckily they had them on the shelf -- the ride was starting to get a bit hairy).

The mechanic there was really nice and friendly and showed me that I needed new cush-drive rubbers (explains why I can't get things as smooth as I should) and new brake pads (really hadn't thought to check them in a while ) -- I thought the wearing on the discs was grit in between the pads (not surprising, considering the roads I travel), but in fact they were just getting quite low (~1mm front and back) .

After the tires were fitted I shot around to Kelens to get a quote on the rubbers and pads. $102 later (forgot to say I was with KSRC until I was on the way out the door ) and I walked out with new brake pads. The rubbers will have to wait for the next paycheck (at $72, they're a lot more than I was planning on paying).

Took the bike home, pulled it apart and with the help of the friendly mechanic (father-in-law) didn't realise quite how easy it is to replace pads. Got them out, and the new ones in with no worries, went around the block gently to get used to the new pads and all is well...

Was an expensive day, but hopefully she'll be right for a little while.
Thanks for all the comments and feedback regarding Kelens and the mechanics!

kelens are nice and trustworthy people but are often run off their feet. I trust em mechanically but some of their parts can be $$. and they have no clue about alternative brands or aftermarket stuff in my experience (for eg, they couldnt tell me who def made a pipe for the 08 10 when i went end of last year other than the one they had on it) but you can trust em not to screw up which is more than i can say for most places. when i had the GPX the only tire they wanted to sell me was the dunlop arrowmax and so that was the only tire i ever ended up using.