Tomislav Marincic

Review of Franks Motorcycle Sales and Se...

In 35 years of street riding, and 30 years of BMW ...

In 35 years of street riding, and 30 years of BMW motorcycle ownership, I have never had the misfortune of encountering such an awful dealership.

I first went to Frank's about ten years ago. I had a vacation home in Vermont, so I would need occasional service away from my usual dealer in Maryland, Bob's. The owner at Frank's, Lester, runs his shop on the philosophy that he needs to squeeze every dollar out of each warm body that walks in the door. I once went in for a tire change, and he detected water in my gas tank (it was pouring rain outside) so he spent another $150 removing it, without my permission. The bike rode in just fine, and it would have ridden home just as well.

Today, I went in for a Vermont State Inspection, since I live here full-time now. The front and rear touring tires on my R1200RT have 6800 miles on them, and the treads are NOT down to the TWI's, but Lester refused to give me a sticker unless I bought a front tire from him. I asked him to give me a "fail" sticker then, so I would be legal for 15 days, and he refused to do that as well. He admits that the tire is not down to the TWI, but says it's "not enough tread for us." This is just plain extortion.

The irony is, if he had treated me decently for once, I would have bought a tire from him, had all my service done there, purchased accessories, and bought another bike, which I am in the market for. Now I will do all those things at MAX BMW in Troy, NY.

My advice to those people moving to Vermont: either accept the long drive south for parts and service, or buy a Honda. Vermont's sole BMW motorcycle franchise is utterly unacceptable.