HELP! Motorbike on finance problems!

stoo2k

Hi,

Almost six months ago I bought a brand new zero miles motorbike from an independent dealer not too far from here. For the first couple of months I didn't have any real problems, there was a strange buzzing noise at 5000rpm but I was told that the bike was just breaking in as it was brand new. Okay, it's my first vehicle purchase ever I'll take their word for it.

A little way down the line, I'm riding home from work and the bike stalls on me as I'm slowing down for a junction. I hit the starter and it fires back up, no worries... this happens two more times and I find myself having to hold the throttle open at stop signs or the revs drop and the bike stalls... I gently get her home and make a call to the dealer to explain the cutting out, there's a 3 year parts and labour warranty on her so I figure I don't have anything to worry about and sure enough a week later they come and pick her up. I'm told that they'll contact me.

Two weeks pass with no word so I call the dealer. I speak to a few people around the place before I get a straight answer, one says it's been sorted for a while, another says it's just being finished... no one thought to let me know the progress :mad: anyway, so they tell me they'll drop it off on Friday.

Friday comes and goes and I call them again, they say they'll deliver it to me Tuesday at my place of work, same thing happens, they promise Thursday... eventually it reaches my day off and I decide to get the train and pick it up myself! (A month of not being able to use the bike has now passed) While I'm there I ask them about the rattling, and this time they tell me "they're all like that, it's cuz it's a cheap build bike" (Despite the original salesman assuring me that WKBikes were great learner bikes with a big bike feel! Not entirely convinced 2,500 is exactly 'cheap' either!)

Not feeling in the best of moods I ride off and get home. Two days later it starts sounding like a tractor more than a motorbike and I trace the source of the problem to a fracture in the downpipe that has cracked wide open!

I've spoken to the dealer a further half dozen times about coming to collect the bike and fix it properly, but I'm constantly being given the "We'll call you back about collection" and then been left hanging. At this point I called the finance company to ask them to help out as essentially the bike is their property until it's paid off, but all that's led to is a vicious cycle of me phoning the finance company, them phoning the dealer, the dealer phoning me to tell me they'll call to arrange collection, leaving me hanging, and me phoning the finance people again! Agh!

I've had enough, I've barely ridden the bike in two months now.

And to add insult to injury, when I went to start it up today as I have been doing regularly just while it's sitting unused, it wouldn't start! It's not a battery issue cuz the lights and the dash all switch on.

Where do I stand? I'm totally new to this and I'm rubbish at arguing with salespeople! The bike is a 63 plate, 940 miles from new, I shouldn't have stalling problems, a cracked downpipe, a rattly fuel tank and an engine that won't start at this point! The dealer isn't taking the matter seriously, and I don't know what the finance company can do, but in the meantime I'm paying monthly payments + insurance costs on a bike that I can't ride and I'm not even sure I want any more!

Help!

(I think I've covered everything, but if you need details, let me know!)

ian103

Sounds like a chinese bike, suggest you post on bike chat forum, and then berate the dealer

AdrianC

ian103 wrote: »

Sounds like a chinese bike

http://www.wkbikes.com/
Yup. Well, Taiwanese.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/bikereviews/searchresults/bike-reviews/wk/wk-125r-2011-current/
"it’s a cheap, cheerful and functional alternative to more expensive European or Japanese learner machines. It’s a little basic, quite heavily outmoded and unlikely to last a lifetime,"
0 stars out of 5 for quality & reliability.
"General quality is exactly what you’d expect for a £1699 bike: adequate but far from premium."

Nodding_Donkey

Speak to the finance company, they are as responsible as the stealer for the state of the bike.

I agree though, it's about what you expect with a chinese bike. It doesn't make it right though.

stoo2k

Yeah, have learned at my cost that Chinese (Or Taiwanese) bikes are not worth the hassle! I'll keep chasing it with the finance company...

It's a later model than the one reviewed on MCN there (WK SP125) but the quality definitely isn't up to scratch!

The comments section on that link does yield an interesting point though -

"Good Afternoon peps,
If anyone has any problems with the petrol tanks - carbs - fuel lines on the WK range please could you inform
Martin Ryder from the
Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, DVSA
REF: VSD25395
Phone 0117 954 3486"

So I'll be speaking to that chap about the not starting and the dropping revs as I initially suspected a fueling problem being the cause of that!

Thanks