- Report: #406318
Complaint Review: Ridley Motorcylce Company - Oklahoma City Oklahoma
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Ridley Motorcylce Company
www.ridleymotorcylce.com Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
Phone:
405-5255400
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Ridley Motorcylce Company Horrible Customer Service Oklahoma City Oklahoma
I purchased a new 2007 Ridley in late 2007. I had only had the bike for a short bit and driven it up and down the beach and had no issues. My issues began once I took it on the highway. After cruising at 65-70 MPH for about 30 minutes there was a strange sensation in the engine. I am a new rider and didn't really think much about it since I figured it was just normal after maintaining constant speed for a prolonged period of time. Shortly after I heard an awful sound, but could not figure out what was going on. I glanced down and saw sparks fly up where my kickstand was hitting the highway. I made it to the side of the highway and managed to keep the motorcycle up even though it was very difficult. My husband was in front of me so I slowly made my way up to him and explained what happened. He checked out the kickstand and made sure it was in a locked position and that it would not happen again. We were only a short distance from our destination so I continued on. The next day on our return trip after the exact same amount of time on the highway and at the same speed the whole thing happened again. This time I was not so lucky to keep the bike up. The shoulder was much smaller and there was a BMW that had to be avoided so I didn't fall in the middle of the highway. The bike and I hit the ground going 65 MPH. I suffered some injuries that were not life threatening, but enough to turn my world upside down for quite some time. I have attempted on several occasions to reach out to the owners of Ridley, but they don't return my phone calls. The lady that answered the phone knew my name when I called (lawsuit pending) and told me that I must have had a rusty spring on my kickstand and that is why it came down. Rusty spring?????? I had just bought it brand new off of the dealer showroom floor. What about the strange sensation the bike made both times right before the kickstand dropped? I can't get anyone to explain to me what happened. She assured me that Clay Ridley would call me back to discuss this matter. It has been months. The bike was in storage where it was out of site and out of mind so I dropped the matter temporarily. I now have it in my posession and it is a constant reminder of what happened. I have recently tried contacting the Ridley's and still no response. I have made posts on their forum and they don't seem to appear immediately like they should so I assume that the forum is edited which is why you can't find anything negative on there. I was lucky that I didn't lose my life by going that fast when hitting the ground. I would not recommend purchasing one of these motorcycles, even if it is for the simple fact that the customer service is not there....at least not when it comes to a victim of an accident.
Kellyd
Seminole, Florida
U.S.A.
Kellyd
Seminole, Florida
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Flynrider
Phoeix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
You're suing?
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, December 30, 2008
First of all, a dragging kickstand is no reason to crash (as you learned the first time it happened). It makes a loud scary noise, but shouldn't affect the handling if you keep your cool and keep the bike upright until it has stopped. In 30 yrs. of riding, I've had kickstands dragging for numerous reasons. The primary reason being that I did not raise the kickstand to the fully retracted position when taking off. A subsequent bump on the highway would then cause it to extend. This is most likely the cause, since your husband looked it over the first time it happened and didn't find anything wrong with it. A kickstand is not a rocket. It has one moving part. If your husband was able to retract it and verify that it was firmly in place, that the bolt was not loose, or the spring detached, the chances are very good that there was nothing wrong with it. You point out that you are a new rider. Isn't it more likely that you were not fully retracting the kickstand? It's a common newbie mistake and I see it happen quite often.
