Nelson’s in Brooklyn: Best Shop Around
This is just a little rave for Nelson’s of Brooklyn. The name is the only thing conceivably wrong with the shop: Nelson’s Hawg House. Oh well.
The whole story is that my brother was having trouble with his ’02 Sportster. He’s been to Nelson’s before and always had good service. This time, the bike would stall randomly. It only happened 4 times, but it was enough to make us cancel a trip. The first time it was during idle. The second time was at 90mph along a perfectly level patch of freeway on a bright August day. The third time was in 70-degree weather doing about 30 in stop-and-go Brooklyn traffic. The 4th time was 10 minutes later after crossing the Verrazano, somewhere in Staten Island (NEVER GO TO STATEN ISLAND).
So he brought it in.
All armchair mechanics probably want to say it was dirt in the fuel lines or gunk in the carb. I told him to run through a tank with b-12, which kicks the ever-loving shit out of any crud that builds up in your system (unless it gets a chance to really take hold [years of neglect, seen it m'self]). He was hoping it was the module.
Long story short, it was actually an electrical problem. Who knew? The bike never had trouble starting, the lights/horn/blinkers all worked fine, and yet that’s what it was.
But none of this matters for the story.
I called them up, as this was happening the week before my brother’s birthday, and I told them to send me the bill. They told me they laughed so hard at everything we did, and that the problem was so trivial and fixed so easily, they didn’t ask for one red cent.
If there’s any better recommendation than that for being a stand-up shop, you tell me and I will eat raw shit.
So that’s Nelson’s at 140 12th Street, Brooklyn NY. Call them at (718) 788-5558 if you are anywhere in NYC, north/central NJ, or long island. They will treat you right.
Meanwhile, in Road King Classic land, I’m a few hundred late for my 5k service. But I’m on it …I must confess I have something else eating my time now that the weather’s bad, so if anything I’m planning rides for next season.
Nice write up, but a tad distant for me
From London to New York it is approx. 2983 Miles (5580 Kilometers)
bleiglass
November 11, 2010 at 2:37 pm
See if they want to open a shop in North Carolina. We could use a place like that.
Jim
December 6, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Dear Mr. MacDuff,
I myself am a returning rider after 13 years of absence due to nerves after a very nasty highside during an a.m.a. drgracing event back in 1999. I’m starting to read through your blog and your flhr has pretty much sold me on the bike itself. I haven’t QUITE made it through everything as of yet, but there’s two things that I’d like to speak with you about.
a)The difference between pegs and boards for the rider. All the bikes that I’ve previously owned have been peg equipped. I haven’t yet had an opportunity to ride a floorboard equipped cycle and have only had the chance to try them out while the bike is stationary. Your thoughts on this matter would be extremely appreciated please, no matter how biased.
b) My spouse is wanting to spend some time riding with me on pillion and I’m curious if you’ve had someone ride two up, I’d like to know their thoughts on was it was like to ride on the king’s second seat please. As we are all aware, if she ain’t happy, you ain’t gonna be happy. She’s roughly five feet four (162cm) and we both weigh in at around 180-200 pounds. To the best of my current knowledge, we’re not planning anything beyond 700 miles travel round trip. So any thoughts or opinions would be beneficial.
I love what you’ve done with your road king, she really is an amazing bike. Sadly, I don’t have the finances to afford an outright new king but I’m looking at a used one as the maximum amount I can save up is around tenk u.s.d. If possible, I’d like to open up email communication with you directly please. Without your website, the king wouldn’t have been on my radar as a potential choice. Thank you for the site and the photos, they really show what can be done with the bike itself. Best wishes, Matthew.
Matthew Lee
February 7, 2011 at 1:13 am
Matthew,
Let me just first extend my congratulations on getting back in the saddle after having gone through such an affair. That’s got to feel like a huge accomplishment and it speaks to your love and dedication like nothing else can.
I’m happy the ol’ blog (stale as it might be now that 2011 is here…) has convinced you to go the way of the big FL’s … let’s see if we can sort out your comments.
First – pegs vs boards. Pegs are on more bikes because pegs are cheaper. Less metal, labor, and design. Once you go floorboards, you can’t go back. Pegs only have it over boards in the fact that on long rides, you can adjust the angle at which your ankle holds your foot. But on any bike big enough to sport some boards, you can get highway pegs mounted on your frame or on engine guards, so really, why not have the best of both worlds? For standard mounts for highway pegs, you’re looking at just $40 or so (plus the pegs themselves, which could be $20-$200 depending on your style). That’s what I did and it’s truly and absolutely the BEST. Boards offer, generally, much more support and much more relief on your knees. If you know you have bad knees, don’t even bother with pegs – just make sure your boards sit at the right angle for you. Likewise if you have ankle trouble, pegs might be better. But you know what I say- why not both!?
Second – Too right, too right. 700 miles is a very respectable trip, and might be a bit much if you do it all in one day IF you have the stock seat. 2up it’s not bad, it’s miles ahead of the stock seat on a soft tail or (god forbid) a sportster. That said, I’m married, and my wife looked forward so much to having an upgraded seat that she offered to pay for part of it. I got the road zeppelin, the biggest and cushion-y-est seat there is right now, and it’s a true joy. ESPECIALLY for the passenger. Thing is, it’s very pricey. And again, she doesn’t even ride with me that often. I wish I would have spent the cash on a sissybar and a regular upgraded-comfort seat. Air bladders are a bit much, I say. But my rambling aside, it’s money WELL spent to upgrade the seat. The stock seat is not terrible; you could keep it while you ride about and make friends and ask your wife to sit 2up on this bike or that until you find one that really works. Another strategy would be to get a cheap insert, like dr scholl’s but for your seat, one of those gel pads or sheepskin mini-rugs that you’d put on the seat to beef up the comfort on long rides. Just an idea. Good luck, it’s a tricky search to find “the best” but any upgrade in time will be worthwhile.
Thanks for your well-wishes, and I’m sure you can find a late 90′s or early 00′s (wtf is the name for “early 00′s” ?) for under or about 10k. Be sure to check the resource i linked in my article over on the sidebar, I believe it’s clarity.net – bring a checklist and you will make out OK. Good luck!!!
MacDuff
February 7, 2011 at 10:36 am