Hamlins in CT - Thumbs Up

[GuzziChris]

Not a Guzzi, but I just had some work and service done on my Triumph at Hamlin Cycles in Bethel Connecticut, they're primarily a Guzzi shop but also lots of Triumph experience. Can't say enough good things about the job they did, with all the work they did I can tell that they addressed even little adjustments that you'd expect would be ignored by many. All work done quickly, as advertised, and the final tally came in UNDER the original estimated amount. 
Great shop, great guys, and highly recommended. It's now the only shop I'll use for major service.
Just thought I'd share, I know great dealers can be tough to find, and we need to keep the good guys in business.
Chris

[gerryp]

Not a Guzzi, but I just had some work and service done on my Triumph at Hamlin Cycles in Bethel Connecticut, they're primarily a Guzzi shop but also lots of Triumph experience. Can't say enough good things about the job they did, with all the work they did I can tell that they addressed even little adjustments that you'd expect would be ignored by many. All work done quickly, as advertised, and the final tally came in UNDER the original estimated amount. 
Great shop, great guys, and highly recommended. It's now the only shop I'll use for major service.
Just thought I'd share, I know great dealers can be tough to find, and we need to keep the good guys in business.
Chris

Chris,

Yes, Hamlin's shop is a great place as are Jim and his staff.

Both KingofFleece and I got our '15 V7 Stones there and had Jim modify/accessorize them to our personal needs.

Not sure what guzzi you have but If you're near by stop in and have Jim, Matt or Adam show you my V7, it's up in the loft for winter storage.

regards,

Gerry

p.s. did you get to see the Aprillia's?

[kingoffleece]

Yep.  You've heard it here before.  Jim, Adam, Matt, and Andy are simply great guys.  Jim's a top notch Triumph tech-it's how Gerry and I, as well as a million others know Jim.  We all had Triumph bikes and even though I had dealership connections here in WNY I'd ride my bike 405 miles to Jim for anything I couldn't do myself.  He knew all the many "little" things and let me assist on my own bike year after year.  It became obvious that almost no other dealership I knew had anybody even in the same ballpark for knowledge as Jim.  As I started to really develop my riding skills (however much I was capable of) Jim started to mod my suspensions and it was a revelation.  He absolutely transformed my Tiger 1050 into a cornering machine able to hang with anything in the hands of a skilled pilot.

When he left the shop he was at in CT and went to Twisted Throttle for a bit, well, we had to go there.  Thankfully, that was a short period as he returned to CT to open his own shop.  Smartly, he refused to become a Triumph dealer as they are, shall we say, unaccommodating to deal with, and those in the NE know that several shops over the past several months have turned in their dealerships as they can't deal at all with them anymore.
Prior the the TT move, the shop in CT where he ran the service dept. was also a long time Guzzi dealer, which helped pave the way for where his shop is today.

My Norge runs really well and my 2015 V7 Stone is absolutely perfect in every way.  Custom Ohlins in the rear, RaceTech up front, perfect STRONG brakes, Agostini pipes and spot on fueling to make the bike just SING.

When I bought Joe's 2001 Jackal, which was in fine shape, I rode it down to Jim and we pulled it half apart and went over it top to bottom.  I plan on riding that bike all over and as it was older I felt much more comfortable knowing that a well trained set of eyes went over the bike.  I had inspected it and after a few phone calls with Adam arranged to have parts delivered to the shop.  Not only did all that go as planned, but twice Adam called and suggested that I consider a few things I may have overlooked due to lack of experience with that bike.  Spot on, he was.

In the 10 years I've known those guys, Jim's become a friend.  I've stayed at his house, he's been here to visit and attend NHL game, and we ride together one time a year along with Gerry and several other customers who have become friends.  As a lot of us in WNY all started to know each other thru Triumph bikes, one by one they all now ride to CT for major service intervals as they come due.

That says it all right there, I'd say.  A person could do a lot worse than Hamlin Cycles.

 

[wheaties]

Home away from home!   

                                       ...did I mention he has a pool table in the waiting area?  Who does that?


Matt

[Roebling3]

Ditto, all of the above!  R3~

[kingoffleece]

Kind of sounds like we're bragging a bit-hope it doesn't come off that was.
On the other hand, as great athletes say, ".... if you can do it, it's not bragging."

[Tony/CT]

Back in the 80's when I was riding a BMW R80, which I still ride, I would bring the bike to the shop, pull up a milk crate and hang out in the shop while the mechanic worked on my bike! It's not like that anymore with BMW, but it is still like that at Hamlin's. A few weeks ago I brought my forks from my Calvin to Jim's shop for a rebuild and sat in the shop area while Jim replaced the parts and seals. It was an education to see how the forks came apart and went back together. I buy all of my tires from Hamlin's because their prices are comparable to the online distributors and I would much rather give my business to a local shop. During riding season, if you stop in on a Saturday around noon, the grill will probably be going and you can enjoy a hot dog, kick tires and tell lies. Hamlin's also puts on a nice Christmas party. We have one Moto Guzzi dealer in CT. and they are getting my business. If you are in the area, you should stop by and check this shop out!