In praise of Pro V Twins

**David998** · 29 Jun 08, 10:15 AM

If any of you are within striking distance of Godstone in Surrey and you haven't tried them yet? - may I extend my appreciation of the friendly, enthusiastic and extremely competent (+++) services of Pro Twins. Very enthusiastic approach by all I spoke to there (about four of the staff - sorry, but I can't remember their names) and every one of them was eager to shed the light of their experience and knowledge (and trust me, there's a lot of knowledge and experience there!).

I took my 998 in for a small service to check her out, as you do when you aquire a new second user bike, and I was greeted immediately by everyone who knew their Ducatis and knew the importance of the advice they were giving. Let me give you an example - as he did his initial check over as I handed my bike to him, I explained that I needed to slip the clutch a bit as she juddered a lot in lower gears at low revs - "how many teeth on your front sprocket?" came the reply - I didn't know as I'd only just got the bike - they advised me that I almost definately needed a reduction to a 14 tooth sprocket - and guess what? she behaves like a different bike now! - minor adjustment to suspension setup (which was apparently done professionally before I bought the bike - so it felt pretty well set-up to me - and she now feels even more planted and manageable.

Pro Twins even went as far as putting on rubber seat bungs because they noticed my single seat conversion wasn't propperly secured - oh, and a little shaving of the carbon to properly fit around my Termi full system...!

They didn't have any Pirelli Diablo Corsa III's in stock, but they recommended Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's as an option (the man who gave me the advice swore by them on the track days he does and that they are good for 3.5 to 4K road miles).

The service was impeccable and I would strongly recommend using Pro Twins if you are thinking of any professional work on your bike. I will certainly take my 998 back there for future services...

**butchersdog190** · 29 Jun 08, 10:18 AM

Seconded here all very nice people to deal with.

**Keninsussex** · 29 Jun 08, 10:21 AM

Me too - damn fine service and if you're lucky Pete will make you a coffee too!

**955SP** · 29 Jun 08, 10:35 AM

Rob, the Aussie chap there is a hero, top guy and generous with advice, as are Pete and the other chaps down stairs in the workshop.

As for up stairs or the billing department my suggestions to anyone thinking of using them is to get as much info down in an estimate as you can, unless you are stinking rich and like BIG suprises when the bill comes.

I once asked them to valet my 748 for me after they did some work for me because I was selling it.... perhaps I should have got a quote as the wash was about £140 + VAT if I remember correctly.

Another time, I bought some Mag Yokes there which I was told were £895 all in when I ordered them, but were actually £895 + VAT when they came.

As for my 955 well after constantly asking for paperwork in 3 different emails and several conversations, I got my reciept for my £2k deposit for the bike about 3 months after I placed it by phone on a card.
I never got any information confirming the works agreed with Brett, to be done in the price of the bike...... and surprise surprise apparently half the work now isnt!
So while I am a huge fan of the chaps in the work shop and the skill.... do get your paperwork straight.

Personally I am a huge fan of MOTORAPIDO and since buying 2 bikes there and preping my DD bike there I cant fault the service. I had constant updates on cost, pictures of worn parts, explanations etc etc. I would HAPPILY drive the extra hour to take my bike there over PROTWINS just because I know where I stand which to me is MOST important.

**pgm11** · 29 Jun 08, 12:00 PM

funny how first timers are allways praising them and regulers aventually get shafted.
i got fed up with being told one price only to have work done and it costing a lot more and i could go on about a lot of other stuff but i wont bore you.

**JerryXt** · 29 Jun 08, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keninsussex

...if you're lucky Pete will make you a coffee too!

I've always ended up making the tea

**mad48** · 29 Jun 08, 08:05 PM

Far tooooo far up their own arse I'm afraid, its all a front imho and experience! I was one of those who thought they were the beez kneez after my first visit but when I returned with genuine bike problems, after handing over £1500 a few days earlier on a full service, I was treated like **** and a nobody, in stark contrast to how I was treated before giving them the dosh, which was like I was suddenly their new best friend. Havn't been back since and would not go near them again if my Duc depended on it! Horses for courses and like everything its down to whether you have a good experience or a bad one so glad you had a good experience

**955SP** · 29 Jun 08, 09:26 PM

I agree with pgm11 & Mad48, the sad thing about Pro Twins is they are good sellers and I am not surprised David998 that you left fixing and paying for stuff that you didnt think know was wrong, or you bought tyres they had in stock but which you didnt originally want.

Dont get me wrong, you may have had perfect service. Think we all did first time.

**David998** · 29 Jun 08, 09:34 PM

It's interesting to ehar your views. Thanks, I will keep them all in mind when I reach my next service time.

In anyone's opinion, what are the main ducati dealers like? has anyone found a dealer that is happy to give you a loan bike to get home on?

**JerryXt** · 29 Jun 08, 10:16 PM

I'm happy with ProTwins. Like any company, they're in business to sell things and do. They have great contacts and can source rare parts or have special parts made to original or their own specification. Their 888 Corse and your 955 are testaments to that.

Their advice has always been good. I agree that they have their issues, but seriously, show me a dealer that doesn't. But hey, if they're not for you...

**955SP** · 29 Jun 08, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryXt

I'm happy with ProTwins. Like any company, they're in business to sell things and do. They have great contacts and can source rare parts or have special parts made to original or their own specification. Their 888 Corse and your 955 are testaments to that.

Their advice has always been good. I agree that they have their issues, but seriously, show me a dealer that doesn't. But hey, if they're not for you...

Regarding the 955sp, I actually found it. I was on the way to South Africa with my wife and saw the lauch of the 1098 and which re-sparked my interest in the bikes. When in SA I told my wife about this 955 I had on my wall and trying to show her a picture I googled P955 COP which is the registration. Believe it or not I found a current advert for the bike for sale which said "including a private reg P955...". I thought it was fate. I called the chap arranged to see the bike on my return, though when I saw it I was shocked that it wasnt very clean all round. I offered less and he said no. Months later I called him and he said he sold it to PROTWINS for the price I offered???? ARRGGHH!

JerryXT, I really like the chaps downstairs, lots of skill and help. But there are people there who dont keep to their word, pressure sell and are not straight when it comes to money and I HATE that. That is an issue im not prepared to deal with.

**safetyfish** · 30 Jun 08, 03:52 AM

The mechanics have helped me out with technical queries over the phone for no charge. Great bunch of guys I must say. When there was talk of me buying a scrapped bike to use as a doner I was treated like a long lost friend. When certain people realised that I am not an over cashed expat worker willing to spend obscene amounts of money on his hobby, lets just say I have not had a single call returned and emails all of a sudden took 7 days to be answered instead of 36 hours at the most.

They know what they talk about, they know their product and they can get the job done professionally. If you are on a budget though, you may get a cold shoulder treatment but in the end it is all good.
If it is a very serious or technical problem, I will use them again - but as has been said, get everything in writing to avoid surprises.

SF

**NedLudd** · 30 Jun 08, 08:58 AM

From the archives, people:

ProVtwins (Godstone)

Pro Twins service report - Forgive the rant!

- and the big one...

Pro Twins (Godstone, Surrey)

**JerryXt** · 30 Jun 08, 10:36 AM

Guys, I do know what you're alluding to. I try to treat all the guys with the respect they deserve and learn from their considerable experience. Like most of us, they can busy and can't drop everything to deal with a problem immediately. If they don't always present that in a user-friendly manner, fair enough, that's a valid criticism.

My advice is to pick your moment, get the guys when they're not stupidly busy and then pick their brains; think through what you want the end result to be - turn in quicker, better feedback, more power, whatever. Then examine the options with them and ask them to get ideas of cost before committing to a course of action. It's not rocket science.

I have been surprised by the bills sometimes, but that's because what I've asked them to do adds up quickly, not because they've done work that isn't required. I've been pleasantly surprised more often than shocked

They have parts made to their own specification, which are the same price as competitors, or much less. I've got some stunning flip-up levers on the monster that they had made. Fitted, they cost less than pazzos and look a lot better. Harris cost twice as much. The only serious issue I've had was after a service, when Pete put two cable ties on the bill. FFS!!

I take this view: if you want to get the best price for something all the time, by all means shop around; go to whoever is offering the best price at the time you want it. There's nothing wrong with that. If you want (or need) to learn about the bike and do something special, build a relationship with an organisation, you need to understand what you want from them and measure them against that. I have and PvT works well for me. I know if I need something, I can talk to the guys and get good advice. That's important to me.

955, I wasn't saying they found your bike for you, but I was commenting more on the parts on it and the work the have done. Reading your posts, all the people working on it gave you sound advice. Clearly I have no idea what it cost, but I can imagine it was a lot. An awful lot. But it's a stunning bike, one of the best on here and is a credit to you.

Anyway, people make their own decisions!

**JerryXt** · 30 Jun 08, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NedLudd

From the archives, people:
- and the big one...

Pro Twins (Godstone, Surrey)

certainly IS from the archives - that's two and a half years old!