Thought this might be an interesting story for some to read, and a warning for others, especially those desperate for a decent motorcycle controller on the PC.
I like cars, but I love motorcycles. For a long time, I've been looking for a motorcycle controller that comes anywhere near the quality available in most sim racing steering wheels. There aren't many options.Thrustmaster used to make one but it's impossible to find. There's a licenced Ducati controller floating around somewhere, but it too is impossible to find. I purchased the Yamaha licensed controller (you can see it at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Gemini-Yamaha-Motorsport-Controller-All/dp/B0001K63Z0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396378887&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha motorcycle controller ), but it worked like crap.
Then, I discovered the Double Dragon CC by a company called IASystems, which wasn't so much a company as it was one guy selling custom bike controllers. ( I won't mention his name, as I'm not sure if that is appropriate on a public forum. PM me if you want a name). I watched the demo video on YouTube:
and thought, "that's exactly what I'm looking for". I got in touch with the guy and we agreed that he'd build me a custom controller for $500. I paid through PayPal, figuring if the guy screwed me over (which I thought was possible, given that he seemed to have no real track record), I could at least have a shot at getting my money back. Is it wise to give up such a large chunk of money, knowing you may never see it again? Absolutely not. But I wanted a bike controller, and there were literally no other options.
I placed the order in July of 2013, and was told to expect delivery in about two weeks. A month later, I got nothing. Two months later, still nothing. Three months later, still nothing. He answered my emails and my phone calls, told me there were problems getting parts, and eventually sent me pics of what the controller would look like, but the actual controller never came.
During my last phone conversation with him, he told me he was on a Greyhound bus on a cross-country trip, trying to track down his business partner who had apparently disappeared. That was that. My money was refunded to me about ten days later, not by him, but by someone who was wondering where the hell he was.
Moral of the story: if you're looking for a good motorcycle controller, you're stuck. There aren't any. If you've stumbled across IASystems and the Double Dragon CC, proceed with caution. You may not lose any money (I didn't, although I think I got lucky), but you'll probably never get what you ordered, either.
I like cars, but I love motorcycles. For a long time, I've been looking for a motorcycle controller that comes anywhere near the quality available in most sim racing steering wheels. There aren't many options.Thrustmaster used to make one but it's impossible to find. There's a licenced Ducati controller floating around somewhere, but it too is impossible to find. I purchased the Yamaha licensed controller (you can see it at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Gemini-Yamaha-Motorsport-Controller-All/dp/B0001K63Z0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396378887&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha motorcycle controller ), but it worked like crap.
Then, I discovered the Double Dragon CC by a company called IASystems, which wasn't so much a company as it was one guy selling custom bike controllers. ( I won't mention his name, as I'm not sure if that is appropriate on a public forum. PM me if you want a name). I watched the demo video on YouTube:
I placed the order in July of 2013, and was told to expect delivery in about two weeks. A month later, I got nothing. Two months later, still nothing. Three months later, still nothing. He answered my emails and my phone calls, told me there were problems getting parts, and eventually sent me pics of what the controller would look like, but the actual controller never came.
During my last phone conversation with him, he told me he was on a Greyhound bus on a cross-country trip, trying to track down his business partner who had apparently disappeared. That was that. My money was refunded to me about ten days later, not by him, but by someone who was wondering where the hell he was.
Moral of the story: if you're looking for a good motorcycle controller, you're stuck. There aren't any. If you've stumbled across IASystems and the Double Dragon CC, proceed with caution. You may not lose any money (I didn't, although I think I got lucky), but you'll probably never get what you ordered, either.
