[gutierg]

I will start with my very own New Jersey. I have actually purchased my new motorcycle out of state. I can't believe that most of the dealers in our state are basically trying to make a quick buck. I have been dissapointed by at least 5 dealerships in my immediate area. This is why I have gone out of state, perhaps you have had a good experience, both service and sales?

Please let us know.

Regards,
German

[skull2007]

i'm in the same boat as you. in my area they're all stealerships. know how you feel

[gutierg]

When I was having issues with my Dyna, they were incredibly amazing at guessing what was wrong next, not to mention how much they charged!! So then, I decided to start looking for a new bike. Every dealer that I called or visited told me, that I would not see my new V-Rod until the spring. Naturally, they were lying like dogs. My new favorite dealership took only 5 days to locate the bike that I wanted. What the heck is going on?

I think Harley Davidson needs to check on these guys, I know that sales are a bit slow, but they are moving the bikes, and the service departmets in these delaerships are populated by mechanics that don't care about any particular bike. That is not what is going to bring customers back!!

Regards,

German

[mwelych]

The dealership in Charlotte is out to make a buck too. Walked out on them and purchased my bike in Concord, NC. Dude would only come down 200.00 in price when shown the N.A.D.A. value. Said they go by the Kelly Blue Book. Was buying used... So went to Concord, found a bike I, wife too, liked and he came down in price to make the sale. We won out in that one for sure...

[voodoochild]

Well German, you know my take on Williams HD in Lebanon, NJ......They are only interested in your $$$$. They used to say hi to me when I came in there but not anymore, now they don't even look at you. As far as "negotiating" on price..... Forget it, they don't do that, you pay what they say and that's it. They also include a 10K mile warranty, which you pay for, with pre-paid maintenance, except if you want syn oil, then it's more, and you only get 1K mile, 5K mile, and 10K mile service included. You pay for the 2500 mile and 7500 mile service out of pocket, and it AIN'T cheap!!! And they don't tell you that either, when I went to pick up my bike they handed me a bill for $400.00+/- for the service. MAN, was I pissed!! Needless to say, they lost my business and anybody who's ear I can bend. Ok end of rant I could go on all day. (I also told you about all of the bullsh*t I went through when they did the trans work for my 240 kit as well)

[chucktx]

the dealer ship where i got mine was very good when i bought the bike. they came to my terms and price. the only time they have had the bike was for the 500 mile service, and one recall on the ignition switch. both times was very painless. all other work/service i have done my self....06 electraglide with over 32k on the clock........

[chucktx]

oh ya, when i send sombody to them, and a bike is purchased i get a gift card....helps a bit.

[Hot01]

I bought mine new at the dealership in Lebanon, NH. I paid over MSRP, but at the time I bought it, everyone was. Some much more than I did. I was treated very well there, and then I went to work there. I've never worked for such a rotten woman (the 51% owner - and she let everyone know) in my life. She pits all the employees against each other or sets up situations which causes hate and discontent. The 51% owner doesn't give a rat's a$$ about motorcycles and actually despises bikers. It's very obvious. There are a few dealership sugar daddies that she'll suck up to.

Along with being a flat out unpleasant person, she loathes to keep anything in stock, so either there's a long wait, or we end up going to Meredith (Laconia).

On the other hand, her husband is a decent guy. In fact, he's letting me store my bike at the dealership until the shipper picks it up. Service is hit or miss. Good techs don't stay, although the one that just married the owners' daughter is pretty good and likely isn't going anywhere.

I'll let you know how I like Thunder Mountain, where I plan on getting a bunch of work done this winter.

[cowboy]

Stubb's Hd where I bought my bike will deal on bike sales i took my daughter there when she wanted to look & she bought her sporty that day they came to here price , i have got some parts from them but try to go south to Goes HD they give a 10% discount & they have a good stock of parts , there are two more deales in the area i don't even call to see if they have any part I might need

[Texas Road Glide]

my story goes like this,
i have a 1986 tour glide, lots of miles....and out of 5 dealerships, 4 said they would not work on it, cause it was over 10 years old.....wtf!!! went to this one dealership Goes Harley and they said no problem bring the bike in, they had in and out in 2 days, was a little pricey, but the sevice, and very freindy down to earth staff, made me feel better about the bill.
i also bought a used bike from this company, just because of there down to earth no pressure attitude....


TRG\

[chucktx]

does this mean ya got your clutch taken care of???

[gutierg]

[quote=Texas Road Glide;29014]my story goes like this,
i have a 1986 tour glide, lots of miles....and out of 5 dealerships, 4 said they would not work on it, cause it was over 10 years old.....wtf!!! went to this one dealership Goes Harley and they said no problem bring the bike in, they had in and out in 2 days, was a little pricey, but the sevice, and very freindy down to earth staff, made me feel better about the bill.
i also bought a used bike from this company, just because of there down to earth no pressure attitude....


TRG,

I wonder if we should create a poll and then find a way so that our moderator can forward this details to Harley Davidson directly?. I am amazed at the lack of care some of these delaers demonstrate to their customers. I think they should be held accountable, and better yet the Motor Company should conduct quarterly reviews with area managers to make sure that customers are not dissapointed with their local dealers. After all, a good rapport with customers should keep on bringing them back?

Regards,
German

[chucktx]

i think the reason that moco/dealers dont work on older models is due to the lack of parts, and lack of training. ya ever look at the age of tech's in dealers?? most werent born when the majority of machines were made, and the dealer doesnt train for the older machines. you can find indys that will work on them, and for the most part, parts are nearly always aftermarket...

[gutierg]

Originally Posted by chucktx

i think the reason that moco/dealers dont work on older models is due to the lack of parts, and lack of training. ya ever look at the age of tech's in dealers?? most werent born when the majority of machines were made, and the dealer doesnt train for the older machines. you can find indys that will work on them, and for the most part, parts are nearly always aftermarket...

chucktx,

Then Harley Davidson is making a mistake if you ask me. The company was built on what today is considered highly classic motorcycles. Information should be made available and dealers should be able to work on this beauties.
In fact, I know that HD maintains archives which should be made public. I also think that the new generation of up and coming mechanics need to know how to work on these motorcycles, it is only fitting for a company that has so much history!!

Regards,
German

[mwelych]

In a perfect world bro, in a perfect world...

[chucktx]

yup, in a perfect world. from my window, i see the new generation not caring about the past history of most anything. the new companys look at the bottom line, not heratige or nostalgia. if it is not making money out it goes. the new generation wants to put in gas and turn the key and go. they dont want to maintain it in any way. how many young folk ya see working on there ride into the middle of the nite so they can cruise the next day, or take it to the track?? that used to be common practice, not so today. the big companys know this so they cater to these folk cause they will/have to spend money to keep them running. auto dealers wont work on older vehicles either.....same reason. the older parts are mfg by aftermarket also. the "shade tree mechanic" is being fased out by the younger group. they dont want to get there hands dirty, mess up there "gaming" thumb, or work to hard. this is not true of all, but most. there are some that still like to get there hands dirty,but not nearly the amount as before. i feel that the moco is missing a part of the market also, but that is my opinion, not theres

[FriendGregory]

responsibly and age is getting in the way. I have to work too long of hours and then do stuff with the family most of my time off; no surprise that I ride in the rain, cold or what ever just to feel alive. I recently brought my wifes cars to a local repair place telling them exactly what I wanted done and they came back telling me the pulsating brake peddle was caused by the front bearings. They did not do the call requested and insisted that they would need to replace the bearings about tripling the cost of the repair. I thanked him and took the car home and did the work myself, the bearings were perfect. The whole point is, I have the money and wanted to have someone else to do the work, I just had no desire to be ripped off. It was a test, I am now at a place where I can afford to have more work for me done by others but, I will not be cheated.
It is not dealerships, it is that everybody thinks they should have a high margin every time they are inconvenienced by working for you. Pretty much why I plan to do all my own work on my bike as I go along, this is just for fun, no big hurry.
I decided to drain my tank and check the filter, the Mikuni was dirty inside.
1989 FLHS
About people being lazy, I help my friends and co-workers work on their car so long as they will hold the other wrench. It is weird how few of them take me up on it.

[skull2007]

that's a good reminder that the "stealership" mentality goes beyond HD. car lots can be something too

[Slimjim]

I feel fortunate that I have a good dealership. When I bought my Heritage, the salesman would not come off the price at all. I just went into the sales manager's office and told him I know they have to make a profit, but they don't have to make a killing. He finally came off about $1,500 from what the salesman was quoting.
Service is pretty good. The service manager is very approachable and wants to give satisfaction. The techs will come out and talk to you and answer questions but you pay through the nose for anything they do. The service writers are where most of the turnover seems to be. A good service writer can make the difference in getting done what you really wanted to have done.

I think the biggest problem with getting any older vehicle fixed at dealerships is they are in the high volume business. They want you to throw away your old one, buy a new one, let them fix it as fast as possible and charge a fortune to get it done. Many folks are OK with this. We are becoming a throw away society. Who fixes televisions anymore? It breaks....throw it away and buy another. It seems some dealerships, both cars and bikes, have one or two really qualified mechanics and the rest are just parts changers. I recently had a problem with the charging system on my new truck. I knew what was happening but the mechanic at the dealership just couldn't figure it out and wanted to start shotgunning it. I wouldn't let him and again went to the service manager. He put me with his one good mechanic and we got it fixed without replacing a thing. I would think a good indy shop could stay as busy as they wanted by just doing a good job and charging a fair price. Seems pretty simple but it must not be because it's not done that often.

[kenfuzed]

I've experienced both good and bad dealerships. Here in California I think dealers use the state restrictions to their advantage. They know that Cal residence have their hands tied when it comes to buying out of state, so we are pretty much forced to accept local pricing. However some dealers here use shady tactics to compete. I bought my last new model in 2004 and when I talked to Glendale HD they offered to beat the price on other nearby dealers... but then would insist on tacking on extended warranties, HD financing and insurance. Otherwise they wanted 2% over MSRP. If you ask them they'll deny this but its happened to plenty. This is the same place that runs the Love Ride, but IMO they are soaking their customers while acting charitable. Also their parts are hiked up compared to other dealers. I found that some of their parts were priced 5% higher for the identical SKU's.

I ended up going to Laidlaws in Baldwin Park. Really friendly and helpful. Both bikes and parts are at MSRP but they always run sales and give good discounts to repeat customers. They also have a club-style VIP membership program that not only rewards based on purchases, but also on mileage and events attended. Accumulated points get you greater discounts on parts and accessories. I paid MSRP at the time but they more than made up for it in great service and discounts. Even though they are big they make a point to acknowledge every person who walks in and to know their customers. To this day the older salesman who I bought from still says hi and the owners (family run) are always on the floor talking with people. My next (and possibly last) bike will be from Laidlaws.