I've come to expect such comments at Harley dealers, but also realize they're usually not said as a snide remark but rather a humorous quip to open the dialog. Occasionally there's one who's tone makes me question it, but I just chalk it up to a lack of tact on their part.

What really chaps my @$$ though is when I run across something like I did this past weekend up at Ohio Bike Week. The Port Clinton Chamber of Commerce was putting on a bike show on Saturday to draw some of the OBW crowd to their downtown area shops and restaurants. We just happened to stop in there Saturday morning on our way back from the CMP store at Camp Perry, and after checking out the shops we walked over to get the details on the bike show.

To make a long story short, it was a "Harley Only" show. Now I could see the Harley only stipulation if the show was being put on or primarily sponsored by a Harley dealership, but this was the city chamber of commerce putting on the show. I guess the money of Goldwing owners, metric cruiser owners and sportbike owners isn't needed in Port Clinton.

The funniest part though was when we went to leave. We waited around until there were a few dozen bikes lined up for the show (all near new Harleys with nothing more than bolt-on chrome), then rode down main street and stopped to talk right in front of the registration table. The gal I had spoken to earlier came running out drooling over our bikes and asked if we were there to enter them in the show, and I just turned to her and said "Well I would, but it seems Port Clinton is prejudice against non-Harleys" and we took off. The look on her face was priceless!

I had a good laugh with this one.

Here's the story. My buddy pete (AKA lucky pierre) always wanted a HD and he goes out and buys him a new fat bob. All smiles from peetie We do a bunch of riding togeather and things start comming apart. motor mount bolts,sheared exh studs etc. But peetie ain't mad (yet) because he does push it pretty hard.

Back to the dealer. They fix em up and on the road again we go The end of the season rolls around and he makes an appointment and brings it in for a oil change. Well, about 4 hrs later it still ain't done and his complexion has a red tint to it. The service guy gives him a bunch of crap about how these things take time to do right and that he can have the bike after they wash it and dry it.

Mt St. helens was nothing compared to peetie He paid the tab, got the keys and rode off unwashed.
Could it be they wanted him to spend his time in the showroom

More riding and back to the dealer with more parts falling off He also brought a new rear tire to have put on, but he was informed that they only install the brands that they stock and would not mount his tire. More redness
So, being the man he is, he has his wife call the Yami dealer down the street and they said shure we'll do it.

Just give us a few minutes to get the people in the showroom away from the windows, and cut the engine and roll it around back quickly into the shop They fixed him up and treated him right.

He paid cash for the HD and all they did was piss him off with arogance. There were other instances with the same crap.

I do believe the HD and the dealer will be history shortly.


COOT

My bike cost a clean $10,000 less than his. This bothers me to the point that HD and Victory are pretty much out of my future bike world. I have no problem with either, I would love to have the Victory Cross Country and Victory's have very few problems..very reliable.

RoadieFF wrote:
They went to a hydraulic system of tensioners in 2007 to fix that problem. Gotta give HD credit, they figure out a problem area and then make changes. I seriously doubt they purposely made a part as important as that out of a material that would eventually fail.

Back to our regularly scheduled weekly HD bashing.

Maybe not purposely but they are nylon being pressed against a steel chain that is moving very fast. HD recommends checking them after 20K. We replaced my friends after 33k and one of them was metal on metal. I think they knew. My main point was for $10k more, as a consumer, I would have expected them to have the gear drive system.
The newer hydraulic tensioners are still nylon (although supposedly better material) and will still wear out. They are just not spring tension.

On another note, if it's fact it's not bashing!! I'm getting a bit tired that every time a member voices hjs opinion of HD and it's not glowing, it's bashing. I've been on this site a long time and find 99% of it's members respect all bikes. Yes they voice there opinion and I find most are knowledgeable. It's very rare I read just an all out bash on any other bike.

Well, with the way the metric bikes keep inching up in price year after year it won't be long until they're right up there with the Harley's and Victory's.

A new Stratoliner Deluxe will set you back $17,490 and it's essentially Yamaha's answer to the Harley Street Glide which is only $1,500 more. A Royal Star Venture starts at $18,190, a new Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager starts at $17,299, both of which are comparable to the Electra Glide Classic which starts at $18,999.

The Victory's aren't much more than the metric's either when you compare bikes of similar size and features.

That said, you won't ever find me riding any of them off the dealers floor as I just can't see spending that much on a motorcycle....not a bone stock one at least. Much easier on my wallet to buy a used one that's 5-7 years old with extremely low miles for about 1/2 the cost of a new one...the same I did with my R*.

I'd have no problem owning a Harley if the right deal came along at the right time.

went to a hd dealer ship once! was not thinking clearly and i had to have a brand new dyna super glide! talked to the sales man told him i wanted to to trade my yami in and told him what i owed for her we haggled i got the super glides price to 1500 less than what the had it stickered and had the yami paid off all as part off the deal. everything was good all the salesman had to do was take my paper work to the finance lady she was gonna call it in an it was done it would hv been 20 minutes tops but this little sweet thing walks in off the street and the salesman started flirting with her and held my paper work i sat there for about forty minutes then i said f this and went to the service department to get my yami back! i had already been there for about an hour an a half and by this point because they thought the deal was done they washed dried and began checking out my yami! i got a free bike wash outta the deal and they still call me wanting me to pick a bike. a call to the owner of the dealer ship (the guy who owns the building not the harley name) and the salesman was in deep poo and i could of got any bike ther at cost but i was mad an did not want an hd after that

one thing i recommed is to stay away from the hot dogs and water they give you it seems that there is something in them.

Don't take it personally. They (H/D dealers) treat everyone the same way.

I agree with MrFurious. Asian bikes are getting very pricey new. But a couple years old and fantastic bargains can easily be found. I paid $10,700 for mine new in 05'. Don't think you can touch them for close to that now. Besides, I go test riding all the time just to see if something else yanks my crank enough to get me off my R*. Sometimes I think I found one until I get on mine to ride home and tell my wife and just fall in live with the R* all over. She laughs at me now when I test ride. She doesn't worry at all because she knows I'll just get on the Star and be quite satisfied. Of course, I don't feel like starting from point zero to fix up another bike either to make it personally mine.

Really..... I just like waking up at 5:30 in the morning in the summer, taking my meds. making some coffee and going out to the shed and listening to NPR radio while having coffee and smokes.....looking at my Roadstar, thinking what I might get next for it, daydreaming. I'll ride with just about anyone, as long as they are safe, My choice is Yamaha, but if the next door neighbor would get off his bum and get his Sporty going, I'd go there and smoke and coffee up. Guys......life is like 'summer vacation' it's gone all too quickly, enjoy the setting your in, enjoy the people around you, the world has need of clowns and jerks just as much as saints and scientists.It's not about the toys, it's about who dies with having the best storries.........