Dealerships or boutiques?

[Bodeen]

I don't understand the whining. H-D, in spite of what many would like, is a corporation with bottom line responsibility to their shareholders, much like the aforementioned Macy's or Sack's. In that capacity the MoCo and dealers are going to make decisions that will maximize profitability.

My view is that I am well aware of that and for that reason, I order all my parts from an online discount dealer. Dealers are what they are, operate the way they need to and, as a consumer, I understand and interact with the local dealers under that understanding.

I will say that on the rare occasion that I find myself in a bind for part that I forgot to order and need to procure the part locally, I call ahead to the four dealers in my area and always find the part at one of those four dealers.

Come on guys, comparing the Harley dealer "experience" of today with that of yester year is a waste of time. I dare say that there is no experience from the '50s or '60s that is the same today, so roll with it; life is too short to fret over things beyond one's control.:coffee

I agree with this too. I quit wasting my time at the local dealer long ago. They never have anything so whats the point. I will never be able to buy a new bike so my need for a dealer is minimal at best (oil filters).

Shipped to the door at a 20% discount.

 

[Dan.1977P]

dolt,
I agree with you in part but were we part company is I equate Harley and their parts department the same as a auto dealership. When I buy a new car and need parts I should be able to go to said dealership and get what I need.

I also like the option to order parts online if I choose to do so but I shouldn't have to rely on the internet to do so. I think what others might be trying to convey is it's sad the merchandise area of the dealership is bigger then the actual parts/shop. In my mind it's not very comforting to know that I can't get a throttle cable (not in stock) but Hey ya need a T-shirt. JMHO.

I've had the same issue with needing to order 90% of the parts I wanted at VW, Toyota and Dodge dealerships and have either had to call to get the part ordered if I wanted OE or just get something off the internet if I wanted aftermarket. The only real difference I see is that even 'car people' don't spend all their extra cash on apparel that says Chevy on it but it seems to be the norm for Harley people to wear Harley apparel when riding and when off the bike. Heaven forbid you see someone riding a softail wearing a full leather racing suit!

 

[motor]

What is sad is that most dealers don't care what else your choices are .I asked my local dealer if they could give me any kind of discount to even get near the online pricing, and they wouldn't . I'd pay a little more to support a local dealer ...if they cared.

 

[Joyflyin]

I understand the aspect of stocking what sells, however, there are often times when a relatively common part might go out on a person and they want to get back on the road ASAP. I just hate to hear the 'I can order that for you', and then in the same breathe, the person wants to gripe about people not coming into the stores because they just order parts on the internet. It isn't just Harley, unfortunately its everywhere. There should be some stock items in the stores other than oil filters. :s JMO. But, there are still a few good dealers out there too, I've been very fortunate in my area, but I can understand the OP's frustrations.

That is the angle I see with the problem, you can get a new wardrobe, but you can't get back on the road.

 

[Jeff Klarich]

Not all dealerships are created equal, I have 2 Harley dealerships about the same distance from my house. Dealer #1 is smaller has less inventory and the shop is smaller BUT the crew that works there are friendly, helpful and seem to care about the work done and customer satisfaction. Dealer #2 is much bigger and I believe the largest in the state. I had to use them because the smaller one does not have a dyno and finding a shop with a dyno is hard to find in my area. My experience at the larger dealership was quite disappointing, not friendly, felt like they were doing me a favor by taking my money, rude, and I had to take my bike back 3 times for the same issue and the customer rep. made me aware of how much time they had into my bike.

The difference between the 2 dealerships is management styles and how the manager expects his employees to interact with the paying customer.

The funny thing and maybe not so funny is both dealerships are owned by the same family.:small3d002:

 

[dolt]

dolt,
I agree with you in part but were we part company is I equate Harley and their parts department the same as a auto dealership. When I buy a new car and need parts I should be able to go to said dealership and get what I need.

I also like the option to order parts online if I choose to do so but I shouldn't have to rely on the internet to do so. I think what others might be trying to convey is it's sad the merchandise area of the dealership is bigger then the actual parts/shop. In my mind it's not very comforting to know that I can't get a throttle cable (not in stock) but Hey ya need a T-shirt. JMHO.

Have you tried to go to an auto dealership and buy parts lately? Good luck!:bigsmiley21: That's why there are Auto Zones, Advanced Auto Parts, NAPA, O'Reilly, etc. I have an '03 Expedition and there are parts that one can only purchase from a dealer and I have needed such parts on more than one occasion and the largest Ford dealership in San Antonio had to order the parts.

While I understand that you "shouldn't have to rely on the internet", unfortunately, that is the real world I made reference to in my previous post. The dealer cater to the customers demands and, like it or not, today's customers are more interested in chrome thingies, t-shirts and the like. They don't work on their bikes and, therefore, don't need parts; the real world again.

 

[HDDon]

Dolt I think you have nailed it!

 

[Jack Klarich]

Like auto parts, it is too bad riding a 10 year old or older bike is getting harder to fin parts, thank God for the after market

 

[fin_676]

My nearest dealer is an 8 hour round trip and I would have to go into a big city so I have never been there
I get my parts online however last time I ordered was in july I needed some parts I expected would have been in the parts bin at any dealer
Front pulley nut, lock plate for pulley nut , and the bolts that secure it, inner primary bearing , inner primary bolts and tab washers
I checked online many times for the status of the order which never changed so ordered aftermarket parts which came in a few days
Harley order arrived in October
Seems that aftermarket and keeping a spare bike ready is the way to go

Brian

 

[The4opps1]

Like a few posters I can't disagree with anything anyone has said on this topic. IMO, what it boils down to is what is going to make you money. If you make more selling jackets than you do selling wheel bearings, then you are probably going to stock up on the jackets and order the bearings when they are needed. I guess that is one of the reason that companies like JP Cycles is doing so well. You can get just about everything you need, the prices are not bad in most instances, and they ship the things fairly quickly. When you walk through the doors of the dealership closest to me, the first thing that hits you are the new bikes for sale...they have a ton of 'em. The next largest operation is the clothing, mugs, t shirts, etc.. And then at the back of the store is a small parts counter. I guess that is the way it is for a lot of these dealerships.