I won't name the spot, other than somewhere in the boonies of California on a business trip.

You've all been to a dealer like this. The usual branded brick a brack and expensive, but not so great leather.

The new bikes were nice. But the lighting in the place was horrible so they were badly displayed.

The staff looked like it really didn't want to be there, and it was not even near closing time on a regular business day.

I thought I'd look at gloves. But not a single pair was up to snuff with the pairs I already have.

Not a single thing in the whole shop was something I was remotely interested in buying.

One older guy did ride up in a cool scoot I could tell he had been running for years and talked to the service guys. Another, younger guy, rode up in a much too loud Dyna that looked like it had been cloned from SOA. Come to think of it, so did he.

I had enough and went my merry way after a grand total of 5 to 10 minutes in the place. Thank goodness the bikes themselves are great rides. Because some of the dealerships can be downright depressing.

 

I hear all of the Indian dealerships have plenty of shirts and gloves. I've just never seen one myself.

 

Haha. True. I don't think Indian dealers exist in this dimension.

But it wasn't a lack of shirts and gloves at this dealer. They had plenty of both.

I wasn't there for a shirt. And the gloves weren't all that great and were expensive compared to nice made in USA ones you can get for the same price.

It was just a depressing store. Same could be said for the WalMart up the street, I guess. This town I'm in has seen better days, I'm sure.

 

Could somebody please explain something to me... WTF is it with HD riders and their fascinations with HD dealerships?

 

I think I get what you're saying. I'm just not a fan of the MoCo's demanding lust for the new boutique palaces of sales.

I fell in love with HDs partly because the local Schwinn dealer in town was also an HD dealer when I was a kid. No way would thatn work now. But at the same time, we had my 2 y.o.grandson in our local-est dealer ( since the two dealers that were closer aren't open anymore- grrr ) and he was starry-eyed with shinier motorcycles, so he'll grow up with similar memories.

I sure wish thelocal dealers we had were still open. I don't need to ride forty miles to see big windows. I'd rather be able to get a one-day service taken care of without two 80-mile car trips. I'd settle for a showroom with more, uhh, character and convenience.

 

I dunno, Dude. Maybe because that is where they sell our bikes?

Picture a man, at the end of a work day, in a strange town, with time to kill before dinner. That's me.

I see an HD sign off the freeway and head in, expecting a little something of interest for my hard earned dollar.

Guess I shoulda taken a dip in the hotel swimming pool instead.

 

Yeah,maybe you should've!

 

What were you expecting to see at this particular dealer that you haven't already seen? They're starting to be like McDonalds. It doesn't matter where you are, they "serve" the same stuff as the one in the next city.

 

I look at the dealerships like I look at *****,
they are all about the same, they can all cost you lots of money one way or another,
but that doesn't stop me from wanting to stop in and check out one I haven't been in before.