Picked up my new SG last Friday after 2 weeks of delays, the bike is incredibly sweet, too bad dealer makes experience bittersweet.
After going over the bike with the salesman, Inoticed that some of the chrome items I purchased and paid for were not installed, when questioned he told me that I did not buy them, upon going over the bill of sale his only reply was "I guess we missed these". I find it hard to believe that nobody did an inspection of the bike before my arrival.

The bike looked like it was molested by a mechanic with numerous oily fingerprints and many parts that were just plain filthy and obviously untouched.

Rear smoked lenses were not installed and I was told that they were out of stock and will get installed when they arrive. Custom Chrome headlight bezel looked like it was tacked on blindly. Had no relation to the headlight as there was a huge gap on one side and it was overlapping the headlight on the other. When I pointed this out I was asked to leave the service area and someone would have this taken care of. After 10 min. or so I was called out to my bike now parked at the front of the dealer's lot. The headlight bezel was still the same. He told me that this is "the best it can fit"[:@]. This is totally uneccaptable to me I just dropped over $30G with them and they treat the delivery like they are doing me a favor. Finally mechanic came out to try and adjust again - unsuccessfully. He resorted to the fact that he needs to remove the fairing and adjust the fairing to set the headlight bezel frame, I don't buy it and have them remove the chrome bezel that I paid for with the hope that when I bring the bike back for the rear lenses they will do it all at once.

A week later called dealer to find out if lenses are in, was told that they are but they are very busy in the shop and don't know when they can schedule me in. I asked that they pick up the bike and have it all taken care of and return it completed to me, salesman tells me ther will be an extra charge if they are to provide this service. He tells me that I can take a taxi back to my office after I drop off the bike.

Personally, I don't want to take over an hour of travel time during the workday nor pay for a taxi to fix something that the dealer is responsible to take care of prior to delivery.

I hope this is an isolated experience but I now don't trust their service ability at all and will likely go elsewhere once (and if) they complete the installation and adjustments.

The best part of the whole experience is the bike itself - It is totally awesome and is a great joy .

If any of you have had good or bad experiences I would like to hear from you as well.

 

1. Missed putting parts on? Someone can't read a work order.
2. It takes all of 2 - 3 minutes to put the lenses on the rear. You've already paid for the work, they should fit you in since they screwed up. Hell, even the service writer can do this. If I'm not mistaken, on your SG, it's a pop-off/pop-on kind of situation for thr rear lights.
3. Dirty bike when picking up a new bike? Unacceptable.
4. You mentioned they probably didn't do an inspection of bike before you arrived. You're probably right with missing parts and dirty/greasy parts on bike.

Find a new dealer or independant shop to work on your bike. Or if mechanically inclined, buy the service manual, a few tools, and do the work yourself. I would give them bad review on the survey H-D or dealer sends out to you.

I posted about some bad dealings my brother had at a shop when he brought his bike in for its 1000 service at a local dealer on this and another forum. This was back last Oct. About 6 weeks ago, I was at same shop seeing if they had some parts he was looking for(he gets 15% discount) and the general manager walked up and asked if they had resolved the problems I had posted about on the internet. I didn't post my name but I guess the facts I posted, they knew who I was.

 

If I paid $30k for a bike and they treated me like that I'd exercise that clause that says, "This sucks, here's YOUR bike back." Go elsewhere.

 

Now you know why many do there own work. Not because they are mechanics but because why pay high prices to morons thatcould not care less about your bike. Do the simple things yourself,you will be glad you did.

 

From many of the good and bad experiences I've heard of, read, of, or personally had....I sorta view purchasing a new bike along the same vein as purchasing a new car. There are good dealers, and not so good dealers. Good 'independent' shops, and not so good independent shops.

Personally, I feel it's the salesperson's responsibility to 'inspect' the product prior to delivery to the customer. Whether that product is a new car, truck, boat, or motorcycle. He/she is, afterall, your 'first link' to the dealership and manufacturer.

If it isn't clean (I don't expect it to have a $200 detail job-after all it's new), it should be. There shouldn't be any fingerprints, smudges, globs of grease, pools of oil, etc on the vehicle.I can't think of any reason why a service department would installanything thateither didn't function correctly, or didn't fit correctly. Other thana general'don't give a chit' attitude.

But then, the Chevy dealership tried to push off this instrument cluster:


As the 'Correct' replacement for the original cluster on my two week old Malibu SS:


Now...Who in their right mind would think that a Malibu SS would go 220mph?Boneheads installed a Metric dash-one destined for a Canadian vehicle. It took two trips to the dealership andone 'face-to-face' with the Service Manager (where I asked him what the fawk were they thinking? And who the hell trains their 'techs'?) before they swapped out the cluster with the correct one.

Unfortunately it appears much easier to get a car 'in and out' of a dealership service department than through a Harley dealer's service department. Personally, if it was a brand new bike, I'd of not completed the sale until it was 'as ordered' and 'to my satisfaction'. If you wanna ride, I'd of 'suggested' to the salesperson that the dealer provide me with a rental until they got my new bike ready. Afterall, they shouldn't have tried to deliver the bike and waste your time.

 

I agree with Mikey 1450........ one of my favorite sayings is "no one cares about your stuff like you do". Get a manual and a twelve pack and do it yourself.
If your not mechanically inclined, or just don't like wrenching, find a good dealer that doestake pride in their work. The dealerships have such a monopoly HD service work, some take it for granted that good or bad, you need them.
As an aircraft mechanic, I will say that I've run across many type of customers. If the service peopleasked you to leave the service area, youmay beas much at fault as them. Remember rule #1 -"no one cares about your stuff like you do". PERIOD---I'll bust my a$$ for someone with a legitimate complaint about our work, as long as they don't act like an a$$hole. JMO

 

I must be extremely lucky,every time I have bought a new harley the salesman was all over it making sure it was clean going over it with a fine tooth comb making sure all the add ons were correct,they want my buisiness and make sure im happy so I will return I simply dont understand how these places stay in business treating customers the way I see so many are treated..You didnt give name of dealership put it out so others wont go there..

 

My experience was very simliar to yours, ELGOLD. Spent $24k at the dealer and was treated pretty shabbily. The training session, for example, was conducted in the back of the truck that was delivering the bike and took about 1.2 minutes, tops. Plus the bike was dirty.

Love the bike completely, really ambivalent about the stealer.

 

I'll have to agree with texas tom on this one. Without naming the dealer, it's just another mildly interesting, if sad, story. Name the dealer and in doing so protect a few other board members, and now you're performing a real service.

Sorry for your troubles, though. It's sad but it happens all too frequently. Don't let it sour you on your Harley experience. Riding is the best revenge.

 

I must be pretty lucky as well. When I picked up my bike last year, they parts I ordered hadn't come in yet, so they let me take the bike for a few days until the parts arrived. When I dropped off the bike for the parts, they gave me a loaner for the day. The bike was turned around by the end of that same day with all of the new parts installed, cleaned up and ready to go. But, I also added the service program to my purchase which includes the loaner and 24 hour turn-around for service.