Hardheaded, this is to everyone. I just picked your post to respond to all, if you don't mind.

Everyone seems to be blaming HD for not having a national computer base for work done on bikes. I say it's not needed, and there is no need to take up file space to house it anyway.
Every buyer gets an OWNERS MANUAL with the purchase of a new bike. ( It';s that little book that nobody seems to read
What I do is put ALL copies of the work orders completed on my bike in that Manual. If I need to refer back to some work on my bike, I just open the Manual and pull out the work orders and read them. I don't need a Harley dealer to tell me what has been done to my bike.

In fact, I won't even consider buying a bike that doesn't have the copy of ALL work orders done on the bike. I WANT to know what has been done to it, and the bike SHOULD have copies of all work orders in it's saddlebags. IF not, I pass on buying. That proves to me that the owner didn't maintain that bike according to schedule.

 

Total nonsense. File space? Surely you do not mean this. My own computer holds more "file space" than the cubic footage of any HD dealer in the country could fill floor to ceiling with paper. Additionally, an owner's manual has nothing to do with this issue, although your manual obviously doubles as a file cabinet. Also, it is not simply a matter of you recalling what was done and when to your own cycle. It would be important to secondary owners down the line to have the cycle's information in a database (kind of like a file cabinet, but an electronic one).

Furthermore, with your retained paperwork requirement, not many vehicles of any kind would be sold used in this country.

 

No, it's not total nonsense, and I did mean it..every word.
Important for secondary owners to have info in a database? Why? What's the point? All the info should be in the back of the owners manual. And yes, it does serve as a file, but not a cabinet.
Finally, Paperwork on a bike is far more important than paperwork for a car. Bikes break down a heck of a lot more than today's cars. Plus, ever heard of CARFAX?
And if you think a database is so important, and want one so much, then quit your whining and build one..EINSTEIN.

 

You better believe if harley is paying a warranty claim, there is searchable database. It may not be dealer accessible but if for sure exists. Services and out of warranty repairs would not be trackable since harley does not pay for them.
I can tell you 100% that other brands have this. Harley would be very dumb no to have one and harley is not dumb.