Greetings all, I wonder if anyone has been having this issue. I went in the the HD dealership about 2 weeks ago and ordered Roulette Contrast Chrome wheels for my 2009 Ultra Classic. I forked out over $1,700 for new wheels, and when I include the cost of tires, labor, and the new wheel installations kits as required in the 2010 catalog, I forked out over $2,300. The special order wheels came in about 2 weeks. I got a call from the service / parts department telling me that my wheels were in. I made the appointment to take the bike in and have the service completed. When I got there, I was told that there was a problem. The wheel installation kits that I had ordered when I ordered the wheels were on BACKORDER, no release date announced, just rumored to be late May. WTF!!!
Appartantly HD Corporate has been implementing a number of cost savings measures that included slashing inventories of parts. They expected 2010 sales to be low, so they cut back the ordering and stocking of even common parts. As it currently stands, I have wheels that I can not use. I understand that there have been a lot of customer complaints about this issue, and the company is rushing to get some but not all parts out to the dealerships. There is no word on the parts that I require. When the dealership started calling area dealers for inventory checks, there were no parts to be had, not even 200 miles away.
Is anyone having this problem? Does anyone have any updates on backordered parts? Does anyone know of a dealership I might try in hopes of ordering the parts online?
Thanks, Dwayne

 

know your woes I ordered a set of fat bob shocks. paid for them up front. it's been over a month now, I'm not impressed.

 

Here in England tried to order the new grip's and footboards off the new 2010 CVO ...... Was informed they could supply the left board but the right one was on back order approx 3 week's ....... also grips to match ..... the opposite was true could supply the right one but the left one was on back order approx 2 week's ..... WTF ... I have known for many year's Harley dont give a **** about anyone but Harley ......just keep spinnin the dollar ... All this one big family **** is exactly that ..... Its the biker's that make the family ..... thier loyalty and attitude is never rewarded ..... there service and supply skills are zero ....

 

I can understand cost cutting measures. A company with a lot of waste will not stay in business for very long. In this case however, I wish I had known about the back ordered parts situation in the beginning. That way I would have had that understanding in the beginning and ordered items anyway ; or I may have waited until all parts were in and got everything at the same time, keeping my money in my pocket until then. It's like they have my money and say F#$k you about the particulars that you might need to know before making your final decision. I feel in cases like this, HD Corporate should give dealers some concessions like covering all or part of labor costs for these back ordered items. I would have been happy to hear " we have your wheels, but the installation kits are on backorder, so to show you that we value you as a customer, we are going to waive the labor on your wheels. Corporate is going to cover these costs.....sorry for the inconvenience."
But I guess I am smoking crack and looking through rose colored glasses. I don't know about you, but I am old school, and this how the old school deal would have gone down. Much easier to swallow.
Dwayne

 

Keeping shelves full of parts collecting dust in any industry is poor business practice. It is the same as juts putting stacks of cash on the shelf. The only items that should be kept in stock are fast sellers. However, HD should make this clear to buyers.

 

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It ain't new, dealers have not carried hard parts for years, they got lots of chrome bolt ons, but if you need a carb gasket or fork lower seal, you gotta wait 10-14 days for it to ship from WI.

 

I've NEVER had to waite to get a T-shirt off of "backorder" yet! ..........Does this make it all OK?

 

install kits are not needed if ya don't mind ur spacers not being chromed, u can reuse bearings that are in the stock wheels now. Then switch out parts when kits come in.

 

That was the first thing my dealer service manager told me when I bought my first Harley....mods in the Winter....ride all Spring, Summer and Fall and be sure to order parts 4-6 weeks early and don't start until you have them all in hand.

 

You should not re-use the bolts on some wheels. If the wheels are speced with new bolts then you should only use new.