went to my local dealer the other day and there was a honda rebel just inside the door. the sign said "learn on this and we'll give you full price back in trade on the harley of your choice" it was only 2k and probably a good idea for some. did have to chuckle a little at first tho.

 

Betcha he will sell a few because of it.

 

Probably a trade in to begin with. Great idea though.

 

Nothing funny, but a responsible way to get a loyal customer.

Makes alot to sense to me.

 

The HD dealer here in Cheyenne is also a Honda dealer. Same showroom and everything.

 

Nothing new about full blown sales of multiple brand dealers around the country.Have one near me. Cycle World in Athens,Ga that's been at it for years.Why can't we all get along ? G.

 

Yep, probably a trade in. Harley was doing this on Sporty's last year. Giving full money back toward a bigger bike after one year

 

That's insane! You'd think the MoCo would not allow that.

 

With HD pulling licenses and shutting down dealerships, it surprises me they would allow it. But I agree, it should be OK to sell other brands under the same roof.

 

I like the idea. I was thinking I might buy a dirt-cheap late 80's/early 90's Japanese bike (nighthawk, GS, intruder, etc) to learn on and then move up to the big show. I sat on a Forty-Eight at Southside H-D here in Indy the other day, had the sales guy take a pic while I was on the bike. I have to say I'm not crazy about how I look on a Sportster (@ 6'3/250# I look like a fat kid on a scooter). I'm probably not going to fare much better on an older bike as listed above, but they are a LOT cheaper than picking up a sportster from what I have seen.

I know there are ways around the comical size issue (Nightster Sportster has a hell of a setup on his XL1200N) but I'm not sure I want to get a bike that I might ruin during my first year because of my lack of skill and flush a lot of money down the tubes making it fit properly (mortgage + tuition = tight budget) if I'm just going to trade up to a heavy bike in a year or two.

I don't want to highjack the thread, but am I just splitting hairs here or is this a better idea than getting an HD right out of the gate?