Originally Posted by Pezzy

Hi all.

I'm thinking of trading up my 2011 Fatboy Lo to a 2013. I'm working with a dealership here in Arizona where I live. They don't have one (in Black Denim) on the show floor right now, but they said they can get one for me.

The salesman I was talking to said there's one he can have shipped from Las Vegas, and when he said that, I remarked out-loud, "Oh...Nevada", and then he kept repeating specifically, "Las Vegas". OK, then: Vegas. Vegas is in Nevada

Anyway.....in the meantime, he had sent me something in an e-mail attachment showing me the breakdown of fees after the sticker price. Of those fees, there was the Freight fee, and then, a "Handling" fee. I know Freight is the fee for getting the cycle from one destination to another. But "Handling"?? I'm used to hearing that phrase when sending something through the post office, as in "shipping & handling".

But he said that the word "handling" is used by them as sort of their set-up or "assembly" fee. You know how supposedly that when a dealership gets a new bike it's crated and only partially assembled......

So, I thought I'd do some checking, and when I looked up Nevada, originally, only one hit came back for an HD dealership in Las Vegas, a place on 2605 S. Eastern Avenue. They had an 800 toll-free number, so I called them. I spoke to the head of sales, and they said no one from the dealership I'm working with had contacted them. But anyway, I asked them about crated bikes and assembly; this guy said, "...that's just not true." He said all their bikes arrive at the dealership already assembled and they just roll them onto the showroom floor. They just put some fluids (oil) in them and check some cables/ clutch, etc.

So I call back my local guy and tell him what I found out, and he claims he never said Las Vegas specifically; he says it's a dealership nearby Vegas called Red Rock. OK, maybe he had a slip of the tongue and didn't mention Red Rock to me. But I also asked him about "assembly" and what the Vegas guy told me; why would Vegas get their bikes assembled and they don't? He said he didn't know. I asked if all dealerships across the nation get their bikes from the MoCo in Milwaukee, WI; he said he wasn't sure, that there were other places that shipped bikes out and he starts rattling off some names of states.

What's goin' on here, guys?

Are bikes sent from the plant assembled or un-assembled?

Is there more than one plant where they're sent from? Other than the MoCo in Milwaukee?

And by way of defense, the local guy I'm dealing with here said that information shared between dealerships is just between them; I was a little put off by this statement, like there was something to hide.

I'm just trying to get the best deal, price-wise, and don't want the bill-of-sale padded out any more than it needs to be.
Pez

Originally Posted by zworld

Dude you are trading a 2 year old bike for a new one, good fkn god quit bitching, you got enough cash to do this.

Originally Posted by 2black1s

This is kinda what I was thinking.

To the OP - Is your current bike super high mileage or is there something wrong with it? If not, I don't see what in the world you're expecting out of new one, especially being the same model. Now if you were looking at a different model that you liked more than the Fatboy Lo, I could understand that.

Originally Posted by Pezzy

Hey all.

Wow! Thanks for all the replies.

I of course understand that a dealership - like any business - is in it to make money; but sometimes how they make their money is the kicker.

And, hmmm.....it seems there's different responses here in regard to how the bikes arrive at the dealerships. 2fast4trouble says he saw them arrive assembled, on a pallet, wrapped in plastic. And then JustaHawg (and HotIceHD) says he saw a forklift take the bike in a crate off a rack.

I guess the bikes don't arrive just one way for all dealerships.

And Baeseman1: Yup, those were the places he rattled off that I couldn't remember: Kansas City and York, PA!

zworld, 2black1s, and IronAss: I know, I know.....sorry if this sounded like petty bitchin' and I should shut the *f* up about it. I've got my own reasons for already wanting to trade up this two year old bike for the same bike; it's a combination of some practical, "physical" reasons about the bike itself (meaning: things that have gone wrong with it in the first year or so of ownership that shouldn't have), and, some psychological reasons, too.

I am not rich by any means, but, I do have the means and wherewithal at this point-in-time to do this.

I have a healthy suspicion of dealerships in-general; some are more like those "stealerships" that want to squeeze every last penny and pad out the bill as much as possible. If I'm going to part with my hard-earned cash, I want the best deal possible.

Thanks again for all the replies.
Pez

Originally Posted by piasspj

It's all negotiable. Let the dealer worry about all the individual fees, all you should care about is the total out the door cost.

Originally Posted by mike5380

When I bought my Road King, my dealership didn't charge handling or assembly fees, or even any documentation fees, plus dropped about $2000 off MSRP. I'm pretty sure the shipping fees were in there, but I think they made about $500 on the deal. I'm OK with that. (Probably would have been a whole different deal if I wanted a UC Limited or something.)

It sounds like your sales guy is yanking you around. Just walk away and find another one. And, you really don't have to justify any part of the deal with anyone on this forum, you just have to feel good about it yourself.

Mike