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

 

Whatever he's calling it,sounds like they are trying to make money or cover the cost of the transport.

 

my dealer told me it cost him 500 dollars if he gets bike from another dealer,he will pass along cost. If you can wait until he gets one from Harley you should save that cost. You still will have to pay freight and prep though.

 

I saw my dealer unload a truck load of bikes from a semi. They were all assembled. They come in on these metal pallets wrapped in plastic. I asked one of the employees if they were coming straight from MoCo. He said, yes.

Sounds like your dealer is full of it. If I were you, I'd go to Vegas and buy direct from them instead. I get it. Dealers have to make money. Hustling is part of the game. Good on you for doing your diligent research and being informed.

 

This was 4 years ago but I dealt with Chester's after not having good vibes from Hacienda. They literally took my future bike off a rack with a forklift and it was in a crate. I suppose if a dealer gets a bike from another dealer, the dealer shipping the bike needs to get their piece of the pie. Each dealer is a separate business so no doubt their fees will vary from dealer to dealer. Good luck.

 

Typically motorcycles come in crates, where, depending on the manufacturer, they need some level of assembly.
Some are totally assembled, some have wheels and handle bar pulled.

 

They do some assembly on them. The mirrors and things like that aren't tight, they need fluids, etc. Just about every dealer I've ever been to has a set up charge on the new bikes they sell. Call it assembly, set up, or whatever, but you can not just uncrate the bike, gas it up and ride it. You don't work for free and they don't either and someone has to do the service to get it road ready either before they sell it or after the sale.

 

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.

 

The dealer receiving has overhead. You can expect 2 employees to be distracted for an hour unloading, unpacking, discarding the packaging, & mandatory paperwork. The buyers must contribute to the initial investment in the loading platform, forklift, parking lot....
If you don't want these services, pick up the bike where it is.

 

Actually, no bikes are shipped from Milwaukee. They just make the power plant. (motor & tranny)
York PA is the touring & softail assembly plant.
Kansas City MO is the Dyna & Sporty plant. (I'm also assuming it's the V-rod plant since it ain't York)

Handling & assembly are BS charges you can use to negotiate.