HD lost a sale
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,842
Likes: 16,583
From: Wisconsin, USA
Seems like S.O.P.. When I was trading in my Kawasaki Vulcan 750, the HD dealer just called a big Metric dealer and they offered to buy it. http://www.roadtrackandtrail.com/. It wasn't much, so I sold it myself.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,243
Likes: 3,267
From: west Michigan
So one of the guys at work who rode a Victory cross country went looking for a new bike Saturday
He went to a local dealer to check out a new road king. Salesman says they will not take a Vic on trade because its a defunct co and they do not put other manufacturers bikes on the floor. Said he should just buy the king and sell his outright.
He went down the road and bought an Indian, Gave him a great deal on a new 17 Springfield.
Gotta say its a nice bike!
I thought Harley is trying to attract new customers?
He went to a local dealer to check out a new road king. Salesman says they will not take a Vic on trade because its a defunct co and they do not put other manufacturers bikes on the floor. Said he should just buy the king and sell his outright.
He went down the road and bought an Indian, Gave him a great deal on a new 17 Springfield.
Gotta say its a nice bike!
I thought Harley is trying to attract new customers?
Club Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 21,760
Likes: 22,963
From: North Carolina
My local dealer will trade for anything. But all trades that are NOT Harley's are bought cheap and sold wholesale to others. They do NOT but non-HD bikes on the floor.
There are always to sides to every story. I bet the dealer told the guy he would be better off or come out better if he sold his bike himself.
The poor guy is still not riding the best. He may have moved up one notch but still does not have a Harley. He will tell the same story a few years from now when he tries to trade the Indian!
There are always to sides to every story. I bet the dealer told the guy he would be better off or come out better if he sold his bike himself.
The poor guy is still not riding the best. He may have moved up one notch but still does not have a Harley. He will tell the same story a few years from now when he tries to trade the Indian!
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 17,625
Likes: 1,665
From: Blairsville GA
I would assume even a Victory motorcycle has a wholesale value. Everything can be sold at auction. Your buddy probably wouldn't like the wholesale value, but at least he would have a price. Not a smart move to get out from underneath one white elephant and onto another though.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 3,751
Likes: 459
From: Here and now
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Tourer
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 336
Likes: 26
From: Colorado
I bought a 2015 FLHTK in April of 2015 and they gave me 10,400 for a 2012 Kawasaki Concours which I thought was fair. It never crossed my mind that they wouldn’t take a different make of bike in trade.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 572
Likes: 115
From: Chicagoland
I think it was last year, I was getting tons of mailers from HD (probably my local dealer) talking about how "WE'LL BUY YOUR OLD BIKE, ANY MAKE ANY CONDITION!" and that kind of stuff. I don't know for a fact, but I believe most good dealers will have a connection with an auction house (like auto dealers) where they shove the stuff they don't want to floor.
Last edited by jbfb; Nov 7, 2017 at 08:32 PM.