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No,and like mentioned I never looked at it that way .Even when they closed
the line down it didn't matter.I do like the direction they are going in producing less. This is my third CVO and for some reason I have less trouble when I resale them. 15 RGS I had a ton of money in and had to strip add on's off to
get what I thought was fair out of it. I have noticed on this forum we seem to get a lot of posters who I doubt own a Harley or have a clue of what real ownership is like.Things have really changed on here though the years for sure.
Definite trolls on this site. I am glad I am not the only one that notices.
Yes I was up there two years ago. An outside company paints the tins for the CVO models, but all the bikes run through the same identical assembly line. You may see a Street Glide, followed by a Road Gluide followed by two Road Kings then a CVO limited, and so on. They build them in the order they were ordered from the dealers.
Several years ago, I toured the MOCO's Tomhawk operations. Actual humans, not robots, were painting CVO tanks, fenders, fairings, bags etc. Definitely not an outside company at that time, although it may be outsourced now. BTW, in speaking with a few of those painters, they were very proud of their "custom" work, when compared to their robotic counterparts.
Several years ago, I toured the MOCO's Tomhawk operations. Actual humans, not robots, were painting CVO tanks, fenders, fairings, bags etc. Definitely not an outside company at that time, although it may be outsourced now. BTW, in speaking with a few of those painters, they were very proud of their "custom" work, when compared to their robotic counterparts.
Don't be confused. HUMANS still paint the standard bikes at York. We met several of them on shift change as they suited up and went through the clean room process.
To be clear they still paint all standard bikes built in York at the York plant by Humans.
It is the CVO bikes that are painted by a separate vendor company.
Probably bad wording on the MoCo's part. When they switched from Scream'n Eagle to CVO in 2003(?), it seemed like people that bought them acted like they had this rare "investment" because only "so many were made like that". Then the CVO Harley forum popped up and it was like a cult was born.
I had an '02 chrome ***** Road King with a custom paint job, built motor, and some one-off modifications. I just used to grin at the CVO crowd because to each, their own.
Today, I like the CVO bikes but believe they are overpriced. I was demo riding some Harley's on Sunday at the dealership and the HOG chapter guy was leading the demo rides. He had a 2018 CVO Ultra in that red-to-black fade that was flat out gorgeous. There isn't much to do to it but buy it, add slipons if you want more rumble, and ride it.
Don't be confused. HUMANS still paint the standard bikes at York. We met several of them on shift change as they suited up and went through the clean room process.
To be clear they still paint all standard bikes built in York at the York plant by Humans.
It is the CVO bikes that are painted by a separate vendor company.
Now I am confused. On that same Tomahawk tour, I saw fairings, bags, tour packs, lowers, and side covers manufacturered from raw materials, then painted and clear-coated by robots, then buffed by humans, then loaded on semi-trailers for shipment to York for final assembly. Do humans repaint these components when they arrive at York?
I do know that the MOCO uses an outside vendor to color match recent year(s) replacement parts. Is this the same vendor you speak of?
Last edited by barneyboy; Mar 6, 2018 at 05:33 PM.
i'm thinking that they paint the steel parts at the york facility. the abs stuff comes from tomahawk ready to be affixed.
several years back, we toured the kc plant. as part of the tour, we got to see the paint room there. the tour guide explained to us some of the rigors that the painters go through. only certain kinds of deodorant/shampoo, no perfume, can't eat certain things before your shift, etc... was very impressive.
i'm thinking that they paint the steel parts at the york facility. the abs stuff comes from tomahawk ready to be affixed.
several years back, we toured the kc plant. as part of the tour, we got to see the paint room there. the tour guide explained to us some of the rigors that the painters go through. only certain kinds of deodorant/shampoo, no perfume, can't eat certain things before your shift, etc... was very impressive.
Very impressive indeed, and the end results are obvious to anyone who has compared HD paint to that of their competitors. The painters at Tomahawk also had the same strict requirements. Even though "tin" was/is not manufactured there, certain models, (CVO, Limited, Anniversary) had their "tins" painted there. I'm not sure if that is still the case.
Last edited by barneyboy; Mar 6, 2018 at 06:40 PM.
I have been reading all the responses. And while I don't think custom is the right word, it's obvious that the people that buy CVO'S feel they're custom or worth what they cost and are happy to own them. They're also proud of them. But I think the right word for them is premium vehicle. Because that's what they are.
jmo
Allen
I have been reading all the responses. And while I don't think custom is the right word, it's obvious that the people that buy CVO'S feel they're custom or worth what they cost and are happy to own them. They're also proud of them. But I think the right word for them is premium vehicle. Because that's what they are.
jmo
Allen
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