Harley Switching Over?
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 954
Likes: 3
From: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Harley Switching Over?
A friend of mine who lives in Orange County, CA set this to me in an email. Has anybody else heard this or it just some dumb-*** salesman trying to impress somebody?
"Here's something that I found interesting. the sales person told us that Harley is converting over to a custom bike manufacture and that you will no longer be able to walk into a dealer and buy a bike off the showroom floor!!!!!!!! He said that you will have to go to the dealer and order your "custom" HD and that it will take 4 to 6 MONTHS for them to deliver you bike."
"Here's something that I found interesting. the sales person told us that Harley is converting over to a custom bike manufacture and that you will no longer be able to walk into a dealer and buy a bike off the showroom floor!!!!!!!! He said that you will have to go to the dealer and order your "custom" HD and that it will take 4 to 6 MONTHS for them to deliver you bike."
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 5,413
Likes: 17
From: eastern oklahoma
from a marketing standpoint that would make no sense at all. why in the hell would they be interested in selling 40% of what has become a huge success in their business that is geared up to sell all they can build. i believe it's just another rumor. harley would be shooting their own foot off by doing what the email said. and they're not stupid.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 505
Likes: 2
Doesn't sound credible to me
1. When new models are announced they start selling them before they're in the showroom. So they'd lose the "buzz" of announcing new models not to mention the cashflow
2. They'd immediately have lost the CVO division being able to produce a set volume each year of "exclusive" bikes
3. They'd lose baseline customers who can afford a standard model now and hope to be able to personalise it later
4. They close the door to novice Harley buyers who'd be scared off by choices they don't understand (and the prices)
5. Their aftermarket is a massively big margin operation with mark-ups they'd not get away with when costed in with a new bike
6. They wouldn't be offering anything you can't do when you buy a new Harley anyway (when I bought my Road King I bought a sundowner and Tourpak at the time and I didn't have to wait months)
However, it would be good if Harley had a few option packs for customers - like a 'bling package' or an 'engine size package' and I think this could be a good way to increase revenue flow for them and their dealers and give us a bit of what we want too and that's how car makers and dealers operate so it looks like a viable model.
1. When new models are announced they start selling them before they're in the showroom. So they'd lose the "buzz" of announcing new models not to mention the cashflow
2. They'd immediately have lost the CVO division being able to produce a set volume each year of "exclusive" bikes
3. They'd lose baseline customers who can afford a standard model now and hope to be able to personalise it later
4. They close the door to novice Harley buyers who'd be scared off by choices they don't understand (and the prices)
5. Their aftermarket is a massively big margin operation with mark-ups they'd not get away with when costed in with a new bike
6. They wouldn't be offering anything you can't do when you buy a new Harley anyway (when I bought my Road King I bought a sundowner and Tourpak at the time and I didn't have to wait months)
However, it would be good if Harley had a few option packs for customers - like a 'bling package' or an 'engine size package' and I think this could be a good way to increase revenue flow for them and their dealers and give us a bit of what we want too and that's how car makers and dealers operate so it looks like a viable model.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 643
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver
It seems every day or two there is a new rumor on this form! No Honda is not joining with Harley! Yes there will be a 2010 Model year! No Harley's will not be a special order motor cycle! And yes Micheal Jackson is really Dead!
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 185
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma City
I would think they could do a little better if when you order a bike, they built it that way at the factory. Pay the difference in the parts price and its delievered to the dealer the way the buyer wants it instead of paying for the parts you want and having to do something with the stuff you take off or making sure you get it back from the dealer. Plus waiting for the dealer to get everything in.
lost count of how many times I hear someone bought a bike but its not home yet cause the dealer is waiting on some foot pegs or a seat or whatever was ordered. I'd much rather wait on the factory than knowing that the bike is just down the road but its waiting on parts.
lost count of how many times I hear someone bought a bike but its not home yet cause the dealer is waiting on some foot pegs or a seat or whatever was ordered. I'd much rather wait on the factory than knowing that the bike is just down the road but its waiting on parts.
