This was written by a past local HOG Chapter Director after the recent HOG Rally in NJ. I was a former officer of that same chapter, moved to another HOG chapter when the first dealer closed and now the second dealer is closing.

Many letters were sent to the MoCo by local HOG members but not one was responded too. Maybe by posting this on a national forum, the MoCo will have no choice but to respond, but I'm sure they will try to shift the blame onto the dealers and customers for not selling the bikes and not buying the bikes and accessories to keep them afloat.

The letter:::::

Gentlemen,

Speaking on behalf of our former local HOG chapter of 175 members, in less than one year we have gone from bliss to bitter distaste with HOG and Harley-Davidson. Our state has seen so many dealership closings and the disenfranchising of countless HOG members. Millville, Wildwood, Salem County, Mills, Trenton, Essex County and more. The dealerships are dropping like flies and we are being left without clubs and with lesser access to parts and service.

Nearly five months ago we sent letters to key HOG and Harley-Davidson people, pleading for help in this regard (see copy attached). We have yet to receive the smallest courtesy in the form of a response. A lack of response is NOT scoring you points: it is only forcing a wound to fester more.

The logistics of the rally were fine. And while we acknowledge the efforts of the rally group and volunteers, certain incidents at the recent NJ State HOG Rally serve as solid evidence that HOG and Harley-Davidson pay lip service to its customers as "being part of the family" but that's where it stops. Personally, I attended at least three Primary Officer Trainings. You made the mistake of convincing me and my cohorts that we were "part of the family". Now, you shun us with apathy, if not downright circumvention.

In a closing ceremony which was far far too long, stacks of plaques, accolades and awards were passed out lavishly to everyone from the board members to the town janitor. No acknowledgment was given the numerous disenfranchised clubs and their members (close to 40 of which were placed by the former Cumberland County HOG). No mention was made of the problems facing the fallen dealerships', their displaced workers, the confusion and frustration facing customers who go searching for parts and service. Nor was so much as a footnote given to the hundreds (thousands?) of HOG members left stranded without a home. Part of the family? You tell me.

The promised $15 "barbecue" was not a barbecue at all. It was a cooked-off-premises, unorganized, unmanaged, free for all of tepid food. While that was a disappointment, it gets worse. A lot worse. The real icing on the cake is after sitting through 75 minutes of this self-congratulatory orgy and it being way overdue for our dinner, the representatives of HOG, Harley-Davidson and half the board get up and go out to eat at a fine dining establishment, leaving the rest to battle its way to cold hot dogs and rubberized chicken. Nice touch. Part of the family.

Gentlemen, we have spent many months being patient and hopeful and respectful and supportive with HOG and Harley-Davidson. That time is finished. What have you given us? Shunning of our questions while we lose our dealerships. Avoidance of the issues as we lose our clubs. A lack of response. A pretending there is nothing wrong. What might have turned out to be a great rally was spoiled because HOG and Harley-Davidson refuses to man-up and talk about the problems and the realities. You give us no hope. You give us no direction. Part of the family?

So, I've been instructed (by the 175 members of our former HOG club) to forward this expression. Here we were. We, without a HOG club, who came and paid (and many volunteered, too) to support THIS? We were fools. As HOG members and Harley-Davidson customers, we're thoroughly disenchanted. And if a bridge has been burned, you guys lit the match. You'll have a long hard time rebuilding this one, if it's even possible at all.

Until you are willing to come clean to the problems and respond to your customers, YOU ARE HEMHORRAGING! You probably don't even see it. And your actions say you don't give a damn. But writing this letter will, at least for us, serve as a last attempt to rap on your heads, and ask, "Knock-knock. Hello? Is anyone there? Is anyone paying attention? Does anyone there have their brain in gear?"

These are the thoughts brought forth by our past HOG club members. As for me, I'm really disappointed. A healing process would be nice. But you can't begin a healing process until you recognize your wounds and try to take care of them. And right now, it appears that aint gonna happen. If you think the things we've expressed here sting, they won't sting half as much as when you attempt to survive the hard times ahead without customers, and you're working real hard to get just that.

 

IMOP, unles all 175 of you, go down to your local Hobda dealer, tarde in your Harley's and buy Honda's...you falling on deaf ears...

Harley will make money from all 175 of you...directly or indirectly cause you ride a Harley.

Call you local news, and go buy a bunch of Honda's..

Sorry to hear all this, we had a bunch close within a 75 mile radius of San Jose, Ca,
Los banos, Santa Cruz,

Redwood City just this past week...

Santa Cruz was very sad; after 75 years, the owner spent $ 250,000 in improvemnts had a museum $ 500k plus... new 2008 inventory...all based on Harley telling them in writing , well will stand by you....and Harley still just walked away from them like they were scum......

Now we have 4 Harley's - 2 owned by same owner - 2 indpendents -

then you have Modesto and Carson City - same owner

If Harley can allow all these dealers to close, all these jobs lost, you really think 175 of you crying about a BBQ will make any inpass to , aah what again ????

 

 

Paid my HOG dues for 10 years, wasnt gonna renew the last time around but since I bought a new 2010 model my membership was renewed another year as part of the purchase of a new bike. Guess I indirectly paid it anyway. Went to several national rallies and many state rallies but no more. Never felt the $45 ever gave me anything in return. Many here have stated that it at least paid for towing if stranded somewhere but thats a joke also as its only for $100 and nearest dealer UNDER 100 miles. I have no intentions of renewing my membership when it comes due. All those pins and patches can go to the next guy in line. Times they are changing!

 

No offence to the O.P., but this is why some of us stay away from HOG and "the family". However, with 175 of you it should be no problem to find some friends to ride with. I have actually seen some guys with there HOG patches sewn on upside down on their vests. With the dealers dropping like flies, there is some bitterness I suppose. And most dealers aren't big enought to host 3 or 4 chapters. The events outlined in your letter, especially paying $15 bucks for hot dogs and rubber chicken, speak volumes about the state of affairs at the MOCO. HOG was created to foster the Harley "lifestyle' and give new riders the whole package. Of course all the while encouraging members to buy anything with the Harley brand on it. And when things were good, the MOCO made piles of money off of this facade. Now, they are forcing dealers to close, after forcing many to spend all they had upgrading their facility. The house of cards blew over. Simple as that. And remember, Harley sells bikes to their DEALERS, not direct to the public. The complaints about HOG will need to come from the dealer level to be heard. Well, the ones that are left, that is.

 

Is the "house of card" the MoCo, or is it the New Jersey economy? I bet if you look around, it's not just HD dealers that are closing, it's probably a boat load of other businesses as well. Blaming the MoCo for "forcing" dealerships to upgrade during boom times is a specious argument. Should a company NOT have standards for its stores? Would it be better if they wanted upgrades during economic conditions like now? The four dealers within a 30 mile radius of my home are all doing ok - not as well as during 07/08 but still ok. It's all a reflection of the current economy. Things in Dallas-Ft Worth are better than in most areas of the country (for very good reason), so our HD dealers are probably doing better than elsewhere.

Yes, the HD "lifestyle" reflects a family, but the MoCo is first and foremost a business - and a business has to make a profit to survive. I feel for you guys, but until we make the necessary changes to improve the national economy, your local dealership situation isn't likely to get any better. Nor, by the way, are the fortunes of your local Honda, Yamaha or Kawasaki dealers. If it's this bad for your local HOG chapter, imagine what it must be like for Honda's Red Riders (if they even still exist).

None of this excuses what apparently happened at the rally. It's just a realistic assessment of today's world. Focus on the 175 members of your former chapter. If you guys can't find ways to preserve the comaraderie of the "lifestyle" without a dealership to do it for you, well, maybe it wasn't such a stong bond to begin with.

Just my two cents, for whatever it's worth.

 

That was a very well written letter. Hopefully the OP gets some kind of response from them. That is only common decancy and courtesy. Even though there is no real answer they can give, they must at least aknowledge the letter with something.

 

What exactly do you think Harley should be doing about a dealership that can't cut the mustard? Do you think Harley should pick up the tab or what? All those closed dealerships have a owner and if you want to blame someone for their demise, start with that guy, not the MoCo. It's a business not a social club or a charity. If you want something to be done, then maybe you, your 175 friends and all their friends should have gone down to the struggling dealer and bought a new ride and some spare parts. I'd bet that good sales would have kept them in business and provided you with your clubhouse and if you don't like the way national HOG events are run, don't go to them. Attendance isn't mandatory.

 

Yeah... I don't get what they're going to be missing. You can still order parts online and you can still ride with friends... all this without a HOG patch.

Guess I don't get the "issue" is and why they are special. Bad economy... who isn't effected?

lp

 

No, fdh161, the house of cards that blew over is the economy. The fact that were [the O.P.and I] both from Jersey is a coincidence. Still not buying the argument that Harley was in the right demanding Mega-Stores. Standards? Well, alot of surviving car dealers are the family owned small dealers that floated what they could. There have been long time dealers who couldn't swing a huge building who folded. There have been many more dealers who invested everything into the francise only to be given a limited number of bikes. BUT...when they opened they didn't have 3-4 other dealers in the 20-30 mile range to compete with. Oversaturation, a failing economy, the failure of Harley to capture the imagination of the youth market, the aging current customer base, and the fact that there are so many used ones on the market all play a part in this. I don't have an answer, but certainly can see a huge problem.