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[Twolanerider]

HeHe!!! If HD really GAS, they'd have all the info they need right off of this site already!!! This can't be freakin real! Smells like fresh spam to me!!!

Hoist!

The Carey (no relation) School at ASU is the real deal.  The email address given shows as from asu.edu .  And this sounds like the sort of project that would get tasked in an MBA program.  I had no particular concern over those predicates not being as offered.  Still could not help but wonder whether assigned project meant just that or whether it was assigned with the blessing of the MoCo.

Even if the task comes with the wink and nod from HD too many of us will wonder if HD is really interested rather than merely doing good PR with a well known business school.  Those silly online surveys so many of us got (to no response), the too often lack of considered response to support, their willingness to almost hide contact information when support assistance is necessary and the general condescending tone so often given has rather poisoned the well for this cohort to have great faith in the MoCo's warm fuzzy intentions toward us at times other than bike purchase.

[Trey767]

Even if the task comes with the wink and nod from HD too many of us will wonder if HD is really interested rather than merely doing good PR with a well known business school.  Those silly online surveys so many of us got (to no response), the too often lack of considered response to support, their willingness to almost hide contact information when support assistance is necessary and the general condescending tone so often given has rather poisoned the well for this cohort to have great faith in the MoCo's warm fuzzy intentions toward us at times other than bike purchase.

I could agree with you more

[Twolanerider]

First, I appreciate the responses that I have received, which is helpful to my group since the universe of CVO owners is relatively small. 

As I mentioned, this is part of a school project.  I am a MBA student specializing in marketing.  A component of the marketing specialization is working on applied projects in conjunction with various companies.  My group's project is conjunction with Harley-Davidson who wanted us to study and make recommendations to assist with future CVOs.   

If anyone would prefer not to post their responses, feel free to email your responses to me at cmarvine@asu.edu.

Specialzing in Marketing?  To its market that is a strong suit for HD.  So the project and the company are perfect bedfellows.  The marketing data suggested by the questions is skewed though.  It nearly all suggests or portends things incident to or emotionally involved with the bike purchase experience.

We're all nuts.  We're wearing raging hard-ons for the first thousand miles after we get a new bike.  Most of us sell ourselves though.  We're long past needing Harley to do that for us.  Which, of course, is good for them.  The problems, however, and what the questions don't touch on nearly as much, isn't the buying experience.  The difficulties are much too often in the ownership experience. 

The company is cavalier and aloof to the point of arrogance and condescension.  Absolutist when it serves their purposes on service and warranty questions.  And incredibly flexible also.  Also when such is needed to suit their ends. 

The company you're hawking can sell the hell out of their bikes to such a committed small ownership group as this.  Too many of us unfortunately realize that this commitment to our enjoyment of the machines translates in to knowledge by HD that they can get away with a lot after the fact.  And they do.  A lot.

[Wanna ride]

I've realized that most of the enthusiasts on this board are more educated than most of the other motorcycle boards I frequent. And I have observed that many members here are in a higher income bracket than most of the members of those other boards. Not a bad thing, just an observation.

That being said, I have no formal education in marketing or business, and don't have an over-abundance of appreciation for the idea that just because someone went to a room a few days a week for an hour or so, for two-four years, and listened to someone lecture (who, by the way most of the time doesn't have any real-world experience him/her-self either)... doesn't make you an expert. I have to confess, in fact, when a younger person (under 30ish) starts to lecture why this or that works or doesn't... I tune them out. Mainly because, my perception is that they don't know their a$$ from third-base. They're doing what they watched someone else do... and that was stand in the front of aforementioned room and... and lecture.

It's difficult for me to dedicate very much interest or attention, into someone who doesn't speak (and/or teach) from personal, real-world experience.

Where am I going with this little rant? Well, it's pretty simple. It's as simple as... the MoCo should listen. Not to some lame-a$$ school project, but to the people with real-world experience of their company. Get to the root of the problem, and talk directly to the people who support them. Not some survey with a bunch of script gathered from a school-project. They have our phone numbers, they have our e-mail addresses. Call us, or write us... and be genuine and sincere about it. If your bike is financed through the MoCo, I can promise you if a payment is missed, SOMEONE (a LIVE person) will call you. They should have a department that was equally interested in hearing from YOU, when you have a problem with THEM.

We (the consumers) are not going to dedicate a genuine and sincere interest in an ingenuious and insincere inquiry to our shopping experience. 

[Hoist!]

I've realized that most of the enthusiasts on this board are more educated than most of the other motorcycle boards I frequent. And I have observed that many members here are in a higher income bracket than most of the members of those other boards. Not a bad thing, just an observation.

That being said, I have no formal education in marketing or business, and don't have an over-abundance of appreciation for the idea that just because someone went to a room a few days a week for an hour or so, for two-four years, and listened to someone lecture (who, by the way most of the time doesn't have any real-world experience him/her-self either)... doesn't make you an expert. I have to confess, in fact, when a younger person (under 30ish) starts to lecture why this or that works or doesn't... I tune them out. Mainly because, my perception is that they don't know their a$$ from third-base. They're doing what they watched someone else do... and that was stand in the front of aforementioned room and... and lecture.

It's difficult for me to dedicate very much interest or attention, into someone who doesn't speak (and/or teach) from personal, real-world experience.

Where am I going with this little rant? Well, it's pretty simple. It's as simple as... the MoCo should listen. Not to some lame-a$$ school project, but to the people with real-world experience of their company. Get to the root of the problem, and talk directly to the people who support them. Not some survey with a bunch of script gathered from a school-project. They have our phone numbers, they have our e-mail addresses. Call us, or write us... and be genuine and sincere about it. If your bike is financed through the MoCo, I can promise you if a payment is missed, SOMEONE (a LIVE person) will call you. They should have a department that was equally interested in hearing from YOU, when you have a problem with THEM.

We (the consumers) are not going to dedicate a genuine and sincere interest in an ingenuious and insincere inquiry to our shopping experience.  

 

Hoist!

[Heatwave]

Hey guys....give the kid a break. His request for information really has little to do with the MoCo. He's an MBA student looking to assemble a unique paper on CVO customer preferences and insights. I suspect his main goal being to achieve an "A" in the course. (I believe the story as I received a nice personal note from him thanking me for my replies and his email address is from asu.edu so I believe the background story for the survey.)

It really isn't going to cause you or anyone else any pain to share your responses to his questions. Is it likely to ever be read by anyone at the MoCo...probably not. Is it an innovative approach to gather research for an MBA studies paper...yeah, I think so. Wouldn't hurt anyone to take a few minutes with responses to these somewhat basic questions. Just my opinion.

[kb]

It doesn't take an MBA to figure out that a CVO aint worth what we paid for them. JMO. kb

[JCZ]

Hey guys....give the kid a break. His request for information really has little to do with the MoCo. He's an MBA student looking to assemble a unique paper on CVO customer preferences and insights. I suspect his main goal being to achieve an "A" in the course. (I believe the story as I received a nice personal note from him thanking me for my replies and his email address is from asu.edu so I believe the background story for the survey.)

It really isn't going to cause you or anyone else any pain to share your responses to his questions. Is it likely to ever be read by anyone at the MoCo...probably not. Is it an innovative approach to gather research for an MBA studies paper...yeah, I think so. Wouldn't hurt anyone to take a few minutes with responses to these somewhat basic questions. Just my opinion.

Well said.......and I'm not college educated.  Two years is all they could handle me.

This has been an interesting thread with interesting comments.  I think Chris is getting a general sense of resentment for the MoCo for their lack of interest for the consumer of their product or the genuine concerns that we may have for the product.  Hell, they don't even have an email address for customer service or on their web site.  

Chris, you're not the target but you should know that you'll run the gauntlet here.

[JCZ]

It doesn't take an MBA to figure out that a CVO aint worth what we paid for them. JMO. kb

Satirical humor.......sad but true.

[martys]

Specialzing in Marketing?  To its market that is a strong suit for HD.  So the project and the company are perfect bedfellows.  The marketing data suggested by the questions is skewed though.  It nearly all suggests or portends things incident to or emotionally involved with the bike purchase experience.

We're all nuts.  We're wearing raging hard-ons for the first thousand miles after we get a new bike.  Most of us sell ourselves though.  We're long past needing Harley to do that for us.  Which, of course, is good for them.  The problems, however, and what the questions don't touch on nearly as much, isn't the buying experience.  The difficulties are much too often in the ownership experience. 

The company is cavalier and aloof to the point of arrogance and condescension.  Absolutist when it serves their purposes on service and warranty questions.  And incredibly flexible also.  Also when such is needed to suit their ends. 

The company you're hawking can sell the hell out of their bikes to such a committed small ownership group as this.  Too many of us unfortunately realize that this commitment to our enjoyment of the machines translates in to knowledge by HD that they can get away with a lot after the fact.  And they do.  A lot.

I agree with Twolane on this so might I suggest that if you are going to help this kid with this project think carefully about your answers to the question and spin them in a way that shows him the dissatisfactions some of you are feeling AFTER your purchase so that he (and just maybe the MOCO) can get a feeling for the real world of the CVO ownership.

[JCZ]

I agree with Twolane on this so might I suggest that if you are going to help this kid with this project think carefully about your answers to the question and spin them in a way that shows him the dissatisfactions some of you are feeling AFTER your purchase so that he (and just maybe the MOCO) can get a feeling for the real world of the CVO ownership.

Oh, they're aware.  It's no secret that they've monitored this forum for several years.  They acknowledged it in Rapid City.

[Wheelsnkeels]

Hey guys....give the kid a break. His request for information really has little to do with the MoCo. He's an MBA student looking to assemble a unique paper on CVO customer preferences and insights. I suspect his main goal being to achieve an "A" in the course. (I believe the story as I received a nice personal note from him thanking me for my replies and his email address is from asu.edu so I believe the background story for the survey.)

It really isn't going to cause you or anyone else any pain to share your responses to his questions. Is it likely to ever be read by anyone at the MoCo...probably not. Is it an innovative approach to gather research for an MBA studies paper...yeah, I think so. Wouldn't hurt anyone to take a few minutes with responses to these somewhat basic questions. Just my opinion.

We know the MOCO probably doesnt once they cash our checks!

Same here what can it hurt to give him the info we share with each other freely? He could spend time on the pages of the forum and gather it anyway. Why not give hime a hand? Hell he may actually care?

[martys]

CVO Owners,

I am a MBA graduate student at Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business, specializing in Marketing.  As part of a school project, I am working on a project in conjunction with Harley-Davidson.  The goal of this project is to provide H-D with insights into its CVO customers, in order to assist with future CVO models and services. (No one in anyway will attempt to contact you to sell you anything, this study is an educational project.)  While my team and I have been lucky enough to talk to CVO customers in the Phoenix area, we are hoping to collect insights from a larger group of CVO owners.

It would be incredibly helpful to obtain your insights/answers to the following 12 questions:
1. What type of CVO do you own?2000 Triple Red Road Glide

2. Did you buy your CVO from a dealer?  No

3. Have you added accessories to your CVO?  If so, what accessories?   Windshield, slip on pipes, and many pieces of chrome trim.  These are basic items that almost all the members add to thier bikes that could be addressed at the development stage so add ons would not be needed. 

4. What is a typical ride for you on your CVO? Long? Short?  A mix of both

5. What motorcycles did you previously own?  Did you add accessories to those bikes?  Honda and yes we all try to make our bikes to our oun taste

6. Why did you purchase your CVO?  I have always been impressed with the uniqueness of the CVO line and wanted to be the owner of a limited production bike 

7. What type of research did you do prior to buying your CVO?  Mostly on websites and magazines but the thing that got me really interested was the conversations with CVO owners themselves
Where did you go to find information (dealer, websites, etc.)?

8.  What do you like about your CVO?  I like the fact that it is one of the first in the CVO line and it is rare to see another one like it when I am out on the road 

9.  What do you dislike about your CVO?  Any room for improvements?  Not too much with mine but the newer bikes in the line seem to have less zing to some of them and that means the owner has to spend a lot of money on a bike he allready spent so much on.  I think that the quality of the workmanship and design have lessened over the years, and can only get worse if the MOCO puts them on the main assemblly line as planned.

10. Are there are services or additional warranties that you wish came along with the CVO?  PROPER Customer service is the big issue with the MOCO.  They don't even have an E-mail address on thier website for customer service.   A number of times the MOCO doesn't even respond to our issues

11.  Do you think you will buy another CVO? Yes  What type?  SERG  Any motorcycle types that you would like to see become a CVO (ex. a trike)? 

12. Any other comments about your CVO that you would like us to pass along to H-D as part of our study?  Just that if they REALLY want to know about us and SHOW that they CARE at all,  they should take a closer look at this site than they do now, and start to address the issues that are complained about over and over.  This would be a huge step in the right direction for customer relations improvement.


On behalf of my team, thank you so much for your help and insights-
Chris

(If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a phone interview, I can be contacted at cmarvine@asu.edu)



 

[iski]

CVO Owners,

I am a MBA graduate student at Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business, specializing in Marketing.  As part of a school project, I am working on a project in conjunction with Harley-Davidson.  The goal of this project is to provide H-D with insights into its CVO customers, in order to assist with future CVO models and services. (No one in anyway will attempt to contact you to sell you anything, this study is an educational project.)  While my team and I have been lucky enough to talk to CVO customers in the Phoenix area, we are hoping to collect insights from a larger group of CVO owners.

It would be incredibly helpful to obtain your insights/answers to the following 12 questions:
1. What type of CVO do you own?  2007 Ultra

2. Did you buy your CVO from a dealer?  Yes.

3. Have you added accessories to your CVO?  If so, what accessories?   Tour pack moved back with relocator, Rinehart pipes, Hawg Wired Amp/speakers, tour pack removable, windshield trim, louder horn, shift linkage, Zumo, shorty antennas, windshield (Clearview), comfort passenger pegs from Kuryakyn.

4. What is a typical ride for you on your CVO? Long? Short?  Both. Have used it for coast to coast & from Florida to Canada.  Lots of 1,000 mile plus round trips.  Use it for local errands, etc.  Ride when I can.

5. What motorcycles did you previously own?  Did you add accessories to those bikes?  HD - Yes.  Yamahas - yes, Kawasakis - yes.

6. Why did you purchase your CVO?  Like the bike. Good options. Distance riding.

7. What type of research did you do prior to buying your CVO?  
Where did you go to find information (dealer, websites, etc.)?  Friends, dealers, wrenches, forums.  

8.  What do you like about your CVO?  The ride.

9.  What do you dislike about your CVO?  Any room for improvements?  More customization should be offered from factory - accessories, etc.

10. Are there are services or additional warranties that you wish came along with the CVO?  Yeah.  Free service for life & a 100,000 mile warranty would be nice.   Would be ok with 4 years/50k.

11.  Do you think you will buy another CVO?  What type?  Any motorcycle types that you would like to see become a CVO (ex. a trike)?  Yes.  Type depends on what is available - another Ultra.

12. Any other comments about your CVO that you would like us to pass along to H-D as part of our study?  Sure.  Not all CVO riders are as boneheaded as some of the replies in this thread might indicate.  If the MoCo would like to contact me for a survey, would be happy to go in depth with responses.  More custom options tailored to the individual would be good.


On behalf of my team, thank you so much for your help and insights-
Chris

(If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a phone interview, I can be contacted at cmarvine@asu.edu)



 

[greglyon]

Couldn't think of a good reason not to help out this student.
Exercise was therapeutic