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[brhulen]

I think Chris should be applauded as to the subject matter for his MBA project if nothing else.  At least he is accessing the proper website for input.  Do the questions appear to be canned, sure they do.  But in a less than perfect world what other questions would you expect him to ask.  More than likely the MoCo is providing a list of questions as we ourselves have seen over the years.  I'll answer his questions, but I feel as though the only one to benefit will be him and I'm okay with that.  As far as the MoCo reading the results of his survery, I believe they probably will, but only to enhance sales, not to enhance customer satisfaction.

1.  2008 FLHTCUE3 Anniversary
2.  Yes, had to search online to find one and had it shipped 3500 miles to Alaska.  
3.  Moto Lites, Clearview windshield, Kuryakyn LED panacea tail lightsights/signal lights, saddlebag guards, chrome LED windshield bar, front/rear chrome speaker trim, third LED brake light beneath tour pack.
4.  L = 1200 miles, S - 39 miles (I drive it to work every day in the summer months)
5.  Several import bikes in my younger years.  More recently a 2002 FLSTC Heritage.
6.  As I grew a little older I wanted more of the creature comforts and fewer bugs in my teeth.
7.  Researched this website extensively and not to be deterred I bought one in spite!
8.  Most everything!
9.  There's not much I dislike, but there's always room for improvement!  I would like to see the heat issue addressed.
10.  I do believe the warranty period should be at least 3 years or higher mileage.  Up here in Alaska I'll run out of time long before I run out of mileage due to the short riding season.  Also if you have a history of a problem then I think that problem should continue to be fixed at the MoCo expense if it arises again.
11.  I probably won't buy another CVO.  Primarily because of my age.  I'll ride this one until I quit riding altogether.
12.  None that I believe the CVO folks would pay any attention to.

Chris,

Best of luck to you in your endeavors!

Brett
    

[JCZ]

I responed via email and got a nice reply back from Chris.  I asked him if he minded if I posted it......  

JC,

 

I understand that skepticism regarding this project.  As we have interviewed people in-person, I have heard similar levels of skepticism that H-D really cares.  

 

Thank you for your comments.  I truly appreciate your willingness to share your experiences/insights about your CVOs.  I can assure that your concerns/comments will be incorporated in our report, including the idea that H-D needs solicit the opinions, ideas, and views of the CVO owners.  

 

Finally, thank you for allowing my post to remain your website. I have been reading posts for the last few weeks to obtain some background on CVO issues.  As you know, the “universe” of CVO owners is relatively small, so the ability to collect CVO surveys outside of the Phoenix area is incredibly helpful to my team, so that we may create a more representative report to provide to H-D.  

 

Thank you again,

Chris

 
By the way, Chris, for the record.....it's not my website.  I'm just another owner and a moderator here.

[Guilty]

All of the questions that you have asked have been discussed in depth on this forum...use the search function.

[Twolanerider]

All of the questions that you have asked have been discussed in depth on this forum...use the search function.

All kidding aside that would actually be a hell of a thesis project for someone.  Wading through all the incidents discussed here, picking and then documenting several and developing them in to case studies of client/vendor relationships and communication.

[Hotrodstitcher]

I think you guys might be missing a good opportunity to have you grips heard. The Motor Company may just read this guys material and do something with it, more so than just one of us calling or emailing...Just a thought...

[yellowhog]

Chris, here are my answers to your survey...

1. 2005 FLHTCSE2 – Sunrise Yellow Pearl & Stingray Silver
2. Yes, but it was a consignment sale…the taxes were over $1000 cheaper!
3. Just a few.  I’ve added Kuryakyn reflective smoke Saddle Shields.  Kuryakyn reflective smoke Dragon Wing Air Deflectors.  Long Ride Shields 8” smoke windscreen.  Hot toppers chrome engine kit.  Chrome bolts, screws, etc. everywhere else.  Chrome EFI manifold cover & air cleaner Backplate.  Finned head bolt cover.  Harleygoodies floorboard extension kit.  Aux. run/brake/turn signal kit.  Shorty antennae and detachable locking hardware.

4. The average ride is 200-300 miles.  I hate to take her out for less than 100 and have put as many as 600 (definitely NOT with the stock seat & backrest).

5. 2003 FLHTCUI – About $9,000 in accessories.  3 Honda Goldwings and 1 Honda Valkyrie – several thousand in accessories.  Triumph, Suzuki and Yahama – no accessories.

6. Because it’s the top of the line…and I fell in love with the color back in ’05 when I first saw it.  At the time, there was NO WAY I could justify spending over $30,000 for a motorcycle, but a few years later and about $11,000 less and I now have one that was at least as good as new. 

7. I looked on the web for any info I could find on the CVO’s.  I studied their features, performance, etc.

8.  The one of a kind color and features.  Many dealers I visit have not even seen and ’05 FLHTCSE2 in the sunrise yellow.  Some of them mistake it for the ’09 SE Road Glide in yellow. 

9.  Harley could have done an even better job of customizing the bike.  There are too many “ordinary items” on the bike for the price.  There is always room for improvements to be made.  They could start by making the seating more comfortable, giving the motor more horsepower, etc.

10. The warranties should have some sort of mileage clause in them.  Many of the riders don’t put that many miles on their bikes (probably due to the purchase price)and the warranties run out too soon with little mileage.

11.  I would definitely purchase another if Harley came back with the Electra Glide Classic, or if they offered the tour-pak and lower fairings on the Street Glide.  As far as other models in the CVO line, in my opinion, the CVO’s are becoming much too common.  Coming out with the same models EVERY year is getting old.  If they brought out a CVO model every 2-3 years, I believe they would be more in demand and generate more interest, although not many people can afford almost $40,000 for a FLHTCUSE either.

12. Harley Davidson should be a little more receptive to the problems many CVO owners have had and are having with them.  They’ve built a “special bike” at a “special” price.  The people that buy them should be able to expect that the CVO bikes’ quality reflect their price and exclusivity.

[Heatwave]

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

Uhhhh, didn't you disprove that theory buy actually buying one?

[DICKW]

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? 2009 Ultra Classic (Blue the slowest color)

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

3. Have you added accessories to your CVO?  If so, what accessories?  Yes, no offense we all add something. The list is long, I will name a few for you.....
Lowered Shocks, Grab rails for passenger, saddle bag protectors, Speakers, Amplifier, Pull back handlebars.

4. What is a typical ride for you on your CVO? Long? Short? I do both Long 600-800 miles/ Short 100-300 miles

5. What motorcycles did you previously own?  Did you add accessories to those bikes? Yamaha/No  ......... Harleys/Yes

6. Why did you purchase your CVO?  I put $10,000.00 in accesories on another bike and got nothing in return.....CVO's come with many creature comforts and there is a decent return when you trade the bike in/or sell it.

7. What type of research did you do prior to buying your CVO?  I did the math on building up the Ultra Classic compared to the CVO and still came up short on the Ultra Classics Motor.
Where did you go to find information (dealer, websites, etc.)? Tried to figure it out myself.

8.  What do you like about your CVO?  Most everything.

9.  What do you dislike about your CVO?  Any room for improvements? There's always room for improvements, everyones taste is different as well. Harley provides the CVO, the owner personalizes it.

10. Are there are services or additional warranties that you wish came along with the CVO? I will agree with someone elses comment....if something on the bike continues to fail Harley should warranty for as long as you own the bike ie. (Heated Hand Grips)

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)?  I think the Trike would be sweet, I also think if you wait 2 years you will see one. As far as the next one, it will most likely be the same as the one I own now.

12. Any other comments about your CVO that you would like us to pass along to H-D as part of our study? I think Harley needs to pay attention to detail, the QC (Quality Control) on the CVO is horrible, and I think they lose more money in replacing items on these bikes then they should.


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)



 

[Trapperdog]

I guess my initial skepticism of this questionair arose from this post coming in on the heals of HD's repetitive requests for me to take an on line survey asking about my riding habits, motor upgrades, add ons, etc. Perhaps a keen marketing tool, but the entrance to the survey is password protected, prompting me to question weather the survey is to solely gather info on my bike as I have had numerous factory and extended warranty work done.

At this point, it seems that Chris's motives are strictly academic and confidential and perhaps I am just a bit paranoid.

[CVOStreetglide]

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? 2010 CVO Street Glide FLHXSE--Candy Concord

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

3. Have you added accessories to your CVO?  If so, what accessories? YES aftermarket exhaust, tag bracket, inner fairing trim pieces--etc.  

4. What is a typical ride for you on your CVO? Long? Short? Both as has been reported by other members.

5. What motorcycles did you previously own?  Did you add accessories to those bikes? Approximately 24 new bikes over the years. I currently have a "unfired" VRXSE Destroyer as well. YES I did accessorize them all except the Destroyer

6. Why did you purchase your CVO? In my experience there is considerably more value in the CVO bikes. Also they were assembled by a dedicated team who understood the value proposition and their role--to build exceptionally high quality motorcycles for the high end Harley-Davidson client. Also the fact that there aren't that many made (unique), the resale of a CVO percentage wise is much better over time that a standard model.  

7. What type of research did you do prior to buying your CVO? The Harley-Davidson web site location for new CVO bikes. Far too much time was spent on determining: 1. WHICH Dealer actually had the bike in their possession when I wanted it. 2. WHO would sell me the bike a MSRP.  

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: I have been floating this solution to anyone who will listen: Sell the bikes over the Internet at MSRP to the customers. Like many here I would be more than willing to go to the Harley web site and look over the new bike offerings and select the model, color and features I want, pay for it and have it shipped to either my front door (preferred) or to a local dealer for me to pick up.  It should be ready to ride when I get there. This is Supply Chain management at its best. It gets rid of the obnoxious salesmen who don't know as much about the bikes as I do.

FAILING THAT: Please publish the shipping and delivery schedule on the Harley Web site.  It should indicate the receiving dealers, when they will arrive, the colors and models and the MSRP price.

The notion of waiting for your local dealer to "allow you" to buy a bike from him at way over MSRP when they receive it is gone forever!!  

Please consider my case as an example, I located the bike I wanted over the telephone at the price I was willing to pay (MSRP). I closed the deal over the phone, sent the check via FedEx to the dealer which arrived the next morning at 10 am and I showed up the 2nd day to pick the bike up. Neat, clean and very little hassle EXCEPT that I had to travel 465 miles each way to get it BECAUSE SOME dealers closer to me were trying to get up to $9k over MSRP!!!

Where did you go to find information (dealer, websites, etc.)? Please see above.

PLEASE SEE MY NEXT POST FOR THE REMAINING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

[CVOStreetglide]

CONTINUED......

8.  What do you like about your CVO?  The overall quality fit, finish and the uniqueness and performance. Please see comments in the next section

9.  What do you dislike about your CVO?  Any room for improvements? YES. (ASSUMPTIONS) Unfortunately there were union negotiations going on when my bike was being made along with the decision to dissolve the CVO teams. This is a bad move for the motor company!! If you consider the pricing component alone, this bike deserves far more hands on care and quality control than the normal automated manufacturing and assembly process.

In my case; 1.The inner bags were not finished as well as the outer portions. 2. The rubber strip separating the inner and outer fairing is too short and has had to be reseated 3 times to date because it comes loose when you are riding the bike. 3. The left upperspeaker wire was not connected during manufacturing so it didn't work. This requires the removal of the inner and outer fairing to correct 4. Almost ALL of the nuts, bolts and screws were not tightened or torqued to the factory specs in the service manual. I have been doing it one section at a time using the service manual.  

10. Are there are services or additional warranties that you wish came along with the CVO? YES. I think that the warranty should be increased to 5 years/unlimited mileage for all CVO's. Also, it should include the tire and wheel warranty. In addition all services should be included in the purchase price. I ALSO THINK THE ULTRA DELUXE RADIO SHOULD BE STANDARD ON ALL RADIO EQUIPPED CVO'S.
11.  Do you think you will buy another CVO? YES What type?  FL TOURING LINES Any motorcycle types that you would like to see become a CVO (ex. a trike)? Please see previous comment

12. Any other comments about your CVO that you would like us to pass along to H-D as part of our study? PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PASS ON ANY AND ALL COMMENTS TO HARLEY-DAVIDSON!!

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)[/quote]


Thanks very much for giving us the opportunity to participate. Will you please share/post your composite study findings and recommendations to the "Motor Company" on this site along with their comments and response???

Jerry S

[MIKEYTEE]

Chris, I was not trying to be a smart a$$ in telling you to read the posts on this site. I was just letting you know that there is a lot of information on this site covering most all of the good and bad f owning a CVO. You will also gain an insite to the type of people that buy these bikes and their passion they have for their bikes.
Good luck!
Mike
 

[rganz]

Chris...

You have no idea what you have just gotten yourself into... 

Good job Murphy

Ya called this one

Rob

[GtreetSlide]

I once had a boss. When there were problems or issues he would stop me dead in my tracks. He simply said; "I don't want more info about the problem, if you don't have a solution then shutup."

That's the way I see this. You can complain about how the moco doesn't care and be ignored, or offer some real solutions to real problems that may make a difference...

That's just me, jb

[DICKW]

I once had a boss. When there were problems or issues he would stop me dead in my tracks. He simply said; "I don't want more info about the problem, if you don't have a solution then shutup."

That's the way I see this. You can complain about how the moco doesn't care and be ignored, or offer some real solutions to real problems that may make a difference...

That's just me, jb

This is a project not a problem solving thread.  I am sure your boss (when you had one) has given you projects, which you may have succeeded in, or you may have failed.

Just in case you didn't read it.

"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."