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[spydglide]

What's really sad is one of our local HD Dealerships, one of the oldest Matthews HD in Fresno applied to expand their store and HD told them they would not approve it unless they moved from the area they have been in since the 50's.  What is the world coming to, you own a piece of property try to grow your business, put some money into it and the Mother Company says NO you have to move.

At least they continue to be consistent.  har!  spyder

[Screamin]

What's really sad is one of our local HD Dealerships, one of the oldest Matthews HD in Fresno applied to expand their store and HD told them they would not approve it unless they moved from the area they have been in since the 50's.  What is the world coming to, you own a piece of property try to grow your business, put some money into it and the Mother Company says NO you have to move.

SOP around here. If you're not on a freeway you're NOT at all. Elyria moved to Avon, Adventure to Dover, Liberty to Boston Hts. and Freedom to North Canton. All were shops w/ some style and now all are new and w/in sight of the freeway. The old shops will be relegated to the museum before too long.

[harley56]

What's really sad is one of our local HD Dealerships, one of the oldest Matthews HD in Fresno applied to expand their store and HD told them they would not approve it unless they moved from the area they have been in since the 50's.  What is the world coming to, you own a piece of property try to grow your business, put some money into it and the Mother Company says NO you have to move.

Not every 50 year old location is still the correct place to be, I suspect this may know longer be the greatest place, but the Matthews own the dirt and it's easiest for them.  I suppose that at best HD and the Matthews will agree to disagree, interesting to see how it plays out.

[Twolanerider]

Not every 50 year old location is still the correct place to be, I suspect this may know longer be the greatest place, but the Matthews own the dirt and it's easiest for them.  I suppose that at best HD and the Matthews will agree to disagree, interesting to see how it plays out.

I've been to that dealership before.  It's right next to (hope this is right) 180 which was the east-west interstate through town.  Dealership is also in the middle of a small triangle formed by the three interstates that cut through.  Also within just a few minutes of two little airports in the area.  Flew in to one of them in a Bonanza and visited the dealership while on the ground for awhile. 

Just checked the dealership website.  On their homepage is a request that customers click on an email link to write letters asking Mother Harley not to shut the dealership down.  Humbug.

[Screamin_Beagle]

I hated my real estate agent, very arrogant and she acted like I didn't know what I wanted.  [That's probably why they make you sign a 3 month commitment.]  They fcut this whole economy up and everyone else is paying for it.  If you could walk and chew gum, you could buy a house and get back 5K at closing, the bubble had to burst sometime.  I hate car salesman too, pushy kiss ass liars, then.....you're a door mat.  I have no complaints about Harley sales reps, and I am not sure if they are all cool across the world, but...  Buying a Harley was a good experience and I am sad to hear that any of them are closing.

With all due respect to any member who might happen to be a Real Estate salesperson or broker, I agree with the above. I can't think of an occupation where you do so little and the payoff is so great. In a bull market anyone with the brains of a gnat can sell a house. In a bear market Jesus would be hard put to the task. And the thing that really galls me is that when the market is great and everything is selling, these leaches take all the credit. When the market sucks and nothing is selling they blame the homeowner for it. Out here in SoCal these people collect commissions in the $100k range on a regular basis. I don't agree on car salesmen. I know over the years they've gotten a bad rep and some deserve it, but truth be told, most of these guys work 100 hr weeks for an annual salary in the $60k-$80K range. That works out to about minimum wage. H-D salespeople are a varied lot. Most dealerships will hire a bunch of different personalities hoping to cover the spectrum so as to match the customer with the salesperson. Me and B B had a good friend who was the #1 H-D Salesman for the entire Southwest Region of the United States. Amazing to see him switch gears and go from bad-ass outlaw to solid citizen in the way he presented himself to the customer. Anyway, I don't think anyone can lay the blame for the dealerships that are closing at the feet of the guy on the floor working on commission. Personally, I feel between the arrogance of the MoCo itself and the hubris of many dealership owners, coupled with GM's working from a one size fits all business plan offered up by the MoCo, this was an implosion waiting to happen. No real difference between what's gone on at GM and H-D so far as I see

[scottt]

I was saddened to learn Christmas Day, my favorite Harley dealer was closing down. The owner has three dealerships in the Sacramento Valley, they are closing two. Four years ago The Sacramento, California Valley had 7 dealerships, now we have 2. We have fewer dealers now than we had when I started riding a Harley, 1989. I think times are changing. Harley's are not the thing everyone wants to own, not a status symbol as it was. This is not all bad, I feel bad for the employees, feel bad for all of us that must travel pretty far to get service. I wonder everyone is seeing the same thing? Sure hope 2010 improves.

[spydglide]

It's not 'just' harley......a lotta pain to go around.  spyder

[BayouBiker]

Hartford, WI HD dealership on Hwy 60 recently closed their doors.

[Artlee]

Add
 Littleton Harley Davidson 1341 Whitefield Rd, Bethlehem, NH 03574
to the list. A number of New England HD dealers have taken bits of their bike inventory.

[Chains]

It is no surprise that our favorate dealers are feeling the pinch as well as the rest of us.  I was in a dealership in Florida back in August that had not sold a new bike in close to 3 months.  Had it not been for clothing sales and a high volume of used bikes, they too would be gone.  I believe a lot of the used bikes they had were purchased from people in need of cash at bargain basement prices.  Yet to be seen if they can survive with such high inventory levels and the economy still weak.

[sadunbar]

Hartford, WI HD dealership on Hwy 60 recently closed their doors.

What dealer was this?

[Chuck Pryor]

Add these to the list...

Harley-Davidson of Rocklin/Amador County and the Guidera Family

Based on declining sales due to the economic slowdown, the Guidera family will be consolidating our 3 dealerships into one location to ensure that our customers continue to receive the best sales and ownership experience possible. Unfortunately, both Harley-Davidson of Rocklin and Harley-Davidson of Amador County are closing. Starting today, all business will be conducted out of our Folsom, CA dealership located at 115 Woodmere Road. The last day of operation in Amador County is December 24th and the last day of operation at Harley-Davidson of Rocklin will be December 30th.

The current business level and overhead cost during this economic recession does not justify having 3 local dealerships open. By moving our key resources to one location we are able to control cost, staff effectively, and concentrate on great customer service. We chose Folsom because we are confident that the facility can support all of our present and future customer needs. The Folsom store has built an outstanding service and sales reputation in 10 years of operation. Its 24 service bays are more than any other store in the area, and we are staffed with factory trained technicians qualified to handle any service job. On top of the great service, Folsom also has superior parts, accessories, and Motorclothes departments and a new motorcycle selection and sales staff, which is second to none. All collision repairs will still be handled at our collision repair facility which is located in Rocklin on 4123 Monopoly Court. As always, you can count on our experienced collision staff to help you every step of the way should you drop your bike or have a major repair claim.

We started this journey by opening our Citrus Heights location in 1976. By 1997 we had outgrown that facility and moved to Rocklin. As Harley-Davidson motorcycle demand continued to grow in the area, we added the Folsom store in 1999. In 2003, the collision repair facility was added in Rocklin, and finally, Harley-Davidson of Amador County joined the line-up in 2007. It has been an amazing ride for the Guidera family to be a part of so many of our customers lives. We have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of opening 3 dealerships in the Sacramento area. However, we have realized that it is time to consolidate, recover, and start a new chapter in this amazing success story. We are very sad to see some of our history fall to the wayside because both the Rocklin and Amador dealerships have meant so much to so many good people. We are fully aware that plenty of challenges lie ahead by consolidating our customer base to Folsom. But we are also excited to forge ahead aboard our Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, the greatest freedom machines on the planet, and with you, the greatest customers in the world.

Victor, Len, Matt, Melissa and Shannon Guidera would like to personally thank our wonderful staff and our amazing customers for all their help and support through the 33 years we have been a Harley-Davidson dealer. We are looking forward to still being here for you and your Harley-Davidson motorcycling needs far into the future.

[BayouBiker]

What dealer was this?

Not sure what the actual name was, but it was about a mile west of Hwy 83 (Main St) on the south side of Hwy 60.

[CVOJOE]

Not sure what the actual name was, but it was about a mile west of Hwy 83 (Main St) on the south side of Hwy 60.

Sounds like Hartford H-D, which was right on Hwy 60 as I recall. Rode to most of them during the 100th Anniversary events, and I think there was a West Bend H-D  there as well. Sad situation. 

[Chuck Pryor]

Here's what it looked like at Rocklin HD today... store closing and 50% off everything in the store. JC, Terrie, Jon and Susan I know were there early. Long lines all day. We waited in line TO PAY for 2 hours but it was worth it... picked up a nice pair of lined chaps for my wife for 140 bucks. She also got a nice jacket, some shirts etc. I got some nice sweatshirts for 22 bucks and also 4 point docking hardware for my 09SERG for 70.00

Here's a pic of the crowd... it was nuts.