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[BigLock]

Tilley's H-D shop in Sailsbury NC will be closeing also but the main shop in Statesville will still open

[mark]

It sounds like one of the main advantages of HD over Indian, its large dealer network, is diminishing.

Sad how HD pushed the little guys out of the market and the ones that remained had to increase their store size.
 

The lack of a vast dealer network doesn’t seem to bother Indian, KTM, Ducati, & BMW riders.  With reliable machines, I suspect dealer network isn’t a concern.

[charles05663]

The lack of a vast dealer network doesn’t seem to bother Indian, KTM, Ducati, & BMW riders.  With reliable machines, I suspect dealer network isn’t a concern.

It was more directed at those who stated they would not choose Indian due to the lack of a dealer network.

I agree that if you have reliable machine the dealer network is less important.

 

[FLSTFI Dave]

i understand it, but i hope it doesn't come to the point where there is only 1 or 2 dealers in the entire state.  having a large dealer network while on the road is a huge plus.

On of the biggest reasons I have stuck with Harley and its declining quality and decontenting of the bikes while raising the price is dealer network.  We ride all over the country, and there is always a dealer with in a some what reasonable distance, not so with Indian, BMW or even Honda.  All three of which I think are a better value than a Harley.  Just worry about breaking down in Say MT, or WY or such.

It sounds like one of the main advantages of HD over Indian, its large dealer network, is diminishing.

Sad how HD pushed the little guys out of the market and the ones that remained had to increase their store size.
 

Very true H-D dealers network shrinking will erode an HD advantage, but I think dealers going away are the ones where there are several in the area.

I have always liked the little stores.

[iski]

Have been on numerous rides with riders who ride other brands than Harley - all the brands mentioned here & more.  They all break down - all of them & for the same frustrating reasons.  Ducati riders I know joke they need to be part time mechanics to stay running.  Difference is with HD a dealer is usually not that far away & bike can be repaired or parts can be obtained same day or quickly.  With some of the other brands that dealer is sometimes a long way away & it becomes a very expensive tow & a very time consuming operation as well as very expensive to get the bike fixed due to a wait for parts. 

As Dave said part of the reason I have stayed with HD is a big dealer network.  That is already shrinking but is still a big advantage for a lot of riders when compared to other brands with the exception of maybe Honda.

[J.D.]

Most of my trips are day trips, and if I was to break down I'd have it towed back to home and fix it myself rather than a dealership  So the dealer network is no longer important to me personally.

[DCFIREMANN]

There were a few comments above that people really likes the smaller stores. I have to agree with them. The other day on my way home from York, I have to go through New Oxford. As I was traveling through the small town there is a Pizza Shop where New Oxford Harley Davidson once sat. The service roll up doors are still in tact down the alley. I pulled over and stopped to look to remember the many I stopped in there traveling through. It was a great location. They would never have no more then 10 bikes on the floor and usually only 3 or 4.  Great service area. You could walk back down the alley and if the doors were opened just walk right in. Always a friendly person there to help you. Very few tee shirts and a few other items. A parts department that would usually have what you needed for the uncomplicated bikes. It was a great Dealership. But back in the day they were all like that. Maybe if Harley got their head out of their A__es things would be a lot better for them. Oh well it's always nice to dream.

Be Safe

THE DAWG

[J.D.]

It all went bad when mother Harley decided to market this brand to the masses (including all the new giant dealerships) instead of focusing on building quality, albeit underperforming, bikes and their established customer base.  Once the car dealers replaced the mom and pop biker owners the current situation was inevitable.  Covid is just speeding that up.

[iski]

Agree on liking the smaller HD stores.  They were all over & were good places to stop.  When HD changed their focus to big dealerships it was similar to what happened in the auto industry & it changed a lot of other things as well.  I can go to a big auto dealership to get work done on my truck & get treated like Mr. #4216 Because We Have No Idea Who You Are even after years of service or go a small town dealership & get treated like Mike after a visit or 2.  Guess which one I prefer & go to?

[J.D.]

It's kinda funny, walking into these dealer showrooms after a long day of riding as a dirty roadworn biker I really feel somewhat out of place.  Not so at the old shops.

[Phreakyz]

It's kinda funny, walking into these dealer showrooms after a long day of riding as a dirty roadworn biker I really feel somewhat out of place.  Not so at the old shops.

You mean like this?

[iski]

It's kinda funny, walking into these dealer showrooms after a long day of riding as a dirty roadworn biker I really feel somewhat out of place.  Not so at the old shops.

Know what you mean on road dirty & weary walking in a shop that looks like Biker Macys. 

Remember when a couple of us pulled into a shop one frosty morning just outside the Grand Canyon - think it was Grand Canyon Harley.  Had been on the road for days & we were covered in days worth of grime. We were freezing our asses off since we got caught by an unexpected cold front that morning.  Shop was very nice to us even thought we looked - and smelled - like hell & gave us coffee & told us to stay as long as we wanted to warm up.  Friend & I bought stuff we had not planned to buy because they were such great folks.  You remember the people at the shops like that, unlike some of the ones today like Biker Macys.

[mark]

X2 on the smaller shops.  It’s nice to go into a dealership and know everyone’s name and they know your’s.  It’s also reassuring when you see employees that have worked at the same dealership for years, which signals the owner takes care of his people.  What I see now (at the dealers owned by investment groups) is constant employee turnover, indicating it's not a great place to work.

Best dealership story...riding thru Wyoming, extremely hot and dry.  Stopped a dealership just to cool off in the A/C and they gave us complementary ice cream.  Can’t recall exact dealership, but very friendly folks.

[Smoketown]

Having a good rapport with a small shop can be invaluable but …

I can remember going into a number of ‘family-owned’ small shops … That’s all there were at the time.

If you didn’t look like a cop, wear a Van Heusen or Arrow shirt with A-1 Racers and looked like the guy on the Sportster in the latest Playboy, you were in for a looooong wait.

When you did finally get waited on, it was, “I’m sorry, those parts are no longer available.” They didn’t even try to cross-check parts.

At most shops, it was a whole lot easier just to send in your girlfriend/wife with your shopping list. (Or your Dad, if you had an older bike.) 

Watch the counter guys when a cutie walks in. They’ll trip over themselves or cut their current customer short just to ‘service’ her … Some things never change.

Fortunately, you can now check stock by phone or online and order parts the same way. You can then have them held for pick-up, delivered there or, to the shop that you prefer to work with. 

And YES, I will spend a couple of extra bucks to keep the local (good) shops open.

Remember, no matter where you are, with all of this electronic technology and a good forum or two, you can probably find a dealership or an ‘indie’ that can get you up and running in no time at all.

Cheers,
Smoketown

PS ... I now look like most of the old farts that ride Harleys.   

[J.D.]

When I walk into a bike shop, forgive me for being old school, but I really want to talk to people who know more about their products than I do.  I don't want to talk to a sales person.