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[Stepman]

I'm new to the site and thinking about a CVO Softail either Heritage or Fat Boy.  I wonder if anyone has sage advice on when the best time of the year is to order from a pricing standpoint.  I've done the HD on line customizer and probable won't pull the trigger on a CVO at the price customizer reflects.  On the same note, is there ususally any wiggle room on the price when ordering through a dealership?  Thanks in advance.

[04se103]

Stepman Welcome to the site Glad you have joined us when you get a chance go over to the New Member Board and Introduce your self. NEW MEMBER INTRODUCTION

[LarryB]

from your questions, I think not only are you new to the site, but new to HD also.
you wiggle what you can, but if you think you're going to pay under MSRP, forget it. Not saying it can't happen, but chances are, NO!
Customizer? on a CVO, whew, why do that? They come with everything on them 

[Fired00d]

I'm new to the site and thinking about a CVO Softail either Heritage or Fat Boy.  I wonder if anyone has sage advice on when the best time of the year is to order from a pricing standpoint.  I've done the HD on line customizer and probable won't pull the trigger on a CVO at the price customizer reflects.  On the same note, is there ususally any wiggle room on the price when ordering through a dealership?  Thanks in advance.

Stepman,
First off welcome to the site glad to have you join us.

You mention CVO "Heritage or "Fat Boy" and when is the best time to order them. Unless you know something all the rest of us don't there has never been a CVO "Heritage" Softail (unless there will be one in '10 lineup), and the CVO Fat Boy's were produced in '05/'06 (again unless they are bringing it back for '10). If you're in the market for a used CVO Fatboy I would say now would be as good a time as any due to present economic situation to buy a used bike.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[Stepman]

Okay ... I guess I just completely exposed myself as not knowing jack!  So here's the story in a little more detail.

I bought my first bike last summer, a 2003 Volusia.  I still have it and love it.  About a month ago, I went to visit one of my daughters in Muskegon Michigan and rented a 2009 Softail Deluxe for Memorial Day weekend.  It was my first time operating a bike bigger than 800cc and my first Harley to ride.  The Softail riding experience was tremendous; much more nimble than my Volusia.  I felt like the bike and I were really a single unit.  It almost operated itself!  The only problem ... and it was slight ... was that my riding position was not quite as relaxed as I would have preferred.

I related the Harley experience to a friend who is a long time Harley owner.  He suggested that the Heritage would be a better fit for me.  So I stated looking at them and at Fat Boys  because I like the styling.  This quest took me to the HD website where they have a "customizer" feature allowing you to add options and to swap colors.  Silly me ... I thought this meant that exercising those options an ordering a specific setup meant you'd deal with HD's CVO Division.  Apparently not.  So I guess my questions are the same, minus the reference to HD's CVO Division.  But since you guys are CVO devotees, I guess I'm in the wrong place.

Anyway, be safe and thanks for the knowledge.

[LarryB]

Okay ... I guess I just completely exposed myself as not knowing jack!  So here's the story in a little more detail.

I bought my first bike last summer, a 2003 Volusia.  I still have it and love it.  About a month ago, I went to visit one of my daughters in Muskegon Michigan and rented a 2009 Softail Deluxe for Memorial Day weekend.  It was my first time operating a bike bigger than 800cc and my first Harley to ride.  The Softail riding experience was tremendous; much more nimble than my Volusia.  I felt like the bike and I were really a single unit.  It almost operated itself!  The only problem ... and it was slight ... was that my riding position was not quite as relaxed as I would have preferred.

I related the Harley experience to a friend who is a long time Harley owner.  He suggested that the Heritage would be a better fit for me.  So I stated looking at them and at Fat Boys  because I like the styling.  This quest took me to the HD website where they have a "customizer" feature allowing you to add options and to swap colors.  Silly me ... I thought this meant that exercising those options an ordering a specific setup meant you'd deal with HD's CVO Division.  Apparently not.  So I guess my questions are the same, minus the reference to HD's CVO Division.  But since you guys are CVO devotees, I guess I'm in the wrong place.

Anyway, be safe and thanks for the knowledge.

Hmmm, I got an 05 softail deluxe that could be pryed away from me!

[grc]

................................................  But since you guys are CVO devotees, I guess I'm in the wrong place.

Anyway, be safe and thanks for the knowledge.

Not in the wrong place at all, and you're welcome to stay.  There are plenty of folks around here that don't currently ride a CVO, and there is a ton of information that applies to the standard models as well as the CVO's.  Hang around for awhile and who knows, folks may convince you to take the plunge!

Jerry

[1abastarsmda]

The customizer allows you to see what the standard model bike would look like with the added accessories you pick out to add in the customizer.  The bike is still not put together with these items at the factory, but rather you will add these items to your bill when you buy the bike, and your dealer will put them on for you, and charge you for the labor to do so.

The CVO's on the other hand have a host of accessories that come from the factory, that do not come on the standard models, including a larger engine.  Those accessories included on the CVO's are carved in stone, and anything additional that we want to add is also done at the time of sale or later at the dealer level.

Whether you get the standard model or a CVO, I'm certain you will enjoy the Harley experience.  As far as the CVO's go, Harley has in past years chosen 4 models each year to offer as a special, already decked out, bike.  None of us know for sure what models will be available for 2010 yet.  There's lots of speculation and wishing on our part, but again we just do not know.  I think that most of us with CVO's have owned a standard model at some time prior to owning a CVO.  You'll see the difference quickly when you look at the price tag of the CVO vs the standard model.  Whatever you decide on, you'll be very pleased.

[Stepman]

Thanks for the welcome and the explanation.  Given what I've learned, I think I will remain a member of this site.  However, I am fairly confident that my CVO experience will be completely vicarious through you guys, given the price points.  And since it appears that dealers don't really "deal", I may be priced out of a Harley altogether.  I'll put some cash aside and see how flexible the dealers are near the end of riding season.  If I cannot get a price that reflects that this is a buyers market, then I just can't justify the purchase.  That said, I'm optimistic and think I just need to be patient.

[SBB]

Thanks for the welcome and the explanation.  Given what I've learned, I think I will remain a member of this site.  However, I am fairly confident that my CVO experience will be completely vicarious through you guys, given the price points.  And since it appears that dealers don't really "deal", I may be priced out of a Harley altogether.  I'll put some cash aside and see how flexible the dealers are near the end of riding season.  If I cannot get a price that reflects that this is a buyers market, then I just can't justify the purchase.  That said, I'm optimistic and think I just need to be patient.

Stepman

Can I ask a couple of questions?

Do you own a bike?

If yes, is it a Harley?

If yes to the Harley, what model?

I have read all four of your post and am not sure if you have a bike.

This is a great place with great people that would love to help you.

Help us help you!

SBB

[RedDevil]

Stepman

Can I ask a couple of questions?

Do you own a bike?

If yes, is it a Harley?

If yes to the Harley, what model?

I have read all four of your post and am not sure if you have a bike.

This is a great place with great people that would love to help you.

Help us help you!

SBB

Chip, I think he currently has a Suzuki Intruder Volusia.  He rented a Softail Deluxe over the Memorial Day weekend and got hooked.      Stepman, I would highly encourage that if you want to take the HD plunge, you look at the used market.  HD's, while you may find a dealer that's willing to "deal", typically don't go much below MSRP, unless they have some, which used to be non-existent, holdovers from the previous model year.  You might get a new holdover 2009 when the 2010 models come out, for less than MSRP, but usually it will be one of the less popular models that are left over.  Another time to talk to explore a new ride, is before or after the riding season, if you live in colder climes, when the dealers aren't as busy and are hurting for sales.  I got my 2008 Street Glide before the riding season and was able to get it for $1800 under (basically paid for all of my accessories I had added before delivery, and left a little to take off of MSRP), but that was hitting them at the right time when they had over 200 bikes sitting on the showroom floor and about another 100 sitting in the back.  They just weren't moving bikes and wanted to get some out the door.  I talked to the dealer that I bought my SEUC from and they wouldn't give me the same deal, so it's dealer dependent.  Good luck in whatever directions you choose to go.

   

[SBB]

Chip, I think he currently has a Suzuki Intruder Volusia.  He rented a Softail Deluxe over the Memorial Day weekend and got hooked.     Stepman, I would highly encourage that if you want to take the HD plunge, you look at the used market.  HD's, while you may find a dealer that's willing to "deal", typically don't go much below MSRP, unless they have some, which used to be non-existent, holdovers from the previous model year.  You might get a new holdover 2009 when the 2010 models come out, for less than MSRP, but usually it will be one of the less popular models that are left over.  Another time to talk to explore a new ride, is before or after the riding season, if you live in colder climes, when the dealers aren't as busy and are hurting for sales.  I got my 2008 Street Glide before the riding season and was able to get it for $1800 under (basically paid for all of my accessories I had added before delivery, and left a little to take off of MSRP), but that was hitting them at the right time when they had over 200 bikes sitting on the showroom floor and about another 100 sitting in the back.  They just weren't moving bikes and wanted to get some out the door.  I talked to the dealer that I bought my SEUC from and they wouldn't give me the same deal, so it's dealer dependent.  Good luck in whatever directions you choose to go.

  

Thank you Charlie!

If Stepman wants to join the Harley family it doesn't have to be a CVO.

Owning a CVO is not a requirement here.

As a bagger man, I know there are 2002's, 2003's, 2004's that can be had for a low price that will give many miles of smiles.

A $13,000.00 03 Classic in great shape will take you just as far and will give you 99.9% as much fun as a $35,500.00 SEUC CVO.

I know, I have one.

If I cannot get a price that reflects that this is a buyers market, then I just can't justify the purchase.

Stepman, if your looking only at a good price to qualify your purchase as a good deal then you will never understand the value of Harley ownership.

There is so much more to it.

It's like the T-shirts say, "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand anyway"

It's a love/hate relationship, most days you love it, but some days you hate that you love it so much.

Give it a whirl, no matter what you ride, your welcome here.

It's just important that you ride!
SBB

 

[1abastarsmda]

There are definitely good deals out there to be had.  My neighbor has a 2007 Road King Classic with 1900 miles that she is selling. Her husband passed away in 07 and she hasn't let go of the bike, even though I have obtained several reasonable offers on it for her.  The fact is, she's not going to get more out of it than someone selling one with a lot more miles.  At this point, I doubt that she'll get more than $12K to $13K out of it, and very unlikely to top $14K.  Really not bad for what is essentially a brand new Harley.  There's plenty of Harley's sitting around with virtually no mileage in peoples' garages that they are ready to part with.  Start asking people you know to keep an ear out for anyone looking to sell.  You may be surprised at what you might find.

The price of a Harley is only high if you buy another brand.  Why, you ask.  I bought a 2006 Yamaha VStar, even though I wanted a Harley.  After adding $7k to $8k to it trying to make it look and sound like a Harley, I finally broke down and bought an 07 Road King Classic, once I realized that no matter how much I put into it, it still wasn't a Harley.  I lost a bundle when I traded and if I would have just gone for the Harley, I would have saved many thousands of dollars.

I have never looked back.  My Yamaha was a beautiful bike and it ran great, but I was never really going to be happy with it.  Every time I pulled up next to a Harley at a light, I remembered what I really wanted.  For some mystical reason, there's a lot more to owning a Harley than just the bike itself.  It's a huge family, with open invitations galore to become a part of it. 

I think that what I am really saying though is that once you have the itch, it won't really go away until you scratch it.

[TLMitchell]

And since it appears that dealers don't really "deal", I may be priced out of a Harley altogether.  I'll put some cash aside and see how flexible the dealers are near the end of riding season.  If I cannot get a price that reflects that this is a buyers market, then I just can't justify the purchase.  That said, I'm optimistic and think I just need to be patient.

Ya gotta do your homework and legwork if you're looking for a deal. After a friend got $1500 knocked of an outright deal on an '09 EG Classic in Jackson, CA a few weeks ago I started sniffing around. There's a few dealing around NE Ohio / W PA but nothing that'll raise the hair on your head. Only CVO deal I saw was at Carlton's H-D in Mantua, OH, a blue/silver SE Fat Bob with a SALE! tag on it. Their Web site indicates is almost $1600 below MSRP.

Legends H-D in NJ is peddling dressers for $1000 off MSRP and no charges for ABS... almost $1800 off list. There's deals out there but nothing year-end across the board. I'm betting those that are dealing are the ones that got caught with a large stock of '06 dressers when the '07s were announced. I hope those that charged over MSRP for all the years when new bikes were scarce choked on 'em the worst. 

TL  <--- '10 FLHTCU build date is 7/17 

[geezerglide]

I'm new to the site and thinking about a CVO Softail either Heritage or Fat Boy.  I wonder if anyone has sage advice on when the best time of the year is to order from a pricing standpoint.  I've done the HD on line customizer and probable won't pull the trigger on a CVO at the price customizer reflects.  On the same note, is there ususally any wiggle room on the price when ordering through a dealership?  Thanks in advance.

If you are flexible on your choice of bikes, Just this morning on eBay their are 13 CVO Bikes for sale split between CVO Road Glides and CVO Ultras. Lot of low milers, some pretty good price and some high.

geezerglide