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[Spiderman]

Speak for yourself.... its pouring here today... so I guess I'll be riding in water!

If memory serves during the year I lived at the Ilikai, it rained everyday - - right around 3PM or so for 15-30 minutes

B B

[2018_FLTRXSE]

If memory serves during the year I lived at the Ilikai, it rained everyday - - right around 3PM or so for 15-30 minutes

B B

yup... somewhere between 130 and 430 pm usually... depending on where on the island you are...and sometimes just after sunset when the breeze moves from on-shore to off.

It rained until 11am today... left enough water on the road to get all the chrome dirty again.

[BostonboyDH]

HOW ABOUT SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A CVO STYLE OIL TEMP GAUGE "DH'

[hogdooz]

Harley-Davidson, engage your quality control system and bring the quality up to where it should be. I've already had my 2011 FLTRUSE replaced with 5000 miles on it and now I'm hesitant to ride the new one for fear of what is going to fail on it---only 1500 miles on it since January, 2011. This shouldn't happen on normal model bikes, much less the CVO's. Normally I put about 35K/year on my touring bikes. My wife is talking about selling her 2007 FLTR and getting a BMW since they have a lowered model now.
And work on getting back to 100% American, not keep sliding the other way to where the minimum legally allowed is American. And, by the way, I'm not a new rider, I had my first Harley-Davidson in 1960 and we have 5 Harleys at this time.

[grc]

Everything you ever wanted to share with the MOCO    >    I'd like to share all the repair bills for the substandard crap pawned off at top dollar.


It's really very simple in my mind.  Best in class quality, best in class reliability, competitive performance and features.  That's all it would take to open my wallet again.


Jerry

[Dr.D]

Dear Harley Davidson I am disappointed in the quality of some of your items and tired of explaining to non-Harley riding friends how good your bikes are and making excuses for your shortcomings. It cost's more cause ........................................it's a Harley?? It has less power.....................uh but it sounds good..............uh after I spend $500 more dollars for pipes. It's not supposed to ride as smooth...............cause it adds character.  We like leaking oil cause it helps us get back home, retracing our path.

It's a good thing that your name sounds good and is a status symbol to many because that may be the only two things bringing us back to give you gobs of our hard earned money.

Still love you and am hard at work getting you some more cash for parts that should have come on the bike in the beginning.

[Spiderman]

Seems we all want the same thing. I think we've pretty much got it covered.

Just for chits and giggles, how bout we all envision an imaginary meeting of H-D Brass discussing this thread ?


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[miker]

I imagine it'd be hard to talk with the rapid rotation of thumbs from mouth to rectum or from the laughter as they count money for nothing.

Jussaynzall..

Did that sound jaded or like an idiot that has 30 years of exposure...

[grc]

Seems we all want the same thing. I think we've pretty much got it covered.

Just for chits and giggles, how bout we all envision an imaginary meeting of H-D Brass discussing this thread ?


B B

I tend to envision the reading of this thread being assigned to one very low level assistant to an assistant, while the real policy makers (otherwise known as the big shots) sit around in the conference room having the financial wizards lead them through the latest financials, then figuring out how to charge more for the same old crap.  Willy G. will offer to add some flat black paint to another model to generate interest and free publicity from the media, while the purchasing guru will announce that China has reopened some slave labor camps so they can offer even cheaper crap parts.  Then they will all retire to the club for libations while the folks doing the real work keep plugging away for less money and fewer benefits.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see top management take us seriously and really turn the company around.  But I've lived through decades of lousy management in my automotive career, and the only time real change occurred was when things became much more desperate than what the top dogs at Harley have been facing.  As in multiple years of multibillions in red ink.  I don't think they've gotten anywhere close to taking this stuff seriously enough to do anything other than the same old crap from the same old playbook.  Beat down the employee's to reduce labor costs, threaten politicians to gain huge tax breaks, beat down suppliers on pricing (which automatically leads to lower quality, no matter what anyone tells you), etc., all to improve the short term bottom line.  I'd love to be proved wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.


Jerry

[Half_Crazy]

Best in class quality, best in class reliability, competitive performance and features.  That's all it would take to open my wallet

Exactly how I feel.

[johna]

How about a plug in 40 channel UHF radio
the 27 meg CB is useless in Aust

[Weasels]

While in Rapid City SD in '09 a few of our members met with Representatives from HD. Among the many things confirmed during that meeting was the fact that this site is regularly visited but not posted by these Reps.

Soooo, in an effort to save them time I thought we could offer one thread to share our ideas and make it easy reading for these guys. Just a thought .... fire away except Twolane

Good idea Howie, but it looks like most of the replies are from members who shouldn't wast there money on a Harley. Sounds like they prefer other brands much more and that is what they should buy. I thought the meeting and the food was great, they should do it again. I doubt that to many more would show up. The Wife says hi

[Spiderman]

Good idea Howie, but it looks like most of the replies are from members who shouldn't wast there money on a Harley. Sounds like they prefer other brands much more and that is what they should buy. I thought the meeting and the food was great, they should do it again. I doubt that to many more would show up. The Wife says hi

Not true at all. The commentary on this thread reflects the frustration these members feel with shelling out $40,000 for a motorcycle and having to deal with multiple issues of quality, engineering and warranty. Saying that because people have complaints they're not H-D folks is akin to saying that anyone who has issues with our government is not an American. It is BECAUSE we love Harley-Davidson so much that we complain. Many of us have been riding for 40 years or more. In that time we've seen the names heading up H-D Inc change more times than any of us can count. When Vaughn Beals et al took over H-D from AMF back in 1981, there was a true sense of purpose in returning the name Harley-Davidson to it's rightful place as an American made motorcycle worthy of respect and admiration. The quality of the Evo based H-D's in the 80's was exceptional. They were truly designed, engineered and manufactured to the best of the abilities of all of the people who worked for Harley-Davidson Inc. This had to be because AMF had allowed the brand to become associated with poor design, poor engineering and even poorer assembly. All of us rejoiced in the sea change of attitude on Juneau Ave when H-D's became a motorcycle you could ride hard and trust not to let you down. I've plenty of stories of Evo's I beat as no machine should be beaten and never once did they leave me stranded. But of late, things have slid back into whatever mentality prevailed at AMF and it's all about maximizing profit so far as many of us can see at the highest levels of H-D Inc. Obviously somebody within the company is fighting hard to move forward on engineering when you look at the changes in the frame, swingarm, brakes etc. But they've dropped the ball totally on the 110 engine platform and to be honest, Willie G has not come out with anything exceptional design wise for several years. The last two years of the CVO line-up have been variations on a theme. And the quality has suffered. Again, the issues with the 110 engine platform are simply unacceptable. The ongoing issues with paint are disheartening and the issues with chrome quality (once the industry standard) are saddening. But we're all still H-D people. No matter how pissed off we get, you cut us and we'll bleed 50 weight. But that doesn't strip us of our right to speak out loudly about what's happening to the MoCo. If you believe that then you are a Johnny come Lately H-D person. You should have heard the saddletramps or yore piss and moan about their panheads.

B B

[Midnight Rider]

Good idea Howie, but it looks like most of the replies are from members who shouldn't wast there money on a Harley. Sounds like they prefer other brands much more and that is what they should buy. I thought the meeting and the food was great, they should do it again. I doubt that to many more would show up. The Wife says hi

Nothing could be further from the truth.  We buy HD for various reasons, but one stands out above all others:  There's really nothing else out there quite like it.  Yes, there are Asian versions of V-Twin motors, and then Victory, etc...and they are fine motorcycles, and in many ways "better" than any HD.  However, they are simply just not the same.  Having said that, like many others here, there is absolutely NO reason that HD cannot do a better job putting out a product that meets or exceeds what should be EXPECTED from someone shelling out 35K+ for a two wheeled vehicle.  The only reason is poor quality control, and trying to squeeze out every dollar of profit possible by using low bid vendors, cheap parts, etc.  We bitch about things because there is no excuse for them, hoping that somebody is listening and will do something about what seems to be happening to the brand.  As demographics change in this country in the next 20 years, HD will not be able to just do whatever they want to do because they know we'll continue to drink the Kool-Aid.  The next generation will not tolerate it, and they WILL go buy another brand.  Most of us (baby boomers) grew up with cars that had to be worked on frequently to keep them running in top condition, and in fact, that is part of the appeal of owning a HD...even though it is somewhat archaic in design, we enjoy the tinkering.  However, we don't enjoy fighting with the MOCO about warranty work, paint problems, parts that are so out of spec as to be ridiculous (crankshafts come to mind), poorly designed engine components, etc.  HD could fix all of the issues mentioned here by simply eating a little bit of their profit margin and putting quality back in the equation in place of greed and the attitude of "we don't care....we don't have to".  I don't know how much money HD makes off a particular CVO, but knowing that the dealer is typically making a profit of 5K or so, you can bet your a$$ that the mother company is making at least that, if not more...much more.  You don't hear people here bitching about paying the money for the bike, only about what they are getting for their money, which is some cases is unacceptable.  If they do not change, they will suffer the consequences in the not too distant future.

[Weasels]

Not true at all. The commentary on this thread reflects the frustration these members feel with shelling out $40,000 for a motorcycle and having to deal with multiple issues of quality, engineering and warranty. Saying that because people have complaints they're not H-D folks is akin to saying that anyone who has issues with our government is not an American. It is BECAUSE we love Harley-Davidson so much that we complain. Many of us have been riding for 40 years or more. In that time we've seen the names heading up H-D Inc change more times than any of us can count. When Vaughn Beals et al took over H-D from AMF back in 1981, there was a true sense of purpose in returning the name Harley-Davidson to it's rightful place as an American made motorcycle worthy of respect and admiration. The quality of the Evo based H-D's in the 80's was exceptional. They were truly designed, engineered and manufactured to the best of the abilities of all of the people who worked for Harley-Davidson Inc. This had to be because AMF had allowed the brand to become associated with poor design, poor engineering and even poorer assembly. All of us rejoiced in the sea change of attitude on Juneau Ave when H-D's became a motorcycle you could ride hard and trust not to let you down. I've plenty of stories of Evo's I beat as no machine should be beaten and never once did they leave me stranded. But of late, things have slid back into whatever mentality prevailed at AMF and it's all about maximizing profit so far as many of us can see at the highest levels of H-D Inc. Obviously somebody within the company is fighting hard to move forward on engineering when you look at the changes in the frame, swingarm, brakes etc. But they've dropped the ball totally on the 110 engine platform and to be honest, Willie G has not come out with anything exceptional design wise for several years. The last two years of the CVO line-up have been variations on a theme. And the quality has suffered. Again, the issues with the 110 engine platform are simply unacceptable. The ongoing issues with paint are disheartening and the issues with chrome quality (once the industry standard) are saddening. But we're all still H-D people. No matter how pissed off we get, you cut us and we'll bleed 50 weight. But that doesn't strip us of our right to speak out loudly about what's happening to the MoCo. If you believe that then you are a Johnny come Lately H-D person. You should have heard the saddletramps or yore piss and moan about their panheads.

B B

I to have been riding Harley's since the early 70's. I have rode a bike with every motor they have made since, except the Flathead. I have also owned two AMF Shovelhead's, thank god AMF is gone. Yes there is problems with the new bikes, that being said my 09 SERG is the best motorcycle I have ever owned. I only have 35000 miles on it and have had some of the issues every one mentions, including the crank. I have also had no problems with getting any of those fixed. I have had  three EVO's and still have one. It has over 150000 miles and is not as comfortable as my new bike. I could not cruse 80 MPH all day on my EVO. I guess I just get tired of complaints that have no merit. This doesn't mean the 110 complaint has no merit or the others that are ongoing. It's the ones that compare HD to other makes or all the other ones that complain handlebars, seat, power, windshield, etc. If they built a perfect bike for one rider it wouldn't be perfect for another. Sorry if I offended you, but as you say it I also have the right to speak out.