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[Fed68]

When I am not able to work on my bike I use a independant shop to do the work instead of the dealer unless it is warranty work.  I was getting a tire mounted the other day and the independant shop owner was telling me about a situation that he is in right now.  Basically there was a local Harley dealer who was selling Harley parts to many of the local independant shops in the area including the guy I use.  Mother Harley had sent a rep and told this certain dealership to cease selling parts to any independant shop or they would pull their dealers lisence.  My independant shop guy said he has seen this coming and it's becoming pretty common right now for all independant shops and Harley dealerships that sell to them.  It just does not make good business sense to me to do this.  I know the volume that my independant guy does in work and that dealer will be loosing a huge amount of money.  To me, both Harley and the dealer will be loosing money.  All this is doing is pushing the independant guys more to the aftermarket or they are just going to have to get their customers to go to the Harley shop to get the genuin parts if that is what they want.  My view is no one wins this one.

[LovemyCVOgirl]

When I am not able to work on my bike I use a independant shop to do the work instead of the dealer unless it is warranty work.  I was getting a tire mounted the other day and the independant shop owner was telling me about a situation that he is in right now.  Basically there was a local Harley dealer who was selling Harley parts to many of the local independant shops in the area including the guy I use.  Mother Harley had sent a rep and told this certain dealership to cease selling parts to any independant shop or they would pull their dealers lisence.  My independant shop guy said he has seen this coming and it's becoming pretty common right now for all independant shops and Harley dealerships that sell to them.  It just does not make good business sense to me to do this.  I know the volume that my independant guy does in work and that dealer will be loosing a huge amount of money.  To me, both Harley and the dealer will be loosing money.  All this is doing is pushing the independant guys more to the aftermarket or they are just going to have to get their customers to go to the Harley shop to get the genuin parts if that is what they want.  My view is no one wins this one.

Yep, I use an Independant shop also and he is located between two Harley Dealers here in town and they won't sell parts to him either.  He goes out of town for all his parts.

[Twolanerider]

Every auto dealership's parts department sells to local garages.  It's part of the trade.  Mother Harley isn't willing to play that nice.

Every auto dealership's service department that I've ever dealt with always spoke to their customers and local shops about at least basic service issues too.  An owner could call and ask for something like a torque spec.  Couple years ago the local shop here told me to pound sand one afternoon when I called to ask a torque spec on a then new bike that belonged to a buddy and that I didn't have the spec for.  Gave a specious excuse about how sharing the spec made them liable for the customer's work.  Then said it was a suggestion from Harley's regional rep that they not do this kind of thing anymore.

So whether one believes it's just more of Harley's arrogance or there is some other motivation it's still not a surprise.  Mother Harley doesn't care that it's recognized to be something of a rather large and arrogating parsimonious asshole.  The following is just a guess, so don't take it as any more than speculation, but I'd not be surprised if it's at least as much a function of the parsimonious and selfish side of the MoCo's nature as it is the arrogant side.

Wasn't that long ago that MoCo also ordered dealerships not to ship overseas.  This was along with the instructions not to ship or sell parts in shop service quantities to indies.  It was apparently even strongly suggested that shipping/selling out of a shop's local market wasn't seen too favorably.

I think it's less because it's more of Harley being Harley and beating its chest and scratching its balls in an attempt to feel big and be something even more of a posturing bully wannabe.  I think it's Harley laying the groundwork for its own larger online sales platform and wanting to make sure its own network isn't its major competition.  Had wondered for a long time when/if this would be coming.  Then recently on the MoCo's website in the P&A section they've added this notice in top banner:

[North Georgia Hawg]

Every auto dealership's parts department sells to local garages.  It's part of the trade.  Mother Harley isn't willing to play that nice.

Every auto dealership's service department that I've ever dealt with always spoke to their customers and local shops about at least basic service issues too.  An owner could call and ask for something like a torque spec.  Couple years ago the local shop here told me to pound sand one afternoon when I called to ask a torque spec on a then new bike that belonged to a buddy and that I didn't have the spec for.  Gave a specious excuse about how sharing the spec made them liable for the customer's work.  Then said it was a suggestion from Harley's regional rep that they not do this kind of thing anymore.

So whether one believes it's just more of Harley's arrogance or there is some other motivation it's still not a surprise.  Mother Harley doesn't care that it's recognized to be something of a rather large and arrogating parsimonious asshole.  The following is just a guess, so don't take it as any more than speculation, but I'd not be surprised if it's at least as much a function of the parsimonious and selfish side of the MoCo's nature as it is the arrogant side.

Wasn't that long ago that MoCo also ordered dealerships not to ship overseas.  This was along with the instructions not to ship or sell parts in shop service quantities to indies.  It was apparently even strongly suggested that shipping/selling out of a shop's local market wasn't seen too favorably.

I think it's less because it's more of Harley being Harley and beating its chest and scratching its balls in an attempt to feel big and be something even more of a posturing bully wannabe.  I think it's Harley laying the groundwork for its own larger online sales platform and wanting to make sure its own network isn't its major competition.  Had wondered for a long time when/if this would be coming.  Then recently on the MoCo's website in the P&A section they've added this notice in top banner:

I saw that, too. And you can bet there will be NO discounts in that new online store...

The MoCo is being run by a bunch of damned bean counters now. "Large and arrogating parsimonious asshole" indeed. Many of 'em probably have never even ridden a motorcycle and never will. They have lost sight of what the MoCo used to be, and they only care about the numbers to make Wall Street happy.

Soul-sucking money vampires...

But screw all that... Its going to be warm and sunny today, and I'm off to ride the Cherohala Skyway shortly with one of my best buds! Life is Good when you're ORANGE!

Ken

[Dead_Reckoning]

I know of two Local Indy's and I have done business with both of them.
One was told last year that he has to get MoCo Parts from a different dealer as "He is located in that dealer's area."
The other has to tread lightly with the dealer he gets MoCo parts from.

So, I really would not be surprised to hear that The Ogre has cut them off from MoCo Parts.

[dlaws01]

It's called GREED.  They not only want to sell you the parts but they want their dealership service departments to install those parts.  All H-D is going to succeed at is helping to create a broader aftermarket base for replacement parts. You guys need to remember that those of us that are older are no longer on H-D's radar.  They have a new demographic target.  A younger, hipper crowd that H-D can condition to fit their new paradigm shift. If you look closely enough you will see it in their advertisements. It won't happen overnight but in ten to fifteen years, you won't even recognize the "old" MOCO.  

[sadunbar]

It's called GREED.  They not only want to sell you the parts but they want their dealership service departments to install those parts.  All H-D is going to succeed at is helping to create a broader aftermarket base for replacement parts. You guys need to remember that those of us that are older are no longer on H-D's radar.  They have a new demographic target.  A younger, hipper crowd that H-D can condition to fit their new paradigm shift. If you look closely enough you will see it in their advertisements. It won't happen overnight but in ten to fifteen years, you won't even recognize the "old" MOCO.  

The MOCO would call it "in the best interest of our shareholders".   I would call it short sighted...

[Dead_Reckoning]

It's called GREED.  They not only want to sell you the parts but they want their dealership service departments to install those parts.  All H-D is going to succeed at is helping to create a broader aftermarket base for replacement parts. You guys need to remember that those of us that are older are no longer on H-D's radar.  They have a new demographic target.  A younger, hipper crowd that H-D can condition to fit their new paradigm shift. If you look closely enough you will see it in their advertisements. It won't happen overnight but in ten to fifteen years, you won't even recognize the "old" MOCO.  

GREED! -  - The HD Dealers in ME are now charging $118 per tire to change your tires.
I can go to and Indy and save $150 - $200 for the same tires "Mounted"

[grc]

The new management team continues to dream up more ways to ensure I never buy anything from them again.  I have a suggestion for the azzholes.  If you want to dictate down to the last little detail what a dealer can do, then try dictating some standards for customer service, like real qualified techs and parts people, not the boss's deadbeat sons and drunken brother in law as the "factory trained" and pretty much useless staff found in many places.

Jerry

[Twolanerider]

GREED! -  - The HD Dealers in ME are now charging $118 per tire to change your tires.
I can go to and Indy and save $150 - $200 for the same tires "Mounted"

That's just nuts Dennis. 

I'm slow at it.  Have a used manual tire machine in the shop now though.  Even though I'm slow at it can still have a wheel R&R'd with a new tire on it in an hour or so and a beer.  May get a little dirty but that beats hell out of paying a dealer (I don't want to go to anyway) close to $250 for the priviliege of also paying them much more for tires than I can buy them for elsewhere.

[Dead_Reckoning]

That's just nuts Dennis. 

I'm slow at it.  Have a used manual tire machine in the shop now though.  Even though I'm slow at it can still have a wheel R&R'd with a new tire on it in an hour or so and a beer.  May get a little dirty but that beats hell out of paying a dealer (I don't want to go to anyway) close to $250 for the priviliege of also paying them much more for tires than I can buy them for elsewhere.

It sure is Nutz. I have watched them change several rear tires, they average 0.666 hours per tire change. And the Front tire takes even less time.
Every so often on dealer has a Sale - $50.00/tire.

A Hog Chapter Member said he paid $700 for New Tires Installed. I told him he was NUTZ. Then he tried to tell me that the dealer "Scuffed In" hs new tires. I then asked what he was smokin.

From what I see, the Regulars at the HD Dealers are those that PT Barnum aslways spoke of.

The woman up the street came back from the HD Service and told me that the Service Manager told her to wash her K&N Filter with Dishsoap and leave in the driveway to dry. I wouldn't let that guy put air in a tire.

I sent Carol to NAPA to buy a K&N Kit and explained how to use it.

She had also asked the Service Manager to check out her Softail, it started running rough.
I sent her to get a new set of plugs and checked the gap for her.
Back running like a champ for the Price of a K&N Cleaning Kit and New Plugs.

IMHO HD Dealers, many of them, Charge Whatever The Traffic Will Bear."

[skratch]

The woman up the street came back from the HD Service and told me that the Service Manager told her to wash her K&N Filter with Dishsoap and leave in the driveway to dry. I wouldn't let that guy put air in a tire.

except for leaving out the reoiling part, i don't see what the problem here is, sure, there is a better place to leave it to dry than the driveway, but...

the way i understood this situation is that it is the moco responding to what the dealers wanted.  they felt they were losing too much money to local indies so if the moco restricted sales to them, then if you wanted gen-you-whine hd parts, (they thought) you would take your bike into the dealer for said service.  now we all know the reality is that people will just start using more aftermarket parts.

[muddypaws]

I agree with Jerry...

[Big Johnson]

Me and a buddy went into the local Harley dealer yesterday to see how much to install a new rear tire. We were quoted $120.00 no appointment needed. I said to the service writer that he has his own tire that he bought, then she said oh we will have to charge you an additional $120.00 two hours because you did not buy the tire from us. So this is how he gets treated after buying a brand new Ultra classic with extended service warranty from them. I told him there is a great Indy 25 minutes from here that will install it. I couldn't believe what I heard from the service writer, now remember it is not the fault of the service writer but the dealers practice. $ 240.00 to install a rear tire for a half to 3/4 hour job.

They are crazy

[Dead_Reckoning]

the way i understood this situation is that it is the moco responding to what the dealers wanted.  they felt they were losing too much money to local indies so if the moco restricted sales to them, then if you wanted gen-you-whine hd parts, (they thought) you would take your bike into the dealer for said service.  now we all know the reality is that people will just start using more aftermarket parts.

For now, this is my response to MoCo, I buy genuine MoCo parts from a HD Dealers with my 15% and 20% Discounts and still have my Indy do the work.