| Author | Message | ||
     Pbransonii |
Chances are very good that I'll be buying a Uly in April or May (that's when the truck payments end). Within an hour and a half drive of St. Joseph I have two Buell dealers. One is Gail's down in Gladstone near Kansas City. Went there Thursday with my wife and talked to Jimmy. He was very attentive, seemed to be knowledgeable about the bike and took me back into the service area which seemed to be very well kept. The other is Topeka Harley Davidson. Saw my first Uly there back in September. The guy selling them was also very nice, although he didn't seem to know much about the bike. (It was their first Uly so I cut him some slack.) After talking to him about the bike for a while he asked if I wanted to ride it. I did. The thing had 0 miles on it when I left and 12 on it when I returned. The situations were different, of course. Last Thursday was a cold raw day with few people in the store so I'm sure the salesmen had some time on their hands. The Topeka guys were preparing for a Heart Association benefit and though he was obviously busy, the salesman took a lot of time for me and a couple friends who came from Manhattan and Lawrence to see the Uly. One thing that concerned me a smidge was that I asked the gal at the service desk at Gail's how much the first and 10,000 mile services were. She said the first service would be around $80 and the 10,000 about $200. One of the other service guys said he'd check to make sure and then came back to show her those figures might be a little low. I'm wondering if others out there have dealt with these dealers and if they have any recommendations. Thanks. | ||
| Court |
I've been buying Buells at Topeka since 1990 and they are spectacular. When the first Buell Pegasus Award were presented, Topeka owner Mike Patterson was the only dealer West of the Mississippi. I'm not familiar with Gail's but there is a very active KC group here on Badweb.  P.S. - Topeka Harley-Davidson has more Bar and Shield awards for excellence than ANY HD DEALER IN THE WORLD. Since 199, they've gotten pretty good at it. | ||
| Court |
Correction: Kim Ridley and the staff at Latus HD/Buell were the other "West of" on the list. | ||
| Daves |
Or, you could always come to Appleton Wisconsin!  | ||
| Darrell_ks |
I bought my Uly from Topeka HD/Buell, and have been very pleased. My salesman's name was Eli, and he never once mentioned HD after I told him I was looking at Buells. He gave me a very good trade in on my Blast, and the Uly was about MSRP + $200 for freight, and no charge for setup. I had my 1k service done there the Friday after thanksgiving, and the technician did an excellent job. I felt like I got a lot more than just a glorified oil change, because he actually inspected everything on the list, cleaned the bike, changed the fluids, checked TPS and did a shakedown ride. Oh, and he worked well over an hour past his lunch time so I could get back to Wichita before dark. Also worth mentioning is that the charge for the first service was $0. I am not certain, but I believe that if you purchase a bike there the first service is free. One other point worth mentioning is that they are going to sponsor at least one, if not two Buell Demo team events this spring. | ||
| Pbransonii |
Dave, If I was a little closer I'd probably do just that. But it sounds like the Topeka shop has a pretty good setup, too. Paul | ||
| Gowindward |
I have done business with both dealers. There are good people at both places. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I had a positive experience buying my Uly from Gail's. However, I generally don't care for their pricing on parts and accessories. So I buy parts from Daves, or the Internet. | ||
| Daves |
Paul, Did you see the promotion I am running? Be a lot of fun! | ||
| Pbransonii |
Dave, You're killing me. I wouldn't want to leave it with you, though. I'd just come back for all the hoopla. You do a good job, sir. It's evident by what other's on this site say. I'd just rather buy from someone closer to home. I'm sure, though that when it comes time to buy some carbon fiber, aftermarket exhaust and some new plastic, I'll be giving you a call. Who knows, though, I might still make the trip to Waterloo come next spring. Paul | ||
| Dtx |
I have dealt with both dealerships and both of them have some good people to work with. I ended up buying my XB9SX from Gail's since they were closer to me (I live in Olathe, KS). If you have anymore questions check us out under the Storm Fronts section. We have a ton of Buellers around the Olathe/KC area that would be glad to give you some advice. No matter what, you will love these bikes! | ||
| Biker_bob |
I'm prejudiced here I'll admit it up front. I have been real active in the HOG Chapter. Come out on January 14th at 9:30 I'm doing a long distance riding seminar. The service department has always been good to me. I have bought 3 HD's and in January my Uly from Gail's. I've never heard anything but good things about Topeka, I just have always been happy at Gail's. Since now being the only Buell dealer in KC they have started a Brag Chapter and are trying to do more things with the Buell franchise. I think they had 6 Buells on the floor last weekend. Jim one of the salesman there is getting a Uly also. I also live close to there. They do offer pickup and delivery on service which can be nice in the winter months. I think you'll like them, I know I do. Last thing lunch is free at Gail's on Saturday, you have to buy it at Topeka.  | ||
| Gowindward |
Bob, are you going to come to the BRAG meeting tomorrow evening? Free Chili dinner! | ||
| Pbransonii |
Well, crap, now I'm really confused. At least I got the bike thing worked out. It's going to by a Uly in March or April. | ||
| Daves |
Paul, I do understand. You should come up and do the ride part of the promotion with us anyway. | ||
| Biker_bob |
Gowiwindward What time is the meeting at Gail's and is everybody chipping in or bringing stuff for the chili. I will come if I can get out of all the ahem, "festivities" of Christmas around my house. Thanks. | ||
| Trueblue |
Biker_bob I checked with Chris the chili dinner is pot luck Chris is bringing the chili everyone else can bring something if they want but not required, also wanted to mention Cycle Connection magazine will be there doing an article on the Brag group. pbransonii- You are more then welcome to attend the meeting tonight if you like. Trueblue | ||
| Pbransonii |
Jim, Thanks for the invite. I'll see what I can do. Have run down to K.C. the last three nights in a row. On one hand, what's one more trip. On the other, I'm really tired of riding in the cage. Paul | ||
| Kccyclone |
Paul, I bought my XB9S from Dave S in Appleton and do not regret it at all. Remember you can meet him half way because he lives in Waterloo, that is where I picked up my bike. I will not deal with Gail's at all because of the way they treated myself and some of my friends. Plain and simple some people will let things slide but I do not like to see my friends treated poorly. About Topeka, I really do not know much about them, but the few times I have been in there I have really been impressed. I would talk with Dave some more, Waterloo is not that far of a drive and it is great to meet an icon in the Buell world, plus if you do the fly and buy I bet you will meet Mr. Buell himself and get your bike signed. Also, about Topeka when Ferris Bueller (another Buell icon) made his trip from Appleton to CA he had his 1K service done there for free and he didn't even buy the bike from them, it was a purchase from Dave S. I do not think you would regret buying from Dave but with the history from the current KC area Buell dealers you may. If you want some history on the KC area goto the storm fronts and check out the KC's Least Wanted and the KC MOB, you will be able to see both sides of the story about why some people like the dealers here and why some do not. | ||
| Thansesxb9rs |
Paul, I agree with Larry, Dave has treated all of us KC guys great. My next Buell purchase will be from him. Once someone has gained my respect and has done business honestly with me I will give them all of my business even if it is a little inconvient at times. Waterloo is only a 5hr drive from KC and if you do get a bike from Dave have it serviced in Topeka. | ||
| Court |
Topeka was THE TOP Buell dealer in the nation and had a huge Buell display in the days dealers wouldn't even talk to Erik about selling bikes. At that time, 4 of the folks at Topeka owned and rode Buells. In addition, Topeka is the most awarded Harley-Davidson dealership IN THE WORLD. That didn't happen by accident. | ||
| Bjack |
Another thumbs-up for DaveS. I live in Maryville, MO but bought my '05 CityX from DaveS last year and have never regretted it. He's a great guy, knows the Buell world inside and out and treats his customers right. I bought my bike during Dave's promo last year and it was well worth the trip to Appleton. |
