| Author | Message | ||
     Missin44 |
Does Buell have any stand alone dealers? Dealers that know the equipment they sell? Dealers the actually care about the product line? I ride a V-Rod now, and the V-Rod gets the same treatment. Sickens me when the guys that work there haven't a clue about the bikes they sell. Today I stopped by my local Ducati dealer, spoke directly to the owner along with the rest of his staff. Talk about guys that know and love their product. Honestly they knew more about the entire Buell lineup than the local "Buell" dealer. A damn shame if you ask me. OK, off my soap box. | ||
| Thetable |
It sounds like you went to the Winchester shop. Last time I was in there I couldn't even get any of the sales people to talk to me. Try Buell of Frederick. They have always treated me as a customer any time I am in there. While I really enjoy talking to Ratbuell, all their people actually seem to care. FTR, the Winchester shop is 10 minutes from work, and I always go to the Frederick shop. Not to mention, they are also a site sponsor. | ||
| Missin44 |
Thanks for the tip. | ||
| Ratbuell |
...they're also nice enough to let me work every weekend....  Oh...and not only do we roadrace Buells...but we dragrace Destroyers. We'll help ya with your VRSC, too! | ||
| Kansas |
Riverfront Harley Davidson/Buell | ||
| Kellaupat |
I also go to Frederick. I bought my x in Winchester, and had a warranty issue the first week I bought my bike. I had the "what the hell did I just buy" feeling while I waited one and a half weeks for an exhaust actuator. They gave me a feeling like I was a bother to them when I called to see where my brand new bike was. I took my bike to Frederick at it's 5000 mile service, and also had tires put on. Their Buell tech knows what he is doing. I will only deal with Frederick from now on. I also frequent Ducpond in Winchester. Those are some good people there. A Ducati could be in my future. | ||
| Itileman |
Beartooth Harley-Davidson/Buell. Doesn't get much better.  | ||
| Rainman |
I've had good luck at Shenandoah Harley-Davidson Buell. They've got a couple of guys that love Buells and a couple of wrenches that drag race Hayabusas. | ||
| Dentguy |
Today I stopped by my local Ducati dealer, spoke directly to the owner along with the rest of his staff. I'm guessing you are speaking of the Ducpond. Donnie, his wife Julia (owners) and the rest of the staff are great people. Hung out with them last Sunday for a club meeting and MotoGP viewing party. | ||
| Missin44 |
Yeah, Donnie is a very cool guy. Ex racer, loves all bikes. Had some good things to say about Buell and the Uly. Didn't like the motor so much, but he does sell Ducati's. He did say he really liked the 1125R's motor though. Dang Duc's can get pricey though. Gave him a hard time about being the smallest and newest HD dealer in town. Regardless, even if you don't ride a Duc or MV you should stop buy. Cool shop. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I'm very lucky that my dealer is very Buell friendly. Buells on display as soon as you walk in the door, including the owners 1125R race bike that HE races himself. If not for Bumpus, I would most likely not have considered another Buell. Heck, I love Aprillia, Triumph, and KTM.....but the lack of dealer support always knocks them off my list. | ||
| Idaho_buelly |
FWIW,I've had nothing but great service from our local H-D shop (High Desert H-D/Buell)...Everything I've needed or wanted they've went all out to make it happen,very nice Buell display as well. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
You have to have folks at the dealership who are interested in knowing the product. There are unknowledgeable retailers in every brand. | ||
| Tginnh |
I was at the local HD/Buell shop on sat. to order fork parts. There were two guys behind the parts counter doing nothing surprisingly enough. Anyway, the first part I order for my 06 is the 07 springs. I no sooner get the words out of my mouth and the other, older gent behind the counter quipped, "somebody tell you those springs would fit in the 06?" To which I emphatically replied, "yep!" I left it at that. I went on ordering my parts and nothing more was said. The guy's remark was innocuous, I suppose. The point here is knowledge about the product. I don't know much about Buell's, but I knew more than he did in this particular instance. If I were in his shoes and didn't know about the product I would have used it as a learning experience. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Much of the lack of familiarity is lack of frequency. The knowledge base for most parts guys comes from someone coming in and asking "can I use this with this". They look it up, they find the answer, they remember that tid bit the next time the question is asked. If you have a low volume Buell dealer with few parts being purchased at that dealer, the parts guy doesn't have the opportunity to have the parts questions asked and answered. Our parts counter guys run balls to the wall open to close. With HD there is very little "let me look to see if part A fits on bike B" proactive investigation. If a client doesn't ask for it, more than likely they haven't investigated it. My guess is that this is the first time someone had purchased the 07 springs for an 06 at that store. I'm not sure, but I'd be surprised if anyone other than me had ordered the 07 springs for an 06 at my dealer. I'm sure I was the first if not the only. If we were buying dozens of Buells every year AND having parts questions answered every year, the knowledge base would be much deeper than it is. What is inexcusable is when someone is asked and answers a part question and then doesn't internalize it or communicate it to the rest of he parts people. | ||
| Al_lighton |
Fatty.... +1000 Ya know, when I took over American Sport Bike from Tat in 2004, I was pretty knowledgeable about Buell stuff from years of working on my own and hanging out here, where I learned from others that had worked on theirs. But there was still much I did not know. But running the business, and pretty much ONLY doing Buell stuff, I get lots of questions I don't know the answer to. Once I find out the answer, that's one less thing I don't know. But time doesnt' stand still, new models, new problems, new parts, it never ends. There's always a ton more to learn. Al | ||
| Conchop |
Bingo! When I was a dealer, I only had one rule - don't tease or condemn brand X. You cannot please everyone but customer service is paramount. Anyone who walks in your door is a gift from the Gods of business and they come with money. Everyone of the employees sell, whether it's service or parts. Some HD dealers suffer from the arrogance of their success. It is human nature but in all businesses, arrogance is the same thing as painting a target on your back. Now that times are hard, only the smart ones will survive and prosper. | ||
| Chadhargis |
The difference isn't whether or not a parts guy knows everything in the world. It's whether they are customer focused, or simply trying to get through the day so they can go home. There is nothing wrong with saying, "I don't know, but give me XXXX time and I'll find an answer for you". Yes, they are going to have to do some research, but like Al said, that's one less thing they don't know. I've always enjoyed buying from people who take time to understand my needs and provide not just a part....but a solution. Whatever business you're in, your job is taking care of people. Good employees always have the best interest of their customers in mind first. You can teach skill, you can't teach personality and work ethic. I'm struggling with this very issue at work. My boss was laid off, and my new boss is not customer focused. He asks me to do things that don't benefit my end users (and in many cases hamper them) and that goes against my grain. I'm hoping to find another opportunity in the near future because I can't continue to work for someone who doesn't understand that it's people that matter, not reports and spreadsheets. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
One of the biggest problems is the expectation that the most cutting edge information is always to come from the manufacturer. In EVERY product, the end user is most likely to encounter EVERY scenario of product use whereas the manufacturer is only able to create the most likely scenarios of product use. End users are most likely to enhance, upgrade, and modify their product in ways not anticipated by the manufacturer. As an example, the parts guy probably has no idea whether or not an SS tail will fit on an 1125CR. It's not something the factory has prepared for. The parts guy isn't going to get a primer from the factory on how to swap a CR to an R or an R to an S. THESE are the solutions created in the field by ingenious end users for problems not anticipated in situations unimagined. The issue is that for the most part Buell owners are willing to exist on a much more ragged edge than Harley owners. We are more imaginative and more daring in what we will try. I would highly doubt that an HD owner would attempt to graft a Dyna with a Sportster the way a Buell owner would graft a Tuber with an XB. Look at the situation from a different angle. Create in your local shop an "Ingenuity Partner" in your local parts guy (or AL  ). Do you think he would rather answer a question about whether or not this chrome doo dad will fit on this bike or that (for the 1000th time) or would he rather help you create a parts solution for a radical XB/Tuber/1125 grafting project? I submit to you that the break in monotony of parts searches is enough to gain the interest of many parts folks. Not all will be willing, but at least ONE will be. Find that person out and create an opportunity to help yourself and to light the fire of interest in someone looking for a change of pace. |
