| Author | Message | ||
     Rayycc1 |
I wont mention any names...although i should. I have been friends with the owner of my local HD shop for over 20 years...I used to do all of their chrome plating for them. When Buell first came out this HD dealer was all about them...Even spent $200k on Race bikes...then God only knows how much for race truck /trailer...and PAID riders. I can remember polishing the swingarms and frames for these race bikes ...what I'm trying to say is....he was all about Buell. I took my bike apart to do the lowering kit and figured instead of buying tools i'd just take the fork legs and the shock and back wheel ( for bearings) in and let the service dept do the work...I had all of the needed parts and was Quoted $150 for the labor. When i went back to pick up my parts I saw the owner...and told him of my new ULY purchase...he looked at me and said..." sorry you bought that" Then proceeded to bad mouth Buells like he never had one. Ok...i figured he was joking and walked downstairs to the service dept to collect my parts. They did the front forks and rear wheel bearings...But said they couldn't change the rear shock spring. Why ? i asked? couldn't compress the spring...Try the local kawacrappy shop they said. Then I looked at the bill. They charged me $68 labor for the bearings...$136 for labor on the forks....and heres the kicker,,,$68 labor to TRY to compress the rear shock to change the spring and failed. Also...They had prices on the wall for 10k service...Sportsters $225...Big twins $250...Buells $485 I asked why the Buells 10 k service was so much...and they said " we dont really like to work on that junk anymore" All of this from a Dealer that spent well over half a million bucks racing Buells in the 80s and 90s. Really? I was so pissed off I didn't know which way to spit. Looks like I will be looking for a new Dealer for parts...and will be working on the bike myself from now on. What a shame. | ||
| Uly_man |
"What a shame". Yes it is. And they do not know what they are talking about either. Do your own work on the bike it is easy enough if you can do a bit of spannering. I hope you DID NOT pay the whole bill? | ||
| Rayycc1 |
I did pay it...as they were not going to give me my parts until i did...But thats my LAST trip to that dealer. And this place was Famous for Buells...I know if i posted the name...Some of you would recognize it immediately | ||
| Hughlysses |
The old "if we don't have it, you don't need/want it" mentality.  | ||
| Uly_man |
The thing with bikes is you need to "think out of the box". What some consider rubbish is not always the case for many reasons. The bike press can be the worse offenders. And if you sold Buells like my local HD dealer did it is no wonder people had problems as there attitude was "there it is" and if you have a problem with the fact the bike runs so badly it makes your eye balls hurt then F++K you. Oh and they went broke so they may not have sold as many HD condoms and chrome polish as they thought they could have. | ||
| Sagehawk |
I don't do local dealer as my wife and i were kicked out of hog group due to conduct unbecoming the hog group and the dealership. they refunded the next years dues that we hadn't even paid yet. strange! more details will have to be shared after opening a bottle of jack and lighting a stogie. no sagehawk money going there for the past ten years i must say. this dealership has a kawasaki side that is listed as a ebr dealer. They are also listed as a twin motorcycles dealer from the netherlands. so far they advertised the original ebr 1190 that they had on their sign out front but then it went on craigs list. to date, i have seen no advertisement for ebr at all in my community from this dealer. bad vibes , hell yeah. If ax diesn't fit me or budget, then I'll be looking at other brands. may even look back at teen years when i wanted a norton commando in the worst way. My fam won't be buying any more harleys . Ever! | ||
| Britchri10 |
I've got to say that I am lucky to have an excellent Buell resource in my local HD dealership, Adamec HD of Jacksonville, FL. They are always welcoming, courteous and a pleasure to work with. They order the correct parts and usually have them inside a week if they are not available at source. They have a certified Buell mechanic who does excellent work.I guess I'm just one of the lucky one's on here. | ||
| Teeps |
I didn't read anything libelous in the OP. So, Ray, NAME NAMES! You'll feel better. | ||
| Ourdee |
Let's figure it out: New Castle............My first guess McMahon's Three rivers Gatto Hot Metal Thunder Steel City Z&M Neidengard's Biketown Am I warm? | ||
| Ourdee |
No need to name names. Just tell me what # guess is right.  | ||
| Rayycc1 |
New Castle it is. I really don't understand the animosity towards Buell from them either. I have known Bill for a long time...And some of the mechanics there have been there for 20+ years. Your seriously telling me they couldn't figure out how to change out the spring on the rear shock? Very disappointing. | ||
| Teeps |
Sad in deed to shun the Buell brand. But, from a mechanic's point of view, having been one. Working on something you are not familiar with, and/or have no passion for, is a chore. And, despite the $ per hour charged, by the store. The Technician working on the job, probably is losing $$$. Been there done that; no thanks. So I can understand their position, regarding Buell. Still sad, though... | ||
| Uly_man |
Well for those who had been Buell dealers and "so called" trained Buell mechanics is should NOT have been a chore in any form. All the training, HD tech backup, nice warm/ clean workshop to work in, all the right/ special tools and music/ Java to hand. Any decent bike mechanic should be able to figure ANY bike, given the time, and the Buell is not all that complicated anyway. The problem these days is that many are NOT proper mechanics they are just "swap-a-part-out" types. They are also under pressure to make the company money as well. Not good in any way for the customer. | ||
| Brighton |
After reading Teeps' post I better understand the dealer's and mechanic's situation. So why couldn't they just explain it as Teeps did and leave out that typical Harley-Davidson arrogance and childish attitude? | ||
| Uly_man |
"typical Harley-Davidson arrogance and childish attitude?". That is because they can, or think they can, get away with it. But, as with the King and his new cloths, sooner or later people will figure out what is going on. | ||
| Ourdee |
Rayycc1, How was that parlor trick? | ||
| Rayycc1 |
a vise and 2 ratchet straps. 2 minute job  | ||
| Ourdee |
I didn't even use a vise. | ||
| Krabykarl |
I bought my comfort kit from New Castle. Had the best price and the parts guy seemed to be familiar with it. | ||
| Rayycc1 |
Krabykarl...when was this? I have a really good buddy that sold parts and Buell bikes there...a true Buell fan from the beginning...he has since went to the dealer in sharon...And now i think i see why. | ||
| Ulyful |
Uly man, Believe it or not, sometimes people/businesses change. The formerly WORST Harley dealer in the Detroit Metropolitan area has turned a new leaf. I had to get my 2012 Road King in for two minor warranty items this week before my warranty expired, and I wanted to do a "while-you-wait" appointment for this non while-you-wait type repair. After checking with the parts department to make sure they had the parts in (wouldn't be able to get a while-you-wait appointment accomplished without the parts being in stock), the parts guy held the parts for me over the weekend so I could bring my bike in on Monday and get it knocked out. They said they don't normally do that sort of thing, but the Service Dept. said if I got the bike in right when they opened for business that day, they would get it done, which they did. A new-bike salesman even drove me over to a nearby restaurant and dropped me off so I could grab lunch. I gladly walked the ~1/2 mile back to the dealership despite his insisting that I call him for a ride back. I wouldn't have gone anywhere near the place 10 years ago. Now that I've had a couple of pleasant experiences in the past couple of years, they're back in my good graces. As with anything in life, give people a second chance. Not saying that most Harley dealerships AREN'T filled with attitude in general, but I have noticed a difference in the past 10 years (they have to try harder to win your business now that the days of new-bike waiting lists have vanished over a decade ago). It doesn't hurt to try to give the one you wrote off a second chance to win your business every once in a while. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I would wager that the dealership ended up holding the bag financially in some way when HD killed off the brand. You say he spent huge money in Buell racing, perhaps he's pissed off about that very thing. He has nothing to show for it.. No reason to act like a "French shower" to returning customers though. Just unprofessional and stupid. | ||
| Uly_man |
Well the price for a 2014 Road King in the UK STARTS at 29000 bucks. God knows what a fully dressed one would be? People who buy bikes at that price are BIG MONEY customers and they know it. Which may be part of the reason they are willing to make an effort for you. Or am I just being a little cynical? | ||
| Britchri10 |
Just a little.  Price point is not the prime concern of any reasonable business (apart from the cache of offering goods @ premium prices-snob value, if you will). What all businesses look at is profit margin. Most bike sales earn more through the credit payment scheme offered at purchase and in the "farkling" of the bike in the "ooh, it's shiny, I want one" extra's department. Generally, the more expensive the machine, the more can be made in changing the basic bike into a custom special. Chris C | ||
| Ulyful |
I only bought a new Road King because the price of used ones weren't (relatively) much cheaper than a new one. Some Harley models are much cheaper used than new (i.e. Softails). I certainly wouldn't have paid anything close to $29k quid for a Road King on either side of the pond. Mine was $17,500 out the door, basically U.S. MSRP for a stock 2012 model with the only option being cruise control, with tax, freight, prep, etc. thrown in basically for free (deals can be had in mid-December). A U.S. spec Road King comes with hard bags and windshield. That's basically it. The only accessories I bought on the sale date was a ~$150 taller windscreen and $30 larger diameter grips. I bet they still made a good chunk of change on me, though I agree they make a ton on farkles. They have a specialized farkle consultant they sit you down with to "help" you with your accessory purchases as part of the bike delivery process now. | ||
| Kublak |
Ray, had been dealing with NCHD since I bought my 08 Uly there in August of that year. And Bill had gone to bat for me with issues that hit my new Uly with 50 miles. Sorry to hear about this development. Is Rob still there wrenching on the Buells? His pic is on their website as staff yet. I can't believe if he's still there that any Buell repair couldn't be fixed by him. He went above for me when I bought my 99 X1 and took it in for a once over for recalls and such in spring of '11. Either way, sounds like a resource that was solid may not be anymore. | ||
| Rayycc1 |
I thought the same thing. Rob is the one that did my forks...but refused to change my rear spring because he said he couldn't compress it to change it. This is why i was so surprised | ||
| Kublak |
Wow, makes me wonder if there's a "trickle down" effect from the brass that's bent at the top. If Bill got burnt with investing so heavily in Buell, and excess stock he had...no reason to take an attitude with a decades long customer and friend. Sorry to hear about your experience...I have a local guy in Beaver County that grew up with, and ran with Rob, has had many a Buell, speaks highly of Rob's skills, even suggested I not spend money at his shop on my X1 once and go to NCHD and let Rob do it. That's why I say maybe someone else calls the shots on what the mechanics are "allowed" to fix or not now. | ||
| Rayycc1 |
you've probably hit the nail on the head. Right after Bill gave me a hard time about buying a Ully...he started telling me he had 2 of them...one on each coast. Started telling me how fun they were to ride...and in the next sentence was back to bashing Buell in general. I harbor no hard feelings towards him for it...I was a little pissed at first...ut i have the feeling HD controls what he thinks also. I also noticed Bill doesnt look the same as he did a few years ago...the left side of his face is a little contorted...and he didn't even recognize me at first...I'm thinking he may have had a stroke???? In any case...I'll work on the bike myself...or find someone that can do what i cant. No biggie...I'd rather keep my loot in my pocket anyways | ||
| Kublak |
Yes, a while back, (can't recall exactly what year, after spring '11), I was out at NCHD and Bill had a medical incident that I was told about. Not sure if it was a stroke, but at that time the staff at the shop said he was out and undergoing tests. Glad to see he's back on his feet and at work and running his business. But who are we to know, maybe that has had an impact on his attitude and what you experienced. I'll shoot you a PM, maybe meet for a ride this season. I can give you info on my Buell guy here if you come across something you need to have a shop for. |
