| Author | Message | ||
     Hybridmomentspass |
Surprise, I'm starting a thread complaining about HD. I ordered a bunch of swingarm related parts from HD about 20 days ago, I was told it'd take a week for them to come in. I ordered on a Friday, should be in the next Friday, I call Saturday to check on it - everything came in except for ONE part. An isolator (RH side) didnt come in, they shipped a set of brake pads. No problem, the great people at the dealership were already on it, ordering another unit, should be in Wednesday. I go Thursday....HD did it again, brake pads instead of my isolator. This time the parts manager called and gave them a good speaking to about how ridiculous this is, one part not being shipped twice in a row. Should be in Tuesday. Cool. Later than I hoped, wanted it a week ago, but still plenty of time to get it all done before my race next week. Call today (Tuesday) and SURPRISE SURPRISE....BRAKE PADS! I cant ••••••• believe this. One part getting •••••• up THREE TIMES in less than a month. In no way am I upset at the dealer, they've done nothing wrong. Im just so shocked that HD could mess this one thing up so many times in such a short amount of times....even after being called on it. So frustrated. Waiting now to hear back from dealership, they've told me they are about to call and see if HD can overnight the part, we'll see. Frustrated. Frustrated. Frustrated. | ||
| Sifo |
I would ask them to check if they can find it in stock at another dealer. That have the ability to search inventory country wide and could get it very quickly that way. They may even find one fairly local. It seem odd that brake pads show up every time. Sounds like a part number is screwed up on someone's system. | ||
| 86129squids |
What Sifo said. No reason that someone couldn't physically confirm the part and the part # on the other end of the phone, then fedex it over. Good luck, hope your knees are in the breeze soon! | ||
| Jaimec |
Maybe the crackerjack engineers in Milwaukee are holding the engines in place with brake pads these days as a cost-saving measure?  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Fourth post; I knew it wouldn't take long. | ||
| Froggy |
I've had similar experiences as of late, but nothing as bad as that. I recently ordered a Blast belt, box contained a sportster belt. Box had all the correct labels and part numbers on it. The dealer took it back and got me the right belt the second time. I had another experience a few years back, the HD parts computer had the wrong part number listed for a Ulysses belt, so the dealer ended up ordering a Firebolt belt by mistake. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
7th | ||
| Reindog |
All Harley Riders remind me of Treebeard the Ent. Only Treebeard moves faster.  | ||
| Court |
I suspect you'll be hearing more about Harley- Davidson parts woes in the coming months. My concern started when they closed Franklin, to save money, and set out to become more efficient by firing the folks with experience and outsourcing the parts. Has nothing to do with the folks riding Harley-Davidson products ...... More related to the folks who've bubbled to the top. We'll see how it plays out. I saw their stock take another hit last week as they , once again, proved themselves quite out of touch by demonstrating their inability to predict the very market they are in .... Even 90 days hence. Their sales continued to decline. We will see .... I don't know much about HD but I do know a couple of folks who are now in charge who, although nice folks, are operating light years beyond their abilities. | ||
| Rocketsprink |
Part of the reason I sold my 1125. Still have a 9S. I believe parts will be harder to come by, but there were more XB's made than 1125's. used parts will be easier to find, but that's even taking a chance.. | ||
| Blake |
H-D stock (NYSE "HOG") is down 5% today on their announcement of sales being up a dismal 3.5% over same quarter last year. With a P/E of 64. I'm not seeing the investment opportunity at H-D at all.  Y'know, I meant to get me some VMWare and Intel yesterday but it slipped my mind. LOL. If only.  Is it my imagination, or does that chart replicate the sound of a big twin? | ||
| Blake |
Nice to see GM at an all time low since their government gifted rebirth. | ||
| Blake |
Owens, Try calling and disguising your voice next time.  | ||
| Cityxslicker |
any investment is Harley, is overseas. Apparently the Moscow dealership does brisk business, in more than just Tshirts. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
Blake, I dont understand your post Yes, they sourced one from another dealer in NC and had it overnighted, I'm going to pick it up in the morning. I was just shocked that they made the same mistake three times in less than three weeks. Just glad that I'll be getting my part and have my bike ready for the race next week | ||
| No_rice |
Yep we've been worried about how this will work out for awhile. So far they have just been really slow. We haven't had a lot of parts mix ups. Yay my first badweb post from my droid! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Has nothing to do with the folks riding Harley-Davidson products Well that pretty much rules out Wandell, doesn't it? So 3 strikes...has anyone bothered to verify that every digit of the part number is CORRECT? What part number are you trying to get, and what part number is coming in? | ||
| Crusty |
Hey; don't pick on Wandell! He did a great favor for Brankin when he autographed his T-shirt! I wish I could have been there. | ||
| Twobuells |
Franklin, what a shame. If they would have listened to Court 15 years ago, most of the parts would have been stocked at the dealers and if you had to order something, that part would have been at the dealer next day. That was a CC/Buell Parts plan that Harley could have used and made successful  oh! and cut costs  | ||
| Prior |
Garrett, I've got a tuber swing arm and engine mounts sitting in the cab of my pickup, it's complete, but not really sure what parts you are needing. If there's something I can salvage for you to get you up and going, you know where I live! | ||
| Court |
>>>>If they would have listened to Court 15 years ago The idea was that dealers, depending on volume, would participate is a stocking program, on one of three levels, that would allow them to HAVE (as opposed to be able to get quickly) many high velocity Buell parts in stock. A list was prepared, there were A, B and C levels, with an inventory of the suggested parts. Some of the highest velocity parts are like $01.15 pieces . . .and the entire list wasn't all that pricey. It flew in the face of minimizing inventory and carrying costs but was instead based on what I knew as a customer . . . I preferred to hear. ---->> Sure, we've got one in stock. We can install it in about an hour. as opposed to . . . ----->> We have a great JIT system and can locate one and have it here for you on Tuesday. The idea went in the same basket as my idea to have the service and parts manuals available online (you'd pat a nominal fee and have to be a registered owner) so that they were ALWAYS up to date, reflected updated things like torque specs and procedures and where an owner could browse the parts diagram, view a part, click on it, enter the quantity and (based on their zipcode) choose from a pulldown of what dealer they wanted to pick the part up from or have it delivered do. Dealer sales would have increased and carrying costs would have gone down. | ||
| Jaimec |
Wisest financial move I ever made was DUMPING all of my Harley stock in October of 2009 and putting it into Verizon. That investment has jumped up 36.08% since that time. Harley? Not so much... | ||
| Blake |
Jaime, In Oct of 2009 HOG shares traded at anywhere between $21 and $29 per share. Yesterday's HOG closed at $37.61, so for that period the gain would be anywhere from 30% to 79%. Verizon traded from between $29 and $30 per share in Oct 2009 and closed yesterday at $37.23 yielding a gain of 24% to 28%. But I appreciate the motive. I'd have dumped it too, if I had owned any outside of mutual funds. | ||
| Court |
What concerns me . . . has nothing to do with HD products but the fact that current management, as evidenced by recent conference calls and earnings/sales forecasts . . hasn't a clue as to what the market is doing or is going to do. They, and this is absolutely nothing more than my personal opinion and pure speculation) labor under the illusion that if they simply do the things they did in the late 80's that stock prices and sales will do the same thing. The cheese . . ladies and gentlemen . . . ain't there anymore. I was, during the time I was buying HD's as fast as I could . . a total ••••• for jackets, t-shirts, head bands, leather chaps and anything . . ANYTHING I could mount on my dresser, the Sportsters or the FXR. It was a ball and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Times, and the market, have changed. HD may want to take note of the firms who are experiencing increasing sales and ask "what are they doing"" and "what do they see?". I think we are on the verge of a sea change in the motorcycle community as a result of economics, the environment and the changing demographics of the riding community. In terms of investing . . . my hat's off to the Mercer folks who handled the I.B.E.W. retirement plan . . 1Q statement arrived yesterday and (my wife gets the credit for moving my entire portfolio to the Royce Total Return Fund) it was up something like 27% (annualized) for the 1st quarter. We won't spend long in this faux recovery . . but . . . well, ride the wave while it's rising. | ||
| Jaimec |
And Verizon has consistently ALSO paid out a dividend ABOVE 5% in that same time period. THAT'S where the difference (dividend reinvestment) lies. Harley's been more of a roller coaster, and I have no faith at all in how that company is currently being run. | ||
| Blake |
What were the HOG dividends during that period? I agree on the poor corporate management. Just keeping you honest concerning your "wisest financial move (you) ever made." | ||
| Blake |
>>> I think we are on the verge of a sea change in the motorcycle community as a result of economics, the environment and the changing demographics of the riding community. I get that feeling too Court. If Dave Gess also agrees, then it surely must be true. | ||
| Jaimec |
Much lower, and lower now even more so. I seem to recall they WERE around 2%, which was still better than the bank was paying, but way off what Verizon was paying. In the same time, however, Verizon also spun off a new company, Frontier (FTR), and all Verizon shareholders got a stake in that new company. Shares were about $7.00 apiece and are now up to just under $8, but they've fluctuated between just under $7.00 and just under $10 in that same period. They are also paying a 9.4% dividend. |
