| Author | Message | ||
     Griffmeister |
I just got an email from Surdyke HD saying that they can no longer sell HD authentic parts and accessories outside of their assigned territory. Supposedly this is a new rule that applies to all dealers? How’s that supposed to work now? Has anyone else seen this? | ||
| Aeholton |
I received the same email. Doesn't sound like something that should be legal in a free market. | ||
| Victory |
FTF  | ||
| Sprink |
This has happened before..... Rats.... | ||
| Tq_freak |
Sh#tty dealers Cry and this is how the mother ship fixes it. My Local HD Dealer (Bruce Rossmeyer) has never sold anything at MSRP. I needed a kickstand snubber for my Streetglide. MSRP from Ronnie's online...$4.00 Rosmeyer .. $18. So yea they scream that online sales kills there parts business and so instead of getting after them for gouging the hell out of people they nuke online sales out of territory. Typical HD thinking. | ||
| Heavy18 |
When I called the local dealer for my right-side scoop he said I should call one of the two dealers in the US that showed they had stock - gave me their names even… That was a couple months ago so I guess now I’d have to get him to buy it from them then pay the upcharge (which is what he said would happen if I bough from him, hence he sent me to them directly.) Makes perfect sense  | ||
| Mnscrounger |
"Doesn't sound like something that should be legal in a free market." HD Dealer network is not a free market. HD possibly needed to do this to survive. Bike sales are down overall, and their committed dealer network is what's keeping them afloat. The dealers pay dearly to HD for their territories, and from their perspective I can understand why they would want exclusivity for any local sales. (It does sound like the ones price gouging to stay in business are the ones doing all the hollering though). Remember when all the Subway's and Starbucks franchise expansion happened and the franchisee's all went nuts? IF I was a local Subway shop owner, and Subway sells another franchise license three blocks down. I'd be wondering what the value of my franchise fee actually was, and if its worth continuing to pay, become a Jersey Mike's, or even go independent. I don't HD can afford that risk. | ||
| Heavy18 |
I hear a lot of talk about bike sales being down but how much is that due to supply chain shortages Vs dwindling demand? Every motorcycle shop I go into only has a few bikes on display and half are already sold. I was talking to a neighbor who just got back from Sturgis and he said there’s some massive dealer out there and they had like 700+ bikes HD had allocated to them for the event and every bike was marked up 25% minimum - and they said they were forecasting to sell 1300+ bikes in the two week period. I haven’t done the research and admittedly this is a very small personal sampling of data - but I do wonder what the real driver of lower sales is: demand or supply. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I got the same email. It's a bummer. For me, being bikeless at the moment, it isn't a huge concern, but it could become one. I live 70 miles from the closest dealership. After them it's 145 miles to the closest one. Ordering from Surdyke and other online sellers was an absolute necessity for me. Not only in terms of prices of parts, but the cost and time of driving to the dealership was not an option for me. This is going to hurt a lot of riders. I kinda understand the dealerships that oppose what Surdyke was doing thought process is, but this is going to cause some to stop riding altogether, or switch brands. Then what? You can't / won't sell parts to people that are no longer riding your products. Or Tee Shirts, hats, sunglasses, etc. Those Indians look pretty nice. Especially that Challenger... If I'm ever in a position to get a new bike, I'd like a KTM 1290 SAR, but I've looked at the Pan American as well. Knowing I'm gonna have to go 70 miles from home to get maintenance parts would play into my decision. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I just checked- St. Paul's website doesn't mention any restrictions. Of course, you might find out differently when you actually place an order. | ||
| Mnscrounger |
The lack of mention on St. Paul's for the discontinued Buell products may mean they dont have restrictions. The restriction might apply to only to HD parts products. |
