| Author | Message | ||
     Lost_in_ohio |
Out for a random ride this afternoon, nice weather no where to go, so I end up at my favorite  Buell dealer. I pull up in the motorcycle parking and climb off. One of the guys from the service area yells out, Hey thats Motorcycle parking! I glance around for the offending car or suv, he yells at me gain, I am talking to you. hmmmm, I glance around at the chrome cruisers and soft fat ape hanger things. I yelled back in, I guess you need to show me one then. The service department groupies gave me an ewwwwwwwwwwe. I feel the love every time I am in there. Now is this the way to be treated at a dealership. I mean I have never gone to the Ford car dealer and been treated like that. I went in and harrased the clothing ladys again about Buell shirts and got the we have new stuff coming in daily response. They will never ever have a Buell T-shirt in this dealership. Just ashame the next closest Buell dealer is an hour away. From what I here the dealer in Marietta Ohio is a heck of a nice guy, but that one is two hours away. | ||
| Drummer |
Boy...that is sad. Very sad. I hope you didn't buy the bike there. | ||
| No_rice |
i would have asked him how he could be qualified to work on motorcycles if he cant tell the difference between it and a car!? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
One of the guys from the service area He never said it was an employ of the Dealership...... It sounds like it could have been anybody that was there just hanging out..... | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
You don't think the guy was just kidding with you? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
That would be my guess....... But I would like to see some more Buell stuff on the shelves. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
I live 10 minutes away from the dealership in Marrietta OH. There has never been anything Buell related in that store except for a couple of bikes in the show room. No clothes. No parts. They have historically been given bad reviews by all of the Harley riders I know. They do have new management/owners in the last month or so and I am hopeful that things will improve. I currently drive 1 1/2 hours to Charelston WV rather than deal with the old regime at Marrietta. | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
Were you wearing your authentic leather harley gear? Bandana? Your not a hard ass till you have leather fringes hanging from your handlebars. | ||
| Jugallo94 |
i spent 6 months in Marion for work a couple years ago, and the dealer in upper sandusky was a pretty good one. | ||
| Bugman |
Are you certain the culprit wasn't some joker as Wolf surmised? In any case I would have walked into the showroom and asked to see the GM. I would have asked for an explanation and an apology. That type of behavior from a dealer employee is inexcusable. I worked at H-D/Buell dealers years ago and that would not have been tolerated. I can't believe any dealer would treat a customer like that. | ||
| Cataract2 |
I've had fun with some of the people in a group I ride with do the whole, "you need to get a real bike." (It's all in good fun.) My reply's vary. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
The service area tends to be a hang out for some reason, well everyone hangs out by the garage doors and smoke...... Wolf is correct in that I am not sure whether it was an employee or not, but it is a sad state of affairs for sure. Nothing will change, I just post it here to add to the lore of HD dealership fun. The plus side is Dan at the parts counter actually knows me and had a laugh about the t shirts. The down side is the 4x4 rolling peg board that had the buell accessory's is gone. Far as the Marietta dealership goes....It changed hands recently, from what I hear, the new owner is a real sport bike kinda guy and things are gonna change down there. Drummer I did buy my bike there. My biggest complaint is the way the service writers have treated me when I have been in. Now the service was done correctly and I am satisfied about it. But the bitching about buells and how hard they are to work on was not needed. The one writer even spouted off that buell owners don't work on their bikes like harley owners. And the special labor rate charge for buells......I understand my bike is harder to work on that a sportster but don't throw the special buell labor rate chart in my face. Jugallo thanks for the tip.....Upper Sandusky is closer than Marietta for sure. The guys over in Tipp City were very nice too. | ||
| Bugman |
I have never heard of a dealer with variable labor rates depending on make or brand. And as for grumbling about the bike, that is uncalled for as well. I would find another dealer if I were you. | ||
| Angeldeville |
My local dealers are the reason I'm getting a Ducati, They can burn in hell with the 2 '05 Lightning's they STILL have on the showroom floor, it's really pathetic. If they were sold at "real" bike dealerships, I'd be getting the LightningSs I want. | ||
| Spiderman |
The one writer even spouted off that buell owners don't work on their bikes like harley owners. Yeah, that's rich! Back when i worked at a dealer I would see cheese hangers put their bike sin service just to install new seats! | ||
| Jugallo94 |
Lost in Ohio I just ran across the name of the shop. It is Thiels Wheels. I dont know how they are now, but they were pretty good a few years ago. | ||
| Rainman |
A friend who was a Harley mechanic always encouraged me to work on my Sportster myself: "I like them good and broken when I get them. I make more money that way." | ||
| Flyor |
Lost_ It's amazing what we'll go thru being in the exclusive 3% club... I left the other 97% for the 3% crew last year and was pretty much forgotten about/looked at differently, etc. And definitely treated like crap at the local HD dealer. I now ride 90 miles each way to a dealer in TN who supports Buell. They have been good to me on services and recalls. No BS. Convenience out the window bu hey at least I finally got a new kickstand on the bike! | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
I was up at the New dealership Sunday....Saw Wolf's bike, he was busy teaching. I walked up to the clothing counter, The very nice looking young lady says "Nice Buell shirt." My reply was thx do you have any? Shirt denied again. I got the standard we have new stuff coming in daily reply.  I post it because it is so funny, I heard a story from another local Bueller that they had a Buell get together at the dealership a couple of years ago. During the get together the question came up why no buell sweatshirts, t shirts or hats. They went and got the clothing manager who said that buell gear does not sell. Now mind you there was 9 guys sitting there dressed in buell gear looking at her. Priceless.  | ||
| Djkaplan |
The best service I ever got from a HD dealer was one that catered to the local 'hardcore' 1%er types, not the chrome and tassles fatsos that you typically see at a Harley 'boutique'. Most of the customers were not the kind of people you say 'Hey' too. The sevice manager and most of the mechanics were just like the customers. They looked at my Buell and sneered the first time I went there. They had the best damn service department I ever saw. No one was nice to me, no one cared how I was doing, no one talked about the weather, but no one lied to me and they did what they said they were going to do. | ||
| Terribletim |
This is one of the many discussions about dealers, and they all seem to be the same. My favorite dealer (the one where I hang out, close to home, everyone there knows me, etc.) has NO Buell t-shirts, hats, pins, etc. at all. They do have some bikes on the showroom, and they are not hidden in the back, they are right up front. But other than the bikes, there is VERY little support for them in the swag department. Now, if I want to travel a little bit, there are 2 shops that carry lots of Buell stuff, one of them being a bit serious about their Buells (  Brian!). Bottom line, there are too many dealers around to warrant feeling unwelcome. Try a different dealer. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
Buell owners don't work on their bikes. That's a good one. Harder to work on, huh? I've got zero mechanical experience prior to buying my Buell, but you can see from the long list of upgrades on my bike that I must learn real fast. What's so hard about reading a shop manual and doing what it says? H/D mechanics don't read?Maintenance isn't exactly rocket science either. When the time comes, I won't be afraid to do a complete engine overhaul/upgrade or repairs after a crash by myself either. It's not too hard to research a project and then apply what you've learned. As for the catcalling, surely they were kidding. If they weren't I would have marched into the GM's office on that one too just on principle. I don't intend to ever let another stealership touch my bike again anyway, so I don't include the local stealership in my list of places to ride to. The last time I went to a stealership was when I was trying to find one of those cold weather hats. After being treated rudely at three stealerships, I finally gave up and had to get Andy to mail me one. Next time I won't bother. Don't those knuckleheads know that was a marketing tool designed to get enthusiasts in the door to buy more stuff? Not one salesman out of three dealerships even tried to ask about my bike or my equipment and apparel needs or even spark up a conversation at all. I would have thought that even if they had nothing other than new bikes to offer, they'd have been trying to get me excited about trading for a newer one or trying to earn my service business. Instead they probably all took a hat home and told everybody they didn't get any or were out of them. What a waste. It's a shame I've bought thousands of dollars in equipment, gear, and upgrades, and every bit of it was done online. The only thing that goes on/into my bike bought locally is oil, filters, and gas. I even buy spark plugs and tires online. Shameful. | ||
| Terribletim |
LOL! Ask Cityxslicker about them there hats! I went to pick mine up at his dealership, and dropped another $100+ on t-shrits, stickers, pins, etc! Those who know what a marketing tool is were all over this one! | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Funny about the attitudes that people will take with other peoples bikes. It is my bike, I choose it because I love it, I ride it, and I do work on it. Now, you pull into our dealership on a bike other than H-D, and I am the first one out the door to welcome you to the store. I have 13 diff bikes, only the last two had been Milwaukee finest. And remember most foreign dealers are closed sunday monday. It would be foolish not to welcome bikers to your store, no matter what they ride, you can never tell if this is the day that they trade in, or know of a killer twisted road to ride on. I just dont see the benefit to being pig headed  | ||
| Ceejay |
Theil's doesn't do buell stuff anymore. It's a shame as they used to do some nice stuff, and still do with the harley's. Bar-b-q's, bands, group rides, etc. They can't get parts from what I understand and probably don't have any service either. I believe that they still do drag racing with a buell but not sure, as I haven't been there in a while. AD's have been sketchy IMO also. Poorly ordered parts, I tried more than three times to get a headlight bracket from them, after that, and spark plugs, and being told to change my M2 into a mutant I just started coming here to appleton. The did used to have one lone buell rider but he's not there anymore... I guess they are getting better. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
The highlight of my adventures yesterday was passing a bright yellow XB southbound on RT 315. No clue who it was. I did put 280 miles on anyhow in about 6 hours not bad for an old man. | ||
| Terribletim |
A-men brother! And trust me, this is the guy you want to go see! Every dealer needs a clone of Brian! I came walking in having not been there since he went to work there, and this guy spotted my Buell shirt from across the floor and met me not 5 feet inside the doors! All it takes is a little searchin' to find the dealer that wants you around. Trust me, you'll know when you find it. Break out one of them HOG touring guides or on the Harley website and look at how many dealers are out there. If they don't scream for your money, take it to the next one! That is the only way you can tell them how to run their store. If they think you need them, screw 'em. Reality is, they need you! The ones that know it are the ones I hang out at! By the way Brian - The weather is looking iffy for this weekend. I may be free sunday for a little ride up your way! If all works out you can check out my 3-color rocket! | ||
| Phat_j |
Back when i worked at a dealer I would see cheese hangers put their bike sin service just to install new seats! amen spides... i've been paid a half hr countless times for seats, clip on windshields, pegs, and the likes..... its amazing. but i hope they never change... more money in my pocket. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
terrible.....I would have spent money on the trip in but I am not gonna buy a Harley shirt.....I want a buell shirt, coat, jacket not Harley. | ||
| Xb9ser |
I try my local dealer first, a sponcer.I useully call first to see if they have what I need. If they have to order I will call Appleton or Stone Mt they will have it in stock. Order it and have it at my door and not have to make 2 trips. Some times I have been suprized at what my local dealer has and at times surprized at what they dont have like 03 belts.I allways try to support my local dealer but if have to order why not support a sponcer dealer who stocks parts! | ||
| Rainman |
I like our sponsors, but I figure if I make my dealer order what ever I need -- and they're willing to do so and get it here fast -- they may be more likely to stock the items in the future. If they don't have the demand they won't stock it but if the demand is there, it makes it worth their while. | ||
| Terribletim |
Guess I forgot to mention, I did buy Buell stuff! The only Harley item in my purchase was my wife's shot glass that said "Legend Harley-Davidson" on it.  I plan on putting my new Buell pin on my H.O.G. vest so it irritates 'em a little more when I show up at the meetings! You should see their eyes roll when I pull up on my XB wearin' my Buell Racing shirt under my Harley leather jacket! Just remember, if you ain't iritatin' 'em, you're missin' all the fun!  | ||
| Cityxslicker |
"Why would you ever take that motorcycle off-road" Heard at the local HOG meeting last time I attended . They just dont get it. Adventure riding to them akin to the Paris to Dakaar, it all must be EXTREME cus they would never take the Harley down a gravel road. More road for me! |
