[Mowoc]

I own two VTX's. One is a F model and built for speed - its quick and fun to ride. The other is built for touring. Bags, Woodie fairing, highway bars, 1300 rear end. Still, I do like to tinker with things. My bikes are built out the way I like them and there is nothing left to do but maintenance.

So I decided to go take a look at HD. Now I have never actually owned a HD, and I have ridden one. Once. TBH it was a rattley POS. I found it uncomfortable and under powered. But it was also 30 years ago. I am sure they are better now. Any way, I was looking at street glides and road glides. They are absolutely beautiful bikes. I really appreciate the fit and finish. They have come a long way.

So I am talking to the salesman. I look at a couple of these bikes and I know that MSRP is about 23k. Not unreasonable, but certainly not cheap. I start asking pricing for some of the bikes. "I can't give you exact numbers" is the response. I finally get "mid to upper 30's for that one". WTF? What about that bike makes it worth 50% more than MSRP???!!!! "I don't know about that, you need to talk to sales manager". So I do. I ask how do I get a street or road glide for 23k. I have to order it and they will sell it at MSRP I find out. They do not sell any bikes for less than 3k over sticker off the floor. Oh, and there are 2k of fees if I order it.

Now, HD is struggling. Mightily. In fact, they could restructure soon if they are not careful. Here I am, willing to spend 25k or so on a bike (cash) and they tell me flat out they won't sell one for under 30k. They act like HD is not about to go bankrupt again.

So tell me, wtf is up with that? Are HD salespeople high all day? Does anyone here have any reasonable idea why I should spend 50% more than sticker? I mean there is zero chance I do that, but seriously. Maybe I am just naïve. At a minimum with this type of nonsense it might make sense to short HD.

 

[Harkon]

I don't believe you can get any bike off the floor for MSRP, right now. Doesn't matter which badge is on it. That's the case around here anyway.

 

[DarkShadow]

So I am talking to the salesman. I look at a couple of these bikes and I know that MSRP is about 23k. Not unreasonable, but certainly not cheap. I start asking pricing for some of the bikes. "I can't give you exact numbers" is the response. I finally get "mid to upper 30's for that one". WTF? What about that bike makes it worth 50% more than MSRP???!!!! "I don't know about that, you need to talk to sales manager". So I do. I ask how do I get a street or road glide for 23k. I have to order it and they will sell it at MSRP I find out. They do not sell any bikes for less than 3k over sticker off the floor. Oh, and there are 2k of fees if I order it.
Now, HD is struggling. Mightily. In fact, they could restructure soon if they are not careful. Here I am, willing to spend 25k or so on a bike (cash) and they tell me flat out they won't sell one for under 30k.
Does anyone here have any reasonable idea why I should spend 50% more than sticker? I mean there is zero chance I do that, but seriously. Maybe I am just naïve. At a minimum with this type of nonsense it might make sense to short HD.

We are in some bad times with the shortages. A few weeks ago Harley stopped production because of shortage of parts. I have noticed Harley dealersships in my area have very few new bikes in stock. I heard when you want a certain model and color it has to be ordered. You would think ok I'll just order one at MSRP + a reasonable amount for freight and prep. From I read in your story Harley has taken selling a bike to a whole new level, its like the Harley dealership has become a kidnapper and setting a ranson to buy a bike.

 

[Mowoc]

well the bikes are pretty. the are certainly worth a fair bit.

35k for a motorecycle just seems insane. I bought and built two Vtxs for 21k.

I actually asked the guy “american dollars???!!!”

 

[DarkShadow]

35k for a motorecycle just seems insane. I bought and built two Vtxs for 21k.

I don't know about you, but with that kind of sticker shock, I will be keeping my Honda for a while.

 

[TennX]

Their bikes .their rulz…last time I was in there nobody pulled a gun on me to make me buy….I didnt /wouldnt….VTX is all I need…since I cant ride anywho….good luck

 

[free1954]

i find the whole post offense. i smoke a lot of pot and don't overcharge anybody for anything.

 

[Mowoc]

What is funny is that its really not about the bikes. The HD stuff is gorgeous. And the ability to modify their bikes is second to none.

The company itself offers a product that only crusty old white guys buy. 20-30 years ago there was huge demand from the baby boomers. Now, kids don't want to ride. they want the newest iphone. HD is in trouble. electric motorcycles won't be a thing for many of us and the number of those that ride old school vtwins is shrinking quickly. I suppose there are still some people willing to spend ridiculous sums of money on what amounts to a toy, but that number will shrink pretty quick as well. HD is having issues, and there is no easy fix.

The sales guy kept asking "what payment to you want to be at". I explained to him repeatedly that I work in finance and I understand the concepts. Tell me the interest rate and term you are offering and I will tell you if its ok. I also explained this will be a cash deal, so really only price matters. I guess that just doesnt happen regularly there. I cannot imagine selling a product to ignorant people who can barely afford that product is a good business model.

 

[Harkon]

What is funny is that its really not about the bikes. The HD stuff is gorgeous. And the ability to modify their bikes is second to none.

The company itself offers a product that only crusty old white guys buy. 20-30 years ago there was huge demand from the baby boomers. Now, kids don't want to ride. they want the newest iphone. HD is in trouble. electric motorcycles won't be a thing for many of us and the number of those that ride old school vtwins is shrinking quickly. I suppose there are still some people willing to spend ridiculous sums of money on what amounts to a toy, but that number will shrink pretty quick as well. HD is having issues, and there is no easy fix.

The sales guy kept asking "what payment to you want to be at". I explained to him repeatedly that I work in finance and I understand the concepts. Tell me the interest rate and term you are offering and I will tell you if its ok. I also explained this will be a cash deal, so really only price matters. I guess that just doesnt happen regularly there. I cannot imagine selling a product to ignorant people who can barely afford that product is a good business model.

All encourage financing. It's a part of revenue stream.

For instance, in Canada you cannot get a Toyota truck unless you finance or lease. They will not sell for cash. Well refuse cash is perhaps strong, but they do dictate terms so I'm certain the price would go up substantially. Why? Because people would buy at MSRP, and resell at a profit.

Besides, in Canada pot use is not only legal, but encouraged by the government, so likely the salesman is stoned, if in Canada. If you know thus going in, you can really have a lot of fun with it.

 

[DrDolittle]

 

[Harkon]

^^^^^^^^^
Now that is funny

 

[Mr. Incredible]

Honda is no different, local dealer has a 2020 Goldwing F6B I have been looking at since 2020, $10,000 over MSRP and it has been sitting there since 2020, why, because it is $10,000 over sticker and now it is 3 model years old, sitting on the showroom floor with tires that now have a dead spot from sitting for 3 years.

I have offered them CASH at MSRP, numerous times and been told the "best" they can do is $5,000 over MSRP.

I have told them the BEST I can do is buy one someplace else. Found the same idiocy at 2 other Honda dealerships.

They won't budge off their "dealer added markup" B.S. They even have a Yamaha E-Bike for $1,000 over MSRP, claiming "setup" fee as they have to assemble it, you can buy that same bike online for $1,000 and assemble it yourself in under 30 minutes.

I saw the same behavior when I purchased my Hyundai Palisades Calligraphy Feb 2021, every dealer in Socal had them for $10,000 - $15,000 over MSRP and noted as "dealer added market" due to "limited supply". Most of the local dealerships only had 1 or 2 Calligraphy Editions and maybe 10 Palisades in other trims on their lot, none int he color/interior combo I wanted and they all made it sound like they were doing me a favor offering it "at only $10,000" over MSRP selling me a vehicle I wasn't even interested in.

I got fed up and starting searching Nationwide. Found a Dealership in Arizona that have 40 Palisades on their lot, 12 of which were Calligraphy Editions in all color and interior combos.

I ended up flying it and driving it back from AZ, int he color and interior I wanted for $4,000 under MSRP. I paid less OTD than most local dealers were selling them for. Hell a co-work bought the SEL model, 2 steps down from mine and she paid $8,000 more OTD.

my only issue with the whole deal was dealing with the California DMV and getting an out of state vehicle registered in CA, took me 6 months to get through the CA DMV idiocy, but well worth the savings.

 

[rangers4u]

View attachment 204752

Once upon a time for a few years, they designed great bowling machines (AMF)

 

[Mowoc]

they might throw in a T-shirt if I pay 35k?

 

[Chicago-Spike]

Go find another dealer and salesman. Cleary, that dealer doesn't care about the customers. The dealer that is just 1/4 mile from me had the same lines..."We have to sell at the list price or more as per Harley corporate..." and more. So I went 25 miles west of me into the farm area to another HD dealer. The sales guy was great, asked me if I rode, what I rode, how long, etc..... Then asked what I was interested in. Then I told him of the lines I was fed by the other dealer and he comes right out and says "That's a standard Bull shiii artist line to try and scare you into buying before another guy buys it out from under you." Then he says, "This is no different than any other vehicle agreement as dealers, once we pay HD corporate for the bikes we order they are ours to sell how we like. I could sell you a fully loaded Ultra for $5 if I wanted. I WON"T....but I could" In the end, I purchased both my Harleys from that dealer as BELOW list and with quite a few add-ons as well. Then I rode them to the dealer next door and told that first salesman that he lost on a sale and customer

 

[rangers4u]

they might throw in a T-shirt if I pay 35k?

Or a ball cap, but not both.

 

[Mowoc]

I will try another dealer. I do like the looks of the street glide. And some of the stuff they have on the bike honestly is pretty nifty.

I want a bike for about 25k max with the 114 engine. that seems eminently reasonable. I shouldn't have to buy all the BS that the dealers are tacking on.

Spike, who did you buy from? If they deal like that I am not above flying to chicago to pick up the bike. hell, I could charter a plane to chicago for less than 10k and come out ahead.

 

[Harkon]

they might throw in a T-shirt if I pay 35k?

My local dealership, I bought T-shirt and another for my son, and they threw in a gym bag. Good quality too, however, Calgary HD is a pretty quality outfit. At Badlands HD in Medinine Hat, they threw in a couple of HD ball caps for my son and I. We have some pretty good dealers around here.

 

[bryris]

I'll be riding my 16 and 18 year old VTX's for at least another 10 years. I know that.

 

[Chicago-Spike]

My local dealership, I bought T-shirt and another for my son, and they threw in a gym bag. Good quality too, however, Calgary HD is a pretty quality outfit. At Badlands HD in Medinine Hat, they threw in a couple of HD ball caps for my son and I. We have some pretty good dealers around here.

I've been to both of those and the Calgary dealer took my bike in straight away after I told them my cruise control would switch off now and then. The put my bike right on a lift, found a pinched wire that had worn through and replaced it for a temp fix. Then they called my home dealer and told them what part I needed ordered and it was waiting for me when I got back home 2 weeks later!