New bike, well used new . . .(-;
Well, once again after doing all my online research .I set out today to buy . .
And once again, after 3 days of preping the dealer, submitting a credit app, etc . . i go in this morning and they have done NOTHING. Some one in the back was not in or some shit at 10am, so without telling me what my trade is worth, without talking about what they will or will not do with the price of the Raider, without doing a thing, the JERKS at North Dade Yamaha told me to just go home. Guess my time is not of importance, because they were unable with management there to sell a motorcycle. Told the dude to call me with a yes or no answer and a price before luch. At 3, no call.
So fuck them, metric guys in Miami seem to just have a FLOOD of cash buyers I guess, because they treat folks like shit.
So off to Harley again, Dyna Wide Glide, 2006 with tons of bling and already has all the normal performance upgrades done. I sat on it in the showroom . .the old owner was a friend of the dealerships owner . .he was 6'5" and over 230lbs . .his set up fit me in every way like a glove. Tons of work done to this thing . .just beautiful.
Told the guy I would like to ride it . .off he goes, comes back with keys, rolls it out and took it around to fill up the tank . .brought it back, handed her over to me and said go enjoy . .let me know when you get back. (((-; Rode her for about 30 minuets, back streets, a fast run on the slab . .very quick after the sporty, but very friendly as well, smooth as silk, 6 speed tranny that has none of the clunk the Sporty does . . . I am in love. (-;
We worked out the trade . .I didn't break his balls, I ride my Sporty and brought her in dirty . .the bank comes back a grand under our deal, he asked if I have a check book, and I said I have a ride home . . so I get an extra grand off. (-; Deal done. In the end this worked out to be very painless.
So I guess as a result of the best dealer in Miami I remain a Harley man. Kind of glad this time, this is a real pretty bike . .the ride home was great, this is a whole different bike. (-; Only 1450 cc, but even in 6th gear, when I cranked her down she just took right off and was tapping on 100's door. The right kind of power, very pleased.
Congratulations! Sweet lookin' Bike.
Great lookin' bike there, Elwood, even if it is a Harley. ;-) Congratulations on the new wheels!
It is sad that some dealers just let a deal slip right out of their hands. A similar thing happened to me when I bought my car. I went in to test drive one thing, got ignored, left and went down the street, and bought something else that same evening.
Anyway, I'm sure you'll enjoy the new bike and thanks for sharing pictures!
------------------------
2004 Suzuki GS500F
Yea, I dont get it. Heck .
Yea, I dont get it. Heck . .Talked to them for 3 days at that Star dealer . . if there was an issue, speak up . . whatever. But dont waste my time and blow me off . .that I just do not get. I didnt call them back just because I would not have bought from them no matter how I felt about the bike on principle. Same thing went on the day I got my Sporty . . I have been in every dealer in Miami and can honestly say they ALL suck except this Harley dealer. They greet, they are easy, they take time and sit ya on different bikes. . and they work around any issues when its time to buy. Good management i guess.
They way I see it, there is no "perfect" bike. I could have gone with any of . .god, 20 machines and come home thrilled. (-; Maybe its because I am a salesman. I dont piss away my paycheck that way. You only get the opportunity you get, every one you waste is a hit at the end of the month.
And frankly, if I cant get someone financing or whatever . .I call them . . .tell them whats up and explore other possible solutions to get them what they need. These guys just suck at what they do.
Whatever, came home happy. (-; The only things I want to add as of now will be a after-market seat with a back rest like Munch has . .compensate for the mini ape hangers . . . and a super brace on the forks. Put one on the Sporty, tightens up the handling a lot. Other than that, this guy had it set up pretty darn good.
And hey . . Harley is a fine bike. This baby is smooth as silk. I aint a Harley preacher . .lots of fine bikes around. Id be happy on any one of them. (-;
I think I have figured it out . . Harley raises there prices because the take customers other than cash in hand drolling at the mouth buyers is all . . . . ((((-; Yea . .tossing that star dealer right under the old bus, no doubt.
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Maybe you feel this is a douche move
...but it seems really fitting to me that you roll into the Yamaha dealership on your new Harley and have a little chat with their manager. Nothing offensive, nothing cruel, perfectly civil and friendly. This sort of thing has happened to me in the past for one reason or another and I always find it fitting to simply tell the management "hey guys, this could have been your business. What happened?"
You're the hardened salesman, so I'm interested in your take.
My time has value. The girl
My time has value. The girl who runs the finance department was cool, so I sent her an email with a pic of the bike and told her thanks for HER help. Also told her the sales department would get all the attention I could bring it on Internet forums. (-;
Look, I hear ya, but trust me, they don't care. I sold cars for like 90 days. Dishonest, low life POS's in that management chair . .just a skuzy business. Guess it is the same with bikes. I have never understood it.
To me . .IF you FIRST find a bike / car the customer is happy with, mention price = 'about so & so a month, is that what your looking for? . . let them measure for themselves some . . .but get them in that new care smell, in love and in lust . .and it would take a team of horses to stop the sale. That or a jack ass for a sales manager.
I get it , hard sale, have to close EVERY opportunity . .not so hard if you don't stick your thumb up there ass and try to get the money before you pick a vehicle, and if you treat folks with a little friendly respect.
Soooo . .
Would I waste one more second of my time talking to them? Nope. To old to care and the dirt bags there wont car either. If they wanted to sell to me they would have, if they saw a hard deal and were willing to work for it, they would have. The walked me with intention.
So, I post the story a few places, if I cost them a few deals . .great, if not, great. Dont care, they will do what they do until the market demands more of them or puts them out of business.
IF I wanted to make a "point", I would have gone BACK and pinned them to the wall to sell me the bike. But, I am a free market capitalist. Rules are for socialist. LoL Free market system, treat me like shit and i take my money elsewhere regardless of what you sell. (((-; Principle every time. I vote with my feet on service every time . if everyone did we would not have so many places like that.
I dont buy GE knowingly either . .not the product I have any issue with, just cant lend my support in the way of cash to the company . .to many reasons I don't like them. (-; Words mean nothing . .you have to move your money when service or policy's are . . . unacceptable. Thats when the "system" is working.
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Nice!!
That's one helluva find. Looks like a beautiful bike; I hope you enjoy the crap out of 'er!
Yup, nice looking bike. Not
Yup, nice looking bike. Not many cruisers I like the look of but that is one of them.
Yet another positive experience at a Harley dealer. They certainly got that part of the business working smoothly.
Beautiful bike..... but I am
Beautiful bike..... but I am scratching my head a bit wondering what happened to the idea of the "touring" Thoughts you had? Hope the bags you got fit her.... which looks like they should.
****We know yesterday existed because we remember it, the future we can not predict as it has yet to happen, and the moment you say now it becomes the memorable past...so WHEN in time do we exist?****
1450 cc's, 6 speed thats
1450 cc's, 6 speed thats smooth as silk at 80 . . rides and floats like a caddy . . . this thing is great. I didn't think it would be much better than the sporty looking at it in the show room . .but when I took it out . .it is a great ride, just floats. I road the piss out of it for 30 minuets or more . . from parking lot stuff to 110 mph sprint on the expressway. This one got a good test ride. ((-; She is soft . .yet I can lean in just like the sporty . . already have had the pegs on the ground a few times.
Now . .I did order a supper brace for the forks ..the handling is a little soft with that long rake .. but the supper brace will tighten that right up.
I think a back rest down the line like the one you have will be in order just because of the upright seating position, but it should be easy for 400 mile plus rides as is. .way cozy and relaxed riding.
Oh . .yea, kept my saddle bags. Just ordered the braces for them and for now have them kind of tied into place. She will be fine on the road.
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Congratulations!
Elwood, that is a beautiful looking motorcycle. Congrats, and may you enjoy many trouble-free miles out of her.
As for the dealership experience, I think with metrics it will vary from one dealer to the next, but not with Harley Davidson. H-D is as much a franchise as it is a motorcycle company, so the dealership experience will be more or less uniform no matter which dealer you go to. Even here in Saudi Arabia, they employ the very same techniques you mention to attract customers and get them to buy their motorcycles.
Ah . . you hear of bad
Ah . . you hear of bad experiences like anything else. I DO think HD trys to make the "experience" as much a part of the marketing as is the machines. It is what they have done well over the years. Ride a Harley and you will always have folks coming up and talking to ya. It is a little "club" to be sure. LoL
Funny . .just thinking how many folks have said to me . ."used to have a Harley this or that" . . not "I used to ride". LoL Like having that Harley in the garage made them a biker. ((-; In the end they build a solid machine . . a bit over priced, and they sell them to bland on purpose so they can sell that accessory bling. LoL I have been as stanch a critic as i am a satisfied owner. Business is business and they need to target the younger market. They need that "Raider" kind of style and price point.
There are a few real nice cruisers on the market these days. That Raider will be a popular bike, as will several of the Star cruisers. They are on the rise right now. The Vulcan Munch has is an outstanding machine, rock solid as are its bigger brothers. Suzuki has a few that feel like air when you pick it up . .deceptive for 700lb plus machines. Its that big fat rear tire I think.
Get on forums and you will find Stars with bad lifters, (Common on the Raider), Suzuki blowing out 2nd gear . . all machines have issues. (-; Most all can be fixed. Harley gets a rap ..but I know several people now still riding machines with 200K plus on them . . they are 100K machines unless people shade tree them to much or try to trick them out . . leave it near stock, keep the oil changed and they are solid as rocks, dont let anyone tell ya different. If they do, they never road one or road with many other people that do either.
Harley still does what it does very well . . dont find many folks expressing "regret" on a Harley. But then again, I dont know anyone expressing any regret on any of the big cruisers they own. (-; It is a style of bike that is very mature and pretty much perfected. Harley on paper will never be a best buy . .but ride one and you will say . .ahhhhhh ..thats what it is. It is the total package and feel . .they have it down pact. The Dynas and Softails are some of the best cruisers around . .better than a lot of the more expensive Harley's in my opinion.
Well . .as you can tell, I am quite happy with my FX after my first two days. (-; Oh . .did i mention it rained today . .it got its first bath! ((-;
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Insurance
Well . . oh shit, LoL
Just got my new rates . .went from 400'ish on the 883 to almost 1500 on the Wide Glide! Yikes! Knew it would go up some, but shit!
I'll shop it around . .but have a feeling. i have all state and never have beat them much . . . She said it is all in the cc's.
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Guess you can officially change your signature now!
Well, congrats on the new ride! What a story behind it, good grief. It is a good-looking scooter, and hope you enjoy it as much as your Sporty. I was reading the previous posts and wondering if indeed, you might go metric, but not this time around! Hope the bag for the pup will fit, too!
2005 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic
Lynn C.
Oh yea . .dog fits fine. (-;
Oh yea . .dog fits fine. (-;
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Beautiful bike Elwood
Bet it looks even better in person. Love that raked out front. That's my favorite part of the wide glides. Man, I'm jealous. That front wheel sort of reminds me of my Vulcan Custom one.
Hmmm.....now you have me thinking.
Best part of the change from
Best part of the change from spokes to that front rim is I can use a plug kit now! (-;
Add, aluminum will not rust . .my Sporty front rim was already starting with he rust . . i just did not clean it enough.
I like the look of the rake up front, but was at first afraid I would not like the feel of it. It is a little wider in PLP, but not a whole lot, and not enough to be any issue on the street at all. It has something to do with how they put the stock bikes together . .Raider does the same thing . .its a mix of rake and Yoke and wheels . . keeps the handling pretty neutral.
Its still a baby Harley . . but it rides smooth, has plenty of power . . it'll do for a while. I have a feeling I wont be trading anything in after this next year. I expect money to get hard to come by, and borrowed money to be real expensive. So all I need to do is stay above water now, any luck I'll get one or two months where the sales are like the old days and I can just pay it off. Gonna pay off the car this month . . so I can put all my attention on this going forward.
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store