[Patriot]

A colleague at work, owns a Road King and will keep it.

Heres' the other side of the story. He is in the market for a Goldwing with the Nav system. He has worked the dealers in the Twin Cities and has a quote for $18500.

Twin City Harley found out he was buying a Goldwing and contacted him and matched the GW price with the Ultra Classic. Their pitch was "we want to keep you as a customer." My first thought, can they sell an Ultra Classic and still make a profit. I would say yes or they would not do it.

I believe they simply don't want him spreading the good news.

 

[J-mac]

Although Harley's stock been going up, I think there market share is falling.

I think it's falling faster than they would like. I also noticed that they will now "deal" on price.

Even a year ago if you went to a dealer and said "i want an Ultra-classic" they would have said "heres the price, take it or leave it"

Now they are willing to come down in price......

but you still have an under powered bike ( but thats JMHO )

I think they have finally figured out that people don't want to pay 30 G's for an under powered bike. Especially if you need to spend another $8000 on the engine to get the thing to move.

Maybe Harley has finally come to there senses :?

 

[Paul Woodford]

That's not hardball. Hardball's when they send someone to smash your kneecaps.

 

[John Ulrich]

Refreshing to hear they have found out their "stuff don't smell attitude" will not continue to sell bikes after the "cool-ade" has worn off.
Kudo's to that sales rep to reach out and try to save a sale to an existing customer.
How many of us have every gotten a call like that....or even a call???
JU

 

[Jay Hoover]

Before I bought my wing in September 05, I looked that the Harley, I got the pay my price or leave it attitude. Wound up spending about $10,000 less on the wing than I would have on the Harvey Ferguson. I think their bikes are beautiful and I know several that have had great reliability out of them. I just did not want to spend the $$ for less performance and less comfort.

 

[magenta]

My brother has a 04 ultra,it has 18,000 miles on it,the check engine light has come on at least 6 times,back to the dealer he goes.on the way back from myrtle beach in oct the security system module shorted out and caught fire,that was exciting.at 15,000 he had to replace the clutch for big bucks,harley said sorry thats a wear item and u must have abused it.he has been riding all his life and is a professional driver,he didnt abuse it its just a problem machine.i tease him all the time that my wing has 80,000 miles on it and gives no problems,OLE YELLER MBG PA

 

[kikker]

I've never seen a stock Harley Ultra Classic that cost 30 G's but they are certainly over priced for what you get.

The new Ultra Classic I had for only 4 months was a big disappointment for me but I consider it a lesson learned. Mine was fully loaded at $23k.

I actually like some of the Old School styling but the technology supporting it is behind times by a long shot.

For example, my Ultra Classic stranded me twice. Both times while riding with the cruise control set, the engine quit and all of the accessories stopped working. After replacing the accessory fuse, the bike would start and run ok and all of the accessories would work just fine but there was a failure code in the computer that the service department didn't know what it was or what caused it. They just cleared the code and sent me on my way. What a deal!

 

[cosmic_chariot]

Some of you guys are funny... Harley is not going broke.. period..
Harleys fit & fit along with their paint are far superior to Honda... their
electrics are much better than Honda also.. and unless you buy a Screaming Eagle series they are priced about dead even with a GL1800
with same equipment... remember Harley Ultra comes with a CB and
CD player standard.. along with a bunch of other accessories that are extra on a Wing...
In the Power catagory a GL1800 wins hands down.. but I rode one about 4 months ago on a trip... the Ultra (a 2007) easily maintained the legal speed limit on every highway we rode.....both are nice rides its all in your own personal preference..

cosmic

 

[gizmocool]

What Cosmic said..... :wink:

 

[Vetteman]

not Hardly bashing

I did read in an online m/cycle magazine that the warrantly claims for Hardlys was up for the calendar year 2006 as compared to previous years.
Buck

 

[luckyman]

Two years ago I bought a brand new Ultra for $17,300 out the door. My local dealer wanted $24,500. I could buy one tomorrow for $18,500.

It's all a matter of shopping around. I sent out 35 or 40 emails to dealers within 500 miles of my home. Ended up going to Tulsa, Ok and buying from Route 66 HD. However, a dealer in Mobile, Al was a little less expensive (just a little late).

Same thing with the Goldwing. Sent out emails, got the best prices, took them to my local dealer and he got within $500 after coming down about $2500.

You either play their game or you pay their price.

 

[J-mac]

Two years ago I bought a brand new Ultra for $17,300 out the door. My local dealer wanted $24,500. I could buy one tomorrow for $18,500.

It's all a matter of shopping around. I sent out 35 or 40 emails to dealers within 500 miles of my home. Ended up going to Tulsa, Ok and buying from Route 66 HD. However, a dealer in Mobile, Al was a little less expensive (just a little late).

Same thing with the Goldwing. Sent out emails, got the best prices, took them to my local dealer and he got within $500 after coming down about $2500.

You either play their game or you pay their price.

see. thats the deal, even a year a go, if you would have walked into a Harley dealership, the posted price was what you paid. There was no "deal", Now that Harley is loosing market share, they are willing to negotiate on price.

However, if you follow the stock market you will notice that Harley's stock has been going up (stock symbol: HOG) They are making money, and lots of it :lol:

 

[White Gold]

Blah Blah Blah SOS!!!!!!!!!!!! :? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[cosmic_chariot]

How is it... Harley stock keeps going up.. but someone said they are "loosing market share" ???
better check on how the stock market works...

cosmic

 

[WingedNut]

>My first thought, can they sell an Ultra Classic and still make a profit.

If a dealer sells local then they can make plenty on service agreement, maintenance, accessories, parts, insurance, extended warranty, finance, etc.

 

[Lucky Phil]

If anyone's interested, my friend has one for sale. I can't afford another bike myself.

http://www.blujay.com/item/2004-HARLEYD ... 00-1569632

 

[Dofricky]

Twin cities is a big dealership with a great big customer base. They want to keep this guy on a jackhammer, and I think they are giving him a reason to do so. Many of us wing owners do not spend anything on power (because we have enough, IMO) but we can outspend any hardley rider on farkels do dads oil and crush washers! :lol:

 

[riffraff]

In 2004 I visited Carson City HD to look at a Road Glide. They wanted list price (understandable at the time) but what turned me off was the $1000 "set up charge". No dickering, take it or leave it. I left it.

This year one of my coworkers bought a new Ultra. The Reno dealer was offering free extended warranty, the Carson City dealer offered no sales tax. Basically a $7-800 discount.

HDs production has caught up to the demand. The paper is full of late model, low mileage HDs for sale. The market has softened a little.
It is cold outside, a typically slow sales period for motorcycles.

 

[n9frp]

Before I bought my wing in September 05, I looked that the Harley, I got the pay my price or leave it attitude. Wound up spending about $10,000 less on the wing.............

I had the same experience at TWO Harley dealers in the Chicago area, Jan and Feb of 2005...I made MULTIPLE visits and got the same treatment by EVERYONE there on the sales floor. I purchased my Wing in April 2005.

All I can say is...........

THANK YOU HARLEY !!!

for helping me make the RIGHT Choice !

 

[kgilbri]

cosmic
It's possible to make money, have stock rise and still lose market share. Every Harley shop is 1/3 bike floor space and 2/3 of the floor space is for apparel and other Harley marketing items. I believe, but don't know for a fact, that that floor plan is standard for Harlely shops everywhere. Or so I've been lead to believe.
Nobody markets their stuff better than Harley. It's almost a cult following and almost every Harley driver has to have Harley caps, shirts, vests...and the list goes on forever. That sort of marketing prowess causes the stock to go up. Investors like that sort of thing. And the stuff is profitable too or the shops wouldn't be set up that way. But the market share is about the number of Harleys sold compared to other bikes and that's where the loss of marketing share can take place. Lots of people buying all kinds of other bikes like GoldWings, Yamaha's and a bunch of other great bikes. Many people find other bikes just as good looking and just as good or better in the performance department and can ride some great bikes without the huge pricetag. I suspect many people feel the same way about the cost of a GoldWing too. So every year, although Harely sells a ton of bikes, their overall share of the bike market is dropping a bit. Nothing odd about that. They aren't about to go out of business or go bankrupt. But they are going to share their market with a lot of other good bikes. There is no shortage of excellent V-Twins.
Kevni