| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
Just wondering. People who buy sport bikes are generally NOT interested in black leather, chrome, and novelty helmets. So are Harley dealerships REALLY prepared to support the kind of aftermarket the 1125R is going to generate? When is the last time you walked into a Harley dealership and saw brightly colored full leathers? Brightly colored and patterned Snell approved full face helmets? Carbon fiber replacement parts? Multi-colored replacement windshields? Tires other than Dunlop and Pirelli? Ohlins suspension set ups? I'm just wondering if these dealerships really are aware of the oncoming storm?? | ||
| Mutation_racer |
Our dealer has always been colorful. don't get me wrong blk is still the no.1 color sold here | ||
| Slaughter |
Very few are. I'd love to see a Buell dealer with motorclothes represented by leathers, boots, gloves, helmets. Performance accessories hanging on the walls. Maybe some organized Buell specific activities and a calendar, photographs. Forget chrome and buttless chaps unless you're dancing to Village People music in front of an all-male audience. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Myself, I prefer "buttless chaps" to those silly looking multi-colored "race suits" all the squids wear. On my Shovelhead or Buell, my preferred color for all my gear is Black. period. Oh and DiscoSucks; that includes the Village People. Z | ||
| Court |
>>>>So are Harley dealerships REALLY prepared to support the kind of aftermarket the 1125R is going to generate? Mine is. . . right Mutant? | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Sumpin" the matter with Black, bro'?  | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Who was that man with the dark shield?? We missed you at Buelltoberfest!! | ||
| Dynasport |
I know some engineer will argue with me, but black is a color, right? As is, "What color is your bike? Mine's black." See. And I wear butt-less chaps because my butt is too big to fit in any other kind. Dan | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
it will take years to change harley dealers into real sport bike shops...the only way they will change is if the 1125 sells like hot cakes...the chances of ur local harley dealer gearing up before hand with kneedragger gear is between slim and less than zero...should of been something that was thought of waaaay before hand and prepared for...it will be an after thought and could be bad for them and us... can u imagine a harley shop hosting a bike night that had nothing to do with bands that do covers of oldies and vendors that sew patches on leather jackets with no armor.... and sell half helmets...gonna be interesting...i want my dealership to have the stuff i need ,want, and dont know i need til i see it...and parts for my freakin bike . (Message edited by molly_hatchet on October 17, 2007) | ||
| Jaimec |
"What's wrong with black?" Other than making you invisible in traffic and at night, and roasting you alive in the hot summer sun... nothing at all... | ||
| Court |
>>>>the chances of ur local harley dealer gearing up Yes, I can. >>>can u imagine a harley shop hosting a bike night that had nothing to do with bands that do covers of oldies and vendors that sew patches on leather jackets with no armor Yes, I can. >>>.i want my dealership to have the stuff i need ,want, and dont know i need til i see it...and parts for my freakin bike . How did they respond when you told them that? I'm betting that if I call Michelle and tell her what I want to spend money on they'd welcome the input. I've got a sneakin' suspicion dealers would prefer to sell more rather than less. Often times, and this is not a refernce to you, folks decry the dealers on the internet . . . take for instance the service manual . . . and while they are typing the guff about the dealer they're buying a knock-off ,pdf version of the manual. I make it a point, each time I go in a dealer to BUY something . . . look I've bought shirts at Libery in the last year and guess who needs Buell shirts less than me? The other day when a Buell friend in Moscow needed a part, I walked in (they had 4 in stoick  ) bought it and was pleaed to see Buell stuff everywhere (including the WAY COOL Erik Buell and the Thunderbolts shirts) Be sure to let your dealer know your hopes and expectations. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Invisible in traffic and at night? try lights, they are mandatory in all states I've been. Too hot? Guess that depends on where you live. Here in Colorado, next to the Rockies, we have a week or so when it's too hot to wear full leathers. even black ones. It's a matter of taste what colors you wear. I dress for comfort and some level of protection. I would not wear a "race suit" on my motorcycle any more than I would wear lycra team colors on my Schwinn Paramount(a bicycle). Simple and subtle. If somebody doesn't see my lights, they'll hear my horn and exhaust. If they don't stop, I will. Ride within your capabilities and road conditions. Z | ||
| Jaimec |
Zac, In a world of DRLs, just having your light on doesn't cut it. And at night, you're just one little headlight amidst a sea of headlights. It's even worse from the back with that one tiny little tail light. ANYTHING to make you more noticeable in traffic helps. The only reason early bikers wore black was to hide the oil and grease stains better. That really isn't a problem anymore. Now, it's all image. I know what a Paramount is, and although I don't wear team colors when I ride my Ouellette (hand built custom criterium racer) I do wear brightly colored lycra nonetheless. The bicycle is good training for being invisible in traffic, isn't it? | ||
| Bake |
The 2 dealerships I spoke to about this bike seem very eager to get the proceeds from us.  | ||
| Bearly |
They will come | ||
| Rubberdown |
OT: damn! another crit twit! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Jaimec - Yes it is. You have to focus on the same things but can't count on that big motor to get you out of trouble on the bicycle. Honestly tho, I gave up on making myself more visible a loooong time ago. I really do ride like the cagers are trying to kill me. If they see me, I'm a target. You pegged one of my reasons for black, even tho my buells don't leak and neither does my Shovelhead anymore, old habits die hard. Whichever 2 wheeler you're on - ride safe. Z | ||
| Rainman |
Statistics show that a white helmet is better seen by other drivers, bright color jackets are better seen and those hideous vests that I sometimes wear with my jackets and crash pants all year long are even better. That's why I wear all that stuff because I commute every day with cell phone idiots and facepainters in their Ford Exploders. For me, I feel safe and, well, cool in my outfits. If you feel cool in black leather, that's you. Ain't nothing wrong with it. Enjoy. Some folks like tank tops and shorts to be cool and, while I think they're nuts, I understand it. Cycling is all about being cool. | ||
| Rubberdown |
"Cycling is all about being cool." Cycling, at least as I know it, is all about learning to to love to suffer while going faster, and seeing the beautiful world unfold before you at human speed. Maybe you meant cool in the temperature sense. (Message edited by rubberdown on October 18, 2007) (Message edited by rubberdown on October 18, 2007) | ||
| Ironken |
Often times, and this is not a refernce to you, folks decry the dealers on the internet . . . take for instance the service manual . . . and while they are typing the guff about the dealer they're buying a knock-off ,pdf version of the manual. I make it a point, each time I go in a dealer to BUY something . . . look I've bought shirts at Libery in the last year and guess who needs Buell shirts less than me? Court, you raise a huge point here..... If a dealer receives me well, I always buy something as well, even if it is some trinket shit... something. For example my local welding supplier can't touch the internet prices. But they take really great care of me. I simply take the internet price on the equipment to them and ask them, "how close can you get?" They give me a price and I buy. Sometimes they can match it and sometimes they are 600.00 or more off. The rub here is loyalty and that few bucks that I spend extra today comes back 5 fold when my phone rings with referrals from them for jobs. I agree that the Buell/Harley relationship as far as the dealers are concerned is far from perfect, but, they will go a little farther for a loyal customer.....proven time and time again in my life.....O.K. rant over.....Kenny | ||
| Cityxslicker |
We have been doing multibrand bike nites all year, and this time of year we invite the Dual Sporters down to go mudding because most of the sport bikers have put theirs away. Chrome is heavy, it has no use on the bikes I ride, it is decorative WEIGHT. And you know I dont clean my stuff. Come down and ride with us, we are a very responsive group, hell some of the most fun things we have done have come from the Honda CB crowd/ KLR riders. I do plead the 5th on the cover bands and patches though, my marketing guy likes that stuff  | ||
| 46champ |
IMO most of the dealers are going to do fine. This isn't 1998 their isn't a 2 year waiting list, and their not getting $5000 over MSRP. Fact is their having sales to clear out the left over inventory. Necessity will force them to take care of us. Fact is I and several other riders hounded the girls in the apparel department of Paradise in Beaverton and they have T shirts again! Buell couldn't have released this bike at a better time. All 4 dealers that I frequent and one of them isn't a Buell dealer think the 1125 is cool. | ||
| Doerman |
but, they will go a little farther for a loyal customer.....proven time and time again in my life.....O.K. rant over.....Kenny That's not a rant. That's the truth. Customer loyalty begets a long term relationship benefiting both the business and the customer. You know when you are in a dealership where loyalty and a relationship can be built and when you are in one where it is not going to happen. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
i love an optimist court....so are u saying that most harley dealers will now have such things as suomy and aria helmets, alpinestars leathers, icon jackets, and so on...frame sliders, aftermarket windscreens, fender eliminators, levers and so on before hand, aftermarket filters, exhaust,,,i do love an optimist. good tires, staff that rides what they sell, im not talking about a few select dealers i mean all of them...that sure would be something seems to me even the damn good buell dealers have to struggle to hold up a decent buell selection with parts, aftermarket parts, leathers and doo dadd goodies...am i wrong...wouldnt be the first time. | ||
| Ironken |
Thanks doerman | ||
| Paint_shaker |
I know most all sportbike shops sell multi brand whatevers and gear from companies other than the brand of the motorcycles they sell. In most H-D dealerships that I have been in, they don't sell very much of anything that doesn't say Harley on it (ie; they have very little aftermarket stuff)... I imagine it would be rather hard for the mothership to allow a huge selection of other brand gear... they are funny that way... | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
thats what i was saying...harley wont even let their dealerships close to other brand dealersships...how is a company like that going to adjust to a whole new crowd of riders...the ground should of been laid years ago..the tail is waggin the dog here..dont sell the big 4 short or their counterparts that have been in the game for a while...no offense cityxslicker ya know i think u and ur dealership are great peoples ..buuut...a few items with buell tagged on em dont make a kneedragger section..and i know most of the stuff u have wouldnt be there if it wasnt for u...buell has survived because of grass roots people like slicker and others putting the brand forward..dont expect the casual user to understand that court when they walk into a dealership for a new crotch rocket they wont want to be sold a road king nor will they be needing a black harley branded jacket or half helmet..if they do buy a bike they might want parts accessable and easy order they might even wanna try on a jacket that is red or a full faced helmet with pretty colors on it.... (Message edited by molly_hatchet on October 19, 2007) | ||
| Midknyte |
When is the last time you walked into a Harley dealership and saw brightly colored...? This is kinda funny. What color is the 1125 again? | ||
| Cityxslicker |
When it quits being fun, I will quit doing it. There is way more money to be made elsewhere. Its not about the chrome googays, the skull this, maltese cross that: I am past bored with that. It is about what the bike is, where it will take you, how you will use it to have fun and escape and share the ride and stories. The Buell riders get this, most of the Harley riders through the shop have the I wanna show up and be seen kind of thing (not all, but a damn good portion of them) What the hell happened to RIDING the bikes? Again the Buell crew seem to understand it and embrace it. Just my .76 rubles worth Ps the snow line is now at 3400 ft. look for pics of the CityX and the white stuff soon | ||
| Reepicheep |
That's my only beef with many of the Harley guys... they don't seem to ride. Which is silly, as Harley makes really good bikes to ride. Go figure. I could say the same about a couple friends as well though (Kawasaki ZX750, and VStrom DL1000, also both *great* bikes). I've got a 9sx and now a KLR-250 in the garage... and only take a car if I *have* to for some reason. Had great fun last saturday taking the KLR-250 and picking harder and harder terrain until I crashed. Then re-trying the thing I crashed and trying again until I made it (two crashes, third made it). Had to stop then, as a mirror and turn signal had been ripped off, and the rear brake pedal had become a banana). I'm OK with the crashing, but need to armor up the vulnerable bits of the bike better first next time. Fixed everything with epoxy, aluma-weld, and some normal welding (the foot pegs had a cracked weld I spotted that probably pre-dated yesterdays crashes). Old dirt bikes and oxy-act welding gear... a match made in heaven |
