| Author | Message | ||
     Daves |
Ok, so I get a call from a guy last Friday says he's got a friend looking for a XB12R in black. Of course I don't have any yet but I tell him to have his friend call me and I'll do some checking in the meantime. I go to the dealer HD-net and find a few within about 200 miles(Doug is going to love me) make some calls and get one that I can buy. The customer calls me about 1:00pm, we get the deal worked out and now comes the kicker. He can either pick it up Sat(the next day) or it will be about 2 1/2 weeks. and guess what? He wants it NOW(I don't blame him) so I tell him I'll have to talk to my official Buell deliver guy(Doug) and see what I can do. I go find Doug and tell him what's going on. It's about a 4 1/2 hr drive to get to the other dealer and they close at 8PM, it's now 2:00pm, Doug agrees to help me out and go get the bike. I call the customer back and he is thrilled! Sat. morning, Doug pulls into the shop about 9:30 with the Buell in the back of his truck, what a good looking bike! We unload it and figure all is good. Craig and I are looking it over for any defects(OK, we were really just drooling over it) and Craig says, let's have the shop check it out cause you have to reset the TPS on 12s when they get to the dealer and of course we have no way to REALLY know if the other dealer did this. Good idea Craig, I was thinking the same thing. Craig fills out a pink slip(that's what we use to get bikes worked on) and I sign off on it. Into the shop it goes. Imagine my horror when the tech(Matt) fires it up and it idles just fine but when you give it any gas the bike falls flat on it's face. The customer is already on their way from Peoria Il, the bike runs like shit, I'm freaking out, could be a very long day for me. Matt hooks it up to the digital technician box and starts getting all sorts of weird codes and stuff. He goes to work on tracking them down. The customer shows up and I tell him what's going on and we decide to go ahead and do the paperwork to get that part out of the way. We finish that up, bikes still not running. It's now 3:00pm and we close at 4:00. They have it narrowed down to the TPS sensor is bad and, get this, one of the spark plug wires is too short, when the motor vibrates it pulls it off the plug. I get the job of telling the customer that the bike isn't going to be done and have to send him home without it. He is very understanding and say's, well at least we found it now instead of you loading the bike up and having it not be running right when I got home. I assure him I won't make him come all the way back to pick it up and I'll have it for him, at his house by Tuesday. Matt, with Eric's help, the bike is fixed and ready Monday afternoon but I want to make sure so I take it on a 15 miles ride Tuesday morning and the bike is fantastic. We load it back into Doug's truck and off he goes to deliver it to Peoria. So at the end of the story, I'm happy, sold another Buell Customer is happy, bike is running perfect! Doug's tired, but happy, I sold another Buell Everyone is Happy! Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Mikej |
One of these days you'll sell a bike out of your area and the customer will be able to walk to their local dealership to pick it up. You should be getting double commissions, one from Waterloo and one from the indirect dealers who are getting noted for moving the inventory that you are selling for them. Any input from the customer why he didn't buy it from his local dealership with two shops in Peoria? From Buell.com:
Uh, wait, I went to their web site and clicked on current inventory and got: "0 Vehicles Found - Page 1 of 0" That could be a problem, two storefronts, no inventory, or their web site is out of date. | ||
| Cjmblast |
Any input from the customer why he didn't buy it from his local dealership with two shops in Peoria? Cause Daves, Craig, and Doug and Waterloo HD ROCKS !!!! CJ XB | ||
| Daves |
He tried to buy from them but after a visit and calling them back 4 times to see if they had found him a bike yet(they hadn't and had never called him back) he got fed up and started looking elsewhere. His friend that was the initial contact with me is friends with another customer(HD rider) that lives here in Waterloo. The dealer in Peoria did call him back, right before he was on his way to Waterloo to let him know that they "might" have found him a bike. They had, I think, about a week to get this deal done. I had about 5 hours. Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Daves |
Ummm, CJ that would be HD/BUELL in Waterloo, thank you! And thank you. Ride to the edge! Dave | ||
| Cjmblast |
Ooopppssss !!!! CJ | ||
| Dynarider |
Any input from the customer why he didn't buy it from his local dealership with two shops in Peoria? Or he could have bought one from Ukes....LOL..LOL...  Speaking of sales, I heard some of the numbers of bikes that were sold during the Harley 100th. Ukes sold 21 or 22 bikes, not bad but then you hear the numbers from the other dealers.. Hals was somewhere around 50 sold, & Milwaukee Harley & Suburban both supposedly sold somewhere in the neighnorhood of 60-70 bikes each. | ||
| Mikej |
I wonder if those are sold from or added to a waiting list, or sold and taken delivery of from existing floor stock. I think I'll go check the Journal classifieds just for a grin. | ||
| Dynarider |
Sold & supposedly taken delivery. Course in 2 years we will see a glut of 2003 bikes with 1500 miles on em advertised for ridiculous prices. Folks get all caught up in the moment & make a rash decision to buy a bike even tho they have never been on one, & then after the event is over the enthusiasm fades & it just sits in a corner of the garage getting dusty. | ||
| Mikej |
I think you might be a bit high on that mileage estimate, could be closer to 500 miles, about when most of them would have taken them back to the dealership for the first service interval, got concerned about the primary chain noise, and frustrated with the service department schedule, and shocked at the hourly rate and first service interval standard charges. I'm thinkin' there's gonna be quite a few "new" bikes sitting covered in a garage just waiting for some visitor to their rummage sale to ask what's under the bike cover in the corner. I'm probably wrong though. Harley stock will probably keep going up and up, Harley waiting lists will keep getting longer and longer, and it will only rain on Sunday nights between 3am-5am every other week. | ||
| Josh_ |
There's a couple in the paper now: '03 HARLEY FATBOY 100th Anniversary Edition. Silver/black. 5 mi. Warranty. $22,500, 812-364-4402 MSRP was $16,830 think he'll get $22.5? The next guy is a little more reasonable... '03 H-D Fat Boy Showroom new! Incredibly priced $18,950 JG 314-412-4434 Then there's: '03 Harley Softail Deuce 2,xxx mi, after market exhaust, air cleaner, $21,000/obo 636-717 0966 MSRP $17,000 The next makes it even more interesting. Here we are near the end of the model year (and the summer) and Anniversary bikes are still avail - and with financing offers. Anyone see the writing on the wall yet? 2003 Harleys Zero Down payment on all new Harleys w/ approved credit! Last chance to own a 100th Anniversary H-D! Ltd. Edition Gold Key Packages Available Supplies are limited, call today 800-844-8660 (local dealer) There were a couple of Buells: '98 HD Buell White Lightning, exc cond, low mi, make offer, 314-952-2636 '03 Buell Firebolt XB9R, exc. cond, 1 owner, fast Make Offer 314-504-2907 00 Buell Cyclone, $4500 Call Grant (314) 457-9239 My dad is asking $11,000 for a 98 Electra Glide and can't get a call. A friend is selling a '00 Sportster Hugger and can't get an offer over $4,800. | ||
| Dynarider |
Its hard to sell a bike like a Harley thru the local paper.Its easier to get the financing from your bank if the sale is thru a dealer. Half the time you will fina bike you like & agree to the owners price, but by the time you jump thru the banks hoops & get the $$ approved, the bike is long gone or the owner has changed his mind & no longer wants to sell. | ||
| Daves |
I would expect the dealers in metro Milwaukee to get more sold during the 100th than a dealer 40 miles away or so. Hell we are only 250 miles away and we only sold a couple because of the 100th, man, we suck! Ride to the edge! Dave | ||
| Torqd |
I live in Peoria..and I am the treasurer of the local BRAG(or at least I am listed as that:-) Haven't been to a meeting in a year or two) Walters Bros. has one black xb12s. My friend is the first on the list for a xb12r BLACK...the day we got the scoop we called the stealership and signed up...of course they said that they had no idea of when or what color they would get...they just recently told him that the first R that the would get would be red...so it isn't looking promising anytime soon...so anyway...they had a guy that actually owned a buell for a while and now that he is gone the Buell stuff has kinda died at Walters Bros...Dave do you mind me askin who got the 12R from you...I want to hook up with him and introduce our Rogue buell group to him...thanks | ||
| Daves |
Email me and I'll forward the info to my customer. Then you have to have your friend that is waiting call me and let me get a bike for him. Next week soon enough? Ride to the edge! Dave | ||
| Leeaw |
Daves, Ever consider moving to the NY area? Although I like my dealership and I don't spend anything close to what many people spend on their HD's, I have yet to see the same dedication as you give. I'd love to come visit your store and chat but I have no clue as to where Iowa is. I will me emailing you when I scrape for some parts for my new toy. | ||
| Daves |
Iowa is easy to find, head west till you hit a lot of cornfields. You are now in Iowa! Thanks for the kind words. Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Mookie |
yes but are you from the corn side or the wheat side? |
