| Author |
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Sleez
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 06:36 pm: | 
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i miss the modesto store... and danny too!!! |
Bobup
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 07:12 pm: |
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Danny..no offense meant there
I just feel to be totally "stand alone" there would not be ANY other brand being sold at the same location.
this is JUST MY opinion.
bob |
Danny
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 07:30 pm: |
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So, what's the bottom line on why Modesto dropped Buell?
A few things contributed. One was that we built our reputation on the tubers. 90%+ of our customers were…ahem… tuber-sized. All of a sudden (or so it seems in the hazy fog of memory) all we had were XB9Rs. For whatever reason, our sales slowed to a crawl, yet our allotment went up. Then we’d receive extra bikes, not in our allotment.
Accusations of warranty fraud because “no other dealership has more than one spun wheel bearing claim, you have 9. How do you explain that?” We know what to look for. This particular incident sticks in my craw even today. We were doing everything we could to keep NorCal Buells on the road making things right that should have been and our reward from corporate was this accusation and further scrutiny and out-of-hand rejections of goodwill warranty claims that other customers had been granted. I can’t put an exact number on warranty claims we ate because MoFoCo decided to reject it after we’d already put the guy on the road, but I know there were more than one. What cuts this bitterness a little for me is the recognition we’ve (they’ve?) received from Ducati North America for the job the service department does for their brand. I’ve already mentioned it in a previous thread, but I’m quite proud of it: NATIONAL BEST Service Department two years running.
Sort of getting back to the topic of the thread; When I saw the 1125R I was in a real quandary. Here is the bike I’d been longing for practically since I got into motorcycles in the mid-nineties. I still moonlight at, and my friends run, the local Ducati dealer. Do I buy a first-class, second-choice bike from my friends or buy a bike that practically defines my desires in a street bike from strangers? Luckily(??) scouting the nearest Buell dealer in regards to sales and parts made my decision easier. If the dealer had met my expectations I would really be stressing over my next bike. Expect me to be riding around on an ST4s around the first of next month.
I miss you too, Sleez. You know who else I miss? Dr. Steve. Is he still in Magalia? I really should take a weekend and cruise up that direction to see if I can run into him.
None taken, Bob. I misunderstood your point. FWIW, we were Buell only from 8-00 to 7-02 |
Fresnobuell
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 08:18 pm: |
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Danny, was the Buell dealer who turned you to Ducati be the one here in Fresno? Not sure if it is the closest to Modesto, but it has to be in the running for sure. |
Danny
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 09:43 pm: |
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It was not the Fresno dealer (hint:North, not South). Am I misreading your post? Walking into the Fresno Buell dealer could make you want a Ducati? If that's what you meant, my opinion is that it's going to happen to several people over the course of the next few months, therein in the point of this thread and the problem facing Buell and the 1125R. If that's not what you meant, nevermind.
And FTR, Harley Corporate turned me to Ducatis. The 1125R just had me wavering for a few weeks. Don't get me wrong I will own one eventually, but I'm going to purchase it on my terms, either <1000 miles used or after the heat has cooled and the dealerships need me to buy it from them worse than I need to buy it. I'm fully aware either of those situations could be a long time coming. I'm prepared to wait. |
Mbsween
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 09:57 pm: |
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Reg,
Thanks for the info, I gotta get a test ride on one of those, does anyone know if they'll have the complete line at Pocono or is just the 1125R for the test?
Sort of sorry for the hijack |
Nondual
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 03:13 am: |
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I'm so lucky I've got a good dealer here in SoCal (Buell of Glendale!). They seem to really be into them. Even so, they only had about seven or eight Buells on the floor. The 'Buell guy' was enthusiastic though. Rockabilly guy, can't remember his name for some reason. I've mentioned him before, but he had a few different guys there who had Buells and were part of the 'group'. |
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