I'm still laughing.....

[Ohio-Rider]

Let me share with you all the best laugh I got yesterday. I've been looking for a fuel inlet nipple to connect the fuel line to the fuel strainer on my 45WL for the past week or so. Been hitting all the local auto parts and indy's hoping to find one.

I've been carrying the fuel strainer with me to help explain what it is I'm trying to find cause I find that I'm not always very clear when explaining things. At least thats what my wife tells me.

Anyway yesterday I find myself driving past the local Harley dealer and think to myself that it may be worth a chance to stop in and check if they may have the part I need. You'd think I'd know better by now but I went inside anyway. I stroll up to the parts counter with my fuel strainer in hand. I was greeted very politely by a young lady of about 24yrs. of age. I'm not a sexist pig but I do not like trying to explain what motorcycle part I'm looking for to someone that I know doesn't have a clue as to what I'm after. But I did my best to explain it to her.

This is where it gets funny. She asks me again what year my bike is. I tell her its a 1945WL. She writes that down on a piece of paper. About this time another parts counter person is walking past and this young lady turns and asks him while reading from her paper...."Hey Sam where do we keep the parts books for the 1945 WOOLS". Instead of saying the "WL" she pronunced it as "WOOL".

Sam comes over and asks her what the hell is she talking about and she shows him what she has written down. He looked at me and I couldn't keep it in any longer. We both had a good laugh.
The young lady also got a good laugh out of it as well. She said she truely didn't know Harley has been around that long. By the way, they didn't have the part either. Imagine that! -Steve

[Paps]

Trying to pull the "WOOL" over her eyes, were ya ? Paps

[46WL]

Great story! That proves that if you don't ride a Fatboy or a Vrod, there is no sense in going into a Harley shop, anymore.

[portagepan]

Ain't it the truth. Of course, try getting a part for a 62 year old Ford, or a Chevy at the dealer. How about a Criss Craft, or a Honda? What gets me is the Harley shops sell aftermarket parts for the older bikes. So you go to the dealer and get far east junk. Go figure. I guess that is partly why we are here, today.

[HarleyCreation]

Classic story!

Part of the traditional allure and mystique (to repeat an overused word) of Harley-Davidson was its connection to the past. In the "old days" (into the 1970s and even later), you could stroll into many a Harley shop and the crusty old dealer would go rummage around in back and come out with your 45, Panhead, or Knucklehead part. Not all dealers had that sort of older inventory, but a lot of them did. For one thing, the bikes didn't change much over the years so parts across a span of many years would interchange and everybody loved Harley for that.

Now it's all different. I don't own a new Harley myself, but my brother does: a Twin Cam 88 that's just a few years old. But the latest H-D 96-inch motor has made nearly EVERY engine part in my brother's "new" bike instantly obsolete.

Fancy that!

[cheifrider]

our h.d dealer in my neck of the woods was just like harley said .had a nasty old shop with parts and pieces everywhere, and he liked it that way!but, it appears,that the "motor company"had different ideas about 6or7 years ago .now the shop is 25000 sq. ft. or so at a cost of who knows what to the dealer .you had better wipe your feet and if you bring in a greasy old part or god forbid a whole wheel assy.you feel liked your going to be lynched.after all there are valued customers in there buying clean t shirts.i cant think of a dealership nowadays that hasnt had to meet the company upgrade.

[Erdos]

I like when you go in with a OEM part number like 33897-36 and they ask you what year bike it is for.

[AdminGuy]

they sell "lifestyles" not motorcycles. You entered a theatrical stage of merchandising. Not a bike shop. They are separating the service areas more carefully these days. They don't want potential customers hearing what existing customers have to say. Makes sense.

Also they must be located on, or very near, a major freeway. For good reason.

When you read the annual report not the pretty front section. The meat of the financials. Analize what they are doing. Clearly financing purchases is makin the doe. I predict that HDs will soon be made in China. assembled in Asia.

Ignorant new money keeps the boat afloat in the ongoing battle for market share.

HD does keep a few older more knowledgable employees around. Thankfully... I'd never go in otherwise.

Buy some stock and watch them play the game in a global market.

Ok this sounds harsh.... I'm very curious of the future moves they will make. It's great they are a sole survivior. I look forward to future movement and new direction with solid leadership. They are very clever and good at what they do.

Well we like the old stuff. We really don't matter. That's fine.
But alot of us buy new bikes also.
The current shovelhead revival movement must be irking the Co.
History repeats again.

I personally really enjoy parking an old Indian on the front walk and leaking a nice patch of oil. Just for old times sake. Join me! I'll know an antique motorcyclist is in the area. It will give me a warm comforting feeling as I enter the dealership. A connection to the past with hope for a stronger future.

[Paps]

This topic has really got punch to it. I enjoy all of the replies. Odd about one of my local HD dealerships though....they, just a few years ago, had a mint knuck sitting in the front showroom window for all visitors to see as they entered the shop. It is now gone. Paps

[Tom Lovejoy]

I agree and I do the same with my Scout - one of the worst leakers in our chapter, I always get a kick out of it:-) The mechinecs or sales folks usually come out to check out the old Scout. I just ride off into the sunset.

[bobdo]

Your right Paps, this is a very good subject. i live in the Cleveland area. The oldest dealer here used to have a '47 Knuck in the showroom. It had single digit odometer miles on it, i thought it was held out of their inventory, but later found out it had been assembled from NOS parts. I was interested in taking photos to help my restoration, but that info made it less credible. Anyway, I went in for photos & it was gone. I asked where it was & they told me HD wouldn't allow them to take up valuable showroom real estate with old bikes. I thought that was the dumbest thing I ever heard, but I'm no businessman. Old bikes & parts bring me to dealerships. Another short story.... my wife finally realized I don't wear sweaters & gave me a gift certificate to the Harley shop. Oh happy days!, until I tried to find something there for my bike. i ended up with a broken cork primary gasket & a T shirt that didn't have the dealer name on it. I raised hell at the counter, but realized the futility in it.
Thanks AMCA, for being there.

[jww]

Last fall i needed sparkplugs for my panhead so decided to ride the JD to the local dealership to pick them up. Parked the bike right in line with the other customers and went to the parts counter. When i came back out to leave there were 8-10 folks circled around the JD. I just blended into the gathering and listened. It was very entertaining to say the least. I wandered thru the folks and picked up my helmet off of the seat when they realized i must be the owner. One sincere question was.......how many miles do you go before having to change out that sprocket? Hard to keep a straight face while explaining the speedo drive concept. All nice folks, living the "style" and enjoying the process.
Luckily it started on the first kick and i "styled" home to work on the pan. johnny

[AdminGuy]

oh... I love that Johnny. I styled home quote. hee-hee-hee.....

Does one really need a personal identity based on a corporation?
facinating. Oh well.... maybe they'd pay me to wear the swag?

My local Trev Deeley (new building) has integrated museum and show room as one. With a rotating collection. Smart fellas imop.
This dealership has great history behind it.

[King T]

Excellent analysis Mr. Web Guy. A carefully crafted “life style” is exactly the product and getting some rube to buy a megabucks bike, at interest rates approaching usury, is the big bucks.

The last real Harley dealership around my end of the world was bought out almost 20 years ago. The new one is super glitz. I rode my Pan up there to get some oil a couple of Saturdays ago and had to wait about 10 minutes until somebody showed up at the parts counter while there were beaucoup sweet young things out on the floor peddling all manner of duds and gee-gaws.

However, Harley history appears important to them as the past is evoked by walls covered with blow-ups of old bike and biker photos and they reinforce this by having a few old bikes on the premises. But the bikes are set up in windows 15 feet up so you cant get close enough for a good look and they won’t work on any bike pre Evo.

That’s because Harley Davidson as totally embraced the concept of “binary” components. Which means, a part either works (1) or it doesn’t work (0). This simplifies your world because you don’t have to repair or adjust (or have all of the tools and machinery such work entails) you just diagnose and replace. Have you noticed HD now has “Technicians” vs. Mechanics.

So it goes.

But I got a good laugh upon leaving. A small crowd had gathered and as I pushed the old dear through the priming kick I heard a young gal sort of whisper to her boyfriend “What’s he doing?”

King

[HarleyCreation]

There were earlier Harley pushes for dealers to upgrade their premises back in AMF days. Not to boutique status maybe, but probably to better compete with thriving Jap bike dealers in the neighborhood.

I remember "Bud" Pater in Racine complaining back around 1974 or 75 that AMF wanted him to enlarge or sell out. He had a little hole-in-the-wall place on "The Avenue" with showroom enough for a few bikes, a few things hanging on the walls, and a parts counter. What else did he need? He was an older guy and gave it up rather than sink big bucks into expanding. But he was bitter about it.

There was a different marketing approach under AMF. The ads got sexier. More gee-gaws. Isn't AMF when the tee-shirt cult began? That was also when H-D brought back the Bar & Shield which had pretty much vanished from sight by the 1960s.

10% motorcycle & 90% marketing....