2007harleylostsales01

I am getting very frequent emails from folks abandoning Harley-Davidson completely or at least delaying purchases. All of them are basing their decisions from web based research. My little page is but a small corner of the internet information highway and folks concerns are popping up in message boards and blogs all over the web. Ya'll need to make sure and find more than one source of information before making any decisions whether or not to buy a new Hog. I could be a complete idiot just grinding a dull axe. For all ya'll know I could work for a competing brand (I don't). But you should not trust any one person on the web. Luckily for me there are lots of others sites that are reporting the same things I am. I was one of the first and when I started this expose I got a lot of hate mail but as verification of my statements has propagated in many other web sites that nonsense has completely stopped.

Here are some more letters from folks that are abandoning the H-D franchise. I have only advised folks to be careful about the purchase of the current 2007 baggers. I post these letters just to convey a message to the powers that be. Stand up and take some responsibility or it is going to eventually hurt the bottom line. As of 10/24/2006 my count is up to about half a million in lost sales communication that I have received. At some point the MoCo is going to have to address the issues.

thx for all the info on the 07 HD heat and 5th gear issues. With all the data to date I've decided to buy a BMW LT. I do not have time or all the extra money to buy a HD and then turn around and have to fix it. I'm not going to spend $25k and have the dealer tell me it's in my mind, or change the oil, wait for 5k miles it will go away, or spend another $500.00 to remap it. For $25k I expect to own a motorcycle that has been R&D tested and runs great when I take home...I cannot get over how many people road their bikes home and then called the dealership to complain! Shame on those dealers...they are well aware of the problem and have decided to shield it from there loyal customers. Thank you very much for saving me from this fiasco!

I want to thank you for your excellent blog on the 2007 Harley problems. You have managed to spread the truth but also to take an even-handed approach. I own a 2004 Yamaha V-Star 1100, my first cruiser, and 4^th motorcycle in over 30 years of riding. Having got comfortable on the cruiser these past couple of years, I thought it might be time to move up to a Harley, especially to the 96 c.i. (you don’t like Harley, you don’t like motorcycles, IMHO).

But having read on your site and many other sites about the many problems with the 2007 line, I have decided I will move up – to a Yamaha Road Star 1700. See, it is simple for me: I would rather ride my metric than sit by the side of the road with my Harley.

(Please withhold my name)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

WOW....I came across your articles on some site and am I glad I did. I live in San Francisco and have a 2006 Road Glide. Just flirting with the idea of a newer version. (I'm fricken bike crazy and LOVE my bike) Now, no way.....Like you said like toasters they have to work out the kinks...but at our expense??? Thanks god for people like you (and the better half---wish my wife road) to really inform us out here about what we could be getting into blindly. I really really thank you.

I just finished reading your site relating to the 2007 HD issues. You can go ahead and add two more lost sales to your Moco list. I planned to purchase two new Street Glides as Xmas gifts. One for myself and one for the better half. We've been riding for 25 plus years, owned a miriad of Harley and yes, metrics too. At present we have two 2005 Yamaha Road Star Midnights custom outfitted with HD bags, batwing fairings and the like. Basically "Ultra Stars" if you will. They are GREAT bikes. The last HD we owned were two 02 FLTRI's and sold them to purchase land for our new home. Just when the 06 HDs came out and we saw the new Street Glides, almost instantly problems seemed to follow. After some debate, we purchased two brand new Road Star Midnight 1700s running 102s all for the price of LESS than one Street Glide. Money is not an issue with us. We have had from mild to wild with well over $70K into a custom HD Softail that did rather well at the Rats Hole show.

One thing I did notice is that Harley has done this year is remove some standard items that are normally on the classic such as the passenger hand rail. It now is a extra for about 130.00 also they took the lights away that are on the bottom sides of the tour pack and replaced them with a cheesy piece of shiny tin. The dealer told me also that the saddle bags are now plastic not fiberglass but they are thicker I wondering if maybe cheaper also? The drive belt is somewhat smaller I think by 30% and they say its stronger I'm sure time and mileage will tell the story here. also the tour trunk lid hinges are loose and tend to have excessive play when the lid is open not sure but they also look lighter in design along with the thickness of the tour trunk. Its thickness has dwindled considerable the last few years and I think even a little more this year for 07. It flexes excessively with the lid open and this bike did not have a luggage rack on it.

As far as the stories I have read and heard about the engine and transmission I'm not going to be a test bed for Harley so my order is cancelled and will keep my present bagger. Thanks for your site and reading my gripes.

10/24/06

Thank you so much for your most informative web site. I was considering the 2007 FLSTN Softail Deluxe. I'm starting to get cold feet. What do you know about this particular model. Are owners of this bike experiencing the same sort of problems that you discuss on your web site. Looking forward to your response. Thank you again for your site. It really provides the necessary information that consumers need and the information that HD Sales Persons are so reluctant to divulge.

Regards,

G S (Melbourne, Australia)

10/27/06

Someone from my Southern Cruisers chapter posted a link to your site and I’m glad I decided to take a look. Last weekend I went down to buy a new ’07 Road King Custom and in the middle of discussion with the sales guy (shortly after the “it’s going to be about $21,000.00 out the door” part) I got a call regarding a problem at home. I left the dealership and have not been able to get back yet. I did spend some time doing research on this bike and I’ve read some complaints about a high speed wobble in some of the rubber mounted Harleys but didn’t find enough evidence to be real concerned so I was prepared to charge right in. I’ve been riding since I was a teenager; I’ll be 60 in December and still average 5000 or so miles a year. I generally put the bike away when the snow flies. I have always ridden metric bikes, first BSAs and Triumphs later Hondas and currently a Yamaha. This will be my first “bagger” and my first Harley. The complaints I’ve read on your site seem credible and I’ll be passing on the ’07 models. There are an amazing number of used Road Kings with very low mileage available. I suspect this to be a result of what you referred to as “instabikers”. Check out HD Trader website and look at the number of ‘05s with less than 2000 miles on them. Your information has gone a long way to help me with some decisions I was prepared to avoid making in the heat of “new bike fever”. Isn’t it odd that sometimes when we want something right now we’re willing to overlook the possibility that the new and generally untried, but very, very shiny thing may be flawed? I’ll be looking for a 2005 or 2006 88 inch 5 speed model pretty soon. Any other Harley advice you care to offer will be appreciated.

Thanks again,

C S, VA

11/2/2006

I want to thank you for this valuable information. I have been riding metric for a while now. However, I’ve always liked the look and feel of Harleys. I never owned a Harley and after some convincing, my wife finally agreed that we would get into an Electra Glide Classic. These issues definitely leave a bad taste in my mouth. Not only am I disappointed that I will not be getting the bike, but I have lost faith in Harley Davidson and probably will not buy Harley Davidson in the future. I wonder if Harley Davidson realizes the damage to their reputation this product has caused. It seems they not only alienated current customers, but this will also drive away new buyers who may never again consider a Harley Davidson. For now, my dollars will just keep going over seas to Japan. Perhaps sometime in the future, I will gain enough confidence in Harley Davidson to actually buy one.

Thanks again,

JLD

Today is 11/6/2006 and the letters keep pouring in. There are so many folks researching the 2007 line on the internet that I am amazed. Apparently most big ticket sales are preceded with a Google search by most people these days. When we bought ours I did a quick search but couldn't really find any information except from the MoCo and their minions. (The bike magazines reviewers that still seem to be saying all is well. I guess we know which side their bread is buttered on...) At present I have communications from 600k in lost sales, the MoCo has to be noticing.

Here is a quick two way conversation With yet another lost potential customer. Notice my advise to them.

I currently have a 2005 HD Heritage Classic with a Power Commander and Vance and Hines shorties. Very happy with the bike other than it beats the wife's back up pretty bad. So I'm looking at upgrading to a HD touring bike. Was looking at either a Road Glide or an Ultra Classic. Darn!!! lost another sale to Dietec, Oh!! wrong commercial.

Thanks for your information.

R.S., Seattle/Tacoma, WA

Michael

11/13/2006

I'm not having problems with an '07, because your blog reminded me to be happy with my '82 Sporty. It may be a pain in the ass, but it's SO easy to fix, a blast to ride, and always gets me home.
Ride Safe.

I've been considering an '07 Ultra for several weeks. I found your site to be informative and unbiased.

I do have to comment though on statements about Gov. EPA regulations and HD's responsibility. The water cooled motor is going to become a necessity and it seems strange to me that more advancements have not been made in placing a water cooled motor in the touring bikes. From a reliability and longevity perspective alone, the water jacket motors would be a better choice for the touring models. In addition the size and HP issues could be helped by a water cooled design.

HD makes the best looking bikes, they just need to bite the bullet and bring a different motor into the market for the bigger bikes.

As soon as they do, one will be in my garage.

THE MOCO IS STILL LOSING NEW BIKE CUSTOMERS