They don't come out of crates anymore. They are strapped down to reusable/stackable metal pallets.

 

The transfer of the bikes from the trailer van to the dealership is something of an orchestrated dance. Several people involved in the delivery and then time spent checking everything and removing the protective tape all over the bikes, installing some of the items that are packed with the bike but not attached and getting it ready to be shown to the customer during the PDI. Here are a couple of picks of the process I recently witnessed on the 2017's. If the M8 engines turn out to be as sophisticated at the shipping pallets Harley developed that get these bikes to the dealers without damage, then we will have a winner folks.

 

If a person cannot come up with at least a 20% down payment, then they have no reason owning an expensive toy in the first place.

 

Guys, I have an econ degree and an MBA. Trust me, I understand that this is good old "red in tooth and claw" capitalism at work. Hell, I love capitalism. The Russkies never marketed a bike like a Harley.

My point in starting this thread was that I couldn't believe my eyes and I wondered if this was an anomaly or what.

This certainly validates my decision to buy my 2015 Fat Boy right when the 2016s showed up. I payed 'way below MSRP and got a killer trade on my Sportster as well.

 

I stopped by the HD dealership last night and checked out the tags on the '17 models. No mark up that I could see. Prep is marked as $300 and freight at $435. This was on a CVO SG.

I also talked to the parts manager and asked if they bumped their parts prices up over retail. He said no way. He could be lying, but I don't think he was. He actually said "we have plenty of margin selling at MSRP". And we can all vouch for that!!

I did the same as you. I purchased my 2015 FLD new in March of 16. They nocked off both prep and freight, and sold me the bike at 3K under MSRP.

 

Still a very common practice.

Hit a Doge dealer and ask for a Hell Cat.

Maybe not common at an H-D Dealer but just about any auto dealer with a vehicle in demand will practice this.

I went thru it when I bought my CVO, I refused to pay mark up but certainly had limited choice when it came to MSRP.

 

Hell Cat is limited production, only limited production in the Harley line is a CVO and even then they are not at all hard to find. Apples to Oranges here

 

Statistics suggest that the level of motorcycle sales in the U.S. has been on a long downward trend. The buyer population is aging and decreasing in numbers. IMO, excessive prices will cost sales in the long term. The local Indian dealers here in Atlanta are discounting heavily and enjoying good sales. Virtually every Indian sale, IMO, comes at the expense of a Harley sale.

 

I don't believe that. HD sells the bikes to the dealers who then resell them for more. As long as the dealer is buying enough of them, why would HD care what they sell them for?

 

I disagree. It's the exact same idea. And, the point is not necessarily how limited production there is, but rather how much demand there is for it. Sure, the HellCat likely has more, but that makes the difference just a matter of degree.