The guys at Butte Montana's dealership definitely don't fit into the same model as any dealership I have ever been to... they truly understand what it means to treat people/customers like family. I have no reason to be posting this comment except for the fact that I would like to say there are definitely some old school dealerships left. If anyone has a dealership out there that they would like to say thanks to,go for it they don't all suck... so with that said I just want to thank cooper canyon for treating us like we matter ...

 

There's a sticky thread at the top of this section (GOOD Dealers and Experiences) that your post would look right at home in. Most probably don't realize it's there though.

I don't have much to complain about at my dealer either. Other than the prices, which they don't control.

 

We had a good dealership here but it closed about 20 years ago, then they(someone new) built one of those big t-shirt boutiques out by the big road. I miss those old school type places.

 

I remember a time when you walked in to a dealership and the place smelled like used motor oil and cigarettes. There was 2 or 3 different shirts on the rack to chose from and there were usually 5 or 6 old grey beards standing around smoking and talking ****. There was usually a few used bikes for sale and rarely did you see a new bike on the floor. You asked the parts guy a question and he answered you without looking it up in the computer. And most of the time the parts guy was also the sales guy. It wasn't uncommon to see a dude in the parking lot with parts of his bike laying around while he laid on the ground and worked on his scoot. Things sure have changed, some for the better, some for the worse.

 

The commercialization has gotten way out of whack.

I'm surprised the dealerships don't have restaurants in them too.

 

Funny you say that... The wife and I were just at one here that does (Doc's). It has a restaurant, animal zoo, antique car museum and then of course the dealership/boutique. We went there to grab a bite to eat and to just get out for a ride. We spent a little time in each area. It was kind of funny... the restaurant when we got there was packed, waiting about 20 minutes to get seated. There was a lot of foot traffic in the animal zoo and antique car area, and nobody looking at the bikes and maybe about 5 people in motor cloths. We left the place with a full belly of food and a good laugh at the prices in the boutique...

 

I find 9 times out of 10 its the dealership service department that gets bad reviews, not the dealer itself

 

In my 50+ years of "slobbering over" and spending many $'s at H-D dealerships I can say (and prove with T-shirts and poker chips) that I've been to a LOT of H-D dealerships!
I was there when they had "drain pans" under the new bikes to keep the leaking from spreading all of the showroom floor, and I was there when you had to either pay MSRP+ for a bike, or "win" the ability to purchase a bike in a dealer "lottery".
I was also there when a lot of people wouldn't even pull into a dealership parking lot because they thought every H-D rider was either a biker gang member (not that there's anything wrong with that) or that they were selling drugs to support their other bad habits!

Many things have changed since the '60's & '70's, I know I have, and H-D dealerships have also, greatly, and for he better IMHO.
They're much cleaner, brighter, bigger and many have a variety of "distractions" (including restaurants) that can keep non-riders occupied whilst the enthusiast shops.
I think the first H-D dealership that I visited that had a restaurant inside of the dealership was Boswell's in Nashville, TN.
I love their catfish and I plan to have lunch there (again) the next time I visit Nashville.

All that said, I've never been to a "bad" dealership.
I have been to one where they would not work on bikes more than 10 years old (lack of replacement parts issues) and I've been to a few where prices (especially on labor) seem a bit high but their techs have to get paid to keep our bikes on the road and running well.

I've also been very happy (back in my Shovelhead days) to see a "bar & shield" sign when I needed parts, oil or perhaps just some advice.

 

Personally, I can't think of any bad or even marginal experiences with HD dealerships. Some are better than others certainly, and the one that I frequent, (Glendale Harley), has always been and continues to be exceptional in all aspects. Some of the staff have become friends who I will ride and/or socialize with.

I believe that a lot of it has to do with how the customer treats the staff from the get-go. I was brought up to treat folks with respect no matter the situation. So whether I am ordering french fries, some parts for my bikes or a kitchen sink, I will start out by treating whomever is helping me with respect. I've found that in the vast majority of cases, that respect is reciprocated. There have been exceptions, although very few, but in those cases I simply take my business elsewhere. My local Home Depot is one of those exceptions, but that's another story for another time.

But back to dealership experiences, mine have all been positive as I can't think of any negative.

 

I love Harley World OKC. Service dept is the best part of the dealership. They are very knowledgeable and love working on older stuff as well.

I wish OK dealers were like TX dealers with beer on tap. I would be there everyday. Still can't forget the time me and wife stopped in Dallas to cool off and there was free beer on tap for customers.