Below I have cut and pasted my response to a thread in a different section about a defective seat. I luv my bike but honestly the quality so far is lacking and I expected better. I am looking for some honest responses but if you stoop to name calling or try to rip me a new one be ready for a hit back or keep the childish crap to yourself. IT IS NOT MEANT AS A RAG ON HD....IT IS QUESTIONING WHY PEOPLE DO NOT HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR PROBLEMS!

"I know I am going to get flamed on for this one....nothing new for me tho so here goes.......reading the responses in this post proved to me why HD quality pretty much sucks. People have new bikes and when there are problems like defective seats (just happens to be this thread) they say it doesn't bother them cause they wanted a different seat anyway, or didn't bother to complain because the replacement seat would do the same thing anyway. Overheating and people spend a small fortune to make it run cooler, performance issues and more spent to get it to run right. The more the moco is permitted to slide by with **** poor quality the less improvement they will provide.I just don't get it myself. When I bought HD this time around ('08 super glide custom)I expected quality, something I did not get with the 3 previous HD's I bought (last new one was '92), but I was promised by everyone from the dealers to the avg. joe that quality is no longer an issue. My bike hasbeen in the shop for warranty repairs twice in 800 miles, and I find that unexceptable.Seems to me it is a huge issue still but for some reason the owners are either ashamed to admit it or so beat down by it they just don't care anymore, or, they have never owned any other brand and have no idea whatthe quality comparison is.Shame shame. "

 

I have owned 14 different motorcyclesI can presently remember over 40 years. There have been onlytwo (actually I had two of these) that had zero quality issues of any kind. These were Yamaha CS1100's.The Harleys have been no worse, and mostly better than all of the others over all. Theywere two Triumphs, one BSA, two Hondas, two Suzukis, a Norton Commander, two Yamahasandfour Harleys. Actually there was another but I can't remember who made it. Single lung 450 kick start monster - British I think. It was the worst, but alot of fun anyway

 

I'm happy with the quality of my bike.I have even had a few warranty fixes.
Can you name any companies that mfg's products that do nothave quality/warranty issues?
Why do you think companies have R&D dept's?

 

Owning a Harley is a bit of a love/hate relationship I guess.

They aren't perfect but not too many things are.

For me though,the good stuff still far exceeds the bad.

 

I could report that kind of story for past yamaha, Honda, bmw, triumph, kawasaki, and suzuki bikes. I had dealer rip off problems with every one of them. Every brand is bound to have a few lemons. I was worried about buying a Harley since it was so expensive and had a bad reputation. So many on this forum said it's not true, so I bought one.
I'm on my second now. The first a 06 Wide Glide was the most comfortable, clean, perfectly running bike I ever had, starting 43 years ago. The dealer was fantastic. I bought a windshield, hated it, and he took it back. Over 12,000 perfect miles on that one in 1 year. 120+ on highways, backroads curves, stop and go, mountains, desert, rain country, every kind of riding. Zero problems.
Now a 06 Ultra bought used from a private party. The (new location) local dealer took it in and did 3 recalls on it all at no charge to me whatsoever. One was a squeaky brake. Gone. He washed it too.
Both bikes start(ed) run (ran) instantly every time from 30 degrees to 110 degrees.
Every day year round Harley rider.
The dealer wasn't lying to you about quality, you just need a different one. Good, better luck.



[IMG]local://upfiles/7206/523CCDDB01EF43008DB602F720B99579.jpg[/IMG]

 

The quality, fitment, and workmanship of my bike is flawless. Best quality of any bike I've ever owned, and I've owned a few. Don't know what to tell you. I got my money's worth. If it was built by man, you run the risk of something not being perfect. I guess I just got lucky.

 

Some people have buyers remorse or don't some don'thave a clue that not all bikes fit everyone. I had to redo the handlebars and the seat and lower my bike to get it to fit me properly.
Harley builds bikes to fit the JOHN WAYNE type which I am not and I'mnot to dense to figure that out.
As far as heat that has nothing to do with Harley that has to do with the EPAS standards that Harley has to comply with to sell bikes.
As far as warranty work I havehadthree new bikes in the last 8 years and have had needed 2 services callsfor all three bikes.
I think Harleysbikes are at an all time high for quality myself.

 

I hear you, but I'm not sure what your point is or if you actually have one -- or whether you merely want to vent (which does have its place).

Certainly you understand that your experience, while less than optimal, is anecdotal, meaning that no broad conclusions can or should be drawn from it. For every person such as yourself who has had a poor experience with their bike, or their dealer, or a vendor, there are many thousands of others (including myself) who have never had a single warranty or dealer issue.

Everyone has their own definition of "quality" and their own tolerance for shortcomings in either products or services, keeping in mind that expectations of perfection can only lead to disappointment. Proper due diligence prior to purchase, for example, would reveal that overheating, especially in '07 models, was endemic but fairly easily cured. A person who has done their research going in will be neither blindsided nor especially disappointed.

I think your plaint would have been greeted more sympathetically had you done a little self-editing and left your last two sentences out, as most people here don't appreciate being scolded

Perhaps before you wave your finger and chant "Shame" at the members of this board collectively, many of whom undoubtedly surpass you in their ability to recognize quality and to deal with small frustrations, you should simply look at constructive ways either to rectify your specific problem or to rid yourself of it.

Not a flame, by the way, so don't take it as such. Just my observations on your post.

 

+1

 

Outstanding post!