just my opinion, a bike is only a lemon when it is foreign.... but i will give credit where its due and say that i had a yamaha fz6 that i never had the first prob out of, just like my harley now. i love wrenchin on my bike but granted wrenchin on needless crazy b/s bc of something the dealer done or said. i would say that no brand, and i know ill catch slack over this but not even harley has perfect bikes. each brand will have their lemons to me what it comes down to is buy what you like and like what you buy. to each his own, just keep ridin bro

 

"When I wrote that letter last year, I made 3 copies: dealer, Canadian distributor, & head office. I ran the letter past a buddy at work who's ridden Electras for years, and he said he wouldn't send the other 2, it'll get the dealer in deep dodo. So, I threw those two copies in a drawer."

I say dig those out and send them...what have ya got to lose?

 

Definitely get a new dealer. 15K for a 1200R??? That was their first shafting of you, now this? *edit* I just realized you're in Canada, so 15K might be more reasonable up there *edit*
I have an 07R that I'm rewiring a bit myself (cause I'm hardtailing it, not cause it's broken), and it's a PITA, but it's not rocket science, and by this time, they could have replaced every wire on the bike and you'd be riding happily along.
Just go ahead and have it towed over to another dealer. Talk to them first, though. Don't let the current dealer get to them before you do. I'd also send the letters to a district manager or someone higher than the dealer.

 

I sent a letter to The Motor Company in Milwaukee, who sent my letter to the Canadian distributor in Toronto. They sent me a letter, telling me their role was to work with the dealer to see that the bike gets fixed. Since then, someone else from the dealership has called, he wanted to know if the bike started. Yes, I went out that night, and the bike started. The guy from the dealership called me back the next day to see if it had in fact started.

You know what, whether or not the bike actually runs doesn’t interest me any more. This thing has left me stranded too many times. I’m going to sell it before next season. My question is: my 3 yr old bike hasn’t run in 2 years, should I pay for that?

I mean, I’m going to lose at least $6000 in depreciation, spent $1500 on insurance to get about 5300 km on this Sportster. That’s about $1.40/km. If I had rented a Sportster from the same dealer, ($350 per weekend/500 free km) that ride would cost me 70 cents/km. A sales associate at the dealership suggested I could get $9000 selling it on my own, $6000 on a trade with them.

OK, OK, so I got screwed by one bad dealer. Now what? Do I make a fuss and hope he does something for me, or just quietly walk away? Does the factory or distributor care what one dealer does? I’m looking for options, cause right now, even after sitting on this for 2 months, I still don’t know what to do. Our season ended a while ago, my insurance runs out next May. I was going to think it over all winter, let it roll around in the back of my brain, until spring comes and I clean my riding gear and wonder what I’m going to ride.

Thoughts?

Opinions?

Suggestions?

 

I think your bike is fixable. I would do that. Just because it broke down a bunch because of one problem doesn't mean that it will happen again. Cheapest way to go my friend.

 

fix it. Its a shame but you will lose $$ if you sell/trade it. You have moco behind you now so what have you got to lose by getting it fixed?
I agree with easyrider
NOTE TO CHARLES: we get screwed over whenever we buy here in Canada

 

They should have repaired the secur system the first time and the oil leak. battery tender is another situation. they do go out. You have a problem but not sure fits lemon thinking. JMHO

 

Hey curious--

Sorry to hear about your crummy experience. I've been having problems with my own bike all month, so I have some idea of how you feel. As other posters have said, lemon laws differ from state to state in the US, and in Canada the process is different entirely. You folks have what's called CAMVAP, "Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan." Here's a link:

http://www.camvap.ca/eng/consumers_guide.htm

Here's how Wikipedia (dodgy source, I know) explains the program:

I hope this information helps and that things work out for you. Let us know how things go.

--Arch

 

About a month ago, I took the bike out for dinner. It started second time: lights came on, turn the key, not a sound. Turn it off, count to 10, turn it on, it started. After dinner, I came out, tried it twice, didn’t start, then pushed it into my brother’s garage. Monday, I called the dealership, who said they were busy, drop the bike off when you can and they’ll have a look. They’re open late Thursday, so I went back to the bike, and it started. Left it with the dealership Thursday night, got a call the next night, they replaced the starter switch. Apparently the guy played with the switch, and got it running, so they replaced the switch.

I phoned the Canadian distributor a week later. He returned my call the next day. He remembered our conversation from last September, and would make a few phone calls. A few days later the service mgr called to say they were picking up the bike to check it out. 10 days later, he calls back and wants to set-up a meeting with me, the mechanic, and a Harley rep.

Now, before I called the distributor, I asked the dealership for a service history on the bike. They came back with 6 work orders. I have work orders they don’t have. The bike has been in there at least a dozen times, but there seems to be no records to support that. The Canadian rep made a few comments about the lack of documentation, and I couldn’t say much.

So, now I’ve got a meeting with a Harley rep, who knows nothing of the past 2 years, and no paperwork to support my problems. The owner of the dealership is not going to be at this meeting, and my guess is they will say there is no history of problems with the bike. And they can’t reproduce the problem, so, go ride the bike.

Any suggestions? Every time the bike went in, we have to do a walk around, and I sign it in. I expected the dealer to keep records. They’ve turned over a lot of mechanics, so the bike gets fixed by different guys almost every time. I get the feeling the dozen conversations I’ve had with the owner will be forgotten, and the past 2 years swept under the rug. There’s no problem they can recreate, so what’s wrong with the bike?

A friend of mine works at a local TV station, he’s keeps asking if I want him to do a story or start asking questions. Til now, I’ve said no. I realize the rep is supposed to be involved now, but if he doesn’t show up with the letters I’ve sent Milwaukee & Toronto, then I’ll know the past 2 years are a waste, and I’m stuck with a lemon of a Sportster.

/rant

 

Feel for you man! :-(

I'd go to the meeting, tell the truth and see what they offer.
If it's no good I'd go with the TV offer.

I had a similar problem with a car many years ago, I started off being nice and understanding but that got me no-where. Dealer and manufacturer weren't interested as they had my money. Eventually threats of newspapers and tv got the result I wanted and deserved.

It shouldn't be like that but that's real life I guess.

Good luck, keep us posted.