Anyone been to harley, york pa
#12
Road Warrior
The wife and I went there during vacation last month.
Very nice tour of the touring model factory.
We were told to get there early (08:30) for the 09:00 tour (first of the day).
The girl that showed us through the factory asked all of us what we rode and nearly all rode a bagger , she was pretty excited about that.
The factory is very loud , so they give you a personal radio and headset to wear along with safety goggles.
The tour was free and very interesting , the narrative was very good also.
This is a working factory , so you must walk within certain lines in the floor and be careful crossing intersections , the factory is not pretty or setup special for visitors which is pretty cool.
We hung out for a couple minutes during the tour to watch one of the techs test run a new bike on the dyno for function and noise. He ran it through all the gears and checked all the lights and such.
The really interesting thing about the test run is that the company cannot ship any fuel with the bike so they have a fuel line setup that they just plug in to do the test run.
Very good tour , highly recommended.
Mick
Very nice tour of the touring model factory.
We were told to get there early (08:30) for the 09:00 tour (first of the day).
The girl that showed us through the factory asked all of us what we rode and nearly all rode a bagger , she was pretty excited about that.
The factory is very loud , so they give you a personal radio and headset to wear along with safety goggles.
The tour was free and very interesting , the narrative was very good also.
This is a working factory , so you must walk within certain lines in the floor and be careful crossing intersections , the factory is not pretty or setup special for visitors which is pretty cool.
We hung out for a couple minutes during the tour to watch one of the techs test run a new bike on the dyno for function and noise. He ran it through all the gears and checked all the lights and such.
The really interesting thing about the test run is that the company cannot ship any fuel with the bike so they have a fuel line setup that they just plug in to do the test run.
Very good tour , highly recommended.
Mick
#13
I've been to both York and Kansas City. I highly recommend the tours. It is great to see how our bikes are built and the attention to detail that the company pays.
I was most impressed by the paint shops. The employees who work in them have a list of do's and don'ts. For example they can't have greasey foods for breakfast because the oils from their hands can contaminate the parts!
My only regret is the tours aren't open to kids under 12. I guess my son will have to wait another year before I take him for his first tour.
I did get to see the CVO Dyna assembly area in Kansas City. I can understand why the bikes are so expensive. Each one is completely hand built (except the motor) by one person who hand signs it!
You won't be dissaponted.
I was most impressed by the paint shops. The employees who work in them have a list of do's and don'ts. For example they can't have greasey foods for breakfast because the oils from their hands can contaminate the parts!
My only regret is the tours aren't open to kids under 12. I guess my son will have to wait another year before I take him for his first tour.
I did get to see the CVO Dyna assembly area in Kansas City. I can understand why the bikes are so expensive. Each one is completely hand built (except the motor) by one person who hand signs it!
You won't be dissaponted.
#16
Road Warrior
Yes and you should go
My wife and went two weeks ago. We left our house late Sunday afternoon and rode the 165 miles to Gettysburg. We toured the fields with the bike as the sun began to set. Incredible! We were on the PA TPK when it was 93 degrees and we did not drink enough water! The next day we stopped at the HD dealer in Gettysburg... worth the stop and then on to York. It was hot and it was still a great tour. Since I ride an FLHRC, I was able to indentify parts and watch them come off the line.
I'd probably do it again, but wait till the weather is cooler.
I'd probably do it again, but wait till the weather is cooler.
#18
#19
#20
Seasoned HDF Member
I went around 1980. Two things shocked me about the tour, one good and one bad. I saw a guy hand painting pin stripes on fenders with a brush. He did each one very quickly. Impressive. I also saw what they called the "harley hospital", a sea of bikes that had problems right off the assembly line. We all know about the AMF years. Anyway, they do it better today. If I ever get near the place again, I will go back.