What's Free At The Motorcycle Shop This Month

Article By: Chris Callen

You're probably thinking that this will just be another one of my usual rants, but in fact this is a serious attempt to make sense of the rapidly deteriorating spirit of enthusiasm within the Harley-Davidson industry. These growing pains might just be a sign of a market that grew too fast or the changes from including the general public into its ranks. Either way, it poses this question: Has a price tag been put on enthusiasm? Back in the glory days of motorcycling when dealerships with names like Cerini, Zepka and Zanotti Harley-Davidson were owned by families who were simply motorcycle enthusiasts, motorcycling was young and the spirit of it was a much different animal. These names are just a few of the oldest Harley dealers in my area and it’s not to say that their present dealer principals are not enthusiasts, they are, but today we are entering a new financial climate. One that makes it much harder for any Harley-Davidson dealer to lead with enthusiasm and much more commonly finds them being led by their quarterly report. With the rising demands put on them by a corporation that has risen to the top of the American 10 best and an ever changing customer base, many of whom don’t have roots in the heritage of the product, the task they face is a daunting one to say the least.

The first thing to examine before you just assume that greed is the major motivator in this chain of unfortunate events, are the differences in the clientele that today’s dealers must face when compared to that of their grandfather’s. It used to be, even as short a time ago as when I started riding, when we got together as motorcyclists it was for the sense of unity and passion of motorcycling which provided a common bond. If the location where we all gathered happened to throw down a pan of hot dogs or baked beans, that was a huge bonus. It was not however, expected of anyone. There were exhibits of enthusiasm played out in trials of man and machine. Whether that came in the form of flat track races, hill climbs or the slow race and keg roll, these get-togethers were all about motorcycling and you could see it in the faces of participants. People who did well at these events often received trophies for their accomplishments, but the size never mattered. There was never a question of the event host being too cheap to buy a good trophy, it was enough to participate in the events, if you got a trophy, that was a bonus. Generations before us have even reveled in the simple pleasures derived from Gypsy Tours or Harley Jamborees.

Attendants at these early motorcycle events often participated in contests that featured Harley owners racing to find their own pair of shoes in a pile or to prove they could pound a nail in a board the quickest. Looking at pictures of these happenings, I found myself wondering how today’s motorcyclist would react if provided with these games as entertainment during a dealer open house. It’s hard enough to get a full dance card for a poker run that benefits a good cause, let alone anything that might make people look un-cool in front of their fellow riders. You might not notice it, but today’s average attendee actually rates how well the promoter, be it a dealer, shop or charity group does over and above the other events. Looking straight past the reason they came to that function in the first place and instead walking around with their nose up, rating the food, was it catered, rating the entertainment, do they win cash, rating the other motorcyclists in attendance, were there enough and were they the “Right Kind” of people. We used to be a much more tolerant group when it came to the type of places and people we were with. As long as it was within our world then it couldn’t be that bad, right? Maybe I’m just waxing nostalgic, after all, I’ve been at several events where import riders were taunted or some poor cat with funny pants got his balls busted for an afternoon, but that was different, they were still welcomed into our group. Furthermore, I never remember anyone standing up and questioning if the PuPu platter was being served at the right temperature. Maybe it was just the crowd I ran with, thank God for them then, huh? Many times I’d wake up out in the middle of a field after a day of riding and a night of celebrating. One of the old guys in the crowd would have us up searching for a particular weed to make a biker breakfast delicacy they called “Poke Salad.” They’d take long stocks of poke weed and boil them like spinach. When the poke was at the right consistency it was added to scrambled eggs. Again, anything further was a bonus so if someone had left over hot dogs or there was actually meat around, be it venison, beef or pork, that was a treat. We’d all sit around with stupid grins on our faces, laughing at each other for things we had done or said the night before. It was good enough to be part of what was going on, no matter where we were or what we had to eat.

That’s another thing missing from today’s motorcycle scene, interaction! What happened to “Hey, my name’s Chris. What the hell is that you rode in on?” I asked this cat a few questions about his motorcycle at a local bike night over this past summer and he acted like I was going for his wallet. The bike was a completely restored XR1000 and I couldn’t imagine why he had a machine like this, but didn’t want to engage anyone in conversation about it. Now I believe in a person’s right to privacy, but this bike was a page right out of history in a parking lot full of regular custom bikes. I just figured the man who owned it had to be an enthusiast and would be happy to fill in a fellow dreamer. What has happened here? Has the class system that governs the rest of society finally infiltrated my beloved motorcycling? Was I somehow on the outside looking in? Whatever the reason for these peculiarities they have been making life hard for some good people in this industry. It seems the weight of balancing enthusiasm and a budget is wearing many of them thin and it’s starting to take its toll on the overall makeup of who we are.

The fact that the bikes are more expensive now seems to be one reason the customers feel they’re owed more from the dealerships and shops today. I mean after all a Low Rider today is $15,620 and just back in 1986 they were only $8,299 an increase of 89%. But wait, when you compare that number to a ford truck, its retail value in 1986 was around $10,500. That same truck today has an MSRP of $23,345.00, an increase of 123%. So there really is no basis for this argument. Feeling that paying more today gives anyone the right to demand more of the dealer, other than service and a commitment to their product is unrealistic. Besides the fact that I can’t remember the last time a Ford dealer invited their entire customer list over for free food and a band. It doesn’t happen there because the Ford dealer doesn’t value enthusiasm about their product or the life-style that it gives to their customer into the option package. Unless you consider “I’m a Ford truck man” by Toby Keith as enthusiasm, this is a special thing reserved to Harley-Davidson and although the other manufacturers are picking up on it, it’s the answer to “Why should I buy a Harley?” Even the customer from 1986 didn’t walk in to their dealer with a chip on their shoulder looking for more discounts, more service, free food & prizes. To top it all off, a better deal on the bike they were buying. This might be an unpopular standing to take today, but when you consider the average dealership employs around 20 people and has a responsibility to them and their families, it seems like someone should say something on their behalf. As we have watched many of their businesses grow into large designer stores I’m not sure that the average consumer understands that this is not from an over abundance of capitol, this is a result of Harley-Davidson’s growing demands. The factory dictates how their dealer is to be set up, square footage, amount of product, location and store design. Not that the result of these changes haven’t been good, that image has taken Harley dealers a long way into the business world. At the same time however it has kept many of them in debt of about six figures for years at a time. Now, it’s not like they’ll come and take the sign off the front of the store for not meeting the demands set by corporate but there are penalties. Harley-Davidson’s dealers operate on a system of “Bar & Shield Points.” The more you do to meet the criteria the more points you get and from your total the more bikes you get and the easier it is to run your business. Loose points and you could actually have the number of new units reduced. So you see, these cats are under always the gun man. And the aftermarket shop owners don’t have it any better. In fact, without the benefit of a large corporation behind them they are in a constant battle just to keep the doors open. Many more times they suffer the brunt of a dissatisfied customers aggressions who may feel another establishment cheated them out of something in some way.

So where is all this going? Well, the question I asked in the beginning of the article was “Has a price tag been placed on enthusiasm?” and the answer is yes, but probably not in the manner you’re thinking it got there. It was actually put there by us, the consumer. As we continue to place more demands on the Dealer for better discounts of soft parts, better entertainment at their events, more elaborate stores, a better price on service and parts for our bikes and then after all that expect a huge discount off the sticker price of the bike, something has to give. Unfortunately for us it’s the enthusiasm that the dealer or shop owner has for what they do. These people are the care takers of the history and values that have made Harley-Davidson more than just a sales opportunity. As they are transformed into straight business people, I can’t help but feel that the love for what they do is so seriously taxed that it may some day be completely removed from them. This is ultimately our fault. It’s their responsibility to teach us about enthusiasm but it’s our job to go looking for it. If the only reason you show up is to see what you can get then shame on you. If you spend enough time with any of these people the rewards so far surpass any price discount that it’s unreal. From just an afternoon with any one of them who has been in the industry for two or three generations you could walk away with an entire volume of motorcycle history. Or, you could walk away complaining about the cheesecake, never having talked to them about their passion, never learning more about this than what you see on TV or in magazines. Never investing in your own enthusiasm. The responsibility to ensure the survival of these values is yours and if you shrug that off, who will teach it to the next generation?