[gar]

Ok this may be off topic so I'll understand if this gets moved but I want to know what’s going on with the dealers and Harley Davidson motor company. The last 3 dealers I’ve been to (one was a grand opening) had NO V-RODs on display. I just went to pick up some parts (chrome) from my local dealer and again only one (black VRSCB) on the floor. The parts guy without saying left me with the feeling the days may be numbered if the product does not turn on for them. He said although all Harley products need to be refined with a cleaner burning engine, the V-ROD just has not been even close to the numbers they need to keep it alive. Has anyone heard anything that supports this or is it all bull. Please say it isn’t so. I've got a ton of money into this ride. I like it alot but I’m concerned I may have a "one-off" product that has a very short life. That would surly suck wind. :hitfan:

 

[Mookie B]

That's b.s.

I'm down in Orlando at the Winter Dealer Show....and I hear tons of people referring to the V-rod as the "future"....

 

[Max]

glz it must be a regional thing. All the local dealers around the DFW area keep four or five on the floor in several different flavors and they had been out almost a year before you could buy one for MSRP here.

Max

 

[Ricky G.]

Same in the Austin area at least 4 or 5 on the floor...Seems like the Black 04 is the one that moves the quickest .....

 

[hippo888]

HD sells more V-Rods than ALL Buells combined. Buell is more likely to get the axe than the VRSC. The VRSC has also sold well overseas, where riders consider the air-cooled motors to be underpowered.

It is very, very rare for a company to drop an engine line. Development of an engine usually runs at least 100 MILLION dollars. A manufacturer will typically sell a product until they can completely amortize the development costs.

Instead of seeing the VRSC die, expect new versions. It doesn't make financial sense for them to drop the engine.

 

[esquire7oz]

4-5 VRSC/B's on the floor at my local dealer too.

 

[dlevi03]

Lots at my dealer and they are still charging 20k+

 

[gar]

Thanks for the feedback. Your right MAX, most of you are on the east side of the US. Maybe it's a North Western thing but it's very different than last year. It seems the negative attitude is more the local dealers than anyone else’s.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

 

[Stan]

It would be my guess that this motor will eventually replace or compliment the TC in the bagger line up. But that is only a guess.

 

[Frank Storms]

The dealership closest to me has 11 R-Rod in house.

 

[Vinny]

In my area,the are selling.But not like the more traditional HD's.I know 3 people that have bought 1 in the last month.As soon as I get ahold of them I will turn them on to V-RODFORUMS.COM

 

[larry273]

My dealership has about 5 with one (the only bike) right in the middle of the service waiting area (in orange).

What I have not seen is an abundance of accessories for the v-rod on display or in stock.

 

[mjw930]

I think the dealers are forgetting that the V-Rod is a one (well, 2 now) bike line that sold between 15,000 to 18,000 copies per year since it's intro. That's more bikes than BMWNA sells in the US last year! Since they don't break down the customs by model it would be interesting to see how many of each model of Softails or Dynas they sell per year.

It smacks of a dealer who can't come to grips with selling a product who's buyers actually shop and compare with non-HD bikes. The dealers who have figured out that V-Rod potential owners don't buy the myth, they buy the bike are very successful selling the V-Rod. :soapbox:

 

[Vinny]

Some people jusy don't want come to terms that the V-ROD is a far superior bike.Hd is trying to reach a new generation of riders,but they have all these traditionalists,that won't admit that the future is here.
Maybe it's the Porsche thing.They feel that it's not a real Harley.That is a big reason I bought the bike,made me feel that the engine is more reliable.
I have 2 dealers within 30minutes of my house.1 has barely any v-rod accessories.But the other has an abundance of them. :icon_mrgr Doen't make sense :hmm:

 

[Mookie B]

Word from the bar scene tonight at the dealer show....

Some dealers are having a hard time selling all their v-rods....but don't discount the fact that it is a far superior bike. Dealerships are making mods (ie. custom v-rods) and you'll probably start to see a lot of those in the next year, and they'll probably be specific to the dealership. I think the success of West Coast Choppers and Orange County Choppers can't be ignored, and the influence is obvious. I posted earlier about San Diego Harley's custom v-rod and it has been a hit down here. Guess time will tell....I know my 2003 is the best bike I've ever rode, especially after riding it from San Antonio to Orlando....and can't wait to ride back. Thank god for me electric gear though (vest, pants...)(

 

[V-Fred]

All three Seattle/Tacoma dealers, have bikes to sell. Eastside displays two on the floor, one VRSCA with Aztec skins and a Supertrap, and a black VRSCB, but still is selling 2003's from the warehouse. Downtown has three customized used bikes and two new, a Brown and Tan A and a Black B. Lynnwood Cycle Barn has 6 on the floor, two Aniversary, three custom painted 03's and a new B.

Fred

 

[vroddrew]

If you had seen all the hoopla over the V-Rod during the 100th festivities, a lot of it focused on the V-Rod, you'd know that it doesn't look very likely that Harley is planning on dropping it very soon. There was a tremendous amount of interest in the bike at all the demo locations - in fact it was the one bike that there was a very long wait for.

What the V-Rod has done, is illustrate to Harley that some of their dealers are little more than "order takers" who don't know how to sell motorcycles. Good dealers have no problem moving the bike, and at a good profit. Bad dealers let them collect dust on the showroom floor.

 

[Leon]

Because HD is a public company. If there were a discontinuing of a product line, like the V-Rod, we would have heard about it in their fiscal reports along with the fate of the Kansas City plant.

I don't think we have anything to worry about.

At the same time, I'm being a little selfish about the small number of V-Rods on the road. I like the attention I get. And even if HD did drop the V-Rod, just think about how fast our bikes would appreciate.

 

[Zenhog]

The local dealer in Albuquerque has had no trouble in selling the 2004 models, the word is the multiple color schemes have improved sales.

The parts dept. complains that V-Rod buyers don't customize their bikes with H-D accessories as most other Harley owners, so they don't sell as many V-Rod accessories and are hesitant to stock them.

What do they expect? The motors don't need $5k in upgrades to make them rotate the wheels a little faster.

The rumors are nothing but BS from a minority of idiots and attention seekers that know nothing about the V-Rod.

 

[vroddrew]

The parts dept. complains that V-Rod buyers don't customize their bikes with H-D accessories as most other Harley owners, so they don't sell as many V-Rod accessories and are hesitant to stock them.

My local dealer (Suburban H-D in Thiensville, WI) stocks a very large selection of V-Rod accessories - and guess what? They sell more V-Rod accessories than any other dealer in the state. Dealers have got to learn this: people won't buy stuff you don't stock. With the internet, etc., why should anyone go and order stuff from their local dealer, when you can get it faster and cheaper by ordering it from a dealer that DOES stock it.

Look, I can see dealers not wanting a whole bunch of inventory for obsolete bikes (i.e. pre-1985, etc.) - but for a current model, they really should keep a good selection on the shelves.