Goodbye victory

[hogcowboy]

Not sure what the model name was as I never really studied the Victory bike --- but --- assume it was their top of the line touring model --- every time I saw one all I could think of was "Batmobile" -- that sucker was fugly!!!

It was/is a Vision. And not a very good vision at that. More like a pipe dream. As far as I'm concerned it's what killed Victory.

[Peter A.]

Scott, a lot of that it seems happens in the areas where there is little competition. Around here that is not a problem. Plus, there are a number of excellent indie's with lower labor rates and techs that came out of the franchise dealers.

I have to agree - competition is key. In my area Harley charging $120 per hour is pure ludricious, I've found an indie locally who happens to be HD certified and charges far less......I've been on Harley's for many years and this is just ONE of the reasons that HD may be making their OWN DEMIZE.
A working man can only afford so much

[MikeyTX]

It was/is a Vision. And not a very good vision at that. More like a crack pipe dream. As far as I'm concerned it's what killed Victory.

Fixed it .................

[MikeyTX]

I have to agree - competition is key. In my area Harley charging $120 per hour is pure ludricious, I've found an indie locally who happens to be HD certified and charges far less......I've been on Harley's for many years and this is just ONE of the reasons that HD may be making their OWN DEMIZE.
A working man can only afford so much

One of the big conglomerate dealerships that owns no less than five here in TX is charging $125 an hr in labor. That is to make up for their undercutting the prices on new bike sales by a good 2k to 3K plus waiving freight and setup.

[consitter]

One of the big conglomerate dealerships that owns no less than five here in TX is charging $125 an hr in labor. That is to make up for their undercutting the prices on new bike sales by a good 2k to 3K plus waiving freight and setup.

Ours went from $84/hour to $90/hour from last year to this year. They have no competition, because they own 4 more dealerships within an hour and a half of home.

The closest one after that is over 2 hours away, and just wouldn't be worth going that far to save a few dollars. Of course the dealership knows this and takes advantage.

Luckily, there is two indie shops close by that I'll be taking my trike to once my extended service plan expires.

[rhino 2]

My dealer HD Is at 75 dollars an hour, And the thing to remember those are book hours... all dealers do it whether its a car or bike dealership it doesn't matter... i.e... The book says the job takes an hour, And the mechanic can do it in a half hour, They still charge for an hour....
Some dealers give the mechanic a bonus [overtime] at the end of the week for beating the book hour...

[Springman2007]

I have to say that I was never a follower of the Victory stuff. I did test ride an Octane and the Indian Scout (actually they are virtually the same bike).....I rather ride a Sportster - IMHO.

The above said, I am sad to think people are loosing their jobs though with the demise of Victory.

And, I think we are in the 4th or 5th iteration of Indian.......I rather stick with my Harley.
(I have owned Moto Guzzis, Triumphs, and Royal Enfield over the years, but have stuck with Harley throughout.)

I will say that I am finding the HD Dealer prices to be getting a bit too excessive these days - and not just in the area of hourly labor. So, I do as much as I can for myself and "shop" for the things I can't.

Springman

[MikeyTX]

My dealer HD Is at 75 dollars an hour, And the thing to remember those are book hours... all dealers do it whether its a car or bike dealership it doesn't matter... i.e... The book says the job takes an hour, And the mechanic can do it in a half hour, They still charge for an hour....
Some dealers give the mechanic a bonus [overtime] at the end of the week for beating the book hour...

Book in the D-FW area is $125 hr

[gerald martin]

car dealerships, Harley dealerships, triumph dealerships. They all have a high labour rate otherwise they could not pay their employees and their overhead. Indy's are sometimes cheaper but they don't have the Harley warranty nor do they have the availability of genuine parts all the time. If you don't like paying do like I do. Buy a service manual and do it yourself. Document all your work and your warranty will still be good.Don't worry about being old. I am 71 and still do the work just takes a little longer. If you are too feeble to do the matinence maybe you are too feeble to ride safely

[MikeyTX]

car dealerships, Harley dealerships, triumph dealerships. They all have a high labour rate otherwise they could not pay their employees and their overhead. Indy's are sometimes cheaper but they don't have the Harley warranty nor do they have the availability of genuine parts all the time. If you don't like paying do like I do. Buy a service manual and do it yourself. Document all your work and your warranty will still be good.Don't worry about being old. I am 71 and still do the work just takes a little longer. If you are too feeble to do the matinence maybe you are too feeble to ride safely

How rude dude! Not everyone is capable of doing their own work from a physical standpoint. To imply that because of one's physical limitations, he or she should not ride is ludicrous. There are many combat vets on this forum that will back me on this.

[Mykneesbehurtin]

This is why the extended warranties look good to some folks,so they dont have to pay out of pocket per issue,you can finance it into the bike.Its like saying to HD that you know there will be a problem later and HD is saying no dont think so.Bought the extended warranty on my 16 but they wouldnt transfer it to the 17 because of the engine design change.I will wait until the warranty is about up on the 17 to see if i want to buy it.And as far as you shouldnt be riding if you cant work on your own bike,well i call BS.I ride with my buddy who will be 75 this year and he has a Street Glide with a T-Man 124 engine making 136 hp and 140 Torque at the rear wheel and he can ride the hell out of it.

[rhino 2]

If you are too feeble to do the matinence maybe you are too feeble to ride safely

Wow , How to win friends and influence people .
But who needs friends when you have a keyboard...

[MikeyTX]

As a fellow combat vet, I was wondering how long it was going to take you to chime in. He is in Canada if that tells you anything. I will shut up now before I get myself banned.

[gerald martin]

Wow , How to win friends and influence people .
But who needs friends when you have a keyboard...

I am not trying to insult anyone. I am just stating that if a person has trouble moving around then maybe they can not operate a trike safely as it does take an bit of mobility to ride a motorcycle or trike

[MikeyTX]

I am not trying to insult anyone. I am just stating that if a person has trouble moving around then maybe they can not operate a trike safely as it does take an bit of mobility to ride a motorcycle or trike

You are so far out of line with that train of thought. If it weren't for trikes, I know of a number of amputee that would not be riding. That is what handicap controls are for. Similar to those for driving a car. It is one of the reasons we will see an automatic from H-D at some point in the near future. You can put money on that.

[MikeyTX]

In fact, many states have handicap motorcycle plates. I know for a fact that TX does.

[Steve on 3]

Sc has a handicapped tag too. My buddy lost his left leg riding and put 319k miles on a RK before going to a trike. Tell him he is too feeble and he will take that titanium leg off and adjust your attitude for you. BTW how is a vet too

[gerald martin]

How rude dude! Not everyone is capable of doing their own work from a physical standpoint. To imply that because of one's physical limitations, he or she should not ride is ludicrous. There are many combat vets on this forum that will back me on this.

You are taking my remark out of content. I am not talking about combat vets or anyone else that is disabled with an amputation or any other disability ( I have the greatest regard for the people that put their lives on the line to keep their country and mine safe)
I guess saying if you are too feeble to work on your trike you may be too feeble to ride it was not the right choice of words but it was not meant to come out that way you seem to have taken it and for that I am sorry. I should have said it differently but I cant think of the proper way to say it so I apologize to you and anyone else that does not understand what I meant.

[rhino 2]

You are taking my remark out of content. I am not talking about combat vets or anyone else that is disabled with an amputation or any other disability ( I have the greatest regard for the people that put their lives on the line to keep their country and mine safe)
I guess saying if you are too feeble to work on your trike you may be too feeble to ride it was not the right choice of words but it was not meant to come out that way you seem to have taken it and for that I am sorry. I should have said it differently but I cant think of the proper way to say it so I apologize to you and anyone else that does not understand what I meant.

Quite often the written word can be misunderstood..No harm no foul...
All's GOOD.......

[Gorilla]

Gerald you have made a terrific discovery for yourself and others. It's very hard to truly understand someones true meaning of words. We all read from our own perspective. We put our past experiences into everything we read. Even professional writers have to deal with this issue. Good job on the apology. Now lets move on.