Why buy a Harley? Harley Davidsons Secret

When it comes to buying a motorcycle, and in this case, we'll call it a Harley Davidson, it's almost human nature to get a little shell-shocked when it comes to the price, especially when we're talking about a bagger. But what if I told you there were a few hidden gems that you need to know about before your next purchase? Guys, if you get any value out of this video, the only thing that I ask is that you leave it a thumbs up. It helps the algorithm and gets this message out to other people. Let's get started. First and foremost, this video is not sponsored by any way, and I have no brand affiliation with Harley Davidson. I love all motorcycles, Indians included. I've ridden Indians and I've said it before, as far as value you get for your money, you're probably gonna get more value with an Indian than you are a Harley Davidson right out of the box. But there's some things that you need to know after that purchase, after that last point of sale that might help your decision. This is one of those things where I'm like, how come I didn't know this before? For example, have you ever bought a vehicle or maybe an iPhone, and you own that thing for a couple of years, you get bored one day, you start looking at the owner's manual for that vehicle, and then you realize, wow, there's a hidden USB port underneath my seat. I had no idea that existed. Or hey, my iPhone can do this. I had no idea it could do that. This is kind of like one of those things. So some of you know that I just got back from my trip to the Stubborn American at the Cay River Campground. Oh, what a party that was. Yeah, I'll throw the link to that video at the end of this video along the description down below. The ride portion of that video is being completed, about halfway done with it. So that should be out soon. I went on this trip, I left San Diego, and we took off to Cay River in Moyers, Oklahoma. That's halfway across the country. And one of my biggest fears, and I'm sure it's fears that you share as well, is if you are out on a road trip, what happens when you come into some type of mechanical or engine failure? It's like the worst case scenario, and the worst feeling for that matter. But as I left for this trip, I started to notice that my clutch, my hydraulic clutch, was engaging more down towards the grip. Almost immediately after releasing the clutch handle from the grip, that was gonna be my friction point. Now, with the Milwaukee 8 and the hydraulic clutch system, that shouldn't engage until almost all the way out. So I knew something was going on. And on this route, I did plan on stopping at Thunderbird Harley-Davidson in New Mexico, not for any type of service work, but just to visit that dealership. As I got closer to the dealership, this clutch handle situation was getting worse and worse to the point where I knew something had to be done. So I ride to the dealership about 20 minutes early, and then here they come. All the locals are coming in for their scheduled appointments with Thunderbird Harley-Davidson, and they're just starting to stack up outside. So the dealership opens up, whole mess of guys come out. They start checking everybody in for their appointments. Finally, I had one of the service techs come up to me and ask me about my appointment. I let them know I did not have an appointment, but he looked at my bike, obviously all loaded down with gear, and the Cali plate probably gave it away, and said, are you currently on a trip? I said, yes. Asked me where I was going, and then asked me what the problem was. So I'm not a mechanic. I'm mechanically dumb, to be honest with you, but I explained everything to him, and what I've researched, I think that maybe some air got in the lines. It probably needs a clutch fluid flush thingy, whatever. He says, no problem, gets all my information. Guys, they had me in and out in 45 minutes. Absolutely amazing. Thank you to Thunderbird Harley-Davidson for squeezing me in and taking care of this. They were done within 45 minutes. We're gonna get back on the road here in just a few, and we're heading to Oklahoma City. Let's go. He got me right back on the road, and the bike was feeling brand new. So I continued on the journey. Made it out to Moyers, Oklahoma for the Stubborn American Party, and let's just say there was a mishap. Okay, we don't need to discuss what happened. It's not important for this example. But long story short, bike is broken down in Moyers, Oklahoma. You know, at first, I'm like, okay, I'm 1,530 miles away from home. I have no idea what's gonna happen from here. And, you know, there was some stress. It stresses you out. If you've ever been in that situation, you'll understand. So this is where things really get interesting and where, I guess, the educational value came in. Obviously, it was during a weekend. I had to wait, but South Main Iron in Paris, Texas, hit me up and said, oh, do you currently have extended warranties, all this stuff? I said, yes, I do. So South Main Iron came out and picked up the bike from Moyers, Oklahoma, brought it back to their shop, about an hour and a half away. Kudos to them. It's, you know, I understand that a lot of people say, hey, you should be able to get towed to your nearest dealer, but there wasn't really a nearest dealer, okay? So they came out to Kay River, loaded up the bike, took it off to their shop. I basically stood by for a day or two in Kay River, waiting for some type of diagnosis. I knew it was gonna be a long time to fix this because it sounded like a whole bunch of marbles were shoved into the case of the bike and it sounded terrible. So South Main Iron dissected the entire bike, took everything apart, I guess, and determined that I had exploded the transmission. It was completely gone. Now, as you know, right now, there's a crises when it comes to getting parts and when it comes to back-ordered parts and things like that. So I'm getting real nervous because I knew I had to get back to San Diego and it was gonna take a little bit of time, but is this gonna be months? Am I gonna have to worry about snow conditions when I come back? What's gonna happen? So South Main Iron first introduced me to this term, which is rider interruption or trip interruption, rider down, something like that. What that basically means is that if you are currently on a motorcycle trip with your Harley-Davidson and it's interrupting that trip, they will put you to the front of the line, they expedite the parts, you pretty much get first dibs on things coming in because it interrupted your trip. Now, I'm not sure the logistics on how you have to prove that, but obviously they knew I was from California and I'm in Oklahoma with my Harley-Davidson, so obviously I'm on a trip. Now, long story, a little bit longer, South Main Iron could not do the work because I was still under factory warranty and not the extended warranty yet. So South Main Iron, good at them, they took the bike, they shipped it off to Mavericks Harley-Davidson in Dallas, Texas. Therefore, they can complete the work. They basically let them know the situation, everything that was going on, no problem. It's gonna be trip interruption and they're gonna start getting the parts in as fast as possible. So within two weeks, I got a call from Mavericks Harley-Davidson saying, hey, all the parts are in, we're getting to work on the bike. And a couple of days later, they let me know that the bike was completed. Guys, to me, this added value service is not talked about. This rider interruption is not talked about or discussed. I've talked to many Harley-Davidson owners that had no idea this existed. I've had the 2020 Road Glide Special for two years and I'm just now finding out about this. I almost think it's something that Harley-Davidson really needs to push when they talk about their added value and why you're spending a little bit more money on your Harley-Davidson. But nonetheless, if you are on a trip and your bike breaks down, there's no worse feeling. Literally a piece of you dies right then and there. This was amazing to know that rider interruption or trip interruption, however they worded it, gets you back up on the road as fast as possible. And I know depending on where you're at, they can give you a loaner bike. They're gonna do everything they can to make sure you have a successful and fun trip on a Harley-Davidson. And to me, guys, that is the best kept secret. And I don't even know if it's a kept secret. It's just not a discussed secret in this industry that people need to know about. So hopefully you guys have your Harley-Davidson to go on some magical adventures because I will tell you that changes your world all over again when you go out on a road trip with your Harley. But it's just amazing that something like this exists. So I'd be curious, let me know down in the comments, have you ever heard of this before, number one? Number two, have you ever taken advantage or had to use those services? Because I just think that this is one of those reasons why Harley can justify some of the more expensive prices because of having this type of service and service quality available to Harley owners. You tell me. I mean, maybe you're just somebody that's a weekend warrior. You're staying local. You don't have to really worry about it. But if you are going on a trip, there has to be some type of ease of mind, almost like an insurance policy, that you have something where you can get ahold of a dealer and they know that you are on trip interruption and they're gonna get you back up and running as fast as possible. Look at the hydraulic fluid flush that I did on the way out to Moyers, Oklahoma. Now, that wasn't covered under warranty, but they still asked if I was on a trip and they put me in front of, it had to be about 16 people that were there on appointments and they had me in and out in 45 minutes. This is just an added value. I get it, these bikes are expensive and it's one of those things, I mean, it's an expensive, I'll call it a habit. But it is something that is worth talking about. I think you should know about it. I'd be curious to see what your responses are down in the comments section below. But guys, once again, if you enjoyed any portion of this video, please give the video a like. Therefore, it will help spread this message to other people. And I will tell you, Harley Davidson, kudos to you on this one. A lot of us can talk about price and the price increase, but this service is just top notch. Guys, until next time, you all ride safe, you be safe, and we'll catch you on the next one. ♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪