An interesting trip to the HD shop

[we2riders]

The wife and I stopped at the local HD shop and were admiring their fleet when I noticed something. There was a new Street Glide sitting next to a new Electra Glide Classic. The bikes were exactly the same price (like 19400). To my untrained eye the Street Glide looked exactly like the Electra except it was stripped of the rear tour pack with backrest, light bar, chrome bag guards, radio, front and rear bumper, rider floor boards and fairing trim..

So I said to the salesman, I bet you dont sell alot of those stripped down bikes for the same price you sell the decked out one for.. I was SHOCKED to find out that the Street Glide out sold the Electra 10 to 1!!

After finding out they are exactly the same bike with just more stuff added onto the electra, I went to the parts counter and found out that the extra parts on the electra added up to over 3 grand worth of parts..

So I go back to the salesman and said, how come people dont just buy the electra and remove the parts they dont want and keep them in case trends or needs change.. He looked at me dumbfoundedly and said, cause people dont think like that...

I still dont get it, my mind dont work like that, who wouldnt want 3 grand of xtra parts for free..

[Ozlander]

Who would pay 3 grand extra for parts you don't want????:detective:

[Mariner Fan]

Folks think the Street Glide is a cool bagger while the Electra Glide is a "Grandpa bike". I am a Grandpa and I like the trunk!

[Wrench]

I'm not going to bash anyone for their choice of rides, but I agree with you, it doesn't make sense to me either. I DO like the ease and flexibility of removing the tour pack on the Ultra's. Looking thru the m/c mags I get each month it seems that for the last 3 or 4 years the "bagger" look has really been growing. I'm guessing it's got a lot to do with the economy still being what it is, and that it's a lot less $$'s to have that look than it is to buy a $50k+ "custom" ride. I was all set to go that route with the Roadstar I had, just add a fairing and hard bags. I've sat and looked at both Ventures I've had and thought that they would look pretty cool if the trunk wasn't there,,,, at times,,,, but then again that's what I bought another one for, the dry storage. If only there was somewhere else to stash the electronics that are under the trunk,,,, hmmm.

[jfoster]

Its all about options....they figured out what most metrics have ignored.

[ediddy]

The street glide and ultra classic can't be the same bikes. I have two friends that had street glides because they didn't want geezer glides. Both recently traded for ultra classics and both say they didn't realize how smooth the ultra classic was compared to the street glide. Both said they thought the street glide was a smooth ride but they didn't know what they were missing with the ultra classic. The extra parts couldn't make the difference in the ride.

[rickardracing]

What Harley dealer did you go to?

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Im a bit out of the loop these days, but I believe the Street Glide is lowered, meaning the shocks have less travel, and this accounts for the slightly stiffer ride.

 

 

[we2riders]

Who would pay 3 grand extra for parts you don't want????:detective:

 

But the case is that the buyer is paying the same price for each bike, so in the case of the street glide your paying to not have all the xtras.. and thats 3 grand worth of xtra's your just leaving with HD...

 

 

 

 

What Harley dealer did you go to?

 

Hot Rod Harley in Muskegon Mi.

 

 

Here are links to the two bikes I was looking at. The first link is the electra classic

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/harley_davidson/electra_glide/prices/05/

 

and here is the link for the street glide

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/harley_davidson/street_glide/prices/05/

 

This isnt the dealer where I saw them but this link actually shows the street glide costing 100 bucks more for a bike with with over 3 grand worth of less options.. My point is why dont people just unbolt the stuff they dont want, sell it if nothing else.. maybe I am missing something here???

[bj66]

Im a bit out of the loop these days, but I believe the Street Glide is lowered, meaning the shocks have less travel, and this accounts for the slightly stiffer ride.

 

 

Alot of guys do convert EG's to Street Glides. They are basically same bike. The main difference is the lowered suspension. They buy a quick detach tour pack mount and make the conversion. It is pretty easy to do because the electra glide classic doesnt have rear speakers like the Ultra Classic does.

 

My Road Glide Custom vs. Road Glide Ultra has a few differences. The biggest is the lowered suspension. Another for me was the color. My bike had a one year offering of my color not available on the Ultra. Another is the pinstriping is very different. Another big visual difference from behind is different taillight assemblies. Road Glide Custom looks much cleaner, doesnt have the big box taillight. Also has a different seat. My Road Glide Custom was cheaper, and I actually weighed my options of stripping down an Ultra. It will cost more to add the extras than to remove them from an ultra, but I like the looks of less better. But if I remember right the Custom was about 2500 to 3000 cheaper.

 

I am sure a few of the Road Glide differences apply to Street Glide/EG as well. But when you look at RG's you have 2 models. low and high end models. With the Street Glide/EG Classic/Ultra CLassic. you have 3. And basically you have a bagger that is short trip bike (street glide). You have the EG thats a no frills tourer (no lowers either). And you have the Ultra Classic with all the bells and whistles. And remember alot of the Street Glide owners dont plan on touring alot with them. HD was smart to offer it that way, something for everyone. They cant help it people arent smart enough to think ahead.

[bj66]

Just another quick thought. Beings that the 2 bikes are same price, if you wanted the street glide look 90 percent of the time and touring functionality 10 percent of the time, is it worth it to do. Price wise yes of course. But when you figure out prices to convert the quick detatch (about 500 bucks if I remember right), and lower profile seat (325 to 500) and possibly a different windshield (125 to 150). So now you have 1150 bucks or so of extras to get the bike to look like a SG (and I am probly leaving something out). So now you Stripped down EG is a really expensive SG. Yes money wise you are still ahead, but many people dont want to go through the hassle. Most Street Glide Guys just buy a soft touring pack and go on their one trip a year.

 

The EG Classic is a bike that you dont see a whole lot out on the road anyway. If guys are gonna do a full tourer, most want the Ultra for the fulll lowers and rear speakers etc. So HD was smart to offer the SG. The EG is kind of like a jack of all trades and master of none bike. But your origional assment is correct, kind of makes you scratch you head doesnt it.

Edited November 14, 2012 by bj66

[we2riders]

Just another quick thought. Beings that the 2 bikes are same price, if you wanted the street glide look 90 percent of the time and touring functionality 10 percent of the time, is it worth it to do. Price wise yes of course. But when you figure out prices to convert the quick detatch (about 500 bucks if I remember right), and lower profile seat (325 to 500) and possibly a different windshield (125 to 150). So now you have 1150 bucks or so of extras to get the bike to look like a SG (and I am probly leaving something out). So now you Stripped down EG is a really expensive SG. Yes money wise you are still ahead, but many people dont want to go through the hassle. Most Street Glide Guys just buy a soft touring pack and go on their one trip a year.

 

The EG Classic is a bike that you dont see a whole lot out on the road anyway. If guys are gonna do a full tourer, most want the Ultra for the fulll lowers and rear speakers etc. So HD was smart to offer the SG. The EG is kind of like a jack of all trades and master of none bike. But your origional assment is correct, kind of makes you scratch you head doesnt it.

 

Yep, I follow you, and than TX mentioned lower shocks and there would probably be another 350 too.. I get it, some times I am just dense hahaha..

I really do like HDs variety off add ons and take offs and mix this with that and engine upgrades.. If I were wealthy I would be dangerous!!

[bj66]

No, your not dense at all. I really thought the same as you when I first saw them. I just tried to offer up an explanation as to why some do what they do. But if you think about it HD was smart. Take the street glide.....alot of people want a city, short trip cruiser, or bar hopper if you will. But the key is the radio and hard saddle bags. It gives the rider plenty of storage and comfort for the short mid sized trip. The riding group that they are catering to is huge. So they price their bike where they do because they know it is going to sell. Not only that, the market they cater to isnt necessarily that mechanically inclined, or dont have the space to store bike and all the take off stuff. Other manufactures should take note, the more options, the more you sell. This particular option, less is more (more money too.....).

 

Take a Venture for example. Wouldnt it be cool to get a Venture in 3 different configurations like you can with the HD SG/EG/Ultra. It doesnt cost HD any more or less to offer 3 than just one style. You probly wouldnt get as many sales of the stripped down venture, but a few is better than no sales. It kind of makes you feel like HD is trying to have something for everybody, rather than "heres what we make, take it or leave it." Alot of companies could learn from HD in that capacity......

[djh3]

Hmmm so what exactly is the difference between a RSTD & RSV? Fairing, trunk, comm . Just sayin.

[bj66]

Can you buy a new RSTD anymore? I think Not, but my exact point was three different configurations with the same fairing. With the HD you are into the Road King series if you are talking windshields vs. fairing. With the Venture you are talking fairing, Rstd-windshield. Hence my comment here is what we make-take it or leave it. I myself have a RSTD as well. I have done some pretty cool stuff to it too. But basically every add on I have done other than the drivers back rest have been adapted to fit my RSTD. Not exactly made for it. To get a Yamaha a certain way, you kind of have to improvise if you will. HD does alot of that for you, then all you have to do is buy chrome......

[bj66]

and as far as making changes go with the Venture. If a guy wanted to strip one down like a street glide.

 

1. How many different seats does Yamaha even offer? I honestly dont know

2. different windshield sizes. I would imagine a few different choices

3. different handlebars. Due to the speedo, those are limited as well

4. quick release tour pack mount from factory. Doubt it, another do it yourself project.

5. if you take tour pack off all together, Does Yamaha make a rear luggage rack that fits rear fender on the Venture? I know the RSTD would fit, but I dont like the luggage rack mount on the rear seat bracket.

 

All of these things are available through HD for their own bikes and many work on other models. So for them to offer the batwing fairing in 3 different options make sense. They already have the parts inventory. Kind of like Legos.......

 

I also understand that if you own a Venture, why would you want to strip it down. I myself probly wouldnt. But this is what the origional post was about. And basically reasons 1 through 5 is why I will never buy another Yamaha. I may buy something other than a HD, but it wont be a Yamaha. My 08 RSTD does just fine like it is, my son rides it and likes it. But in a few years he will get the itch for something else. and it wont be a Yamaha either. I'm not trying to bash Yamaha, but it is the "Here it is, take it or leave it" approach that they have.

 

Now back to the origional post............

[Guest tx2sturgis]

All of this is well and good, if you're a DQ rider. (5000 miles per year or less) But the primary reason I got out of the HD mode is the short life of the current TwinCam engine.

 

If you have the older style twin cam spring loaded plastic chain tensioners, the engine starts to self destruct around 30-40k miles, and if you have a later model, its good till around 50-60k. If you go ahead and spend the money ($1000-$1200) you can replace the faulty cam chain system with a gear drive piece, and then your done with that.

 

But even so, since the oil in the HD is not filtered on every pass, the engine gets progressively dirtier inside until one or more oil passages are clogged. Then you end up hearing a nasty noise down in the engine bay. And bottom end rebuilds are NOT cheap.

 

Most riders will not see this type of damage, since they wont ever ride their HD to 75,000 miles or so...and if they do, it takes them more than 15 years to do it. So they dont see it as a 'flaw'...just the price of admission.

 

But I ride my bikes at the rate of about 10,000 to 12,000 miles a year and bumped into the HD reliability roadblock MANY times.

 

I still love the brand, but like any tool, you buy what you need for the job that you have in mind. If using your bike as your main transportation is what you have planned, you probably should bypass the bar and shield store.

 

Just my .

 

 

 

[Eddie]

Great post there BJ, I dont think you left anything out. When I bought my Ultra I liked the looks of the Custom better but for the long trips the Ultra was the right bike so I did spend the extra money to have the option. Your right about the cost but its like having two bikes and it only takes a few minutes to convert. The one thing you left out is the antennas on the Utra . I had to buy a in the fairing antenna for the Radio and CB. Im trying to talk my wife into letting me buy her a RGC to ride but she's not sure as of yet.

[bj66]

Great post there BJ, I dont think you left anything out. When I bought my Ultra I liked the looks of the Custom better but for the long trips the Ultra was the right bike so I did spend the extra money to have the option. Your right about the cost but its like having two bikes and it only takes a few minutes to convert. The one thing you left out is the antennas on the Utra . I had to buy a in the fairing antenna for the Radio and CB. Im trying to talk my wife into letting me buy her a RGC to ride but she's not sure as of yet.

 

Looks like you have 2 seats as well? But my main question is this. I have the quick tach sissy bar and luggage rack for my custom. Does the trunk detach system use the same mounts? Here is a pic of mine with the sissy/luggage rack on it

[Eddie]

Looks like you have 2 seats as well? But my main question is this. I have the quick tach sissy bar and luggage rack for my custom. Does the trunk detach system use the same mounts? Here is a pic of mine with the sissy/luggage rack on it

 

 

Yea I bought a Mustang solo seat . I like the look of the fender showing. I also bought a brand new take off RGU fender with all the lights . Winter project when I do the stage 2 kit. I believe that rack system will snap right on this system. My wife in the picture says she will just take this one . I dont think so.