Recent letter to the CEO and President of Harley Davidson regarding my 2004 Ultra Classic........
James L. Ziemer
CEO and President
Harley Davidson, Inc.
3700 West Juneau Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201
Dear Mr. Ziemer:
My disappointment is only overshadowed by my disillusion.
I hope you will pardon my intrusion on your time, however, as an owner (used to be “proud”) of a 2004 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic, my experiences of the past few months has left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. I hope you will allow me to elaborate on my experience.
Over the past year, I have experienced a recurring problem with the front braking system on my 2004 Ultra Classic. My Ultra Classic has now been at four (4) dealerships on seven (7) occasions for repairs and the problem yet to be fixed. Between visits two and three, I lost all front brake usage, resulting in a very near miss at an intersection with cross traffic. Each and every service has yet to correct the problem, resulting in 80 to 100 percent front brake loss.
Additionally, my most recent visit for scheduled service resulted in poor performance of the service department when the spark plugs were not installed properly, resulting in the loss of compression, performance problems and an additional service visit at an out of town dealer.
The culmination of my disillusionment was yesterday, Sunday, August 5, 2007. While traveling on the Interstate, my throttle cable snapped at highway speeds, with less than 19000 miles on the bike. I coasted to a stop and proceeded to call the Old Town Brandon (Florida) dealership and spoke to the General Manager who was unable to offer assistance in towing my disabled bike. Please keep in mind that I was (am):
Approximately 22 miles from the dealership.
A HOG Chapter member at this dealership.
Please allow me to continue as it goes from bad to worse. I contacted the Roadside Assist program for a tow to the dealership and proceeded to wait over 3 HOURS for a tow that was NEVER provided. It was only through the hard work of my friends that a trailer was secured and my bike taken home. The incident happened at 3:30ish in the afternoon and I finally arrived home after 9:00PM, no thanks to Harley Davidson, the Old Town Brandon (Florida) dealership or the Harley Davidson Roadside Assistance program.
Mr. Ziemer, to quote both the HD Website and the Annual Report, there are two (2) comments that stand out as outright untruths:
We don’t just deliver bikes, we deliver experiences” – if this is an example of the experiences that are delivered, thank you but no thank you, I can live without these experiences.
It began as a Motor Company, It became a family – if this is how my family treats me, I prefer to be emancipated. Mr. Ziemer, if this is how you believe that family is treated, I dare say that the founders of Harley Davidson must be truly disappointed in the generations to follow them.
Sir, while I believe that you may care about the organization, it is quite clear that I, as an individual, am nothing more than one owner and a dollar sign on a dealership ledger. Based on my experience to date, my Harley Davidson experience has been far from stellar and poor at best.
The only good that has come out of my HOG experience to date are the Brothers and Sisters that I can both depend on and call friends. Had it not been for friends like these, I would still be on the side of the road.
In closing, I will continue to ride my Harley Davidson and enjoy the experience of the wind in my hair and the open road. As to the organization, I will always remember the poor experience, a dealership that does not appear to care and a Roadside Assistance program that failed, time and time again, to deliver the services promised.
I pessimistically await your response.
Martin G. McDonough
