The very first blog we ever wrote was about Harley Davidson and the games they were playing with their customers back then. Well, here we go again.
Harley Davidson has a pretty good reputation with bikers. They've been around a long time and the quality is pretty good, but lately we've been seeing them and their dealers play the same game over and over.
You go and buy a bike and, of course, the dealer talks you into adding on a new "aftermarket" exhaust to give it that genuine throaty "Harley sound" that you expect from a real Harley bike.
Then a few months later it blows a head gasket, starts vibrating bad, throws a drive belt, the battery goes dead and the fuel mileage sucks. The dealer scratches their head and calls Harley and gets nowhere. You scratch your head and call Harley and get nowhere. Is it Lemon Law Time? You betcha.
So what's really going on here? Simple. The dealer wants to make an extra 800 or so off the deal so they talk you into the new set of pipes. Then, if anything goes wrong with the bike later, Harley says you altered the bike's original equipment so now there's no warranty coverage. Even though you know it has nothing to do with the pipes, Harley still tries to stick it to you. Don't put up with it.
Legally, if you add new parts to your bike and later the bike acts up - the only question is whether those parts are the cause of your problem. If so, then no warranty coverage. If not, then they owe you.
If the add-on parts have nothing to do with the problem with your motorcycle - then Harley is still on the hook. They are liable and they can not legally try to blame it on you. Of course, that won't stop them from trying.
Best thing to do is to not buy those add-on "aftermarket" parts in the first place, of course, but if you do, then just make sure that you first ask your dealer if putting those parts on your new bike is going to void the warranty. Then when Harley (or any other manufacturer) tries to tell you that you're stuck, you can turn around and stick it back to them.
That's only fair. If they build it wrong, then they should take care of you. And if the dealer lies to you, then they should step up to it and take care of you. Either way, if it's not your fault then don't let them run over you.
