2007 Street Bob

The Demo Ride

Despite my efforts of trying to fit Caroline’s 883 to her (see Tailoring Caroline's Sportster for Comfort), in the end we both came to the conclusion that it was just the wrong bike for her. I’m pretty sure that even if I had changed the handlebars to something wider, and upgraded her seat with one from Mustang (Wide Solo with Driver Backrest), her complaint would have remained the same. The bike just felt too small for her. She found the Dynas and Softails much more to her liking.

So rather than spend more time and “especially” money modifying a bike she would never be happy with, I started encouraging her to attend more demo rides to see what she would like.

For as long as I remember, she had always admired the Heritage Softail. Even took one out on a previous demo. But the moment she sat on the Street Bob at Ottawa Harley Davidson’s 2007 spring” Test Our Metal” ride, she knew it was what she had been looking for. The mini apes felt perfect, and her legs finally felt like they belonged on a motorcycle. Although we both liked the looks of this Dyna, it was the comfort she felt while on it that completely sold her. Which in her case was fortunate since the bike didn’t actually work.

Caroline chatting with one of the volunteers (Dick from the Eastern Ont HOG Chapter) just prior to the departure of a demo ride. Unfortunately, this was as far as she got - the main breaker tripped and the bike was pushed into the shop.

As I returned from a fifteen minute cruise aboard my chosen mount, a Buell Uly, I was surprised to find Caroline was already in the parking lot. Considering I had been at the head of the pack and she closer to the rear, I was perplexed on how she had managed to get ahead of me. She quickly explained that her bike had stalled on her and couldn’t be restarted. She was even concerned that she might have somehow damaged the bike. So while the rest of us were out riding, she was sitting on a curb wondering what had gone wrong.

Although not the best introduction to the bike of her dreams, fate was still on our side. The shop had a two tone Street Bob of their own that was available for private demo rides. I quickly scheduled an appointment for the following Saturday for Caroline.

Saturday soon arrived, the sun shone brightly, and best of all, the irregular beat of a 96 cu. in. v-twin greeted us. We were given an hour to go where we liked. We actually took only 45 minutes, but if Caroline had not been convinced before, there was certainly no doubt after our relatively short ride. This was the bike for her. We talked to the salesman about making a deal stressing that an end of summer delivery would be acceptable. The dollar figures we were hearing were somewhat vague, but we were promised an exact price closer to the date we wanted the bike when the final condition and mileage of the bike could be assessed. Another factor with the potential to play an important part with the final cost was the loonie. Its steady climb against the American dollar had resulted in regular adjustments being made to the MSRP by Deeley Imports. The salesman took our name and number and promised to call us after the next price announcement, which was expected to be in a month.

Can Someone Please Sell Me a Bike

A month came and went and we had heard nothing. Rather than making a call, we decided to ride over to the shop and get the scoop in person. Much to our surprise, it was like we had never talked to the salesman before. I almost began to think that he didn’t even know who we were. So, we repeated our previous conversation about our strong desire for the demo bike, once again left our names and telephone numbers, and once again left with the assurance we would get a call shortly with all the financial details.

Another week or two went by, and the silence coming from the salesman was deafening. It was also nearing the end of August. It looked like I would have to make another trip to the dealer and find out why they were making it so hard for me to buy a bike. With perfect timing, Andrew needed to have his Lightning serviced and asked me if I would like to ride it to the shop for him. I quickly agreed since I always enjoy riding his Buell, and as a bonus, it would give me an opportunity to speak with the staff.

Usually, riding the Buell is a pure joy, but it wasn’t on the day of the service appointment thanks to miserable conditions outside. The temperature was cool and the rain was coming down in torrents which forced me to ride mummified in extra riding gear, and with extra care since after all it was not my bike. When I pulled up to the Ottawa HD’s service doors, I noticed that the demo Street Bob was outside getting wet.

After turning over the Buell’s keys to the service manager, I went to get myself a coffee. With the hot liquid warming my insides, I wondered around the store, and past the salesman who I deliberately did not engage into a conversation. I wanted him to come to me. After about ten minutes it was pretty obvious that wasn’t going to happen. If I was only annoyed with him earlier, I was now plain angry. As far as I was concerned, he had just lost any chance of me dealing with him ever again.

As mad as I was, I still did not want to cause him any trouble. So instead of bringing my complaints to his boss, I turned to the man who over the years has provided me with not only valuable advice, but treated me like a VIP any time I needed work done on my bikes: the service manager.

We talked for about 15 minutes, and although it was not his place to become involved in sales, he promised to call me back by the next morning with a proposal. The next day I did get that call, but what I heard was not what I had expected. The reason the Street Bob was parked outside in the rain was because it was about to go in for service - it had just been sold that day!