Harley-Davidson showroom & service experience post India exit

With Hero MotoCorp having taken over sales and service responsibilities, curious to know the ground reality.

BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Its been a year since Harley Davidson left the market, leaving sales and service responsibilities with a new partner - Hero Motocorp.

As per the agreement, Hero MotoCorp was to sell and service Harley-Davidson motorcycles and sell parts, accessories, general merchandise, riding gear and apparel through a network of brand-exclusive Harley-Davidson dealers and Hero MotorCorp’s existing dealership network in India.

With Hero Motocorp getting ready to launch the Harley Davidson Sportster S in India at IBW 2021 - curious to know what the reality on the ground is? Any changes noticed in the dealership network or have they been maintaining the status quo? How are the service quality and spare parts availability?

Sales figures are also not reported anymore. How about sales? Noticing any purchases happening - or are the existing owners looking towards rival brands for upgrade options?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Very keen to read about owner experiences, the kind we saw on the Chevrolet thread. Was pleasantly surprised with Chevrolet owners being generally satisfied with the post-exit handling of customers. Might be the same with Hero, considering how vast their network is. But eager to hear from actual owners.

Here's what BHPian neil.jericho had to say on the matter:

I had recently reached out to a friend in Bombay who is a Harley Davidson bike owner and he told me the following:

• The India business has been totally screwed with the departure of the company
• Owners are not able to get basic parts for newer models
• For modern bikes like the 2020 Fat Bob, important parts are not available
• Sometimes, the time frames for parts waiting range between 6 to 7 months

As for sales, the local Harley Davidson dealership had taken out an advert in the paper for the new Pan America. But with the rumoured/reported issues that Pan America has faced in Indian conditions, and the lack of company support, the bike is a very tough recommendation to make in 2021.

Here's what BHPian adi_sun had to say on the matter:

I can provide some insights on this; bought a Harley Davidson Low Rider S 114 in Aug and have put about 4K km on it - just did a Gurgaon to Jaisalmer trip on it after the first service. Here is my experience:

Buying:

• The motorcycles are CBU only, just unboxed and handed over after PDI
• Sales team is well mannered, certainly it's a better buying experience than Triumph / Ducatti (that's another post to write, maybe ownership thread)
• Most of the sales and support staff is the same as pre Hero days and I don't think there is any change in strength

First service:

• Seamless, no issues with parts/dealership attitude
• A warranty replacement was identified (stock exhaust) the order is placed and should be received in nest 30 days - standard time for all super bikes I think
• Fast-moving parts and accessories are well stocked

Breakfast riders etc

• This is perhaps the biggest advantage of HD, they organize rides and plan them well
• After the change to Hero there was a brief time when rides were not organized but then that was Covid times too
• Rides are back thankfully so no complaints here as well

Let me post some pictures as well:

Here's what BHPian Turbanator had to say on the matter:

It's not new for Harley in India. I have waited for over 3 months just for a small part like Fuel Filter in the tank. There were 2 in stock at the dealership and 1 more incoming, all against waiting customers before me in the queue. This was in 2018. Harley will never (exceptions very few) do Air Import and will get everything via some logistic company that most likely use Sea freight. It's the same issue with many other Bike & Car companies which are import-dependent but most have figured out a way and customers have to wait less.

Going forward, I won't be surprised if Hero is able to streamline this for the better. They may have their own priorities and in my limited interaction with owners and direct with a showroom for purchase, they are doing good.

Here's what BHPian troika had to say on the matter:

The state of Harley service is not too good, to put it mildly. I am a Harley owner for the last 6 years. Last year or so has been tough for Harley owners, Basic spares for servicing have been hard to come by. I had to procure oil, oil filter, gasket etc on the internet and take it to the service station for my last service about 6 months ago. There have been instances of HOG’s selling off their Harleys after getting frustrated over waiting for spares ( some guys have orders pending for 6-8 months).

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.