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WESTFIELD, MA – So far, the revived rivalry between Indian and Harley-Davidson has been largely civil, with each manufacturer touting their respective products. However, a Facebook post at 6:03 p.m. on Friday by Indian Motorcycle of Springfield showed some attitude by taking what can be viewed as a swipe at its neighbor, Harley-Davidson of Southampton.
Dennis Bolduc, who owns Indian Motorcycle of Springfield, took a picture of the nearby Harley-Davidson store that showed dozens of snow-covered motorcycles parked outside and asked, “Is this how you would treat your motorcycle?”
I suppose the question can be viewed two ways: matter-of-factly and rhetorically, and as a bit of a jab. Predictably, the post generated some spirited comments.
A couple of the posters noted Harley-Davidson of Southampton’s sister store, Yankee Harley-Davidson in Bristol, CT, engages in the same practice of leaving motorcycles outside in the elements.
“It’s just not right and they try and sell them at top $$$$ and they sit out in the snow,” wrote Jon Marien. “They go out everyday no matter what the weather is.”
Dick Clukey, who gave up his Harley-Davidson for an Indian, had the same gripe. “”It’s criminal,” he wrote.
There were also riders who didn’t have an issue with the Harley-Davidson dealer’s practice.
“What’s the difference? They can be ridden in the rain. Your bike won’t melt because it gets wet. News flash… Snow is just water,” wrote Kristen Carlson.
While RIDE-CT / RIDE-NewEngland isn’t much on cleaning and polishing the bikes in its stable, it does try to keep them all garaged and dry when they’re not being ridden. No sense in letting moisture get into the cracks and crevices. That’s just inviting corrosion and trouble in the future.
– By Bud Wilkinson
Without get involved in the discussion about whether you can or should not leave a motorcycle to the elements… I wouldn’t treat my bike this way. Nor would I want to buy a bike that was. Nor would I drop it off for service if they would leave it out in the rain/snow.
The HD dealer in Branford, CT has the smallest inventory I’ve seen at a dealership. Seems like they could stock 150 bikes if they moved them outside during the day. But they don’t. Good for them.
Also, I’m curious as to how many bikes there get dropped due to human error slipping in the snow/ice.
No wonder all there bikes are looking like crap. Some of them even starting to rust. Obviously AARON doesn’t care as long as he makes money at the expense of his customers.
Nothing wrong with leaving them out. Do u not ever wash your bike or get caught in the rain? I’m a motorcycle tech for metric and american bikes and my next bike will definitely be a Harley!