George--Enjoyed the whole experience.  You have been both patient and extremely helpful with providing very important information over the past several months that led me to buying exactly the right motorcycle for me.  I love this bike, and am very excited about being able to purchase it.  Genuine thanks to you!  I also found Rachelle to be very professional, efficient, and cheerful in doing her job.  Terry Pitts is an outstanding young man, and it seems to me a natural Harley Davidson "genius".  I see a great future for Terry with HD.  He is very bright and has the excellent PR skills that are especially noteworthy and commendable for a young man, to go as far as he wants.  I also enjoyed meeting your "boss" Michael.  I can tell he is the "real thing", a legitimate straight shooter who means what he says, and says what he means.  I have had several experiences with the Parts crew, and they too have conducted all my dealings with professional courtesy and expertise.  I have no experience yet with the Service department, but am optimistic to believe that the Sac HD organization has similar expectations and demands for all facets of the business.  Thanks again!  Sac HD rates very high with me to date. 

Tim Boone, Rocklin, CA 

Bill Myers, here with data for senior (and I mean senior) managers and owner.

I partner co-owned and was COO of a 130 employee sales and service organization.  The shop of 35 mechanics, two  service writers, two service managers, and one senior customer service manager, all certified mechanics with 17 senior inspectors,  was my line responsibility.

My main gripe about HD products mirrors the main gripe my customers had, the product sucked for years. The factory used the dealer network as field engineers. Sure the warranty labor and slight mark up on parts helped, but did nothing to minimize the time our clients had to spend waiting for their machines to be repaired. Its a wonder we stayed in business.

Now, along comes the 09/10 HD line up. Its fabulous,  but it still requires someone in the shop to figure out what's working and what needs further engineering. That takes sharp people.

Your current shop team is so close to perfect that I'm reluctant to say so because they may ease up in their pursuit of Zero Defects.

I have 14,000 miles on an 09 Freightliner, a red and gold Ultra. I bought it
5 months ago. I'm 67, still  work full time and I have 14,000 miles on it.
How can that be?

I beat cheeks whenever I can, but the reason I can do so is my bike is immaculately prepared. The work is zero defect and when something isn't quite right, senior shop management researches why without my asking.

If your shop ops managers are left to their own devices, you will soon be building another ten bays, in a new building. And as you've figured out, each added mechanic is worth $80,000 direct profit added below the line.
Gee, $800,000 grand extra net annually on only 80% shop hour efficiency?
Where do I buy stock?

You undoubtedly will go to 120% capacity  work days, pay OT on that 20
percent but not charging the customer, which    allows  year over year 100
percent shop employment,  cutting turnover, training and non productive labor costs by 40%, repair warranty in half, and most importantly, old guys like me won't think of going anywhere else for the typical fifteen grand in aftermarket add ons.

Craig is now working on a radial tire  solution to those miserable bias ply skins. Monte correctly advises me what I should buy to enhance both performance and handling characteristics. And  Drew executes my instructions without fault. I notice the same of Bob, Tim, and many others.

I may not have purchased my Freightliner from you (I got the stink eye on my
trade) but in 14,000 miles, the no- argue profit from my service and accessory  business has gone solely to Sac HD.

Many thanks to my dedicated crew: Craig, Monte, and Ruthless Drew. Believe me, I know a well run service department when I see one.

What was my shop working on? Airplanes! Trust me, you don't know problems until some knothead mechanic leaves six injectors loose on a turbosupercharged 6 cylinder 375 hp geared propeller air cooled motor, one of two installed,  who says, hey Bill, put this in the air for me. Uh huh. 

And you worry about test rides?

Very kind regards,

Bill M

Your #2 client, after Jim, the Native American   

My wife Laura and I met you after we purchased our new 2009 Road Glide last month. I want to take a moment to say thanks to your staff.

We bought the bike from Michael Jensen. This is the second H-D we've bought from Michael in three years. He is great to deal with and offers the best customer service I have ever experienced. I'm involved in the motorcycle industry for my living and visit a lot of stores all across the country. Michael really is a cut above.

George was also really helpful.  He gave some input when I was debating about the bike, and I know I can trust his advice. If Michael is busy when I walk in, George always goes out of his way to see that I am taken care of, and like Michael, he is a pleasure to deal with.

Finally, I had ordered quite a few accessories for the bike and there were some minor errors made at installation. Both Terry and Carl worked really hard to get things corrected quickly and get me out riding again. The bike looks great and is set-up just how I wanted it.

You have a great staff and I hope you will take a moment to thank them all for me.

Sincerely,
Phil Ammendolia

I wanted to tell you that my visit to your shop was fantastic.  I live in Bakersfield, and I was in Sacramento for a nursing conference.  My friend,  a Harley rider, and I came to your shop to take a look.  It was my first encounter with Harley's and the first time I actually sat in the seat of one.  Even though I did not buy there, I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate all the time spent with me, the fact that someone took the time to answer questions, hold the bike up so I could "feel" the weight of the bikes. 
I purchased a used bike from a private party in Bakersfield last night.  I would not have had the courage to move forward, nor would I have had any idea what bike I wanted, if I had not come to see you in your shop. 
Incidentally, I visited the shop here in Bakersfield and did not get the service I got there.  I frequent Sacramento several times a year.  Maybe I'll do my Harley accessory shopping there. 
thanks again for a great experience.
Sue Lewis

"I bought my second Harley (2010 Ultra) from Garrett and he was very knowledgeable and able to answer all my questions. Debi worked with me to meet my trade in price for my Heritage. Rachelle in the finance department got me in and out quickly. Mike the chrome guy really knows his stuff regarding what fits .Lets not forget the very helpful ladies in Motorclothes department. I have not had any contacts with parts or service yet but I expect these will be just as favorable. Thank you guys the whole process was enjoyable. "

By: Michael    Carmichael,CA