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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

“Red” joins the family!

Wednesday April 13, 2011

Well, we did it.  We finally found someone who was willing to take our money.  In the end we had to buy used because of Harley’s protectionism between Canada and the U.S.A. regarding new bikes but we did find a nice one. 

We started on our mission on Sunday morning when we picked our buddy Ken up at home on our way out to Hacienda Harley in Scottsdale and Arrowhead Harley in Peoria. 

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This is Kenny’s home in the trailer park that we stayed in two winters ago.

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Kenny out front. 

He has been fixing up the place with a new paint job as he thinks he might want to sell in the future.  His comment about that was that he didn’t want to spend too much money on the place because “It’s just like putting lipstick on a pig…..At some point you just have to stand back and say …..no matter how much lipstick you put on it……it’s still just a pig!”  Kenny is a funny guy. 

We set off for Scottsdale on the 202 loop and then on to the 101 north which is a pretty quick trip.  We had been out that way earlier in the week but hadn’t seen anything we’d liked except new bikes which turned out to be something we couldn’t buy anyway. 

We had a look at the rental bikes and then Eric hooked up with Bill one of the salesmen.  Bill turned out to be around our age and an old school biker.  Just Eric’s type!  He asked Bill about the Electra Glide Classic but it turned out that it was sold.  Darn, it was just what we were looking for.  At that point Bill took us up to see an Electra Glide Ultra Classic that had just come in. 

 

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That’s Kenny getting a feel for the bike!

Kenny used to ride dirt bikes in the old days.

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How pretty is that!

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Wouldn’t you know it, she was red.  Now Eric really likes any color as long as it is red.  It had taken him a long time to get used to Blue’s color but in the end he really wanted a new bike to be “red.”  The Electra Glide Ultra Classic one model up from the Classic and the only thing it doesn’t have is heated hand grips.  It is a 2009 model with 4500 miles on it so it is a really low mileage bike which is a good thing.  The previous owner had traded it in because the factory warranty was up and it had just come on the floor.  He had added all sorts of extras like Rhineheart exhaust, Stage I kit, billet floor boards and chrome handle bar controls etc. so even though they were asking $20,500. it wasn’t a bad deal.  This was a bit more upscale than we wanted but Eric decided to take a test drive.  First around town and then on the freeway with Bill in the lead.  Eric said he was doing 70mph in 4th gear (it has 6!) and thought he was doing 40mph.  A real smooth ride.  Just like a Cadillac.  So, time to deal on the price. 

 

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Eric and Bill discussing the bike.

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Eric checking the back rest that makes my seat area too tight.  It will have to be removed.  Not because my butt is too big, or, maybe it is!

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Hacienda Harley Davidson, Scottsdale, Arizona.

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Eric and Bill.  Go see him if you are ever in the market for a new Harley. 

Unfortunately at this point Dave (now know as Super Dave) showed up and butted in.  Eric had talked to him a couple of times on the phone about exporting a motorcycle and not having to pay the Arizona state tax.  As he is the Sales manager that is his job.  At this point he decided this should be his sale because he had talked to us on the phone.  We were whisked into his office, told what the price was with all fees in and asked if we wanted to sign the deal.  I was stressed, Eric was mad and we didn’t even have a break down of the costs.  I didn’t like this yappy, full of himself guy and neither did Eric.  I left the office and Bill asked what was up and I told him" Eric doesn’t like this guy!”  Eric came out  and told Bill “ I don’t like your guy Bill.”  Bill had done all the work and Dave was moving right in.  What a Dick! We discussed a fair  offer  with Bill and he went back to present it to Dave.  At this point it was accepted and we went to “Bill’s” office.  I suspect that Bill told Dave there would be no sale if he continued to butt in!  What a pile of horseshit!  So, we left a deposit and decided to come back on Tuesday when Bill was in and finish the deal.  All this stuff is very corporate with visits to each department, bonging the sales drum and pictures with” who else but….Super Dave.”  Not our cup of tea.  So I managed to get a large amount of money on the Visa and the rest was done by debit card as a point of sale.  The Royal Bank will allow up to $5000. on each of our cards each day so we just had to go back a couple of times to get it all paid.  At this point I might mention the round trip to Scottsdale from Apache Junction is 75miles, so not a trip just down the street. 

We went back on Monday to give them money and then again on Tuesday to hook with Bill and finish the details.  We visited each department and I drew a playing card at each one to see what we would win.  In the end I won a $50 gift certificate so that paid for part of the shop manual that Eric wanted.  When we were all done we thanked Bill for all his help.  A really knowledgeable, quiet talking nice man.  It was at this point he also expressed his personal feelings for Super Dave!  I’ll leave that to your imagination.  Let it just be said that if Super Dave had been our salesman we wouldn’t have bought the bike. 

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The proud new owners.  

So, she is insured by ICBC for 20 days, has a 90 day permit and all we need now is the title and to have the shop check out a little surge at idle before we pick her up.  Eric talked to one of the salesman about tying her down in the garage.  Oh, and I really hope there isn’t a “Cat Fight” between the two girls in the back.  Eric says Blue would win because she is leaner and much more experienced.  Are we both starting to sound Looney or what!  At least we aren’t dressing a dog up and pushing it in a stroller! 

We now have to fax a copy of the title to the U.S. border crossing at Oroville Washington 3 business days before we try to leave the States with it.  They will check the title and then when we get there we have to stop at the American side, bring the original title in and they will stamp it.  At this point we proceed to the Canadian Customs to fill out forms to register it federally and pay GST as well.  When we get home we have to take it to Canadian Tire (the approved inspection centre for imported vehicles) and they sign off and send the forms back to federal government.  They will put a kilometer decal on the Speedo and then we are ready to complete the B.C. licensing, get insurance, a plate  and …..pay more tax!  By this time it should be raining so hard in Terrace we won’t want to ride.  However, it is much more suitable for our cooler, rainy weather.  Phew….that was long winded.  But, just think if you want to import a motorcycle from the States…..now you know how!  Grateful, I’ll bet. 

We expect to have some really comfortable riding in Mexico next winter.  Except for dragging her over topes (speed bumps) as we travel. 

P.S.  Blue will require some repairs when we get home and Eric hasn’t decided whether he wants to keep her as well.  Time will tell.  He can if he wants. 

We will likely hang around till Sunday so Eric can ride her a little before he has ride her into the trailer.  A scary thought!   Also, if anything needs to be looked at by the dealership that can be done as well.

1 comment:

  1. For our motorhome we also needed a document stating there were no outstanding recalls on the vehicle. Ford has them available on the Internet, HD may as well.

    Make sure you get the actual title and not a copy. It was a huge hassle for us as the USA finance company was owed more than we paid for the MH and wanted to hold onto the title until someone gave them more money. The dealer's lawyer handled it for us after "assuring" us all we needed was a copy.

    We sent copies of all these documents, including insurance, to the border.

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