Having been a certified technician for one of the major Japanese manufacturers, I know the huge markup on parts as it is. And I have heard all the business aspects for markups: suppliers, distributors, storage, maintenance, shippers, etc., etc. And yet these companies aren't broke. They continually make profits to keep investors happy and further their businesses with R&D and equipment technology. And how is all this possible? The CUSTOMER/CONSUMER.
Why did these companies get into the motorcycle business anyway? Because one manufacturer wasn't enough to supply the demand for the experience of motorcycling. The customers made the business what it is. Not the manufacturers.
And here is the major problem for Harley Davidson. You look back in the past and see the customer that made the brand. Harley abandoned those people in the late 70's and it has become a brand of yuppies and overpaid union workers and executives. Once one of the cheapest brands on the market now the most expensive. And who is buying Harleys? Bad Boy wanna be's. Go look at the price of a Harley manual.
The simple fact of the matter is that the manufacturers see everything they sell with their name on it as an opportunity to reap profit instead of rewarding brand loyalty or even a first time purchaser. It's a joke. And eventually paying all these non-productive investors is going to bury these companies. As global prices continue to rise and global wealth becomes more centralized and controlled, people who work hard and enjoy the recreational feeling of motorcycling will be excluded from new purchases and will be buying more used equipment. Assuming new models continue to appear. This is why the recent efforts have been made by manufacturers to scrape every ten-thousandth of a penny from everything that has their name on it. Greed has finished it's job and now economic fate is knocking on their doors.
Point number two: Part markups are one thing. Profit from service appointments is another. It's hard to put a number on labor and knowledge. And that's what EXCELLENT technicians bring to service departments. Now go and look at the numbers of service techs who are abandoning those jobs because the dealerships just won't pay good wages. The reason is that service departments carry a dealership. Slow sales in units, parts and accessories can all be offset by an active service department.
So now let's look at this forum. Look at the number of people that come here looking for help because the dealership is:
- Too expensive.
- Too incompetent
- Too long of a wait
If I buy a manual or have access to accurate manufacturer information, why should the company care? Greed.
Why not make it a law that the information be made available as part of the sale or to include a complete service manual as part of the original equipment? For them it's a win/win. But they want to be the only ones eating the cake.
And finally, how many people have the TOOLS to do the actual service work in manual. Not many. And then figure the fact of special tools to complete certain work. Have you priced special tools lately? Especially diagnostic tools? The cost of them alone should bring the cost of a service manual to under $15 USD
Approximately one year ago I went to a dealership in response to a job listing for experienced techs. Part of their requirements for a technician to receive top pay ($23/hr) was for the technician to purchase special tools and if needed to allow beginner mechanics to utilize (abuse) them. I ended that interview within five minutes of that ridiculous demand.
The simple fact is that service manuals and the information in them should be much cheaper and in reality should be made available for free access for those who own equipment and choose to DIY. There is more money to be made from parts, consumables, service work and the like than to use a 250 page paperback book for profit because it has your name on it.
