Steve April 28, 2009 10:17 AM
When you first walk into Bayside Harley Davidson, you might be impressed by all the glitz and bling, but don't be. I say that because the owner of Bayside has to pay for all that overhead as well as the two additional stores he owns in the area. And that overhead cost is passed on to you. Don't expect any deals or discussion on price at Bayside, it rarely happens. They call themselves an “MSRP dealership.” They think that is the “politically correct” way to say, I’m going to stick it to you and your wallet. They definitely put the "high dollar" in HD. The sales staff is courteous and professional, but they have no authority at all in the price of the bike other than to write up a quote or a purchase order based on what the sales manager or owner says. They just tell you about a bike and tell you how much it stickers for along with all the added on cost of buying any high dollar item these days. I bought a Sportster nearly two years ago and happened to get a deal because a friend of mine knows the owner. But even with that going for me, I had to do battle with the sales staff. I just recently went back to Bayside to purchase a bigger bike. I had cash in hand. I did not ask my friend to ask the owner for a favor this time. I thought that would be bad form. I honestly thought to myself that since I had bought a bike there before; spent literally thousands at Bayside on products and services, that they'd work with me on a fair price, right? WRONG!!! They were all about getting every dime they could squeeze out of me on both the new bike and my trade. So what did I do? I went to Hampton Roads Harley Davidson in Yorktown, Virginia and got a great deal on the bike that I wanted. I worked with professional staff and did not get yanked around. I found that there you deal with everyday people who look like everyday people. They don't wear uniforms like the Bayside folks do and they want to sell you a bike for a decent price. The hourly labor charge for service is excellent too. So do yourself a favor before you decide to but a bike from Bayside or one of their sister stores, go see Hampton Roads HD in Yorktown.