04-11-2014, 01:21 PM
I dropped by my local dealer today (not the one across town that I visited last week). They had a '13 on the floor with a big "sold" sign and a '14 black standard next to it. Got to talking with the sales guy (who noticed that I'd pulled up on my '13) and he said that was their last '13. They sold two of them in the last week. Apparently, Honda was offering a rebate on the leftovers ($300 for the standard, $600 for the ABS).
I told the guy I was really interested in seeing a DLX. He told me, "Those aren't out yet". I pointed out that I knew of several that had already been delivered around the country. He was baffled and disappeared back into the office. When he came back, he was stumped. Apparently, the computer told him he wouldn't be getting a DLX anytime in the near future (they got 3 of the standard models). The confusing part was because they are a high volume, Honda only dealer that usually gets the new models first. The guy was even more confused when I told him I'd been to one of his competitors last weekend and they'd sold their first DLX after it had been on the floor for a few hours.
What's the upshot from all of this? I am thoroughly convinced that the way manufacturers supply motorcycles to dealers is a completely random process with very little resemblance to any other commercial supply line I've experienced. You should know weeks ahead of time, what you're getting, when you're getting it and be able to track it with a few keystrokes. Whatever system the local Honda dealers use appears to be based on reading the bill of lading after the truck arrives.
I told the guy I was really interested in seeing a DLX. He told me, "Those aren't out yet". I pointed out that I knew of several that had already been delivered around the country. He was baffled and disappeared back into the office. When he came back, he was stumped. Apparently, the computer told him he wouldn't be getting a DLX anytime in the near future (they got 3 of the standard models). The confusing part was because they are a high volume, Honda only dealer that usually gets the new models first. The guy was even more confused when I told him I'd been to one of his competitors last weekend and they'd sold their first DLX after it had been on the floor for a few hours.
What's the upshot from all of this? I am thoroughly convinced that the way manufacturers supply motorcycles to dealers is a completely random process with very little resemblance to any other commercial supply line I've experienced. You should know weeks ahead of time, what you're getting, when you're getting it and be able to track it with a few keystrokes. Whatever system the local Honda dealers use appears to be based on reading the bill of lading after the truck arrives.