HawgBlog

Meet the new owner of our first Screaming Eagle Softail Convertible.  Tom Sugden and his wife, Julie, came into D&S this week and — after sitting on this new bike, with its low profile, custom paintjob, and detatchable bags and mini-fairing — well, they just refused to get off!

They love their old bike, Tom explained.  It’s served them well — except when it gets a little temperamental about starting, and Julie has to push it while Tom is sitting on it.  And Julie is really small — strong, but small.

So, they decided to kick off the riding season with a new ride. Let’s hear it for bikes that you love, and that love you back. Congratulations Tom & Julie!

As we glide into 2010, a lot of people are wondering what they can do to help the world be a better place.

Well, our friend Keith Green of Medford found his own solution.

He says he decided to do his part to help the local economy by buying a new Harley-Davidson.  Not just any Harley-Davidson, mind you, but a brand new Black & Black Ice FLHTK Ultra Classic Limited.  He’s got some long-distance plans for the bike once the weather warms up, and he’s got a buddy who has his eye on the next FLHTK coming in.

Thanks Keith, from D&S, for letting us help you achieve your New Year’s Resolution.  Ride on!

Here are a few photos from our “Fill The Semi” day.

Thanks to our customers who showed up in their holiday chair.

Thanks to the band “Port Sound,” who rocked the showroom.

Thanks to the Marines who showed up in full dress and greeted people all day long.

Thanks to the staff, who served up chili all day and created a pretty good party.

Thanks to Toys For Tots for letting us be Santa Central for a few weeks.

Thanks to all of our customers who showed up with armfuls of toys and games.

And thanks to the businesses across the valley who collected toys and delivered them Saturday.

We had a great time — for a great cause!

How many people have gotten one of those little “Harley Fund” banks for Christmas?  And how many people have actually saved up enough money to buy a motorcycle?

We know of at least one.

Donna Ivy came into D&S yesterday and said she had been saving up for her very own motorcycle.  She tried a few different models, and then sat on the touring seat of a cobalt & silver Sportster 1200 Custom, sitting right in front of the Service counter.

“This is it,” she said. “My bike.”

Tonight she came in with the little “Harley Fund” bank her kids had gotten her a few years ago.  She took off the top, turned it upside down, and bought the bike of her dreams.  How cool is that?

Janette Pawliske used to live in Harley-Davidson’s hometown — Milwaukee, Wisc. — and sold her first Road Glide before she moved to Southern Oregon this fall.

She had decided to be content with her FXR2.  Until she saw the beautiful, long roads in our region.  And until she walked in our showroom and saw a new 2009 Road Glide, screaming orange, with an itch to get out there on those roads.

All her Genuine Parts & Accessories were installed and ready to go on black Friday, which lived up to its name with dark, cold, windy skies.  Her husband, Tim (who rides a black Street Glide) shrugged his shoulders.  “Hey, it’s not Milwaukee,” he said.  As long as they didn’t have to shovel snow to get out of the parking lot, they were good to go.

So, off they went!

There comes a time in almost every girl’s life, when a Sportster just isn’t enough.

It’s hard to say why.  Most Sportsters have plenty of zip, and good character, and certainly get you from A to Z on time.  You love your Sportster and think you may ride it forever.  But one day you’re walking through the dealership and there it is — the next bike.  A bigger bike.  A better bike.

In Marsha Carrino’s case, it was a 2008 FXDL Low Rider.  Basic black, of course.  With cast wheels, security system — and Screaming Eagle pipes on the way.  (She wants it to be loud, but not too loud.  You hate to wake the neighbors when you’re roaring home from a night out with the girls.)

Congrats Marsha — from D&S, and the Wild Rogue girls of Women In The Wind Wild.  Now, let’s put some miles on….

We just got this nice note from Ty Newcombe, our 2009 Bikers Have Heart Kid!  Ty is legally blind, and his family was trying to raise enough money to send him to China for some experimental stem cell treatments.

Our annual Bikers Have Heart fundraiser raised almost $9,000 and Ty and his mom made the trip, then came home to wait and see whether the treatments would help. When Ty came in to visit us the other day, he was able to read the license plates on the back of the bikes!

We’re so happy for him and his family, and wanted to share his “thanks” with all of you.

Find the D&S staffers in this photo!

There’s Evel Knievel, a bunny, a cougar, and a pumpkin impersonating our Parts Manager…

This is a photo of Winfield Gaylord — as far as we know, the first owner of a motorcycle shop in Medford.  Gaylord opened his shop in 1917, and worked on Harley-Davidsons.  There’s more to this story, and we’ll share it as we know it, but we couldn’t resist sharing this photo.  (Thanks to Medford historian Ben Truwe for passing it on.)

One of my “dog park buddies,” Deb Groskreutz, started coming into D&S a couple of months ago.  She had passed the Team Oregon course and decided she wanted a Harley.  She came in every couple of days and sat on almost every bike in the building — two, three, four times.  One day she liked the FatBob.  The next she liked the Softail Deluxe.

She said she felt a little silly that it was taking her so long to decide, but I told her about a survey Harley-Davidson did a while back that asked new riders how many times they had visited a dealership before buying a bike.  The answer was “20.”

“Great,” she said. “I’m only on number eight.”

By the 15th visit, Deb had narrowed her choice down to a Dyna Street Bob, and on her 17th visit, we had just the right bike show up: a 2006 model in black denim, with great pipes and super low miles.  Today, she rode off one happy, happy Harley girl, after visit number 19.  But who’s counting?