A "thank you" long overdue"!
(Work order 022091 April 23, 2005)
I can't say enough good things about this dealership and their staff. Ten years ago, Friday, April 22, 2005 about 5 pm I was broke down on the side of I-90 west to Erie having just come through a toll booth. It was cold, dark and sleet was in the air. The bike quit in the toll booth and I had to push it to the side of the road to get out of the way of rush hour traffic exiting Buffalo and the surrounding area. Fortunately I had a cell phone and 2 patient buddies with me. The bike would not start and there was a noticeable "knock " in the engine that became apparent at the border crossing. In all, things didn't look and sound good. Calls to local Buffalo Harley dealers proved fruitless as they were closing but someone mentioned Gowanda Harley-Davidson as a dealer close by. I called them and explained my predicament.Fortunately they had extended hours. I knew I needed a battery. The "knock' I was not sure of but knew it was not good. After some time the service person (Tony I believe)said he had one battery in stock. It was ordered in for a gal but he thought she could wait. I mounted the back of my friends Harley and we made the 30 minute drive to the Gowanda dealership to pick up the new battery. We returned to the toll booth on I-90 and proceeded to install the battery in the freezing cold with the use of a flashlight. This got my bike rolling but the knock was still very apparent. Fortunately for me the dealership was still open. I called them and booked it in for 8 am Saturday morning next day. We got a room for the night at the next interchange on I-90. Bright and early next morning we limped my bike to the dealership. Everything electrical checked out but the engine knock persisted. I asked the mechanic to "pop" the heads and have a look. Unfortunately the rear piston had a hole in it the size of a pea. Not good to say the least! The next issue was parts. I had converted the original 883 to a 1200 cc engine size. No Harley dealer in the surrounding area including Buffalo,and the Toronto and Hamilton areas had a 1200 kit. It would take a week to get parts. We were bound for Florida and only had the week to do the trip. After many calls the service manager mentioned he had the parts left over from another 1200 conversion. It was the original 883 stock parts so the decision was to install the 883 parts in my bike to get me up and running. By this time it was 12 noon and the dealership understandably closed by 3pm. Tony lent we 3 Canadian boys the service truck to go search out a local diner for a meal. Little did I know that the diner he directed us to had a certain lady working there that was his partner in life. They served us a more than hearty meal and at the end of it said "no charge"… on the house! We found out what the total bill was for the 3 dinners and left it as a tip. Being Canadian we sourced the local Tim Horton's in the next community thinking we had lots of time. We were enjoying our "caffeine fix" when the dealership called and said the bike was repaired and ready to go. Having lost track of time, we arrived back at the dealership (late I might add) to pay the bill and be on our way. No one complained about our tardiness. They only charged me $100.00 for the parts plus labor. As I said, "I can not say enough good things about you guys"! You fixed my bike on the cheap, accommodated me on short notice, fed us for free, lent us the service vehicle, sourced parts that were meant for other people, and tolerated my tardiness. You guys/gals are tops in my books. Thanks aye! (even though long overdue) Rick Plantt
Rick, Hanover ONTARIO
THANKS VERY MUCH!!!
Ordered my first Harley during winter of 1987, back then I dealt with John, went to Gowanda Harley even though closer dealers to home, was because I always got the same deal(which was not true elsewhere)Picked up spring of 1988 and what a ride it has been. Purchased my sixth Harley Aug. 2014, after 27 years the faces have changed but the business model hasn't.Commendable friendships were formed, you were not a customer you were a friendly face to all. Over the years I was more then taken care of by everyone at the dealership,and I'll tell you I had some experiences that if it wasn't for John, Tony, BOB, Marty, Paula etc.i wouldn't be a customer for life. Hats off to the Best Harley Dealer around. THANKS VERY MUCH!!!
John S.
John, Buffalo NY
Best dealership in WNY
Best dealership in WNY. Very helpful, they take care of you, answer all your questions. My 1972 FX was no mystery to them. That's why I shop no other dealership
Thanks Marty for all your help.
Joseph, Arcade NY
You won't be disappointed
Gowanda Harley best Dealer ever I am 63 and have bought motorcycle all over the United States. There is no place that even compares to this Dealer thy are so nice and fare they go out of there way to make you feel at home . I can't say enough good things about them I live one hundred and three miles away and I want, just to go for a ride every chance an look an visit. This is our fourth Harley from them. Go there and see you won't be disappointed.
Danny, Lewiston NY
I'm sure I won't be disappointed!!
Hi Marty! I meant to send you a message after riding the bike over the weekend. Oh My Lord!!! The Motor Company has not been asleep for the last 18 years! I remember being amazed at how much better my '98 was compared to my '91, but this is ridiculous!!!
The first thing I noticed was the transmission. It shifts really smooth and quietly, and I love the new ratios. The sixth gear makes a huge difference, although more gears make the torque of the big twin less noticeable…
The second thing that hit me was the suspension. It's smooth as silk! I don't know what the stock suspension is like, and at this point I don't care! A lot of my saddle time is spent off road, so I'm a little sensitive to suspension, and this setup works really well.
Holy Shit this thing stops fast! I can feel the braking system adding more rear brake than I would, but I'm sure they have it figured out and do a better job than I possibly can by feel. I was really impressed.
The engine makes HUGE power compared to my old EVO. That's really not a surprise, but actually feeling it was awesome! I purposely have not ridden a new bike, in fact, I haven't ridden anything other than my own bikes for years, so this was a nice surprise. Its really fun to ride!!
There are a bunch of tight, twisty turns just North of my house, and I'm used to taking them slow to avoid dragging the frame on my old dresser. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lean angle on this new bike is substantially improved over the '98!! I hung off the side and flew through them like I was riding my Buell, and it never scraped once! Nice!!
Overall, I can say that every single aspect of this new motorcycle has improved over my last one. I Love It!! I can't wait for the roads to clean up so I can take it for a proper ride and get to know it better. The local range has been repainted, so I'm looking forward to taking it down and running it through its paces to see how it really handles in the tight stuff. Based on my first 25 miles, I'm sure I won't be disappointed!!
Mike, Oakland MI
A+++++
A friend suggested I go to Gowanda HD as I was looking to trade my HD for a new one. It's about 1 1/2 hrs away from where I live and had to pass about 4 dealerships, but I thought why not. My friend told me to speak with Eric. I did stop at the other dealerships on my way to get a good perspective on my trade and what the others had to offer. Boy am I extremely happy I listened to my friend and stopped in at Gowanda. I couldn't be happier with my experience with Gowanda HD and Eric. The whole process was smooth and enjoyable. They really do treat you great. Eric listened to what I was looking for in my new bike, accessories and parts and he delivered. A+++++. Thanks a lot for everything. I look forward to a long relationship with Gowanda HD.
Mike
The service department was extremely helpful
The service department is awesome!! I called the service department because I was nervous about purchasing my 1st Harley from craigslist after totaling out my Sport Bike. The service department was extremely helpful, after giving them the vin# they advised me that the vehicle was in fact serviced there & they had a ton of service history on the bike. they even inquired if I had checked their used inventory. Even though I did not purchase my Harley from Gowanda Harley, thanks to the service department I will make the 50 plus mile trip to Gowanda to continue to have the bike serviced there.
Thanks again
Anonymous
Thank you all for a great buying experience
The weekend of your Hollywood Happening party my wife and I went to buy a used bike. I can't express how happy we are with Bob Tiller and everyone at Gowanda Harley. Even with a big dealership event going on we were there may be 2 hours and everything was done both paperwork and bike prep wise and my new to me Night Train was on her way home. Thank you all for a great buying experience.
Brandon, Lockport NY
THANK YOU to all involved
On Aug 12 our group was coming home from Virginia, we were headed to your dealership because of the good experience we had had last fall when we stopped in. My left exhaust pipe had broken so I inquired if anything could be done to help get me home. Your service department came to my assistance and got my bike in and welded the pipe back together. I would like to say a great big THANK YOU to all involved.
Ken, Sarnia ONTARIO
Ride on Gowanda…
Have dealt with GHD since 1970 when I first went on the "66" WSPD Police Harley, over the years it went from the 66 Harley to the 75 Harley and then the 83 Police Harley. I purchased my 75 Sportster and then my 76 Liberty Edition Super Glide from them and had all the Harleys serviced by them and have always been more than satisfied. When I first started going there in 1970 it was a little shack behind their home with a pot bellied wood burning stove for heat in the showroom and repair shop. In 75 I had a bad accident in front of the Shop and lost control of the 66 Police Harley and was thrown off and slid for over 280 feet. John Sr. and his wife came to my home in West Seneca several times to see how I was doing as I didn't break anything but did lose a lot of skin on various parts of my body. When I did recoup I went out to GHD and picked up the new "75" Police Harley. I can't say enough for the whole Reed Family as I have always been treated like Family and I have the highest respect for them. I hope their shop remains open for many years as they have the best personnel and respect for their customers. I now own a 2008 Dyna Glide which I bought new and now has 24,000 miles and they have serviced it for the last 8000 miles since I moved back up here from S. Carolina. GHD is the only shop I will let work on it since I bought it from Greenville HD in 2008. Gowanda Harley-Davidson is the best and I'm 76 years old and still riding and have dealt with a few other HD Dealerships which can't compare with Gowanda Harley Davidson. Ride on Gowanda… Joe
Joe, Orchard Park NY
Overall wonderful experience
I dropped in to get a price on parts, then continued to browse the store. Had the pleasure of meeting Liz as she offered to give me a tour of the building and tell me of the history of the dealership and family. Overall wonderful experience. Thanks Liz!!
Rich, Niagara Falls ONTARIO
Excellent staff!
They take their time to explain everything and are super friendly. I would recommend Gowanda to anyone.