News from Oakland Harley-Davidson

You may have heard people say that there’s nothing like being on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Now, you can find out for yourself – even if you have no previous experience with motorcycles.

For those of you riders who split lanes in California traffic, check out a couple of these recently published Lane Splitting Safety Tips:

There's big news for touring riders this year. And by big, we're talking about the displacement of the 114-cubic-inch Milwaukee Eight engine that comes in the Ultra Limited, Ultra Limited Low, Road Glide Ultra, Road Glide Special, Street Glide Special and Road King Special models this year. It gives you up to 123 ft. lbs. of peak torque, depending on the model.

A Stage I upgrade is ideal for riders that want to enhance the performance, look and sound of their motorcycle. Match any Screamin' Eagle high-flow air cleaner and exhaust, along with the proper ECM calibration to increase the air flow into and out of the engine. The rider will feel up to a 10%* increase in performance over stock throughout the entire RPM range. 

Old School Meets New School

Down payments are important. Maybe one of the most important parts of buying a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. We get the question all the time, “how much do I need to put down?”

Well that comes down to what your goals are.

If you are trying to keep your payment small...

Hold onto your hats this should go pretty quick! We get this question a lot here. “When you submit a credit app is it a hard or a soft inquiry?” The short answer is yes. Now that you mention it the long answer is also yes.

Let’s talk real quick about why it is a hard inquiry and why it happens when you are trying to buy a Harley-Davidson. A hard inquiry or hard pull happens when a bank or lending institution, with your permission, pulls your credit to establish the risk (Financing a Luxury vs a Necessity) in giving you a loan. You see that your permission is underlined there? That’s because you should know every time a hard pull happens. You should expect it and plan on it.

What will my monthly payment be? This is one of the more interesting question we get on almost a daily basis. The Harley-Davidson Motor Company has a payment calculator on their website and a lot of people will use it to try and get an idea of what their payments might be. On the surface this seems like a great idea, right? I know that if I was purchasing something I would want to know what it might cost me, especially if I am just starting out and not ready to run my credit yet. Here’s the thing. H-D has to make this calculator work the best they can for all 50 states. Not all states have sales tax (which in the state of California at the time of this writing was 7.25%). Not all cities and counties tack on their own sales tax (ahem. 10% in San Leandro). Not all states have License fees. And the interest rate they start you at is one of the best that is available. For more on that check out (Financing a Luxury vs a Necessity). 

When you go to the doctor do you want to go to one that does it “ok” and works part time, or do you want to go to the best one you can find? How about your mechanic?  Your dentist? What about your gardener?  Then why wouldn’t you want a well-trained finance expert helping with your Harley-Davidson motorcycle purchase? 

Privacy

We are going to be dealing with your personal information, Social Security Number, date of birth, phone numbers.  If it were me I would want a professional not a newbie handling that information. 

All of our financial products (Extended Service Plan, Pre-Paid Maintenance, GAP, Tire and Wheel Protection, Theft Protection, and Appearance Protection) are designed to help protect you financially and save you any stress from what is called variable payments.