One of the unique characteristics of Harley-Davidson motorcycles is that no two seem to look the same. While the Harley models come out of the crates and are identical except for colour, once the bike’s new owners get into the customising job the changes can be astounding!
The incredible range of Accessories available from H-D Motor Company fill an 800-page catalogue!
After 32 years selling Harleys, Road and Sport know the Accessories game backwards, forwards, and top to bottom. Whatever a customer’s vision for his or her motorcycle is, Parts and Accessories (P&A) manager Blair and the team can find the right items to make it real.
And the variety of ideas, dreams, plans and hopes that the P&A team encounters is as wide and endless as the sky, dealership owner Barry Sproule says. “Some customers want all black, some want all matt-black, some want all chrome. Some people ride to tour long distances so we add extra luggage capacity in saddlebags, top boxes, luggage racks, and also touring windscreens. Did we mention the new touring seat that warms you up in the cooler months and cools you down in the hotter summer months?”
Of course, for some riders a stripped back, minimalist look is what they envision and the team can make those Harley dreams come true. “Lower suspension, higher suspension, very beautiful factory custom items in matched collections to fulfill a consistent form and look from end to end… black or chrome, we’ve done it all and we can keep doing it.”
Blair and his team are also experts in many of the after-market accessory brands which orbit around the Harley-Davidson industry. “Vance & Hines, S&S, Hammerdown or World Class Fabrications NZ-made handlebars, all of these – and other brands too – make exceptional quality products, so if customers want these, we’ll supply them happily,” Blair says. The business has a tremendous turnover in genuine service parts – from filters, oils, tyres, gaskets and seals to batteries and thousands of other parts are always available over the counter or on courier delivery.
Best of all, according to the P&A team and Barry, are performance engine builds. “Customers have different needs or desires for their bike’s performance. All the horsepower at the top of the rev-range, or tons of torque in the mid-range, or just a little more of both to get past the semi-trailers quicker… it doesn’t matter what, we can do it precisely.”
The dealership has an in-house Dynamometer, and many years of saved horsepower and torque charts and printouts from many hundreds of engine builds. From the team’s experience and knowledge, the correct items are selected to fulfill any customer’s needs.
It’s also an ever-evolving field; Harley’s Screamin’ Eagle Performance division is endlessly releasing new parts, and these are tried on the store’s shop-custom builds so that – again – accurate information is obtained and customers can rely on the advice that Road and Sport give them.
All the P&A staff are required to complete comprehensive training from Harley-Davidson University too, right up to master level. Blair says that this ensures that everyone is up to speed immediately with new products, such as the most recently released Revolution Max all-new engine, the Pan America Adventure Tourer, the Sportster S, electric LiveWire, and the very new release of the Nightster.
As with everything at Road and Sport, it’s enthusiasm which drives the P&A department, and passion for the Harley brand. All the store’s departments and staff share in, and are proud of, the dealership’s three Australasian Dealer of the Year awards. And they want more!
