Ok gang, I need your help. I am looking for anyone and everyone who has done business with McDermott's Harley-Davidson over the last 30 years - from buying a t-shirt to buying a bike to service needs. So much has changed over the last thirty years....
From the old shop to the new present day shop, I am inviting you all to; email me, call me, stop in and see me or write me an old fashioned letter and tell me what you think we are doing or have done right AND wrong!!!!!!
I am looking for as much input from you as you are willing to give.
My goal…
To gain a better understanding of what makes all of you happy so that we can continue to improve on that AND what we do wrong, so that we can learn and be certain that the "bad stuff" doesn't continue.
After buying a new motorcycle, you receive a customer survey that asks for your feedback on everything from the store itself to the staff to the appearance of your bike. The Motor Company also extends an ownership survey after 18 months of owning your bike so that you can comment further on the entire dealership. These are great tools for us to see what we are doing right and where we need to focus more attention. The surveys are important to us, but they don't encompass all of our customers. Our new bike owners are important - no doubt about it, but at the same time, I would love to have feedback from all of you.
For those of you who know me, you know how much I love these bikes and how we, as Harley-Davidson owners, riders, dreamers feel about this brand and being a part of the unique family of Harley-Davidson. I plan on being that 70 year old lady with my arm flab flappin' in the breeze pulling into the parking lot at McDermott's on my Road Glide (with ape hangers - which works really well with the arm flab) so that I can continue to be a part of fulfilling lifelong dreams for some and for others it's my goal to have the biggest extended family that anyone could ever imagine. If you haven't heard it recently, thank you for being a part of our family. Thank all of you for allowing myself and the rest of the gang to share in some pretty awesome memories and hopefully many, many more memories to come.
So, there it is... We need feedback. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (I know you wish I would stop referencing my arm flab)..... Seriously, let me have it......
Thanks again,
Alise
alise@mcdermottshd.com
518-746-9303
Alise McDermott
4294 State Route 4
Fort Ann, NY 12827
Friday, January 15, 2010
Saturday, November 7, 2009
POWER - yeah baby!
This week let’s talk about something most Harley riders want more of POWER. The Harley air cooled engine is a long stroke engine, stroke being the distance the piston travels in the cylinder.
All 2007 and newer Big Twins have a 4 3/8” stroke; all evolution Sportsters have a 3.81” stroke. This stroke length results in a motor that does not spin as fast as, let’s say a short stroke motor you will find in most foreign brands. The benefit to a long stroke motor is they usually produce much more torque but less horsepower than a faster revving engine. Harley engine set the bench mark when it comes to producing torque which is the twisting motion that actually moves you down the road. There are many ways to achieve an increase in usable power whether it is just a little more or a whole lot more.
Letting an engine breathe as much as possible is the easiest way. Think of your motor as an air pump which is exactly what it is. The more air you can get through it the more fuel you can add and the more power you can make. While fuel mileage will drop ever so slightly the old adage that power costs money, how fast do you want to go will apply. For most a free breathing intake and exhaust with a little more fuel is enough. You will notice quicker starting, quicker warm-ups and a crisper feel to the throttle response. Tuning a bike with fuel injection is a little more expensive than carbureted bikes but it can be done much more precisely. This set up is commonly called a Stage One upgrade.
There is another old saying that there is no substitute for cubic inches and I have believed that my entire life until this summer when I twisted the wick on a turbo VRod - Thanks Dale!
Simply amazing is an understatement, turbochargers are a rip. A simpler and less costly alternative is to increase the displacement of the engine. Harley has various Stage Two kits available. Some come with larger cylinders and pistons and just about everything you need to turn your 88 or 96 inch twin cam into a 95 or 103 inch with more torque and horsepower. The next kit comes with everything the big bore Stage Two kit has, and performance camshafts for more power. Stage Three kits come with more powerful camshafts and higher compression pistons, Stage Four kits come with high flow cylinder heads to make even more power. The combination of parts both from Harley and the aftermarket are huge but buyers beware on power claims. The best combinations of parts to produce more power come from manufacturers that have the research and development facilities and Dynos to develop these combinations.
Stop in and let’s do some bench racing and see if we can get you to the power level you will be satisfied with.
Thanks, Tom and the Gang.
All 2007 and newer Big Twins have a 4 3/8” stroke; all evolution Sportsters have a 3.81” stroke. This stroke length results in a motor that does not spin as fast as, let’s say a short stroke motor you will find in most foreign brands. The benefit to a long stroke motor is they usually produce much more torque but less horsepower than a faster revving engine. Harley engine set the bench mark when it comes to producing torque which is the twisting motion that actually moves you down the road. There are many ways to achieve an increase in usable power whether it is just a little more or a whole lot more.
Letting an engine breathe as much as possible is the easiest way. Think of your motor as an air pump which is exactly what it is. The more air you can get through it the more fuel you can add and the more power you can make. While fuel mileage will drop ever so slightly the old adage that power costs money, how fast do you want to go will apply. For most a free breathing intake and exhaust with a little more fuel is enough. You will notice quicker starting, quicker warm-ups and a crisper feel to the throttle response. Tuning a bike with fuel injection is a little more expensive than carbureted bikes but it can be done much more precisely. This set up is commonly called a Stage One upgrade.
There is another old saying that there is no substitute for cubic inches and I have believed that my entire life until this summer when I twisted the wick on a turbo VRod - Thanks Dale!
Simply amazing is an understatement, turbochargers are a rip. A simpler and less costly alternative is to increase the displacement of the engine. Harley has various Stage Two kits available. Some come with larger cylinders and pistons and just about everything you need to turn your 88 or 96 inch twin cam into a 95 or 103 inch with more torque and horsepower. The next kit comes with everything the big bore Stage Two kit has, and performance camshafts for more power. Stage Three kits come with more powerful camshafts and higher compression pistons, Stage Four kits come with high flow cylinder heads to make even more power. The combination of parts both from Harley and the aftermarket are huge but buyers beware on power claims. The best combinations of parts to produce more power come from manufacturers that have the research and development facilities and Dynos to develop these combinations.
Stop in and let’s do some bench racing and see if we can get you to the power level you will be satisfied with.
Thanks, Tom and the Gang.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Storage 101 by Tim Allen
It seems an appropriate time to discuss motorcycle storage. Today’s gasoline contains 10% alcohol which is supposed to decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil. It may have accomplished that purpose but it certainly has created many other problems. Phase separation being the worst. Gasoline can hold .5% water in suspension. If the percent concentration increases water will drop out of the gas and the water and ethanol mix will settle in the bottom of the tank. Ethanol will increase the octane of gas and we all know Harley Davidson motorcycles require premium octane fuel. With the ethanol sitting in the bottom of the tank with the water you have a fuel that is below the recommended octane for your bike. If you are unfortunate enough to get that mixture of water and ethanol in the fuel system the bike will run very rough if at all. Fuel additives are available to stop phase separation from happening. Stabilizers work to keep oxygen from evaporating the fuel leaving a varnish like substance that plugs the entire fuel system. Uses an additive that is made for both of these problems and make sure your fuel tank is full and gas valve is off if you have one.
Your factory owners’ manual recommends you change your motor oil prior to storage. The reason for this; while the filter will remove particulate down to 5 microns in size nothing will remove the acids accumulated in the motor oil from the combustion process. The longer the oil has been in the motor the more chemicals it will accumulate. Motor parts are made mostly from steel which can be etched form acidic oil. Every time I hear someone that found an old bike in storage I ask them how it was stored, particularly the fluids. More than once I have seen old motors require rebuilding just because the bearing surfaces broke up due to etching. Changing your motor oil frequently is just good common sense.
If you are storing your bike in unheated areas such as your garage or a shed make sure you cover it with a cover that will breathe. Condensation will accumulate from temperature variations and will allow moisture to form on the bike. Cotton covers will allow it to dry to prevent surface damage. Polyester or waterproof covers are meant for very short term storage only.
Batteries need t.l.c. while in storage. We recommend installing a battery tender so you do not have to remove the battery from the vehicle. This is especially important if the bike has security which will run a battery down even faster. Battery tenders are a device that will charge the battery to just above max voltage and stop charging it to monitor the voltage. When the battery voltage drops to a certain level the charger automatically turns on and the cycle begins again. A battery that has a voltage reading of 12.9 volts is 100% charged. A reading of 11.5 volts the battery is 100% discharged. 1.5 volts is the range you have to work with. If you are doing this with a trickle charger get a reliable volt meter to test it with and follow the manufacturers recommended charging times. A battery kept at 70 degrees F. will degrade faster than one kept at 32 degrees F. If a battery will be kept in the cold it will have to be charged or else it will freeze. End of battery.
Follow your owners’ manual recommendations for proper storage and in the spring you will be ready to ride. We have all your storage needs in stock.
Thanks,
The Gang at McDermott’s HarleyDavidson
Your factory owners’ manual recommends you change your motor oil prior to storage. The reason for this; while the filter will remove particulate down to 5 microns in size nothing will remove the acids accumulated in the motor oil from the combustion process. The longer the oil has been in the motor the more chemicals it will accumulate. Motor parts are made mostly from steel which can be etched form acidic oil. Every time I hear someone that found an old bike in storage I ask them how it was stored, particularly the fluids. More than once I have seen old motors require rebuilding just because the bearing surfaces broke up due to etching. Changing your motor oil frequently is just good common sense.
If you are storing your bike in unheated areas such as your garage or a shed make sure you cover it with a cover that will breathe. Condensation will accumulate from temperature variations and will allow moisture to form on the bike. Cotton covers will allow it to dry to prevent surface damage. Polyester or waterproof covers are meant for very short term storage only.
Batteries need t.l.c. while in storage. We recommend installing a battery tender so you do not have to remove the battery from the vehicle. This is especially important if the bike has security which will run a battery down even faster. Battery tenders are a device that will charge the battery to just above max voltage and stop charging it to monitor the voltage. When the battery voltage drops to a certain level the charger automatically turns on and the cycle begins again. A battery that has a voltage reading of 12.9 volts is 100% charged. A reading of 11.5 volts the battery is 100% discharged. 1.5 volts is the range you have to work with. If you are doing this with a trickle charger get a reliable volt meter to test it with and follow the manufacturers recommended charging times. A battery kept at 70 degrees F. will degrade faster than one kept at 32 degrees F. If a battery will be kept in the cold it will have to be charged or else it will freeze. End of battery.
Follow your owners’ manual recommendations for proper storage and in the spring you will be ready to ride. We have all your storage needs in stock.
Thanks,
The Gang at McDermott’s HarleyDavidson
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