DGS49
Diamond Member
For those who do such things (I do), motorcycle rental took a giant turn for the worse a few months ago, and I doubt that very many people are aware of it.
Eagle Rider is a nationwide company that rents motorcycles on a short-term basis. Many Harley Davidson dealers have also provided rentals for many years - a little more costly - but if you rent on vacation you could usually rely on either an Eagle Rider or a H-D rental agency being in the area. Eagle Rider also rents Harley's, if that's what you want.
The advantage to Eagle Rider is that they rent many different brands. I like to rent a big touring bike, so I've rented Indians, BMW's, and a Goldwing from Eagle Rider, as well as a couple of Ultra's at Harley shops.
But the landscape has changed drastically. Eagle Rider (Franchisor) has entered into a deal with Harley Davidson that FORBIDS THEM FROM RENTING ANY OTHER BRAND. And this deal - made without any input from the franchisee network - also binds all franchisees. So if they want to continue renting other brands, they will lose their franchise.
To be concise, this sucks.
In fact, I wonder why the Justice Department isn't looking into it. This is blatantly a monopolistic practice by H-D - which already controls most of the market for big cruisers - and could be a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. I'm not privy to the franchise agreement itself, but it is surprising to me that the franchisor can make such a major change in the business model without consulting the other parties to the agreements.
If anyone out there knows more details (or knows that I'm wrong about something), I would appreciate the input.
Eagle Rider is a nationwide company that rents motorcycles on a short-term basis. Many Harley Davidson dealers have also provided rentals for many years - a little more costly - but if you rent on vacation you could usually rely on either an Eagle Rider or a H-D rental agency being in the area. Eagle Rider also rents Harley's, if that's what you want.
The advantage to Eagle Rider is that they rent many different brands. I like to rent a big touring bike, so I've rented Indians, BMW's, and a Goldwing from Eagle Rider, as well as a couple of Ultra's at Harley shops.
But the landscape has changed drastically. Eagle Rider (Franchisor) has entered into a deal with Harley Davidson that FORBIDS THEM FROM RENTING ANY OTHER BRAND. And this deal - made without any input from the franchisee network - also binds all franchisees. So if they want to continue renting other brands, they will lose their franchise.
To be concise, this sucks.
In fact, I wonder why the Justice Department isn't looking into it. This is blatantly a monopolistic practice by H-D - which already controls most of the market for big cruisers - and could be a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. I'm not privy to the franchise agreement itself, but it is surprising to me that the franchisor can make such a major change in the business model without consulting the other parties to the agreements.
If anyone out there knows more details (or knows that I'm wrong about something), I would appreciate the input.