[HIPPO]

There is another possibility.
They are known for defending their trademark rights agressively which they are entitled to, but the feedback from a site as this is too valuable to be their usual selves.
The fact it took them this long to act may tend to show they were just sitting on the sidelines and watching.

While there is some criticism of them on any Harley related site, the ones that are almost universally hated are most dealers, and for good reason, as besides their sales practices that in some cases are questionable at best, their competence in service related areas is dismal. Falsehood and outright lies are the order of the day, as well as work paid for and not performed. With the exception of some small long time family owned dealers, the service they provide would not be tolerated in Afghanistan.

Even a child knows the CSI surveys are coded and can be traced back to the individual owner. High CSI ratings are often bought with cheap trinkets or extorted with threats of perhaps not being able to get your next bike or getting whatever little warranty there is honored.

On a forum like this they can get real feedback.

I say they were lobbied by dealers to make life difficult for the site.

 

[HIPPO]

I don't think there is one among us that wishes the MoCo ill.

One just hopes that as the tide changes they become a little more engineering and product, as opposed to strictly style oriented, and offer a little more value for the money.

Within the limitations of what they offer they often do the right thing, sooner or later they will be forced to look at the dealers a lot closer then they do now. Image can only take you so far, there comes a point where only substance will do.