:banghead: Can you believe this!!!!

wow

Talk about a lawsuit and a half unless the shop owner can prove there WAS a policy against it, and can prove that he (the guy fired) was told of the policy BEFORE he bought the Harley.

What a joke, I hope this guy's lawsuit forces them to close their doors forever.

Assholes.

FUCK HIM WOULDNT WANT 2 WORK 4 A JACK ASS ANYWAY

That is complete bullshit in my opinion, this is America, your employer should not have any say in whay you drive. I look in Ford parking lots around me and see Chevy's and Dodges and those guys aren't getting fired. :banghead:

Theres alot of guys on HCS that I bet think this is fine, with their 'loyalty til death' views. I know CTC (Chrysler Tech Center) has a special parking lot, oh, a 1/4 mile away, for employees that wish to drive a non-DCX vehicle. Not as drastic, but support who supports you... IMO firing is a bit much.

Anyone who knows Eddie Babbit is not one bit surprised by this, and I am sure that the employees know about this policy. Sorry guys but I have to stand up for the small business man and his choice to run his establishment how he sees fit.

In typical sensationalism, the story is probably skewed. No one in his right mind fires someone by buying a competing product. There is probably more to the story that is conveniently left out to make the story more sensational. Like the guy was banging his bosses wife. She paid him and he bought a harley!!!

The guy worked there for 15 yrs. That is BS for firing him.

Ed Babbit has burned alot of bridges around this area. Still does decent business though I guess.?

Mich has "at will" emploment ... no lawsuit can be filed (or won I should say).

Heidi Babbit (daughter) ... is one HOT chic!!!

No chance to sue... in MI, we are hired "at will", and sign a document to the fact we can be terminated at any time for any reason, and can leave with no notice as well.
You would think, but if you're a small shop, and your margin is razor thin, and your employees are spending against you, I can see his POV... can't you? Say you make a widget, your life and career depend on this widget, and people you pay go buy Joe's widget. You're not upset?
While that is true, I think that was maybe a bit much. Sounds like he definitely needs to have a company newsletter explaining his position and policies to his workers. Then it's their choice to work for him or not.

Can jump the fence to either side on this one... pretty grey.

Michigan is an at will state, but to be within the law the employer can only say "your services are no longer needed", they can't tell you why and get away with it. I feel like writing a letter to this jackass.

Buying a Harley vs Ricer is different than what brand of car you buy. A Harley is in a class of it's own for bikes.

Yes, but still direct competition with the boss' biz. An analogy (I guess) would be to work for Chevy, and go buy a Ford GT. Or work for Polaris and buy a Blade.
What he SHOULD have done was not drive it to work... :banana: I have friends at Chrysler buy Fords...but they dont drive them to work! Keep token Dodges around for work.

What I mean is ... Harley guys I know wouldn't even consider riding a ricer & maybe the same, the other way around. They are totally different styles of rides & people that drive them. Not the same for Chev vs Ford IMO...

Harleys have a stigma attached to them, but it's just another bike in reality. It's the attitude that makes a difference, and being considered the only US bike, too.

What he SHOULD have done was not drive it to work...

Yamahauler,
I don't think he rode it to work. The article reads that Babbitt said "How would it look if one of my employees rides in to work on a Harley"? I can understand his frustration, but I don't think he should fire him.

Dont know... it's pretty anal no doubt, but his shop, his rules. Dont like them? Leave.

Ok look at all the people working at the big 3 driving other brands the only thing they do is make them walk farther to get to the plant ----total bs hope the guy ownes that place and turns it into a harley dealer :banana:

And that is my Local Articat Dealer........ Can you see why I drive to Greenville(Nelsons) :banghead:

Excuse me? The only US bike? You need to do some homework on that statement. My Polaris Victory is not only built in the US, but it has more US parts than a Harley. Do not forget Big Dog either.

I know there are more, but not as popular as Harleys. Most non-bikers wouldnt know the Victory name... my bad. There are Indians, too. Victory's are nice too, though I hear they have some issues.

What issues might those be? They are 10x more reliable than a Harley, faster, better handling, less money, higher technology? Those issues?

Oh, by the way, Indian went bankrupt a while ago.

I dont remember, but I did hear something... while true, it's still not a Harley, hence the stigma I referred.
Yea, they did, and they came back like 3-4 years ago with high-end bikes ($30k+), and sold every one of them. I think you can still order them.

edit: Looks like Indians were made from 99-03, then stopped again. Starting prices were $24k and up. Excelsior was another US mfg that didnt make it.

edit2: problems included crude finishes, noisy transmission, abrupt clutch engagement

Yes, the first 2 years of production were a little rough. Tranny issues, and not a very attractive bike. After that, they are tip-top, looks and mechanically. Not bad after 2 years, compared to Harley's 100 years of practice. here is my Kingpin:

Saweet lookin bike... I like the ones I've seen so far.

Thank you!

I just found a post on the ABATE region 5 message board asking HD riders to boycott Babbits. The writer over there claims the fired mechanic (Kekoni) had purchased a 7k Arctic Cat from his employer just last year.


The word on this dealer should move around the state quickly. Swap meets, grass drags. Spread the word.

I dont think that will do much good though, as he doesnt carry Harley stuff anyway. But if the Harley guys make it known they wont buy sled stuff, that might be different.

I don't blame the owner. The Harley mentality is hard enough to break without your mechanic backing up the idea that even though he works there, and would get employee pricing, he still buys a different brand.

My dad worked for Chrysler all his life. As a teen, I was not allowed to buy a non Chrysler, or it was good bye to me. Even now, at 33 years old, I would feel like I betrayed him if I were to buy a non Chrysler product. His rationale, is that Chrysler is what put food on the table, house over our head, and to buy something else, is simply an insult.

The real thing this guy did to screw up, is buy a Harley, regardless of where he worked.... :banana:

:div20:
The small independent business is a real tough nut theses day's.
I would imagine the owners felt betrayed and stabbed in the back, and like they (through)his pay checks are supporting what they perceive to be there competition.

Small business played an important role in the building of this country. More and more replaced by the chains, wal-marts and box stores mail order.
Very efficient machines that need less man power to move a lot of goods.
Means less sales help,drivers,cleaners,repair men,landlords,landscapers,plow men,accountant's etc. etc.
Means less money to support you local economy less variety no character usually no experience,practical knowledge etc. etc.

But you get china made goods real cheap, convenience such as one stop shopping.
You also get a emotionless associate that was in the complaint or shoe dept. a few weeks before.

Maybe the guy's a dink, but realize every customer is his boss and he needs the support and respect of his employees. He is not an emotionless corporate personnel and public relations expert.