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Another Bad Quarter for Harley Davidson

Marcoose said:
... That said, what the HD life-style is for a certain demographic, so is the Gixxer life-style to another demographic. A lot that goes with motorcycling is life-style.
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And AVD, which I fall in to, dirt, sport touring, all of it. So you're correct. We all have our thing. :ride
 
TheRobSJ said:
This. There once was a time when GM had a massive amount of market share for all cars sold in America. And sure they've lost a lot over the years, but they still an awful lot of lot of awful cars.
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ftfy
 
Marcoose said:
Pirate outfit, loud pipes, loud stereo, bleeping/revving a lot, helmetless (in no helmet states)...

That said, what the HD life-style is for a certain demographic, so is the Gixxer life-style to another demographic. A lot that goes with motorcycling is life-style.
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That's hilarious. In my inquiry I was attempting to disregard the sometimes ubiquitous stereotyping of Harley owners, (not that it isn't frequently earned) but yeah, I get it.

Personally, I don't consider what I ride as relative to a certain lifestyle. Iv'e only owned 2 bikes in the short 10 years that Iv'e been riding.

My first was a Triumph Bonneville which I bought because as a teenager in the mid sixties, they were the coolest bikes and it was a good first bike to learn with.

After I built it into a hot rod, and my riding skill was improved, I felt the need for a bike with even more power and much better handling characteristics than the Bonnie.

I need a tall bike with an upright riding position, so the Hypermotard was a logical choice for me given my considerations as to what I wanted to improve over what I had, and the ergonomic needs of my physicality.

The Hyper is sometimes referred to as a "hooligan bike" but I don't consider myself a "hooligan" type rider although it is a fun bike. Much more so than a Bonneville for me.

In short, I chose a bike that "fit" me and at the same time offered more power and better, quicker handling than the Bonnie.

The choice didn't have anything to do with how I view myself personally or my lifestyle. Although I have to say, I could never see myself on a Harley.
 
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Funny, a lot of "Harley Guys" have sprotbiles as well. Often times dirty bikes, too. Funny how people have to hammer everyone into a niche.
 
...Anyone else think that fact that the show Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014 could be a factor?

I definitely know at least two riders who got HDs cus of that show.
 
T100 said:
The choice didn't have anything to do with how I view myself personally or my lifestyle. Although I have to say, I could never see myself on a Harley.
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Don't let me fool you. I fall within my own life-style stereotype to a T. Sprotbile, one-piece track suit, track boots, A* gloves, the works. The genuine Power Ranger. And even more laughable when you know I'm over 50, carry a huge tub in front, and an arse bigger than Texas. The pirate folks have nothing on me.
 
They need to take another stab at the retro naked sport space. The Roadster is too half ass.
 
Does anyone else think the Bagger type Harley's are pretty ugly? The cruiser type naked ones look cool to me. Otherwise their only issue is old technology and handles poorly...
 
aminalmutha said:
Funny, a lot of "Harley Guys" have sprotbiles as well. Often times dirty bikes, too. Funny how people have to hammer everyone into a niche.
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That's a good point. But, at the same time, the gear for any given riding preference has it's own look. The equipment is the equipment. So, those of us doing it end up looking pretty damned similar, which could be misconstrued as a "Lifestyle" by someone looking through a narrow prism.

In other words, my gear choice follows my current preferred bike choice. I'm not looking to look different or to look the same. I simply get the gear that gets the job done and the look ends up being what it is.
 
Yeah, I'm sure most dudes who have dirt bikes and Harleys and whatever else have gear to go along with that activity. Point is...........??/
 
Almost bought an '80 SR750 back in '90. Bought a Ducati instead. :dunno
 
augustiron said:
Everyone.feeling shaky about the next 4 years regardless of which shit head you prefer.
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Not to go on about the cesspit that is American politics today but yes, I agree.

An economic metric that supports this is that personal savings rates in the US have taken a fairly large swing up this year. An uncertain future means people are saving more, spending less.
 
DReg350 said:
I'm not looking to look different or to look the same. I simply get the gear that gets the job done and the look ends up being what it is.
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My sentiments exactly. Which for me is not much of a look. FF, armored leather jacket, ADV style boots, and usually jeans with knee and shin armor underneath.
 
Meanwhile, in other news, Janet Yellen says the economy can absorb a rate increase in December and 3 more during 2017. Gotta slow the beast down!
 
day004 said:
Quite a stable for someone on the skids.
I spent 6 months out of work at the end of 2012.
First thing that went was my trusty Futura.
And yes. Once I was gainfully employed a new old bike was back in the garage.
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I was just channeling my inner white angry male, Trump voting deplorable.
 
Meh, the market always "ebbs and flows", Harley can ride this slump until the next boom in sales. :2cents
 
Personally I think HD is hesitant to step outside the large bore v twin cruiser for fear that it would damage their name / brand / image. Loosing face is a huge deal for any company. The current HD cornerstones seem to be comfort, quality, American made, masculine. I bet harley could make an awesome sport bike, something like the rc8. But that does NOT fit in their line up, and their customer base does go to HD for that type of bike. And they would be decades behind every single Japanese maker. They get away with not being cutting edge by staying in their niche. They proudly proclaim, we do this one thing the best. They can't just jump into other markets and get outted as very clearly not being the best. If they make a sportbike, adventure, standard, small bore beginner, or anything in the world other than the big v, they have to get of their pedestal and compete. And loose. And grow. It would be expensive as hell and there's no promise they'll come out on top in 5, 10, 20 years. But within cruiser land they're the guy you have to try to beat.

All that said I don't think they're going anywhere. And I hope they don't, because maybe one day they'll give me that American made sportbike.
 
Sprotbiles and adventure bikes sell in small numbers compared to V2 cruiserbikes and such. HD doesn't sell sportbikes cuz they aren't stupid. KTM, Ducati, etc. are tiny compared to HD. Honda are huge because they sell a billion tiddler bikes overseas as well as cars and engines and such. Kawasaki could fold their motorbike business and their stock price would probably actually go up.

For companies that ONLY sell motorcycles, particularly not-tiddler bikes, HD is big. They don't jump into the sprotbile business (again) because it's a terrible business decision.
 
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