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HD aging biker problem...

I'm afraid their problem is greater than lack of technology or an economy in the toilet. I think their brand image may be going out of fashion (similar to SUV's), and that they don't have the vision to evolve it....
 
I personally still don't understand why even an H-D would appeal to anyone even compared to the big displacement Japanese cruisers, the Honda VTX series and even the Fury are pretty sexy to me, and these are modern fuel injected, shaft driven, liquid cooled machines.

I don't understand the appeal of the super-low to a beginner as well, it's still not very powerful, the lean angle is hilarously low because of its pegs, theres a lot better first bikes for an msrp of 8000$ or less.
 
I wish I had a Harley. Actually I would own one if I had the room for it. Maybe I should sell the street SV and get one.
 
I'd hate to be in their position, trading on brand and heritage.

My little V Star cost me $2900 (with 2K miles) in the spring and I see them even cheaper now. I've seen lots of low-mileage metric cruisers dumped on the market, evidently after the owners decide riding wasn't what they expected (can't blame them for facing reality). Even if I wanted a harley - which I don't - I would have a hard time justifying the premium price, given the competition.
 
bluesjr said:
I'd hate to be in their position, trading on brand and heritage.

My little V Star cost me $2900 (with 2K miles) in the spring and I see them even cheaper now. I've seen lots of low-mileage metric cruisers dumped on the market, evidently after the owners decide riding wasn't what they expected (can't blame them for facing reality). Even if I wanted a harley - which I don't - I would have a hard time justifying the premium price, given the competition.
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There is no limit to the price. The price of the bike is nothing.

It becomes a devotion, You can buy a Ford truck with the Harley logo, You can buy a bowl for Your dogs food,, with a Harley logo. There is nothing in your life, that I can think of right now..that isn't available with a Harley logo.

(including Your Skin)
 
louemc said:
There is no limit to the price. The price of the bike is nothing.

It becomes a devotion, You can buy a Ford truck with the Harley logo, You can buy a bowl for Your dogs food,, with a Harley logo. There is nothing in your life, that I can think of right now..that isn't available with a Harley logo.

(including Your Skin)
Click to expand...

A Honda? :twofinger
 
louemc said:
There is nothing in your life, that I can think of right now..that isn't available with a Harley logo.
Click to expand...

One thing comes to mind: A high power, high comfort, well handling motorcycle...
 
bluesjr said:
I'd hate to be in their position, trading on brand and heritage.

My little V Star cost me $2900 (with 2K miles) in the spring and I see them even cheaper now. I've seen lots of low-mileage metric cruisers dumped on the market, evidently after the owners decide riding wasn't what they expected (can't blame them for facing reality). Even if I wanted a harley - which I don't - I would have a hard time justifying the premium price, given the competition.
Click to expand...

It's all in the feel of the bike.

I don't ride a bike for A to B transportation, I drive a cage for that. I ride a bike for the pleasure of riding a bike and to me, on the street, I want a bike with soul. It's the same reason I sold my DRZ and bought a Husqvarna -- yes it cost more and was a thousand times less reliable, but it had more personality and that's what I liked about it.

The cost issue comes up a lot with Harley's, but people forget... cost is relative to your income. What may seem excessive to some, may not be to others. What may be unjustifiable to some, might be completely justifiable to others. In my case, I had the income and chose to spend the extra money on a Harley cruiser over a metric cruiser, because to me, the soul and personality of my Harley was unlike any other bike I had ridden -- and I enjoy riding it more than any other bike I've owned. There were other reasons why I purchased the Harley over a different bike as well, but those two were the main reasons.

All in all it comes down to why you ride and what your resources allow you to do within that goal. For me, a Harley fit both those parameters and I'm glad. For others, it may not.
 
Lots of good points Antarius. Makes a lot of sense.

For me, if cost was no issue, I'd probably ride a BMW. Part of it is the perceived quality (because I really don't know), and part is the heritage. When I see a BMW my mind goes right back to a moment in the early 70s as a teenager in Heidelberg when I saw my first R75 (or whatever model - boxer engine at any rate). I was in awe of that bike and rider. I'm sure Harley does something similar to a lot of riders.

And although there are bargain metric cruisers everywhere I look on cl, it's not the right way to gauge Harley appeal or value. I certainly wouldn't select a guitar based on price. I paid a premium (relative to cheaper alternatives) for every guitar I've got that's worth a damn, most made in the US. And in the long run, they've all been bargains based on the pleasure I've gotten from them.
 
the open mind that is common on this board is missing some of the "reality" of the middle of the country: namely that in a lot of places in the US people are kind of conformist when it comes to vehicles and ~have to buy what everyone else around them buys. lots of these very average people do not want to be the only guy on the honda. it is weak minded, but common enough to be self re-enforcing. add "harley only parking" signs as needed and a group hallucination that a "lifestyle" can be bought and it becomes the ~only available choice for a huge percentage of the us.

lots of the flyover states have strong prejudices against "non-USA made" vehicles, despite the fact that their F-150 is might be made in canada, goldwings were made in ohio, or all their insta-biker harley logo gear is made in china. furthermore, lots of these "good-ole" folks especially fear and hate asia for making a better bike, and often just for lame ass racism and jingoism.

now i actually like harleys. i think they are really pretty, they sound cool, and they handle well enough for casual street riding and cruising, which is fine for many people.
that said, every time i actually put my own money down on a bike, it hasnt yet gone to harley because there are always other bikes i like better.
 
If Harley wants to appeal to today's youths, they should turn the Sportster into a fixie and sell HD-branded leather cardigans.

I dunno, I still think the brand has youth appeal potential but the pricing is nuts and the brand is dominated by a sort of intimidating cultural association that's not terribly inviting.

I really would like an 883 Iron.
 
Oceansides said:
Be different, buy a victory.
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Victory, by percentage of US made parts, is a more "American" bike than Harley, not to mention they are simply better machines.

However, Harley riders by and large seem to shun Victories and their owners, regardless of how American it is. It's rather perplexing.
 
Ill admit, when i first re-entered the biking world, i wanted a cruiser. A metric would have been fine, but even tlaking about metrics, my squid vocab instead of cruiser said... harley.

when a whole segment of bikes is known by one brand.... thats power.

and harleys hate victories because they eventually get tired of their HD engines, and either spend 5k+ on upgrades, or they buy a victory. iirc, the starting victories are about 14k msrp, + they have 100 CI engines across the board now (and a couple 106).

bigger, more powerful, and sexier.
 
I think the XR1200 is a good start. It's the only harley that has ever caught my eye in the 15 years I've been riding sportbikes. Its not enough they need 2 more bikes in that vein. Considering they had to be convinced to sell the XR here in the US says a lot about how the company thinks.
 
Angel-be-Good said:
If Harley wants to appeal to today's youths, they should turn the Sportster into a fixie and sell HD-branded leather cardigans.
Click to expand...

Got my attention! I've built a couple of fixies for my son, and one for myself as well. Yeah, there's a huge style component to the fixie craze, but it got kids interested in riding (or messing with) bikes. So that's a good thing.

But cardigans? I guess that's more hipster than we would normally see down here in the north end of silicon valley.



Oceansides said:
cruiser = harley.
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OK, I paraphrased (drastically), but the point is, the Harley brand is a huge asset. Now if they could only figure out how to capitalize on it without turning off a whole generation (or two).
 
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thing is, I love cruisers. one of my next 2 bikes will be a cruiser. Will it be a HD? No. going to get a victory.

The motor company unfortunately has pissed me off, and it will take a lot of convincing for me to buy their product.
 
I can't understand that HD did not see this coming. Unfortunately (as far as motorcycles go) they are a one trick pony. They did a great job selling the image and a lot of young folks bought them for just that :image. Now some of those riders became moto fanatics just like the rest of us and will probably be life long riders. The rest, who bought them as fashion statements with all the extra cash/credit that was floating around are getting out now that they are colleting dust in the garage and can't afford the payments. Look at the flood of HD's for sale (unfortunately many bought at dealer inflated pricing). How can you sell new bikes that have changed little now that the financing has dried up against a flood of used bikes with a smaller buyer base than you had 5yrs ago?
That said, I live in sportbike nirvana and HD's are on the road up here 5 to 1. Go figure:).
 
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I know it is very fashionable to hate harleys here on barf, but I ,once again, must state that I have co-workers who ride harleys to work every day, no matter what weather, and their bikes don't fall apart. They pretty much change oil, brakes, and tires just like everyone else.

I used to think harleys were unreliable too, but these guys ave changed my mind.
 
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