ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
Another fan of the Indian. When I was in the market, there was no dealer in Alaska. Deal killer there.
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Harley-Davidson CEO Resigns
- Thread starter JayBros
- Start date
h0gr1der
New member
I agree it's a management and lack of fore-site problem. Around 2002 I had discretionary income to buy a Road King. I had flogged my 1977 Electra Glide for 135,000 troublesome miles (I say it broke in every state I rode it in). The Harley dealer tried to get MSRP plus 15%. I told them to get stuffed and walked away from the brand forever. If they don't find another Willie G the company is doomed.
bodymanpainter
New member
I have to agree with you 100% about Victory. When I had my 2015 Cross Country Tour I couldn't ask for a better bike and loved the
the styling and ride, but my old joints said it was time to either quit riding or go 3 wheels and was really disappointed when they were
dropped by Polaris.
Toby
WisconsinDavid
Member
I owned HD's from the 90s until about a year ago. The quality of their bikes improved across the years in my experience. I didn't have trouble with my Sportster, Lowrider or Ultra Classic. After a motorcycle accident took away some of my leg strength, the weight of the Ultra became too iffy for me, so I moved on to a Spyder's 3 wheel ride, since I'm not a fan of HD's tricycles or their pricepoint for them. Harley, as other labels, is victim to pricing and a shrinking cycle market. I have a friend who is high up in Indian and while they are doing a great job re-establishing the brand, they too feel the pressure of a declining market. I hope that Ryker or some new product a company offers will find success igniting passion for 2 or 3 wheels in the generations behind me. I don't wish for any company to fail... for the sport but especially for all the families that are impacted when a company collapses on itself. Maybe a fresh perspective at the helm will lead to better days. Time will tell....
Wahrsuul
Active member
I "grew up" in Daytona during the AMF/Harley years so my opinion of them was formed then. I was riding a Yamaha RD, and most of the bikers treated me as a "special" relative. The popular t-shirt said "I'd rather eat a can of worms that ride rice" or some such. Even though they would admit that the bikes weren't the best, they had loyalty. To this day I'm not sure I understand it.
I still get it fro HD riders today - "if I have to explain it you wouldn't understand". You're right, I wouldn't. Doesn't make sense to me to pay that much for a bike that uses old technology, and has a history of failures. I've never owned a harley and never wanted to.
Harley has some weird ideas too - we have a dealership here; Harely Haven. They used to be in the downtown area and wewre considered o be one of the best dealerships around, always doing well and pretty good customer service. Then out of nowhere, Harley corporate tells them they have to move. The new corporate policy is that your dealership MUST be visible from the interstate, and MUST cost at least $1 million (Got that from the manager when they moved). Does that make any sense? How many dealerships couldn't manage that and went out of business instead?
I still get it fro HD riders today - "if I have to explain it you wouldn't understand". You're right, I wouldn't. Doesn't make sense to me to pay that much for a bike that uses old technology, and has a history of failures. I've never owned a harley and never wanted to.
Harley has some weird ideas too - we have a dealership here; Harely Haven. They used to be in the downtown area and wewre considered o be one of the best dealerships around, always doing well and pretty good customer service. Then out of nowhere, Harley corporate tells them they have to move. The new corporate policy is that your dealership MUST be visible from the interstate, and MUST cost at least $1 million (Got that from the manager when they moved). Does that make any sense? How many dealerships couldn't manage that and went out of business instead?
carbonation
New member
Commenting on the Buell post above...
I rode one of those. Hard to ride really. Power was a light switch, resulting in looking at the sky frequently. Front brake was a powerful as the engine, resulting in looking at the ground if you wanted to. BUT, it was a direction that was being shown to HD to say, "c'mon guys, young kids will eat this up and you can play in this market segment as well".
I rode one of those. Hard to ride really. Power was a light switch, resulting in looking at the sky frequently. Front brake was a powerful as the engine, resulting in looking at the ground if you wanted to. BUT, it was a direction that was being shown to HD to say, "c'mon guys, young kids will eat this up and you can play in this market segment as well".
billythekidd
Member
Something new from the Big boys.... https://youtu.be/oF8jtcV81qw
frigmall
New member
I have put over 80K miles on Harleys over the years and never had a problem. My current 2013 Road King has 15K on it (purchased used) and runs like it was new. The wife put 6K on her 2016 F3 Limited before she got her 2019 and no issues whatsoever.
All vehicles are only as good as the maintenance and care given to them. That said in talking with the kids today they are not interested in motorcycles. Heck, they are not interested in cars or houses either. It's a new mind set out there. I am still trying to do my part to keep the economy going ;o) but I'm getting ready to retire and go on a "fixed income".
All vehicles are only as good as the maintenance and care given to them. That said in talking with the kids today they are not interested in motorcycles. Heck, they are not interested in cars or houses either. It's a new mind set out there. I am still trying to do my part to keep the economy going ;o) but I'm getting ready to retire and go on a "fixed income".
I'm neutral on Harley's not having grown up a biker but I hope they don't go under. They have a bit of a marketing problem that goes beyond price. Probably undeservedly they also have a rep for loud pipes (ok THAT one may be deserved) but also a bit of a "tough guy gang member" image that some of the clothing and riders personify. That just isn't the 20-30 yr old market the way it used to be but those are the folks you notice most on Harley's when you see one.
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Spyder Insyder
New member
I Have owned over 30 motorcycles in the 50+ years I been riding, starting with a Honda S-90. Most were Japanese bikes including several Goldwings. I sold the last Goldwing, a GL1800, about 4 years ago because I no longer felt confident touring with the wife on the 800+ pound bike. We sold the Wing and bought the Spyder RT which has been the perfect replacement touring machine for the Goldwing.
As a young rider, I always admired the looks of the H-D touring bikes but was put off by the outdated technology and reliability in those days. This was especially true during the AMF years. Then a few years ago as kind of a bucket list impulse thing I bought a used 2007 Peace Officer Edition Road King for solo rides. I found that the bike, while still over 700 lbs. handled very well, and the low end torque made it a blast to ride. Also the styling was very close to the Elecrtra Glides that I remember from my youth. I liked the bike so much that I bought a new one in 2017 when H-D came out with the 107 cu. in. Milwaukee 8 engine. I currently have almost 20k miles on the bike.
I think what attracted me to the bike, is what is partly responsible for the situation that H-D finds itself in today. For me the bike is a time machine, taking me back to 60's and the bikes I admired as a teenager. Young people in the 18 - 35 demographic just don't have the nostalgic connection to the bikes that my generation has.
I don't know what the answer is for H-D. If they try to move toward the sport bike market they will be competing with the well established metric brands, which have an extensive history in that market segment. Also, H-D would be hard pressed to compete on price with those bikes.
I did have the opportunity recently to test ride an H-D Livewire electric bike. They are crazy fast and handle well, but have limited range and lengthy charge times. Also, at $30k that is probably a deal breaker for most millennials.
Maybe the time has come for new management and new ideas. A large V-twin reverse trike?
As a young rider, I always admired the looks of the H-D touring bikes but was put off by the outdated technology and reliability in those days. This was especially true during the AMF years. Then a few years ago as kind of a bucket list impulse thing I bought a used 2007 Peace Officer Edition Road King for solo rides. I found that the bike, while still over 700 lbs. handled very well, and the low end torque made it a blast to ride. Also the styling was very close to the Elecrtra Glides that I remember from my youth. I liked the bike so much that I bought a new one in 2017 when H-D came out with the 107 cu. in. Milwaukee 8 engine. I currently have almost 20k miles on the bike.
I think what attracted me to the bike, is what is partly responsible for the situation that H-D finds itself in today. For me the bike is a time machine, taking me back to 60's and the bikes I admired as a teenager. Young people in the 18 - 35 demographic just don't have the nostalgic connection to the bikes that my generation has.
I don't know what the answer is for H-D. If they try to move toward the sport bike market they will be competing with the well established metric brands, which have an extensive history in that market segment. Also, H-D would be hard pressed to compete on price with those bikes.
I did have the opportunity recently to test ride an H-D Livewire electric bike. They are crazy fast and handle well, but have limited range and lengthy charge times. Also, at $30k that is probably a deal breaker for most millennials.
Maybe the time has come for new management and new ideas. A large V-twin reverse trike?
MRH
Active member
I think HD is a bit too enamored with their image, which isn't anywhere near as appealing to a less brand conscious younger generation. They are going to need to compete on the merits with the other manufactures, and will have to offer something that makes sense to a less wealthy generation. "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" is going to be a more profitable direction than the image of outlaws and t-shirts with pinup girls.
That will be a difficult transition, if it is even possible, but I just have a hard time seeing millennials riding in large numbers, let alone flocking to HD. Maybe they should give up motorcycles altogether and just develop a really good ride simulation app.
That will be a difficult transition, if it is even possible, but I just have a hard time seeing millennials riding in large numbers, let alone flocking to HD. Maybe they should give up motorcycles altogether and just develop a really good ride simulation app.
wifesspyder
New member
I stopped by the local HD shop today. As expected pretty dead. I gotta say that HD sure makes a great looking ride, lots of colors and the paint jobs are impeccable. I also gotta say that they are out of my price reach for sure.
Tango
Well-known member
Their paint is second to none. But they have their problems there also. The factory just contacted my neighbors son to ask him to do their warranty paint work. Actually surprised they have paint warranty problems. :thumbup: Tom :spyder:
Raprider
New member
A related problem I see on the Right Coast is "colors"...as in "if you don't allow our colors, we won't be customers in your business (read Bars and Restaurants).
That being said, a lot of comments in this thread reference cost, e.g. $30k-$40k...seriously? When the newest RTL costs $27k, you're quibbling about 7-10 grand as though that is the differentiator? In a week there will be some post about the 3-5k worth of farkles someone added. It's not like it's stratospheric in comparison!
I'm truly loving my 2016 ST-S, but at 18k plus 1-2k in adds, it wasn't "cheap", nor did I expect it to be, nor did I buy it to be.
MRH
Active member
I'm not getting this, what are you taking about?
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
You have seen many bikers wearing the leather vests. Usually a big patch or two on the back, the front having smaller patches and assorted pins. These are referred to as "colors."
There is a whole protocol among the biker gangs about them. Will not go into it here. Be careful where you go if you wear them. Us non-gang members sometimes get referred to as "posers" if we dress that way. One of my vests (my "colors") is in the Avatar picture.
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