Is the Harley FXDR Too Expensive? Forum Members Sound Off
The new FXDR is getting rave reviews, but is $21K too rich for the younger riders it’s hoping to attract?
Among the many new products Harley is in the process of rolling out, few are as exciting as the new FXDR. And judging by the early reviews, this brutish ride is a harmonious combination of dragster and fighter jet. Sounds pretty darn exciting, no? Well, there’s just one tiny problem with the new Harley FXDR. And that’s the price tag. The new ride is, in fact, the most expensive bike in the Softail lineup with a base price of just over $21k. And that has Harley-Davidson Forums member Keithhu wondering – who is willing to pony up that much cash for one?
“Kinda scratching my head here. The bike clearly appeals to younger riders. But they cant afford bagger prices for a street bike like this.”
It’s a fair point for sure. If the Harley FXDR is in fact targeted at a younger audience, why is it so darn expensive? After all, young riders typically snatch up bikes at or less than $10-$12k. Which means that the FXDR will ring in at twice the price of offerings from the likes of Ducati and Indian. However, folks like UUNetBill think that there’s a chance people will jump on it, regardless.
“I’m going against the grain here, but I kind of like the looks of it. But I agree, it needs to be under $20K, not over. Needs well over 100HP (preferably more like 150) and needs to shed about 80-100 lbs.
But I’ll give HD props for at least trying to reach out to new markets. I just hope they can weather the time between flops before they hit a winner.”
There are, indeed, a lot of things to like about the Harley FXDR. Even though most commenters believe that it’s too heavy and a bit underpowered. Among them, adm does a nice job summing it all up.
“I like it. But it’s way overpriced. I think my 2018 114” Fat Bob is still going to be the better performing bike due to the frame geometry. I do like the new style Heavy Breather air cleaner and that fat *** Screaming’ Eagle end can looks cool. But I just put the M8 heavy breather on my bike and it’s getting a Bassani Road Rage III next week.
I don’t like the look of the rear end much. It would be better without the tire-hugging semi-fender thing. But then you’d get stuff all up your back (just like on the Fat Bob). And the LED turn signals look like they were made by Duplo. I also don’t like the old Fat Boy type rear wheel. But I do like the belly pan fairing thingy. Might add one of those to the Fat Bob. Looks like a cross between a Breakout and V-Rod.
Still, it’s a pretty bad *** looking bike in my opinion. Definitely too expensive. I will go and ride one, but not buy one.”
One thing’s for sure, the price of the Harley FXDR has ignited one heck of an intense debate right here in the forums. Thus, we’re curious to know what you think! So head over here and let us know if you fell like the FXDR is way too expensive. And tell us what you think of the all-new ride in general, too!
