Opinion: Forget the Naysayers, Harley’s Building its Best Bikes
Don’t let doom and gloom-spewing pundits keep you from buying the best motorcycle you’ve ever owned.
Ever notice how every career you can think of has a cult classic movie (or several) that’s beloved by the people who make their living that way? Salesmen have Glengarry Glen Ross, musicians have This is Spinal Tap, and even corporate drones have Office Space. My girlfriend, a therapist, rents out space on our couch at least once a year to re-watch What About Bob, a little-known Bill Murray vehicle about a shrink who gets a little bit too involved with one of his patients.
My point with all of that is this: for journalists, our movie is Network. And while I’m not the sort of guy you’ll find in a suit covering actual news in front of a camera, there’s still a lot for me and my fellow motorcycle writers to identify with. In fact, it’s the iconic line of the film, and it just seems so appropriate for the situation at hand: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
I have absolutely had it with the doom and gloom preached by the mainstream press — the same mainstream press critically lampooned in Network — about Harley-Davidson lately. The more they tell us that the brand is losing touch, the more they tell us that people aren’t buying new bikes, the more they tell us that the company is in bad shape, the more more it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Repeat a lie or half-truth enough times and it becomes the real deal.
It’s a crying shame that people aren’t buying more new Harleys because they’re building the best bikes they ever have been. As beloved as the Dyna line is, axing it and rolling top models into the Softail lineup is a stroke of genius that has strengthened the Softail line as well as the ex-Dyna models in question. The Sportster has never been better, with models to suit every character, from the bare-bones Iron 883 and new Iron 1200 to the sporty Roadster. As for the Touring bikes? Two words: Milwaukee Eight. Enough said.
In 30 years, a new generation of young bikers, completely divorced from the ’90s and ’00s yuppie cosplay stereotype of Harley ownership, will find rare examples of some of these 2018 bikes for sale online for exorbitant prices. They’ll take to the comment section and lament that “These bikes are some of the best Harleys ever! Why didn’t they sell more of them?”
My suggestion? Stop listening to the pundits, your non-Harley buddies who will never “get it,” or the voice in the back of your head that’s internalized years of bad jokes and misinformation about Harley-Davidsons and their owners. If you’re in the market for a bike this year, go down to your local Harley dealership and buy the bike of your dreams.
You’ve got a real chance here to be one of the enlightened few instead of one of the sheep repeating the same tired jokes and talking points. Isn’t that the whole point of the so-called Harley lifestyle — being an individual? Whether your tastes revolve around hip, retro-flavored standards, factory custom cruisers that are brash and bodacious yet comfortable and refined, or the ultimate in long-distance touring comfort and equipment, nobody does it better. Why would you settle for something else just to impress someone who’s not riding it and making the payments? Screw ’em, this is about you.
On the rare occasion that one of those folks steps outside of their comfort zone and tries a Harley out for themselves, they typically become a convert. Nothing washes away the B.S. and background noise quite like a ride though the country straddled atop a rumbling V-twin. Even if they conclude that it’s not for them, they “get it.” Hell, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably been seeing it happen right in front of you for years.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you rack up a ton of debt, stop hanging out with your buddies, or stop watching the news altogether. I guess I’m just saying the same thing your folks probably told you all the time — take everything with a grain of salt. Harley-Davidson is doing just fine. Like an Ultra Classic on a bumpy road, Harley-Davidson will soak up whatever difficulties they encounter with pipes rumbling and rock & roll blasting. It’s the only way they know how, after all.
