Down 20% for the year
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
People keep parroting around the idea that the HD age demographic is decreasing each year. The factual reality is that each age group is increasing in number each year. This will be the case for the coming decades. When I graduated high school there were about 120 million folks in the US. Now it is what 320 to 340 million and that number grows each year so every age group is growing. The largest percentage increase and any group is the over 100 year olds.
So if 48 is the average age of an HD buyer there are many more 48 year olds made each year and the next and the next. HD is not running out of numbers of riders in that age group.
Every year HD has captured more of the 18 to 34 age group purchasing a road bike of 600cc and over than all the other brands together.
By the way sport bikes from 2009 on sales dropped 70%. And yet no one cried doom and gloom as much as folks on this forum do on HD. HD sales went down 5,000 bikes from what was PREDICTED 12 months ago. They still made over 1.2 billion dollars and the forecast was for 1.4B. OMG the sky is falling.
For 2014 HD sold about 10,000+ Street 500/750. That is more bikes than all the Adventure category bikes sold in the US.
So if 48 is the average age of an HD buyer there are many more 48 year olds made each year and the next and the next. HD is not running out of numbers of riders in that age group.
Every year HD has captured more of the 18 to 34 age group purchasing a road bike of 600cc and over than all the other brands together.
By the way sport bikes from 2009 on sales dropped 70%. And yet no one cried doom and gloom as much as folks on this forum do on HD. HD sales went down 5,000 bikes from what was PREDICTED 12 months ago. They still made over 1.2 billion dollars and the forecast was for 1.4B. OMG the sky is falling.
For 2014 HD sold about 10,000+ Street 500/750. That is more bikes than all the Adventure category bikes sold in the US.
Last edited by lh4x4; Dec 13, 2015 at 06:46 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 17,548
Likes: 7,199
From: Oxford, Nc
People keep parroting around the idea that the HD age demographic is decreasing each year. The factual reality is that each age group is increasing in number each year. This will be the case for the coming decades. When I graduated high school there were about 120 million folks in the US. Now it is what 320 to 340 million and that number grows each year so every age group is growing. The largest percentage increase and any group is the over 100 year olds.
So if 48 is the average age of an HD buyer there are many more 48 year olds made each year and the next and the next. HD is not running out of numbers of riders in that age group.
.
So if 48 is the average age of an HD buyer there are many more 48 year olds made each year and the next and the next. HD is not running out of numbers of riders in that age group.
.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,503
Likes: 94
From: SE Michigan
Low oil prices are good for us here in auto country, but our economy has never come back from the pre 2008 days. Still lots of vacant houses. My son is in the process of buying his first house. He works for a big tech company and after moving around the country the last few years, he is going to be downtown now. He found a house, in a high end zip code, with everything new, updated or replaced, for half of what is worth 10 years ago. Every house we looked at on the market was vacant except one. Even in all this the east side HD dealer sold over a thousand bikes this year.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,610
Likes: 243
From: Oklahoma
You mean those guys that seem to get it wrong more than they get it right.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 128
Likes: 2
From: NW Arkansas
The price of a new motorcycle is too damn high! Millennials, like myself, don't like dropping 30k on a motorcycle after what we experienced in 2008. Now, I know each generation experiences their own version of 2008, i'm not saying its a new thing; but its still too fresh for the younger buyers. I can't justify 10k for a sporty when I can pick one up on craigslist for less than 5k.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 32,934
Likes: 36,032
From: Carlsbad, CA
Oh no!!! Not another HD is out of touch with the market, designs are outdated, prices too high thread!
We need another oil, cam, octane, thread!
We need another oil, cam, octane, thread!
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,842
Likes: 502
From: Northern WV
I question that there were less than 10,000 adventure motorcycles sold in the U.S., do you happen to have the actual breakdown?
I couldn't find "Adventure bikes" sold so they would be included in the On/Off road category but that number sold in the US for 2014 was 81,013. I have to think all the BMW GS bikes, Kawasaki's KLR 650, Triumph and KTM's Adv bike line up, Suzuki's popular VStrom 650 and 1000 and probably some I'm forgetting would combine to equal over 10,000 of the 81,013?
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 237
Likes: 88
From: SF Bay Area, CA
Proclaiming the end of Harley Davidson is premature. They are doing OK. I work for a public company and see how analysts deal with the C-level officers. They analyze numbers deeper than any of us. The core investors (big dogs, own 10% or more of the company etc.) get to see future business plans too. If they thought the company was dying they'd be selling stock like crazy.
I think the Rushmore update was a good one. The only thing I wish they'd have included was traction control. Seems like a no brainer since they added ABS and the systems are the same. It's got to be on a roadmap at Harley though.
One area I'd like to see them explore is the VROD motor. I think they could really gain some market share going with that motor in a bagger. You'd have a really fast bike right out of the showroom doors. People pay thousands and thousands to get a bagger up to the power a VROD has stock.
But they don't call me up asking for my opinion. I am in the market for an Ultra Limited. My main complaint with the MoCo are the colors for the Limiteds. Some are down right ugly and the rest are boring. I am seriously considering waiting for the 2017 line up to see if the color choices improve.
I think the Rushmore update was a good one. The only thing I wish they'd have included was traction control. Seems like a no brainer since they added ABS and the systems are the same. It's got to be on a roadmap at Harley though.
One area I'd like to see them explore is the VROD motor. I think they could really gain some market share going with that motor in a bagger. You'd have a really fast bike right out of the showroom doors. People pay thousands and thousands to get a bagger up to the power a VROD has stock.
But they don't call me up asking for my opinion. I am in the market for an Ultra Limited. My main complaint with the MoCo are the colors for the Limiteds. Some are down right ugly and the rest are boring. I am seriously considering waiting for the 2017 line up to see if the color choices improve.
Last edited by otto.maddox; Dec 14, 2015 at 04:02 PM.