New roadster
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 849
Likes: 130
From: Inside of a house
Many of the posters are parroting old tired cliches that are without merit or foundation in fact.
Mainly in the need for H-D to attract younger buyers. The fact is for the past several years H-D has captured 50%+ of the 19 to 34 demographics of buyers of street bikes over 600cc. with big percentages of female, black and Hispanic in that group.
Go to the thread in the Dyna section an watch the video Mr. Laidlaw of Laidlaw H-D made when he was selected to introduce the half year model Lowrider S.
In it he describes the change in California sportbike riders to selecting Sportster and Dyna models over sportbikes. Many south western dealers can't stock enough to supply the demand. They rely of midwestern dealer trades for their inventory and in return trade touring and Softails.
My dealer sent 8 Sportsters last fall to a California dealer that sells every thing he gets.
Of course the older H-D rider like Dickey aren't up on hot trends of today's youthful bike market.
Here in the midwest the trikes and touring are the big sellers.
The Sportster R and the Dyna S are the direct result of customer demand. And as Mr Laidlaw said the seats were created by rider demand. H-D dealers country wide are selling all they can get and many immediately do the 117 cu. in upgrade.
Come on guys just get up to speed on the times.
Mainly in the need for H-D to attract younger buyers. The fact is for the past several years H-D has captured 50%+ of the 19 to 34 demographics of buyers of street bikes over 600cc. with big percentages of female, black and Hispanic in that group.
Go to the thread in the Dyna section an watch the video Mr. Laidlaw of Laidlaw H-D made when he was selected to introduce the half year model Lowrider S.
In it he describes the change in California sportbike riders to selecting Sportster and Dyna models over sportbikes. Many south western dealers can't stock enough to supply the demand. They rely of midwestern dealer trades for their inventory and in return trade touring and Softails.
My dealer sent 8 Sportsters last fall to a California dealer that sells every thing he gets.
Of course the older H-D rider like Dickey aren't up on hot trends of today's youthful bike market.
Here in the midwest the trikes and touring are the big sellers.
The Sportster R and the Dyna S are the direct result of customer demand. And as Mr Laidlaw said the seats were created by rider demand. H-D dealers country wide are selling all they can get and many immediately do the 117 cu. in upgrade.
Come on guys just get up to speed on the times.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 202
Likes: 15
From: The Northeast
It's not a real Harley unless you have a kick start, drum brakes, 4-speed transmission, and no handling. 
Yeah the Roadster isn't going to appeal to everyone, but the hilarity of it is that the people screaming loudest about the looks are the segment of people that the bike is not aiming to capture.
If it gets more of the younger generation on Harley's, who really cares? Might not be your cup of tea much like the touring bikes aren't the younger generation's cup of tea. No right or wrong to be had. The inverted forks and dual disc brakes are a huge selling point, and I wish it wasn't the only model that had it. I'm sure it handles like a dream. I'm almost tempted to go ride one just to see what it is like, the only drawback is the gas tank size. If they could increase capacity some more, that'd be a hell of a good bike. Yes Harley already has done this bike in the past, but is this any different than Yamaha having not bothered to redesign the YZF-R6 for 10 years now? Not every manufacturer is rushing to redesign their bikes all the time even though it sometimes appears that way.
Yeah the Roadster isn't going to appeal to everyone, but the hilarity of it is that the people screaming loudest about the looks are the segment of people that the bike is not aiming to capture.
If it gets more of the younger generation on Harley's, who really cares? Might not be your cup of tea much like the touring bikes aren't the younger generation's cup of tea. No right or wrong to be had. The inverted forks and dual disc brakes are a huge selling point, and I wish it wasn't the only model that had it. I'm sure it handles like a dream. I'm almost tempted to go ride one just to see what it is like, the only drawback is the gas tank size. If they could increase capacity some more, that'd be a hell of a good bike. Yes Harley already has done this bike in the past, but is this any different than Yamaha having not bothered to redesign the YZF-R6 for 10 years now? Not every manufacturer is rushing to redesign their bikes all the time even though it sometimes appears that way.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
I liked the idea a the new Roadster so much that I got one. Went on the first ride today of 131 miles in brutal winds reaching 30 mph. The bike handled cross winds, bad Illinois roads and although the small seat was firm it was comfortable. There is not room to move any fore and aft. Worked well though.
Properly followed break in instruction and did not exceed 50 mph for 50 miles and not over 3K rpm after. I could feel that there was more torque than in my XL1200's. What
Only did one mod so far. I put a beer bottle opener one the fender brace on the right side. Never know when that might be needed.
By the way I'm 75. Not exactly the target market demographic.
As for the 3.3 gallon tank. The 131 miles took 2.3 gallons yielding 57 mpg. I was amazed. Should be able to go 150 miles without a problem.
Properly followed break in instruction and did not exceed 50 mph for 50 miles and not over 3K rpm after. I could feel that there was more torque than in my XL1200's. What
Only did one mod so far. I put a beer bottle opener one the fender brace on the right side. Never know when that might be needed.
By the way I'm 75. Not exactly the target market demographic.
As for the 3.3 gallon tank. The 131 miles took 2.3 gallons yielding 57 mpg. I was amazed. Should be able to go 150 miles without a problem.
Last edited by lh4x4; May 27, 2016 at 07:53 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 13,533
Likes: 34,721
From: Pine Flat Dam/South Bay Area, CA
You can't beat that.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 15,468
Likes: 14,365
From: Illinois
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CruzB
Softail Models
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Sep 7, 2012 09:21 AM