Could it have anything to do with the fact that we raised them in bubble wrap? Helmets and knee pads on bicycles, car seats, shoulder belts, side curtain air bags and the rest of it. Lord knows it's a wonder any of them would dare ever ride in the back of a pickup truck, let alone get on a motorcycle.

I hear you. I sat on a new Street at the local dealership yesterday, just so I could check it out. Can't say I was impressed. It looked cheap and heavy, and had brakes way inferior to other entry level naked bikes. It also completely lacks riding modes or any sort of traction control. But then again, perhaps you don't need it since it's so underpowered.

For about the same money, you can buy a Street Triple, Monster 797, or a Duke 390, any of which make the Street look like a complete piece of garbage.

It's hideously ugly to boot.

My Kids are Army Brats so not much like "those other" Millennial's, they are as tech savvy as Millennial's or Generation Y can be, but their Values reflects that of the older generations to include the Patriotism, manners, Respect, discipline and motivation found in Traditionalists, Boomers and Gen X's



Screw a Village we raised ours


LOL


Haole

Maybe to most millennial's Harley's are for the older crowd.. Some will eventually come around. My son in his 20's rode a crotch rocket now ,in his late 30's he is riding a HD Blackline and loving it.
It's all cyclical ,ups and downs HD ain't going to go under.
Although,my suggestion is ;they need to manufacture parts and service Harley's that are 10yrs or older.. a lot of lost business there.

I wonder if Harley has made the Street to meet some EPA averaging requirements like car manufacturers had to do?

There are probably some consumers products that are dead if they don't appeal to millennials right now. Cell phones and PC's come immediately to mind. Others that are not upset or even surprised that their average customer isn't 22 years old. Around here, not many millennials buying lake houses, high end sailboats, or airplanes.

Harley will sell to its traditional customer base until the millennials have reached the point of life where they can afford the finer things.

Harley does have a bigger challenge now than they did 50 years ago in that the entire idea of motorcycles is not as intriguing to the younger generation as it once was. Motorcycles are not rebellious, now they are mainstream. Without a steady stream of riders trained on cheap foreign bikes, who knows what the future holds.

Who?

What?

How did we all get by without all that all those years...?

I see a fair number of millennials riding around on rat Harleys. Old Sportsters with struts instead of shocks, home made wrapped pipes, non existent paint jobs.
Probably comes down to money.
I was at the Triumph dealer last week buying oil and looking at the new T120.
He took me all around the entire shop introducing me to every employee "so that they could see what a person with MONEY looks like, you know HE could actually BUY one of our bikes..."
It's student debt, cell phones, no drivers license, emasculated and blah blah blah.
But you know what---I see young guys on Triumphs and Sportys and think they dig the "old" "authentic" look of non metrics. And some can even wrench on them pretty good.
Just like I was at age 25 when I didn't have a dime.
I still had a Sportster I was building in my apartment bedroom.
Maybe there is hope for vintage type bikes to provide an antidote to the modern angst.
As they say instead of "you're welcome"
"NO PROBLEM"

Like all other generations before millennials, some will succeed in life, others won't. We have to remember that they're living in a world we created for them. Just as we were, they're products of their environment.

It's a numbers game, and across the board, the millenial generation is not as interested in motor vehicles of any kind. That's not a dig, just a fact.

So many these days don't care about getting their driver's license and getting a car, much less a motorcycle. When my step son was in high school just a few years back (he's 20 now), he and very few of his peers were interested in running out and getting their driver's license when they turned 16. They don't need a vehicle to socialize or go places, they can sit in their room on the computer or phone and do it. Matter of fact, many prefer doing that than actually going out in public and seeing people in person. I know many kids graduating at 18 and going off to college and still don't have their driver's license. How are you doing to appeal to a generation like that, to sell them motorcycles (which are quite frankly a luxury item, especially HD's)? Add in the fact that dangerous activities of any kind have been taken away or dumbed down for safety for that generation, and it's no wonder they might not want to ride a dangerous motorcycle.

So, with that in mind, it's no wonder HD is trying to look ahead and figure out a way to sell in the future, and trying new things. If they don't they will shrink by a large margin, as will all the motorcycle manufacturers. Automotive industry has the same problem right now, to a lesser degree.

So many here are like me, wanted to ride a bike since they were 5 yrs old, couldn't wait to get their license, car, bike, it represented freedom and it's in our blood. That's simply not so much the case anymore. It's not a moral judgment on the next generation, to say they were raised different. Times change.

The Street replaced the Buell Blast as Harley's primary basic rider training motorcycle. In that aspect, the Street is far superior to the Blast. Beyond that, I'm not impressed and not surprised it is shunned by millennials. Harley missed the mark by failing to make a Yamaha Bolt and sticking a Harley logo on it.
I am the parent of two millennials, neither has any interest in motorcycles.
Where did I go wrong?