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My two cents. I think HD screwed the pooch trying to change to go after the younger generation, and ended up turning their back on the older generation that's carried them for years. (And OBTW geniuses, are the ones with the money)
yeah, that's great and all, but the "older generation" already has their bikes, aren't buying as many new ones (which is why sales are dropping, after all) and are (literally) dying off. there's no future in being the Bill Knapp's of bikes, catering to the generation looking for "early bird" specials.
yeah, that's great and all, but the "older generation" already has their bikes, aren't buying as many new ones (which is why sales are dropping, after all) and are (literally) dying off. there's no future in being the Bill Knapp's of bikes, catering to the generation looking for "early bird" specials.
^^^^^ THIS....if you cater to the 65+ crowd your doomed. Harley lasted this long and lack of sales will continue to drive change. Harley's are just not cool to the young crowd, they want performance not 800+ pound, low HP, rolling behemoths that cost more than they could ever afford. I ride everything and still go to meets and the kids can get into a bike for under 10K that satisfy their need for performance and fit into what they can afford. I do notice a crowd of young guns that are into the bobbers, but that will not help Harley now. The reason they like the Bobbers is the same reason, they are cheap and cool.
Should have come up with a new model name instead of merging it into Softail. As a Dyna owner, I feel slighted.
Harley-Davidson has never concerned themselves with keeping customers. Along the way they have alienated their customer bases almost as fast as they cultivated them. They dumped the Shovel and Panhead type riders for the Evo crowd then dumped them for you twinkie guys. Well guess what. Now it's your turn to get thrown overboard in favor of a new group of potential customers who haven't even bought Harleys yet so welcome to the machine.
It's the modern way of doing business. You can love the brand but don't expect the brand to love you back. But then Harley has never been as loyal to its supporters as it has brain washed them to be to Harley.
Funny thing, many seem to be blaming the big changes this year on an attempt to appeal to the youth market. If this is just another way of saying "I don't like the new bikes", that's OK. I'm as resistant to change as the next guy, but there really wasn't anything in the old Dyna or Softail line that I was itching to buy either.
The reality is, despite what the internet says, Harley is actually doing quite well with younger buyers. Their market share among buyers 18-34 has increased steadily over the last 10 years. Currently, their nearest competitor sells one bike for every three Harley sells into this demographic.
My advice to those that yearn for a Yamaha, BMW or Ducati is to go buy one. Life is too short to deny your desires waiting for Harley to emulate their less successful competitors.
Harley-Davidson has never concerned themselves with keeping customers. Along the way they have alienated their customer bases almost as fast as they cultivated them. They dumped the Shovel and Panhead type riders for the Evo crowd then dumped them for you twinkie guys.
Harley's problem is that their core riders always feel like they're being "Thrown under the bus" any time they change something. Practically everything they've ever made has had a 45-degree V-twin. every generation has been an improvement. I didn't see people lose their minds when GM re-designed the Chevy small-block in the '90s (as the LT1,) or again a bit later into the LS series, and again a few years ago into the Gen. V. In 1970 it would have been unthinkable to believe you could have a 379 cubic inch engine which could make 455 horsepower (real horsepower, not those wildly inaccurate numbers they published back then) without supercharging, on pump gas which idles smoothly, has great throttle response, and could be a daily driver.
Lots of people here keep whining that these new bikes look 'metric'..... like that's an argument for why HD screwed up. I'm just a stupid, poor millennial, typing on my brand new iPhone, but last time I checked, a 'metric' bike is any bike whose engine displacement and other fasteners and bolts are measured in the metric system, like cubic centimeters and millimeters. WTF are you even saying? I think what you really mean is that they look Japanese. Well, last time I owned a metric bike it looked like this:
And then this:
How in the world does changing the frame, headlights, and gas tank make a Harley look like a metric? And also, didn't Japanese bikes copy the 'cruiser' look from Harley years ago to try and steal some of the market share from Harley? So if Japanese bikes copied the cruiser format from Harley, and now Harley looks 'metric', then Harley copied themselves?
So there had to be a production cost savings black paint vs, chrome and a cheap seat, no backrest yet a 21K price tag for a Heritage. Maybe they plan on selling a lot of parts....LOL.
So there had to be a production cost savings black paint vs, chrome and a cheap seat, no backrest yet a 21K price tag for a Heritage. Maybe they plan on selling a lot of parts....LOL.
Saw the new Heritage in-person. It doesn't look too bad to me. I just can't get the pricing. Final asking prices on the stickers were in the low 20's range and that was without the 114. Road King's are now cheaper. Only way I would get this over the Road King is to be able to purchase the 114 upgrade for $1,700 and if most of my riding was around town, although this new Heritage should tour much better than the older version.
Originally Posted by yamamatt65
Lots of people here keep whining that these new bikes look 'metric'..... like that's an argument for why HD screwed up. I'm just a stupid, poor millennial, typing on my brand new iPhone, but last time I checked, a 'metric' bike is any bike whose engine displacement and other fasteners and bolts are measured in the metric system, like cubic centimeters and millimeters. WTF are you even saying? I think what you really mean is that they look Japanese. Well, last time I owned a metric bike it looked like this:
How in the world does changing the frame, headlights, and gas tank make a Harley look like a metric? And also, didn't Japanese bikes copy the 'cruiser' look from Harley years ago to try and steal some of the market share from Harley? So if Japanese bikes copied the cruiser format from Harley, and now Harley looks 'metric', then Harley copied themselves?
Metric is just a synonym for import.This is a forum that caters to the Harley Davidson brand. So wondering why people sometimes speak negatively about other brands here is kind of like going to a Honda forum and complaining that people sometimes speak negatively about Harley Davidson. If you're happy with your bike, who cares what it is
Last edited by ChickinOnaChain; Aug 27, 2017 at 12:48 PM.
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Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
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Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
