what do all the trick riders ride? Wheelies, cornering, dodging through traffic? At my local HD dealership, every salesman and all 3 service managers all ride Street Bobs! They are the bike of choice of a lot of young riders. It's ok in my book that they did away with dyna's. But I do feel they should of changed the names of the bikes. Just a matter of respect in an industry that produces a product whose lifestyle is based on respect!

 

Great post !

Performance Harley ? I wish so too.

However, based on my reading on this forum, it seems to me that the majority of the past and current generations of HD riders will measure new HD bikes by the following two metrics:

1. Sound
2. Look

Performance will not matter if the above the new HD bikes fail the above two check marks.

So it's VERY hard for the MoCo to make any performance bike if the HD engineers have to constantly worry about and have to stick to metric #1.

Ducati also produces one of the finest engine sounds that can be heard on the 748s or 996s with the dry clutch. Unlike HD, Ducati pursues performance. So if Ducati's customers don't like the sound of the new bikes, too bad, but performance will be the ultimate goal. Ducati is done with V-Twin engine and is moving towards V4 engine.

Young generations will want performance bike AND variety. I wish HD offers sport bikes and dirt bikes as well. I think that's how HD will be able to attract young riders.

 

True. They don't even really want cars. They can't wait until the self driving cars are standard. That way they never have to put down the cell phone. Hell they don't now, even when they are driving.

 

Went and took a look at the abominations today. The Fatboy looked the best except for the headlight and the motor. Just not a fan of the m8, I don't care how many cubes, how much more hp or tq it may have, which in reality is nothing compared to whats available from elsewhere. Heard the mutant fatbob with the 114. What a friggin joke, sounded like a sewing machine. I can fart louder than what that bike sounds, not to mention it's metric styling. Did notice that one could probably change all 4 plugs without removing the tank due to its size reduction. As far as checking the transmission level, which will be as routine as checking one's oil due to the migration to the primary, it will be a bitch with the rear shock adjustment in front of it. Maybe in a few years the moco will come up with a fix for the migration issue. Overall, the new and improved neutered lineup simply has no character whatsoever. It's like animal attraction, you either have it or you don't. Plain and simple these transvestibikes don't.

 

Just f**kin" sad.

 

Looks pretty good... for a Yamaha.

 

I went and looked at a couple of the new bikes on the floor today. I have to say that the pictures don't really do them justice. I saw the new Fatboy with the 114, and the one thing that stuck out was the rims. They looked like *** in the pictures, but, standing in front of them, and all of a sudden I said kewl, they look good.

Went to look at the Fat Bob, but they didn't have one in yet. Going to take a few weeks or more in order to get the new ones in stock. One thing I did notice was the sea of used bikes out in front of the dealer. Man, that was once a pipe dream for all of us.

I keep saying it. No better time to buy a Harley.

PS - For all of the people who are complaining about change. They've been making the XL line for about 60 years plus. You want the old style if bike? They still make it. Compared to that, all them there new bikes are just that. The touring line hasn't changed all that drastically either.

 

"I have ridden bikes that I didn't like the look but the rides were SO good !"

Would you have coitus with Rosie O if she still looked the same, but was an animal in bed?
Like the previous poster...if it don't move me visually, I don't care how good the ride or how fast the motor. And, I spend a helluva lot more time looking at & admiring my bike than 1% of it.

 

Many here talk as if all concerns about the 2018 bikes are to be discounted as they are made by some sort of old Harley only rider with no experience on other bikes, especially performance bikes. They use this so they can ignore or make fun of people who take the time to post what they think. It is very close minded.
Almost every hardcore Harley rider I know cut their teeth on High performance bikes. Nearly everyone rode the fastest Kawasaki or Yamaha or Honda in their day. Many own Ducatis or beemers today. Most concerns you label as hate are legitimate opinions and concerns. It hurts discussion to label everything you personally disagree with as hate. Seems to be a bleed over from political attitudes. Don't listen to a different point of view, label it hate speech so you can ignore it. But this ain't politics, so we will keep saying what we think. If you read the comments, instead of backing yourself into a corner, you might see that most Harley riders came to Harley because they have enough performance, but more to the point, they are fun to ride. My WeeStrom was a great bike, my FZ blinding fast. They handled great. But my Harley is more fun to ride. No one will argue with you that some other brands are ultra sophisticated. So what, that does not add to your ride in 99% of riding.
Now we agree that the new Harley's are expensive. Even too expensive for someone just starting out in life. Who expects a millennial to get a loan and buy a $30,000 bagger. Not Harley, not Polaris. It is the seasoned rider to can appreciate what a Harley has to offer. Most riders rode less expensive or used bikes for a decade or more before even being interested in looking at a Harley. Why do you think this is different now? Apartments, first homes, cars, girlfriends, marriage, all have priorities too. But you miss the mark as millennials are buying baggers. The Question this thread and others that we are trying to answer is what Polaris is trying to answer as well, are blacked out more metric looking bikes what will keep Harley healthy. Polaris already knows the valanced fenders were a short lived fad to grab some sales momentum. Now let's see it Polaris has staying power. We all hope that harley will. We all make our own decisions about new bikes with our own wallets. Simply discounting what you disagree with when people post here about what works for them will leave you with a majority of one. Everybody agrees Harley needs to change, to grow and the sales world is changing before our eyes. You may write people who do not like the new Heritage, or the new Fatboy off, but many of the people you think don't get it still ride and buy motorcycles. It is not hate to post a point of view, but it is narrow minded to dismiss it because you disagree.

 

My only real "gripe" (I know, very subjective) is with the Fatbob. I used to love that bike, but it's starting to look a little too "Mad Max" for me.
Now the new Breakout, that's a whole new monster. Extremely sleek looking. Can't image what a bike that small with the M8 114 would be like. Would love to take that out on a test ride, but seeing as how I just bought a new Ultra last week, it's probably best not to tempt myself.