21st Birthday bought a 62' Panhead. Replaced my first bike, a 69' Bonneville.

My point is very few here had Harleys at a young age and many showed no interest in them either.

 

I wanted one allot earlier. My parents saw a bike with two people on it get into an accident and both were run over by cars. So bikes were not allowed in our house. Only when I was on my own and married was I allowed. So a couple years of marriage and then I bought one.

 

Understood, Dad wouldn't allow one so got one when I was overseas in the Navy and had it shipped from the Triumph factory to Long Beach, Ca.

 

I don't think I am as much of a minority as you all make it seem. It's just like everything else. Take the new M8s for example - if you read the M8 forum you would think every M8 out there is set to fail any day now. Are there problems with the engines? Sure. Is it as widespread and common as the forum makes it seem? No. People come here to post complaints and negatives about the M8...I'm pretty confident more people have created usernames to post either questions or complaints than the amount of people that have created usernames to post praise and talk about how great their new bike is.

Similar to the evil millennial. The "bad" ones are the ones you see on the news, or stories being shared over social media, the ones being talked about for doing the latest dumb thing like eating tide pods. Nobody says "Oh yeah I met this 25 year old guy the other day, nice guy, hard worker, his future looks bright." Its always "I was at the gas station and this kid didn't even know how to pump gas! He had to use his new fangled smart phone to google a how-to youtube video! How is he ever going to live on his own?"

Most of the lazy, entitled, soft, whatever kids are the ones you hear about because they tend to be attention seekers. They're the ones that want to have their 7 minutes of social media fame, even if it means snorting a condom. Or trying to organize a school walk out for the latest and greatest political statement. The "good" ones, in my experience, tend to be very low key, have some sort of life goal or something to work towards, and generally have their **** together. All of my friends are in the latter group...and a fair amount of them ride. Not all HD, but they ride.

The younger crowd today is full of good people. You just have to know where to look. It really isn't as dramatic is its made out to be.

 

If H-D are for old people, maybe when the Millennials get old they will jump on board...

 

Exactly, it's not like people aren't getting old everyday. I was interested in HDs when I was young. ZX10, 11, 12, 'busa, K1200R, those were in my garage. Then later I needed to slow down and as my wife and I could get comfy on a sport or sport touring bike, I moved to HDs.

 

I was the same way... but... that being said... According to what you read on-line all motorcycles sales are down. This to me would tell me that the younger crowed isn't into the bikes you and I were when we were younger either. Meaning, if they are not into those bikes now at a young age, why would they gravitate toward HD's and bigger cruisers if they were never into bikes to begin with? I think that's part of the problem. I don't know.. just my 2 cents...

 

I wouldn't say didn't want. Yes I rode ricers in the beginning because they were all I could afford. But every time I saw an XLCH I would start to drool uncontrollably as would my buddies.
kk

 

In the early 60’s, H-D had the Topper, Sprint, Ranger, Pacer, Scat..., hmmmm, makes one wonder, doesn’t it?

 

My 21 year old son just bought his first Motorcycle a couple of months ago... a Harley