I guess it comes down to taste.

 

If it weren't for the EPA and its own lawyers, this is likely the bike Harley would build... or should I say Willie G would build.

 

This is an interesting statement since every bike manufacturer has to comply, and many provide more powerful bikes for less money.

 

It's amusing the EPA is only holding Harley Davidson back when Kawasaki can put out a street legal 230HP supercharged Ninja H2.

Yeah that's why Harley downgrades performance. It's not that HD buyers are willing to shell out thousands more over a premium price to "make it run and sound right".

The EPA also didn't hold Yamaha from putting out the fastest cruiser (Vmax) since 1985.

 

Obviously the EPA isn't holding HD back anymore than any other manufacturer. Harley builds what sells to the people they want to sell to. It would be very easy to engineer a 1000cc inline 4 contender. But people who buy that bike don't want a Harley nameplate on it. And there's plenty to choose from. So Harley sells a bike that is unlike other bikes. That's their thing. It doesn't have to be the fastest or lightest.

But I will say, mechanical issues not withstanding, they are doing way better than in times past. While not what I would describe as fast, the bikes built since 2013 really need little in the way of modification to be decent bikes for what they are.

 

"Harley sales already had slipped 8.7 percent in the first half of 2018 while its main American competitor, Polaris and its Indian brand, saw a 4 percent gain"

snippet from the full article...

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/19/trum...-ins-rise.html

I wish Harley the best and hope they figure out their rightful place at the top of the heap.

 

I like the Breakout. I was thinking I'd get one some day maybe.

FXDR looks kind of like the Breakout II.

Seems like a cool bike. Needs some tweaks (like get rid of that ugly *** exhaust, and maybe the plastic rear fender thing). Wouldn't really know if I like it until I ride one.
$21K is definitely way out of line. I'll let some dumbass buy a new one, not ride it, then I'll buy it from him for $10K.

 

As I mentioned in the "CEO" thread, Indian will show an increase for awhile because they started from noting not at all long ago. When you start from nothing you better hope you have a gain.

And also as mentioned in the other thread, sales of almost all bikes are down. BMW has serious concerns about it's place in the American market and they are adjusting accordingly.

The sad truth is there are simply fewer riders, and subsequently, fewer bikes being sold.

 

It's not the EPA that's holding HD back, it's their base. To achieve anything close to performance/weight comparisons with other brands, Harley will have to abandon push rod technology and adopt an integrated engine/transmission configuration. This would also reduce production costs and probably price. One only has to look at this forum to see how well that would fly with current HD fans.

Would they eventually recover? Probably, if they were able to sustain cash flow while converting to an entirely different customer base. As it stands, they are trying to "evolve" into that position with questiinable reception in the marketplace.