Harley-Davidson has been going from strength to strength in Europe while domestic sales continue to fall: but why? Maybe the reason can best be told through Willi Breuckmann's story. Breuckmann, a native of Germany, could have opted to buy a BMW or any number of European bikes, but he didn't. Instead, he decided to buy a Harley-Davidson Road King. According to Breuckmann, "It comes down to a feeling... the BMW is also very comfortable... but it was a dream of mine to get a Harley.". The reason so many Europeans are choosing Harley-Davidson over highly capable local brands could simply come down to a "feeling".
I'd like to see HD doing well but the above paragraph doesn't afford much in the way of proof of the assertion.
Every time I'm in Europe, I find it quite surprising how many HD motorcycles I see. Motorcycles and scooter are very popular in the bigger cities because navigating traffic is easier. The auto to motorcycle ratio is 1:1.
You don't see many of the touring models but lots of sporties, dynas, softails.
Back in the 60 most Harley bikers were riding army surplus bikes which were for sale all over Europe. In 71 only 7 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles were sold in the Netherlands. Most the importer sold were Hydra 's and Duo's which were imported from Belgium where police forces used them and army surplus 45s. In the mid 70s the number of new Harleys went up more and more. Then choppers started showing up. When I had my first new Harley in 76 it was an not sold 75 FX which was transferred to an FXE and I even got longer front forks installed for almost free so happy the dealer was to sell this bike. And for no other bike as an Harley there were so many after market parts. This made Harley-Davidson growing bigger. And when the company started builing factory customs this even got bigger. In that time you needed a tool box on any long distance run. When quality got better and better the reputation of Harley also got up. Then came the movies and it was hip to own a Harley en every dealer could sell what he could get from the factory. Now I see a lot of clubs and a lot of HOG chapters doing lots of riding. Not in a 1 on 1 ratio but there are parts of Europe where in summertime Harley's do dominate the road. I think because Harley is carefully looking at what customers want and how they present their brand has great importance to their presence in Europe now a days
Even though Harleys are very expensive in Europe, people still buy them. Recently, Harley has teamed up with Jeep in Europe and I think is a brilliant idea. Two iconic american brands promoting the american way of life.
If you click the "next" button you'll get a few more paragraphs.
Harley appear to be doing well in the UK. I've seen more Sportsters on the road this summer than any other bike. Used to be all i'd see were sport bikes, but the collapse of the 600cc Supersport market changed that. Harley, Triumph and BMW seem to be the most common these days. Don't see so many baggers around here though. I was beginning to see a lot more M8's on the road until the weather turned bad, so sales of the new bikes must be going pretty well.
If you click the "next" button you'll get a few more paragraphs.
Harley appear to be doing well in the UK. I've seen more Sportsters on the road this summer than any other bike. Used to be all i'd see were sport bikes, but the collapse of the 600cc Supersport market changed that. Harley, Triumph and BMW seem to be the most common these days. Don't see so many baggers around here though. I was beginning to see a lot more M8's on the road until the weather turned bad, so sales of the new bikes must be going pretty well.
These "articles" that require you to click through a series of slides are patbetic efforts to generate clicks for the host. Once I see the "NEXT" button, I stop reading and hit the back-button. Just give me me the article on one page, sheez.
anybody recognize this guy? Can u visualize him in this picture riding a Gold Wing? Nope! Neither can I. A company could not buy this type of advertising. Owning a HD in Europe is a huge status symbol.
Japan too. The europeans and japanese love harleys, leather, jeans, and boots. From the good ol usa. Vintage leather can catch some big money across the ponds.
11-29-2018, 12:44 PM
The Rise of Harley in Europe
