n...
Could it be ??
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 279
Likes: 25
From: charlestown, in
Could it be ??
Last edited by krouke; Jan 26, 2019 at 01:15 AM.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 73
Likes: 13
From: Rockport, TX
Article is a bit off.... I know allot of guys riding Harleys... and they ain't 50 years old. And if the millennials are buying bikes, they may evolve into cooler bikes as they beat around on 2 wheels. So at least their open minded to ride.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 236
Likes: 113
From: Georgia
This is just my .02 worth.
I think most riders, regardless of age, started on something cheaper than a HD, and grew to wanting something more comfortable.
This next statement/thought is not a knock on anyone/anything;
Most younger riders like the looks/performance of a different kind of bike (kind of like looks and performance over comfort), as our bodies get older (and our minds mature, lololol) we tend to want comfort first. But then we want performance as we get comfortable. Hence, a Harley Davidson. Now we can be as comfortable and have as much performance as our wallets can afford.
I hope everyone takes this with as much jest as truth, it will not apply to all riders, but it will apply to just more than myself.
I applaud HD for the new and different kinds of body style/motorcycles. And predict a trend, that when the younger riders mature and get older, a lot of them will go the we did, and be on a HD.
I think most riders, regardless of age, started on something cheaper than a HD, and grew to wanting something more comfortable.
This next statement/thought is not a knock on anyone/anything;
Most younger riders like the looks/performance of a different kind of bike (kind of like looks and performance over comfort), as our bodies get older (and our minds mature, lololol) we tend to want comfort first. But then we want performance as we get comfortable. Hence, a Harley Davidson. Now we can be as comfortable and have as much performance as our wallets can afford.
I hope everyone takes this with as much jest as truth, it will not apply to all riders, but it will apply to just more than myself.
I applaud HD for the new and different kinds of body style/motorcycles. And predict a trend, that when the younger riders mature and get older, a lot of them will go the we did, and be on a HD.
Last edited by DevilDawg1; Jan 26, 2019 at 02:58 AM. Reason: add comments
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 71
Likes: 9
From: tn
I think it also depends a lot on the location as well. Im in a small country town and a lot of us younger guys eat and breath Harley. But the further you go north in towards Nashville the Harleys become a status symbol, ridden buy RUBs in their 50s who just have one cause they are fancy. I think the main thing that will keep Harley around is the aftermarket. It is so enormous at this point you can make their bikes anything you want.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 387
Likes: 173
From: Big Lake in the Middle
I'm Gen X - never owned anything (street) other than Harley. You CAN own a Harley on a modest income if you want to. Do you really need that 170 a month cable bill along with the 150 a month cell phone? Drop cable, cut down the phone a little, stop hitting the bar 3x a week and you have a new Road King in the garage. And that's not even particularly a huge lifestyle change.
Too many "analysts" are confusing market correction with the death of the MoCo. Contraction by HD does NOT mean they will go away. A quarter million motorcycles which are all "under powered, under tech and over priced" each year isn't "almost dead" - especially when people realize the competition doesn't break 50k bikes a year. Motorcycling participation is down across the board.
HD also has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. They're on par with Coke, ****, Ford etc for brand recognition. I don't see articles bemoaning the death of Ferrari, Porsche, etc because they don't have a millennial customer base. Stop crying that HD doesn't cover everyone - they don't HAVE to be to be successful.
Too many "analysts" are confusing market correction with the death of the MoCo. Contraction by HD does NOT mean they will go away. A quarter million motorcycles which are all "under powered, under tech and over priced" each year isn't "almost dead" - especially when people realize the competition doesn't break 50k bikes a year. Motorcycling participation is down across the board.
HD also has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. They're on par with Coke, ****, Ford etc for brand recognition. I don't see articles bemoaning the death of Ferrari, Porsche, etc because they don't have a millennial customer base. Stop crying that HD doesn't cover everyone - they don't HAVE to be to be successful.
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Road Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 809
Likes: 570
From: Detroit Metro Area
I'm Gen X - never owned anything (street) other than Harley. You CAN own a Harley on a modest income if you want to. Do you really need that 170 a month cable bill along with the 150 a month cell phone? Drop cable, cut down the phone a little, stop hitting the bar 3x a week and you have a new Road King in the garage. And that's not even particularly a huge lifestyle change.
Too many "analysts" are confusing market correction with the death of the MoCo. Contraction by HD does NOT mean they will go away. A quarter million motorcycles which are all "under powered, under tech and over priced" each year isn't "almost dead" - especially when people realize the competition doesn't break 50k bikes a year. Motorcycling participation is down across the board.
HD also has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. They're on par with Coke, ****, Ford etc for brand recognition. I don't see articles bemoaning the death of Ferrari, Porsche, etc because they don't have a millennial customer base. Stop crying that HD doesn't cover everyone - they don't HAVE to be to be successful.
Too many "analysts" are confusing market correction with the death of the MoCo. Contraction by HD does NOT mean they will go away. A quarter million motorcycles which are all "under powered, under tech and over priced" each year isn't "almost dead" - especially when people realize the competition doesn't break 50k bikes a year. Motorcycling participation is down across the board.
HD also has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. They're on par with Coke, ****, Ford etc for brand recognition. I don't see articles bemoaning the death of Ferrari, Porsche, etc because they don't have a millennial customer base. Stop crying that HD doesn't cover everyone - they don't HAVE to be to be successful.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 480
Likes: 349
From: Wilmington, NC
OK, here's the deal. I grew up in the 50/60's with a generation who took our 35 cents and went to the movies and saw all of the hundreds of "outlaw biker" movies. That was who I wanted to grow up to be, except my mother wouldn't let me; I was afraid of getting beat up (more than I already was at school); I heard about what happened to pretty boys in prison; and my parents indoctrinated me with the idea that going to college having a job and getting married was the correct path to happiness for a young man (the trifecta!!). Through all the bad advice and direction, in my old age, when I drive down the street on my Harley and see my reflection in the store windows, and hear the rumbling echo, I see Peter Fonda on his chopper, without a care in the world.....they can't take that away from me. For 70 years Harley Davidson has in one way or another been involved in my life and everything else has left. I'm sure when the good Lord comes for me it will be with the sound of a Harley in the background. I'm glad I grew up in the generation I did, I don't know what young men will look back on when it is their time (video games?).
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,146
Likes: 471
From: along the Front Range in Colorado
..... priorities my young friends,..... priorities