harley crap design
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
After 45 years of riding metrics (about half Honda's), I purchased a 07 FXSTC in Aug. 06. It's look and style were exactly what I think a bike should look like.
It had better fit and finish than my substantially higher cost Honda Rune. It was a very comfortable ride, great gas mileage and was dripping with chrome.
I decided to get rid of my metrics and go fully into HD. To that end I have at least one of each family and multiple touring models. An Ultra for the bat wing and a RBC with the fixing fairing. Then I carried all the way with a RGC CVO.
I started touring with them and covered 49 states, 6 Provence's and one Territory. They always got me home.
Over 60K on them combined but if that seems low to some, three of the eight are 12's. The XR1200, NRS, FXSTC and Superglide are for around the local area and not touring.
None seemed over priced to me. Their quality has more than proved out. My insurance per unit is lower than my metrics were. Maintenance is lower. MPG far out paced the Rune @ 32 mpg and the Nomad 1600 at 35 mpg.
CVO included they have all gotten 50 mpg or better with the one exception of the NRS which is about 40 mpg.
The cost of ownership is lower than most other brands.
God Bless America - God Bless HD
To the OP, and other HD haters/detractor's - God Bless you also.
It had better fit and finish than my substantially higher cost Honda Rune. It was a very comfortable ride, great gas mileage and was dripping with chrome.
I decided to get rid of my metrics and go fully into HD. To that end I have at least one of each family and multiple touring models. An Ultra for the bat wing and a RBC with the fixing fairing. Then I carried all the way with a RGC CVO.
I started touring with them and covered 49 states, 6 Provence's and one Territory. They always got me home.
Over 60K on them combined but if that seems low to some, three of the eight are 12's. The XR1200, NRS, FXSTC and Superglide are for around the local area and not touring.
None seemed over priced to me. Their quality has more than proved out. My insurance per unit is lower than my metrics were. Maintenance is lower. MPG far out paced the Rune @ 32 mpg and the Nomad 1600 at 35 mpg.
CVO included they have all gotten 50 mpg or better with the one exception of the NRS which is about 40 mpg.
The cost of ownership is lower than most other brands.
God Bless America - God Bless HD
To the OP, and other HD haters/detractor's - God Bless you also.
Last edited by lh4x4; Nov 16, 2012 at 04:57 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 333
Likes: 0
From: southern Alberta Canada
Interesting, while I'm not sure the third quarter is harleys top bike sales months, I woulda thought that a company that sells as many 40 dollar t shirts and 600 dollar leather jackets that they have made in china would have a lot higher profit margin than that
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,498
Likes: 128
You don't think the summertime is their best selling months? Which quarter do you figure it may be since you have doubts about July, August, and September. When do the new models come out again? Isn't it during the 3rd quarter? Come on now, annually their profit margin is no better than anyone else making bikes and could you point me twards that 600 jacket? I can't seem to find one that costs that much.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 23,053
Likes: 12,327
From: Arkansas
You don't think the summertime is their best selling months? Which quarter do you figure it may be since you have doubts about July, August, and September. When do the new models come out again? Isn't it during the 3rd quarter? Come on now, annually their profit margin is no better than anyone else making bikes and could you point me twards that 600 jacket? I can't seem to find one that costs that much.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,817
Likes: 116
From: Raleigh, NC
The margin for PepsiCo was 11.42%, and that's for a company that has much more than a 100% markup on their product. Guess who's paying for all their advertising?
Let's see, it was 5.6 percent for Dell.
Whoa, hold the bus here! I just went to another site and it says that H-D's gross profit margin was 43.10% at the end of the last quarter!
Forbes is reporting the 12-month margin to be 46.8% for the 12 months ending last quarter. The lowest reported going back to Dec 2007 was 31.78% at end of Dec09.
I think I owe Twisted an apology, and it is now given! I just searched because his post made me curious. I don't know what was with that other site. Maybe it was just for that quarter.
Harley is indeed doing quite well, but as another noted, that is not indicative of their bike sales.
Last edited by mmancuso; Nov 16, 2012 at 11:40 AM.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10,394
Likes: 1,868
From: California
Same with cellphones. If your refrigerator was as reliable as a cellphone or a Harley you'd get a new one the first time all your meat and food spoiled.
People will easily look the other way if they want a product bad enough. Just look at how insulted some folks get when someone discusses real life issues with the bike.
Hell Harley riders will spend 20K on a bike then often will spend another 5-10 or more changing stuff on it.
I cannot think of any other product that sells for such a high price that has so much stuff replaced almost immediately. They get us coming and going.
I try to offset that madness a bit by buying busted up bikes and putting together something I really want from the get go. Then again I am not all the bright and not everyone enjoys spending time in the garage banging their knuckles open and throwing wrenches out of frustration.
But I love it. Except for the time I did a Bill Maudlin and shot my bike in the garage. It was a crime of passion.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10,394
Likes: 1,868
From: California
Depends on the business.
The margin for PepsiCo was 11.42%, and that's for a company that has much more than a 100% markup on their product. Guess who's paying for all their advertising?
Let's see, it was 5.6 percent for Dell.
Whoa, hold the bus here! I just went to another site and it says that H-D's gross profit margin was 43.10% at the end of the last quarter!
Forbes is reporting the 12-month margin to be 46.8% for the 12 months ending last quarter. The lowest reported going back to Dec 2007 was 31.78% at end of Dec09.
I think I owe Twisted an apology, and it is now given! I just searched because his post made me curious. I don't know what was with that other site. Maybe it was just for that quarter.
Harley is indeed doing quite well, but as another noted, that is not indicative of their bike sales.
The margin for PepsiCo was 11.42%, and that's for a company that has much more than a 100% markup on their product. Guess who's paying for all their advertising?
Let's see, it was 5.6 percent for Dell.
Whoa, hold the bus here! I just went to another site and it says that H-D's gross profit margin was 43.10% at the end of the last quarter!
Forbes is reporting the 12-month margin to be 46.8% for the 12 months ending last quarter. The lowest reported going back to Dec 2007 was 31.78% at end of Dec09.
I think I owe Twisted an apology, and it is now given! I just searched because his post made me curious. I don't know what was with that other site. Maybe it was just for that quarter.
Harley is indeed doing quite well, but as another noted, that is not indicative of their bike sales.
Do you have a link for that? I'd like to look in to it. incredible info thanks!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,498
Likes: 128
Depends on the business.
The margin for PepsiCo was 11.42%, and that's for a company that has much more than a 100% markup on their product. Guess who's paying for all their advertising?
Let's see, it was 5.6 percent for Dell.
Whoa, hold the bus here! I just went to another site and it says that H-D's gross profit margin was 43.10% at the end of the last quarter!
Forbes is reporting the 12-month margin to be 46.8% for the 12 months ending last quarter. The lowest reported going back to Dec 2007 was 31.78% at end of Dec09.
I think I owe Twisted an apology, and it is now given! I just searched because his post made me curious. I don't know what was with that other site. Maybe it was just for that quarter.
Harley is indeed doing quite well, but as another noted, that is not indicative of their bike sales.
The margin for PepsiCo was 11.42%, and that's for a company that has much more than a 100% markup on their product. Guess who's paying for all their advertising?
Let's see, it was 5.6 percent for Dell.
Whoa, hold the bus here! I just went to another site and it says that H-D's gross profit margin was 43.10% at the end of the last quarter!
Forbes is reporting the 12-month margin to be 46.8% for the 12 months ending last quarter. The lowest reported going back to Dec 2007 was 31.78% at end of Dec09.
I think I owe Twisted an apology, and it is now given! I just searched because his post made me curious. I don't know what was with that other site. Maybe it was just for that quarter.
Harley is indeed doing quite well, but as another noted, that is not indicative of their bike sales.
By the way, American owned corporations have on average a profit margin of 8.65% so Harley is doing a whopping 1/2 of 1 percent better than the average business. Some seem to think thats extreamly large. I wonder what the profit margin is for the company they work for or for their self owned business..... Hey Twisted what's yours?
Last edited by roadking2000; Nov 16, 2012 at 01:22 PM.