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I love Harley-Davidson. I love the history I love the Nostalgia I love the soul in these bikes. But Harley-Davidson has shot themselves clean in the foot with the 18 Softail lineup. I don't care what anybody says. You can cry but hurt. You can cry all the hater BS you want. They're losing market share, the stock is in a huge slump and taking a nose dive. This is what happens when you let the Millennials lose in the design room. I'll buy they are an improvement ride wise, feature-wise possibly. But it's been said before if you want something that handles like butter you don't buy a Harley-Davidson it's plain and simple. If you need your *** massaged and your chin tickled with a feather then I guess the 18s do the trick for you.
I just bought an ‘18 Deluxe that had been on the sales floor for literally ten minutes before I test rode it. I’m 48 years old. My local is having trouble keeping the 114 Fat Boys and Fat Bobs in stock, and it’s not millenials who are buying them. According to the sales staff, it’s basically been guys around my age either trading in their Twin Cams, or guys with TC’s buying M8’s as second bikes.
I just thought I’d share what can be done with these new Softails, the Fat Boy in piticular. Earlier on in this thread I posted a picture of my brand new Black Tempest Fat Boy, well over the last few weeks, it’s had somewhat of a transformation. I hope you enjoy the photos, I sure enjoyed putting it together (photos taken by Jeff at Sonoma County Harley Davidson)
Thanks.
If I had known I was going to purchase this Fat Boy, I would have bought the Street Glide to begin with. Let me share my thinking. If I were to own just one Harley, it would be a Road King (which I did for many years) but you are giving something up on both the touring end, and the hot rod cruiser end, but it’s a nice medium. But, if circumstances change, and you can stable two bikes, I don’t think you can beat the combination of a Fat Boy and a Street/Road Glide, best of both worlds. Thanks for the compliment regarding my Road King, please follow along with my build of my Anniversary Street Glide, I think it’s really going to come out real nice.
Last edited by Puttnutt24; Dec 10, 2017 at 01:25 PM.
I love Harley-Davidson. I love the history I love the Nostalgia I love the soul in these bikes. But Harley-Davidson has shot themselves clean in the foot with the 18 Softail lineup. I don't care what anybody says. You can cry but hurt. You can cry all the hater BS you want. They're losing market share, the stock is in a huge slump and taking a nose dive. This is what happens when you let the Millennials lose in the design room. I'll buy they are an improvement ride wise, feature-wise possibly. But it's been said before if you want something that handles like butter you don't buy a Harley-Davidson it's plain and simple. If you need your *** massaged and your chin tickled with a feather then I guess the 18s do the trick for you.
its funny when I see post like this. You can see these kind of post for new model cars, boats, bicycles, hell even toilets. Some folks simply can not tolerate change.
I had Harley’s in the 70’s. These bikes are not in the same universe with those heavy, vibrating, slow, oil leaking monsters but you could ride them across country and back again. Hell they were Harley’s man!! These motorcycles are a modern evolution of those bikes. If we all remained in the “ good ole days” nothing would improve or “change”. Some will like the changes, it will grow on others and a very few will stomp their feet, shut their eyes and have a little tantrum. Won’t make any difference as progress will move forward. True the older generation who viewed the Harley as a legend are passing away. The younger generation will have to learn as we did the mystical bike known as....... Harley Davidson.
Last edited by BigRed117; Dec 10, 2017 at 07:36 PM.
The 18 looked like a cartoon. I'm glad people are happy with them...but that **** ain't for me.
And I think this is a reasonable post. Everybody likes different things.
I also have started to see some cool looking 2018's that people got creative with.
There is a video I found of a bad *** Breakout in Sweden, but since there is the video posting rule, which I think is ridiculous, I don't post it. It's just a few minor changes but for some reason transforms the bike.
They still sell the Street Glide, and that bike looks basically the same as it has for 40 years. And they're still making Sportsters... If you want the same, you can have it.
Problem for Harley was they were running out of folks who want the same. People wanted something else, and they quit selling so many Harleys. So Harley is doing the only rational thing -- offering something "different" -- and while it's different, it's also "better". Which is attracting a different segment of customers.
If you don't like the new bikes, that's okay, they're still making the same old style (just with the M8 engine now). But there's a whole lot of us out there who didn't want a Street Glide or a Sportster.
They still sell the Street Glide, and that bike looks basically the same as it has for 40 years. And they're still making Sportsters... If you want the same, you can have it.
Problem for Harley was they were running out of folks who want the same. People wanted something else, and they quit selling so many Harleys. So Harley is doing the only rational thing -- offering something "different" -- and while it's different, it's also "better". Which is attracting a different segment of customers.
If you don't like the new bikes, that's okay, they're still making the same old style (just with the M8 engine now). But there's a whole lot of us out there who didn't want a Street Glide or a Sportster.
In reality Harley biggest challenge is the Adventure Touring. An area it has never been into. But BMW, Ducati, KTM, and the Japs are growing big with this in the USA. There is also the growing Indian competition, and to a lesser extent that of Triumph and Moto Guzzi. But the first with a shrinking cruiser market is becoming a concern.
It can pick some peaces but the biggest concern is the Adventure segment, this is something completely new for Harley and something it never did enter into. A wise move in this would be to make a Sportster Scrambler model with 20 kg less and a higher suspension. I'd say half of this is ready with the Roadster bike. But this enters young people into the brand and into the customization frenzy the Harley brand has.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
