People keep saying this and the evidence just doesn't support it. Comparatively, H-D's reliability isn't that far behind Japanese manufacturers. Additionally, European bikes seem to be less reliable overall. When it comes to customer satisfaction, H-D knocks it out the park (not my words, but based upon customer surveys). I am no Fanboi and my brand loyalty only goes so far

As far as competitive pricing goes...not much I can say about that. I paid the Harley price and I don't regret the decision at all. Honestly, I don't know what the margins are on these bikes. Consumers dictate the market and for as long as people keep buying them, they will continue to have high price tags. I feel like people buy their first H-D expecting some kind of religious experience and end up being let down because at the end of the day they realize it's just a motorcycle.

 

Depends what you consider reliability. I almost bit the bullet a couple years back. Deal was done, all I wanted was a test ride. Bike had essentially no front brakes and could not be put in neutral without turning it off. I returned the key.
Fast forward to a couple days ago. Did a few more demos. Starting the bikes in gear with the clutch in would cause the bike to lurch forward as if the clutch wasn't in. Perhaps they all do it and it won't strand ya, but it doesn't happen on other brands. Tried a Road Glide as I'm considering a touring bike of some sort. Couldn't hear the stereo over the exhaust/wind without turning it up too annoying levels. And then it just became audible over the other noise. Suspension was poor for that kinda bike. Not reliably worth the price they're asking nor in a league with their competitors.
Next up was a new Fatboy 107. It was used and had annoying loud pipes. Don't think it was tuned properly as it would lurch a lot off idle. Aside from that it was very good. Didn't even mind the steering from the big tires. Uber comfy and the suspension was plush. Unlike the RG which felt like it was put together without tightening the screws, they FB felt tight and well put together. Had very good brakes too. Then I got back to the shop and couldn't put the damn thing in neutral without turning it off.
Finally, I rode a 114 Breakout to see if the engine lurching was present on it as it was stock. As it turns out, it was the Goldilocks bike. Shifted great, felt great, braked great, and makes me drool when I look at it. Unfortunately, not very practical for two up travel.
Point being that HD can obviously make bikes well. Problem is, a lot them don't seem to make it out of the factory that way. Reminds me of acoustic guitars. You can test 5 different specimens of the same model and they all sound a little different. You have to play them to make sure you get the best one. HDs seem to be the same. Some are built great and others not so much from one to the next. You could hop on 1000 Japanese bikes of the same model and you'd never notice a difference in any of them.
I suppose that's more consistency than reliability, but when spending that kinda dosh, one should expect them all to reliably work the same sans the nuisance issues.

 

HD has no control over prices except to the extent they design to a price point. They all do. Open question whether they are doing a good job at the $8000 level, it's not from a lack of trying but there's a ton of good competition at that level. They keep putting out new concepts, question is, who is the customer, and what do they want? OTOH I don't think anything comes close in the $15-16K price range right this minute.

But, that's me. Everyone's mileage varies; there are different dimensions to quality. Is a Ferrari a quality car? A Prius? Question is, what's quality to a Harley driver? Aesthetics, sound, torque, ability to customize. Being able to bomb the canyons for an afternoon isn't high on the list. Being able to make it to Sturgis (one way or another) is.

HD is a value leadership proposition, price leadership is the last thing on their mind. They need to keep *their* customers happy, and need to not worry about Honda's or Kawi's customers. Once they start pissing us off, they are in big trouble. I don't envy them their task, I'll admit I was flabbergasted when I saw they discontinued the Dyna line, and had to do some deep breathing and remind myself -- new engine, new frame... these are good things....

There's a marketing reality in there: reliability only has to be good enough. That was a hard lesson Toyota had to learn. Everybody in on a budget, even the process engineers....

 

If a dying company falls in the woods and everybody is screaming, can you hear the forest thru the trees...

 

 

Its so funny listening to all the negative cry babies. Same type group on all the car forums. No one like the new bikes, no one likes the prices, they don't relate to a certain age group, they are too heavy, they aren't fast enough, they are going out of business, etc.
Well, every year there are people that like them and they stay in business.
what I don't understand is if the people that are so negative don't like the bikes, the way the company is run, and the prices, why dont they go find a forum of a product they like and hang out there?
why bother the ones of us that are happy and feeling good.
just a thought.

 

Yes....by all means, let's just be an echo-chamber here. No opinions allowed. Good forking grief.... Triggered.