This whole thing is bad. Too many sitting for sale. Polaris has stepped right into market sales. Quality is not on par with the rest of the motorcycles out there. People are leaving because other companies tell them the bikes they build are better designed and have better quality. Then they just have to show all the HD issues posted compared to brand X. And I was thinking about going elsewhere until I rode a Rushmore. The company isn't doing itself any favors buy dismissing the multitude of issues with things like poor suspension. Kick in a little China and Mexico crap and here you go.
BMW sells to a totally different market base. I run upon a few on the road the R 1200 GS Adventure bikes and they are awesome looking and all performance bikes. They are made to go all day on the super slab in perfect comfort as well as offer an awesome choice if you want to turn down the dirt trail. I call that diversity. HD doesn't sell diversity or performance. It sells styling and nostalgia which is a market demand in its own right. I don't like taking HD's on gravel and well turning down a dirt trail well we all know thats suicide lol.
What HD needs to do is produce a product that requires absolutely no improvements as is off the showroom floor machine. No shocks, no exhaust, no performance upgrades. The basics should be awesome. Upgrades should be a personal option and not a mandatory thing to make the bike perform perfectly out the door. Don't get me wrong i like to customize but a customer should not be forced to customize to make it ride or perform well. For the price they charge the parts should be premium from the MOCO.
I've owned many different makes and never had to upgrade any of them except my HD's. HD puts to much emphasis on the aftermarket parts market. Why can't HD make a bike perform perfectly out the door is my question. Can you imagine auto companies requiring its buyers to buy new shocks, mod the engine or exhaust to get top performance off she showroom floor? I think HD needs to focus more on performance in the future all the way around.
I haven't HAD to upgrade my last two ultra's. It is nice to have options. The compensator thing sucker on the 08. My new limited is super nice. Pipes, A/C, big bore kits and seats. If those parts didn't exist, or were too expensive my bikes would have been great stock + highway pegs. Both of the Heritages I owned needed engine guards for the highway pegs for touring. I can't even sit still in a car for 200 miles.
BMW / Triumph salesman rides Harley for the first time
I've only had my 2016 FLHTK for about a week and at first the bike didn't fit me right and I kind of complained about it in another thread. But I've quickly made all the adjustments to fit me and I'm loving it more and more. I've always rode Jap bikes since I was a kid. But there's something about a Harley that just is different. I felt it last year when rode 7 bikes at the demo day at the Laughlin River Run on a 12 mile open ride preset street course. Just hop on and go. I never had so much fun. What this guy felt when he rode is what I felt that day.
Right now the dollar is strong and the foreign bikes have a distinct advantage. I think Harley will always sustain. Anyway, this video is pretty cool and it's awesome to see his reaction. I'm think it's sincere but it is the Internet.
[QUOTE=SecondGear;14768183 . We might think we're being macho but as one gal said 'when I see a harley, there's always a middle aged, pot bellied white guy on it.'[/QUOTE]
The chippy has it right. Where I live in SW Florida, maybe 90% of the bikes are Harleys, and 90% of the riders fit the stereotype, doo-rag and all-this in an area where retired millionaires like to winter over and the average home price is over $750K, so you KNOW they're a bunch of posers. I'm an ATTGAT type and I've actually gotten a ration of **** now and again for wearing protective gear and a FF helmet. WTF? Maybe they're just jealous because I don't have a pot belly...
LOL, that is one FUGLY motorcycle...
Originally Posted by DesertCamper
Anyway, this video is pretty cool and it's awesome to see his reaction. I'm think it's sincere but it is the Internet.
I would say that is a pretty good example of those of us that came to Harley from other brands. I do get what he is saying about the bike feeling "primitive". I would have worded it differently. I see the bikes feeling raw with the sound and way the motor shakes and sounds. That is why i switched form a glide to road kings. Nothing else feels and sounds like a Harley. For those that are willing to get past the image they will appreciate them for what they are.
I felt the same way this guy did the first time I rode a Harley and I've been hooked ever since. I rode jap cruisers for 25 years and always believed that Harleys were way overpriced for the quality they delivered. Too be honest, I still think they're overpriced but the quality is every bit as good as any jap bike I've owned (especially my Rushmore).
It wasn't until I rode a Harley that I finally understood why people love these bikes so much and it wasn't until I owned one that I finally understood why people are so loyal to the brand. You just won't find many brands of any product that has the customer loyalty that HD has and most non-Harley people don't understand it until they become a Harley owner.
I may buy other brands in the future for various reasons but I'll always own at least one Harley.
That was a great video! Yup, I had the same experience 40 years ago when I was riding the bike in my avatar, and took a ride on a Sportster. Holy ****! What a blast! Three Sportsters, a Super Glide, and now I'm on my new Roadie!
Just to be clear, since I've been participating in this discussion, I do NOT think the MoCo is going anywhere, at all. As has been mentioned, they've been around for a century, and they'll still be here when I'm dead.
I just don't think they really get what they need to do to both keep their existing customer base happy, and also to bring in riders that currently are like the guy in the vid...riders who are either brand new to riding, or are riding metrics.
I would say that is a pretty good example of those of us that came to Harley from other brands. I do get what he is saying about the bike feeling "primitive". I would have worded it differently. I see the bikes feeling raw with the sound and way the motor shakes and sounds. That is why i switched form a glide to road kings. Nothing else feels and sounds like a Harley. For those that are willing to get past the image they will appreciate them for what they are.
I don't know why everyone talks about the image being bad. I like the Harley Davidson image. Mostly cool people who love to ride. I don't know about anyone else but I don't care about impressing anyone else but myself. Like I said in a post, my favorite Harley is a Dyna. Basically, two wheels, a frame, and a motor. So cool.
in the video when the guy pulls next to another guy on a Harley and says "this is my first time on a Harley" and the guy looks at him as to say "and, so what" kind of made me laugh.
01-29-2016, 11:25 PM
