Well how in the hell do you think that went down??????? LOL

 

lmao!!!! I think I know how that went down!!

 

They used to have 50cc and up mini bikes and dirt bikes. back in the 70's and 80's but stopped?

 

2015 was a record year for motorcycle sales and Harley was down. That's really bad news.

Take a look at any article covering the top ten motorcycles for 2015. Harley can only compete in one category. If they don't change, and soon, they will go the way of Oldsmobile.

 

Harley makes exactly what I like (with a few after marker mods)...i dont know how successful they'd be if they tried to spread the brand out. The V-Rod has remained a niche model, the new Streets are not appealing bikes IMO - just kinda uninteresting design, the Buells almost found their groove...I think the Livewire has real potential, but again it'll be niche for a long time. The Sportster has been a huge model for them over the past decade. I bet they sell around the same numbers as the touring bikes. That is a platform worth reaching the crossover market with (if there is one). Maybe offer a long warranty (like Hyundai did in 2002...10 year/100,000) to earn trust with non-believers...add premium suspension options and give it a simple custom order option or swappable dealer packages to tailor to customer taste/needs...

Oh, and add a scrambler and roadster...

 

Its unfair to put the Harley in the same category as the Hondas, yammy and kaw's. The HD sells only cruiser lines while the others sell Dirt bikes, quads, rice rockets, mopeds, scooters.. ect. Did I metion pianos? anyway...
Put a cruiser line against cruiser line and see the results a little more clear.
HD sells to the older crowd for a reason.
Honda,yammy,kaws sell most of their stuff the younger generations that can afford the $3k bikes on their minimum wage.
Those OR most that buy the jap stuff eventually grow out of them or grow a pair and get Harleys.
They have more $ by then, more experience and know right from wrong...
We all have to grow up sometime, when we do, we get Harley-Davidson

 

The goofy 'bad-***' marketing doesn't help either. It's actually out of touch with our culture in general and only appeals to a sliver of society. Riding an HD doesn't make the rider bad-***, and honestly I feel a bit sorry for those who think that it does.

I ride my road king because I love how it looks, how it sounds and how it rides, and I am not bad-***.

 

Not many 20 year olds can walk into a HD dealer and say I want that one . Put this on it and hand over the cash.
HD is doing ok with still respecting seasoned riders. Stopped by dealer yesterday a man in 60's did just that. Traded in his 2 year old ride for a new one paid cash and made the deal in about 15 minutes.

 

Fiance, huh? Well, you STILL have a last-chance to get out of it free and clear - if ya wanna!

 

A-friggin'-men, Brother.

That "Bad-***" image is total BS to begin with, and is totally inappropriate and out of touch with today's culture.

Remember "You meet the nicest people on a Honda"? That nearly did the MOCO in back in the day.

Glad it didn't, but...