1996 Fatboy vs 1996 Honda shadow . Saw a 96 shadow with 2000 miles on it looked new sold for $1200 last year. The 1996 FB I still own has 65K on it I have been offered $6000 for it but would never sell it. The FB is much more fun to ride.
HD sales will do ok . Ride what ever you want but don't sell HD short they have a market. They may need to move in other directions in the years to come but there is still value in the brand.

 

The $1 service plan was the one I was asking about. I knew about the $1450 5 year one

 

After 3 wet weeks I was finally able to get out for a ride today. Temps mid 60's, sunny, early/mid afternoon.

Stopped by the dealer I bought my bike from. This place is always staffed with a half dozen or more sales people, lots of bikes in the parking lot, busy in every department. Today I saw 2 sales guys, 3 bikes in the parking lot. Service dept. used to be open Sundays, now closed.

Stopped by another dealer, first time there. 3 bikes in the parking lot. This place has a sports bar type thing next door, with open windows between the bar and the dealership. Lots going on in the bar. Dealership had one employee that I saw... girl in the accessories dept. No salesmen, the lights in the sales office were turned out. Bikes for sale outside were dirty & water spotted from the recent rains. Yamaha dealer in the same parking lot seemed to have a good flow of people in & out.

It's not looking good out there.

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ROCKOUTS at the links below...

 

Pretty much. That's the image that the MoCo is fighting, and, unfortunately, every single thing they're doing is only reinforcing it.

You are apparently utterly unaware that the opinions from the "rich friends" and the "little girl" are the only ones that matter to H-D. Insulting the MoCo's primary outreach demographics, that is, the groups of people from whom new customers will come, is not helping.

One of the major problems with HD's sagging sales is you, and your direct personal insults.

You, and everybody else like you who runs prospective new customers away, because the newer, younger buyer doesn't want to wear a doo-rag and a vest covered in pins and patches and buttons and bows. And chaps. And made in China "engineer boots" with riveted on crapmetal Harley logos. And an "OL" on the back with a pink doo-rag and matching tank top covered in sequined HD logos. And neither one would ever wear a helmet, because it clashes with "the look".

And if the potential new customers walk in and see nothing but 850 pound geezer glides or bikes with forward controls that bend you in half, or think they're going to be laughed at because they want to wear a full coverage helmet that isn't flat black and armored textile jacket that isn't black, they'll just turn around and leave.

Which is exactly what they're doing, which is one of the reasons why bike sales are booming and the number of women riders is booming, and Harley is in serious trouble in the marketplace.

Nope, and bringing out "new" bikes that are nothing but a different $20,000 reshuffling of existing models and engines isn't going to change a thing.

 

Same thing I'm seeing. I know it's the "off season", but I've been dropping in on area dealerships for many years and I've never seen it like this.

The MOCO's arrogance when dealing with its customers and its lackadaisical attitude towards quality, along with cheaping-out on EVERY single part and component on their bikes and the employment of the generally brain-dead service "techs" at the dealerships may finally be catching up with them.

They seem to have learned nothing from the AMF days.

 

Totally agree with you post here.

 

Harley sales volume been going up and down constantly since they began in business.

Think they still sell more big cruisers than everybody else combined.

Last few years they concentrated in getting their production methods and cost in line for just such an event. Now they will analyze the market and adjust their production commensurate.

Quit worrying so much about the MoCo and go out for a ride (weather permitting.) If weather does not allow, maybe some more complaining will be helpful.

 

That about sums it up. I like the bikes but hate the image. I know a lot of people that ride that steer clear of HD because of the image.

 

Yea but that fb probably cost you 15k new and the honda was maybe 5k new so he lost maybe 4200 and you 9k if you were to sell it at 6k but blue book is 4600 bucks just saying

 

Stock off the show room floor my bike was a horrible ride. Several thousand dollars in upgrades it is at best average. The rice burners are a pleasure to ride off the show room floor and require no upgrades out the door. What appeals most to me about Harley's is the sound of the exhaust and the retro styling. Agreeably HD makes a good amount of money on new sales but their profit margin is on upgrades. Me and a co-worker are both HD enthusiasts. We also are realists and laughed at how HD takes its owners to the cleaners from day one.

With that being said i'm going to buy either a new SGS or RG this spring. Harley's are great bikes but dollar per dollar they are not the best bikes money can buy. I just happen to love them. So yeah i already drank the purple Kool-aid HD sells. What HD needs to do is realize that the value of a motorcycle is nowhere near the value of a car. Imagine if the touring line started at 15k. They couldn't produce them fast enough. Their are only a few people stupid enough to think paying 20-25k for a motorcycle is ok and i'm one of them unfortunately.