Originally Posted by todd-67

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.

Originally Posted by Wildon883R

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.

Originally Posted by Thingfish

They do what they do because they mostly do it best. Most who actually try a Harley love it. Sure we all complain about stock suspensions, seats, bars, high prices...general harley tax...and then we go ride our bikes and grin like crazy...we could go buy all these "better bikes" but mostly we don't because they are not better in the ways we care about most...namely the actual feel and enjoyment if the bike and motor. Harley's generally just feel better. No else gets this as "right" as they do...at least for those of us that prefer them. My wife has parked her Ducati and Triumph next to my Harley's for years. She loves her bikes...well, last summer she decided to buy a 48...everything else is gathering dust since...including her Diavel. The 48 just feels better to her. I think Harley just needs to get more riders to give it a shot. The Sportster is a platform that can reach a lot of people, especially if they package at least one model more for a universal market.

Originally Posted by IdahoHacker

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.

Originally Posted by IdahoHacker

That's me, times a billion. When it comes to "Harley riders", I'm the rarest of the rare...

A friend of mine, who doesn't ride, was giving me some **** about being a "Harley rider". I told him I wasn't a Harley rider. He asked me what I ride, and I told him, which he already knew, that I ride a Harley. I got the classic "WTF" look, and I said:

I'm not a Harley rider. I'm a motorcyclist who loves Harley-Davidsons. It's not the same thing.

At all.

Originally Posted by IdahoHacker

That's me, times a billion. When it comes to "Harley riders", I'm the rarest of the rare...

A friend of mine, who doesn't ride, was giving me some **** about being a "Harley rider". I told him I wasn't a Harley rider. He asked me what I ride, and I told him, which he already knew, that I ride a Harley. I got the classic "WTF" look, and I said:

I'm not a Harley rider. I'm a motorcyclist who loves Harley-Davidsons. It's not the same thing.

At all.

Originally Posted by IdahoHacker

If I had the spare cash and spare garage space, I'd have a KTM Super Duke R faster than you could blink. But it would be a second bike, not my only bike, for a very important reason...

I love the look of my Road Glide, I love the ride, yes, I love the history and the heritage of the Motor Company, and I can jump on it right now and ride 10,000 miles and enjoy every single minute.