I second the Fat boy! Holy crap I fell in love.

 

Good people at Empire Harley Davidson.

 

Yep they are,bought my bike there. I'm waiting for a major update to the Streetglide.

 

Stopped by the dealership today and picked up my 2018 Limited in Wicked/Twisted.

 

Congrats and we will need to see some pictures once you got it! Serious lacking in Low Rider pictures/reviews at the moment.

 

Went to the Harley Museum big bash last night and they had a ton of demo bikes out for people to sit on. I honestly don't know what to think about the new bikes. At first I thought....Hmm....okay. This is an evolution of the species. I get it. They basically look like modernized Harleys. I sat on the Low Rider 1st because of all the new bikes, that's the one I like best from the pics. In person, not as much, but still - not bad. It's too small for me. Cheryl laughed at me and said I look like an idiot sitting on it. Great. Next. Sat on the Fat Bob. More laughing. Fat Boy.....more laughing. These new bikes do not fit me!

Apart from that we evaluated the bikes on appearance alone. An old school Harley friend of mine met us and he straight up hates the bikes. He said basically every one of them looked like Yamaha's interpretation of what a Harley is. He pointed out the satin finish on the Fat Boy motor and exhaust. We both agreed it looked like the finish on a Kohler faucet. He also pointed out how the staggered exhaust was so closely blended that it looked like one big, ugly exhaust instead of a cool set of staggered pipes.

The only bike he thought retained any Harley-ness was the Deluxe. Until he saw the turn signals which prompted him to question if Harley bought up all of Victories left over turn signals.

So take his words for what they're worth. He has 6 Harleys, the newest being a (edited) 2017 Road King Special and he says he may be buying Indian next.

I will say that what BAKA has been saying has merit. As the bikes evolve, they become more like the competition (except for Indian). At what point does the competition become a viable alternative for the dyed in the wool Harley owner? It the bikes look and feel like a Kawasaki Vulcan, why not just buy the Vulcan for a lot less money?

It's a tough spot for Harley to be in right now.

 

They really shook up the bikes looks and should have kept a Dyna in their lineup and dropped some of the Sporters , some riders will love them , we have two HD but if I were buying again a Indian would be a possible replacement at least it still sounds good

 

With my usual great timing, I bought a 2016 right before m8 introduction. So, no, I will not buy a new 2018. That being said, if I was on the market, I would consider a heritage 114, it looks great in person

 

I have a friend who's a salesman at a local dealership. He says at times, it feels like he sells the same bike three or four times before someone with good enough credit actually rides it off.

Dang... so basically, he didn't want looks to change AT ALL; not even the damn turn signals...

No offense to your friend meant, but damn... HD has been eating crap for years about not "innovating" enough. The twin cam has been the main mill since 1999, and the styling on some bikes hasn't changed much since the 70's. Meanwhile, other than the newly designed touring models, HD sales have been in a slump since 2008.

I've owned a Vulcan in my past. I don't think these Harley's are looking anything more like Vulcan's than they did last year, and they sure as hell don't feel like one when you ride them. Tell your friend to go test ride a Vulcan, then actually ride one of the new Softails. Absolutely no comparison.

 

Although they weren't a market leader, who here remembers Saab? They were unique, quirky, unusual and great cars. When they started to become more mainstream, they lost their uniqueness. Eventually they just disappeared.