I hate it when that happens.

 

Yeah I'm not a fan of his either (or a fan of any politician really) but was that comment really necessary? Sure the current president has helped to tarnish the overall image of the US but that tarnishing goes back before he came into power and both lovely political parties hold the blame. Gotta love tribalism in politics.

 

...in before the lock.

 

The jury will disregard the aforementioned comments contained within the editorial on the grounds that they are irrelevant, malicious, personal and highly political!

 

Do you have such authority, being from Manitoba and all. Hmmm...

 

Luckily, I am not complaining/bitching about the artificial markups completely for my sake. Fortunately, this being my 100th bike/trike (2019 TGU in Scortch Orange/Black Denim) and of decent financial means, I have never, ever had to finance a motorcycle in the 55 years I have been riding. However, the concerns about inflated pricing and reductions of MOCO build units can have a spiraling-down effect that impacts all of us.

Harley finance as well as other retail lenders have had a love/hate relationship with the MOCO iron because of the high loan default rates in this era of changing economic cycles. When bikes are being sold again to the sub-prime population as they are and the dealers are adding artificial fees to an already expensive product, the defaults resonate louder in the loan industry as well as the negative impact for us consumers when we go to sell or trade the product. Most of us are aware of the enormous overhang of barely used bikes that plagued the MOCO and dealerships for a bunch of years. These were long/dark years where a high percentage of buyers were severely upside down in there recreational machines before they drove them off the lot.

It seems that the MOCO put many dealers between a rock and a hard place in "upgrading" dealerships to look more like new car dealerships and the overhead is likely driving dealership investors to do whatever they think is necessary to cover the overhead and higher costs of doing business. Fortunately, I personally have found Harley dealers that are willing to practice some give and take and so have been able to buy the MOCO products at slightly less inflated prices. They still ain't bargains but that is my decision and I don't fault anyone other than myself if I felt compelled to bitch which I am not.

 

I was raised to question authority!

 

I apologize for this super long post but it is pertinent to my HD ownership & hopefully, this discussion. I haven't done any formal introductions here so it's a combo post, I guess. LOL.

I'm new to riding motorcycles on the road but I'm not "new" by any stretch of the imagination.

I grew up in modest circumstances & didn't have much expendable income from a young kid through my mid-20's. I did however, ride a bunch of different 2 wheelers from minibikes/minicycles through enduros, & some dedicated motocross type bikes while growing up. Also, 3 wheelers. Hell, 4 wheeler RVs weren't even out yet for a few years & were damn expensive. We did some crazy stuff as youngsters on these vehicles & had a lot of fun but I never really wanted a street bike though. I was interested in hot rod cars.

I worked one job or another since I'd been 14. Played football in HS. I even started driving around 15 yrs old (w/grandparents) until I became eligible for a learner's permit, lol. I paid for my own gas & insurance (very expensive) from age 17 onward. As a kid from modest circumstances, I knew the importance of money & how difficult it was to earn it, so I was always careful w/any purchase decisions.

My first car was a pickup truck. I modded the engine w/a mild cam kit. I learned mechanical skills early in life. I proceeded through an entourage of vehicles from rat traps to nice muscle cars. I've had 67 & 68 Camaros, 4WD trucks & SUVs, normal sedans, a very nice C5 corvette, you get the idea.

I've had hobbies ranging from martial arts, hunting/fishing, semipro pool (and even world class foosball competition), drag racing, guitars, etc. I sold my corvette to finance a rebuild of my rental property garage & house a few years ago, as we became short on cash due to a solid 3 year rash of major health issues w/my wife. Now things have been quieting down & we'd like something to share together as an activity again. We used to take the vette out on weekend trips & stuff but it's gone now, as have most of our acquired leisure items. So I bought a motorcycle @ 52 years old.

I hesitated w/Harleys in the past b/c of reliability issues. I also didn't want obnoxiously loud exhausts & if I'm going to take say, a regional trip somewhere I didn't want to become numb from vibration in a mere hour or two. That takes the enjoyment out of it for me. It could just buy an asian-made bike for that w/lots of comfort features but that's not what I wanted. Yeah, I could've probably bought a bagger but right now, that's not my style. I'm more of a midsize type bike guy & I'm in decent physical shape for my age. Although I liked the look, deep throaty exhaust note & the fact that they were US made, HD wasn't going to be a serious consideration.

I looked @ Indian as an alternative. Didn't want a huge fender monstrosity though. I waited. Finally the Indian Scout Bobber came out in 2018. That is a great looking bike & I like the features provided. It just didn't have enough accessories available yet for what I wanted to do w/it & it was a bit pricey w/those limitations @ the time. My lifelong earnings/value ratio experience held me back. Then the HD M8 came out in midsize softails.

I bought a 2018 Street Bob. I couldn't be happier. No uncomfortable numbness from vibrations due the the new frame & to me, it handles so much better than the Dyna models & w/more power than I'll ever need. Remember, I'm a former muscle/sport car guy so that's saying a lot, lol. I'm not finished w/the final product yet but maybe in a year or so it will be exactly where I want it.

I have an awesome dealer that makes us feel like family. I'm not an HD clothes fanboy but I did find a practically new FXRG padded leather riding jacket that is very subtle w/same color (and small) HD embossing. I also have an understated Joe Rockett mesh padded jacket for hot weather. Full face helmet, gloves, solid, quality boots. I'll get some decent armored riding jeans next season. ATGATT. Some people like to wear the brand to excess. I know a younger couple that over the period of maybe two years, I've never seen them not fully decked out in HD street clothes. Holy ****. To each their own, I guess. I'd rather have that money go to my home or upgrades or something but that's just me.

Everyone I've interacted w/in my riding experienxe has been great. I've a buddy that also has an HD WG TC that I try to go riding w/as time permits. The wave....lol. I'm in the club, I guess. I also had the wave when I had my Vette & passed other Vettes, so I get it. It's like an extended family. As such, you have a variety of personalities. W/out the diversity it would be boring. I wave to all riders no matter what they're on. I'm just glad that they're out there riding on something. I just want them to be safe.

I truly feel that HD can bring in a new generation of riders IF they offer models like the new Streetfighter or new naked/adventure bikes that can match or exceed the performance & features of the euros & asian bikes.

However, the primary consideration is cost. A motorcycle is not an all-weather vehicle, so in most markets of the US/Canada it's considered a luxury purchase. A lot of young people have extensive college loans to pay off that takes many years in some cases. Buying a new/late model motorcycle is an expense in addition to the normal cost of living expenses like housing, food, (ever rising healthcare costs), children, & in most cases, a reliable primary all-weather vehicle. You're not likely taking a sick child to the doctor on your Road Glide. Am I right?Expendable income for everyone is even tighter than it used to be & to make such a purchase attractive is to make it as affordable as possible w/as good of a factory warranty as possible. Two years isn't a very long time for a factory warranty. This is exactly what the big three automakers learned w/their measley 3 year/36k warranty BS. Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan & Toyota have been & are still killing them in sales b/c who wants to pay for a major repair bill before the vehicle is even paid off? Not me. This is a major factor in large ticket items that especially younger generations must consider & so should the MoCo. They also have to compete w/the used bike market (all brands) & they'll need something that convinces consumers that buying new is really worth it to them.

It's definitely not easy but if HD can balance out these variables in such a way that can get new riders to consider a new/late model purchase then they have a good chance on sustaining if not building a new clientele. I hope that they succeed.

Wake up! This long *** post is finally done. Thanks for sticking it out w/me.

LDB

 

Yeah Sorry. Was way over medicated that night. Had just had surgery on a broken ankle. So sht happens. Sorry for my foggy brain!! LOL!

 

Sorry to hear that.