I figure I must be in the target demographic that HD is looking to market. I'm 44, have a solid income and am mechanically inclined by nature. While I am a liitle older than the "new rider" demographic at 44, having never been married or having kids my influences are proably more like a 30 something aged person.

A year ago I bought a nice used 2008 road king that I enjoyed but was always somewhat disappointed with the handling and power of the RK. I also ride a dual sport KLR 650 which is fun and nimble but is all but unbearable at speeds above 65mph.

I decided to buy a new cruiser or touring bike and looked at almsot everything under the sun from every mfg and ended up buying a new 2017 Road Glide Special which i think is fantastic- out of the box it handles great, has good power, and looks really nice as well. I couldnt be happier and am glad I got a 17' because I dont like the blacked out look all the RGS and SGS have in 18'. My driving influence for buying the bike was that it fealt the best, performed as well or better, had great fit and finish and perceived quality, and fit my 6'7" frame as well as can be expected for an offthe showroom floor bike. The availabilty of aftermarket parts to fine tune the bike fit formy tall stature was a factor in my decision. I do like HD and the history, am ptriotic so buying Amercian made has value, but neither were real influences in my final decision to buy HD. I suspect many in my position may feelthe same way.

My thoughts onmy HD experience and the future crop of riders in general -

1. I think most new entrants to the market are not near as brand loyal as in the past. The world is a global economy now, all these companies are multinationals and manufacturer gloablly. I do feel good about buying an American made bike, but I or most younger people nowadays are going to make a purchasing decision driven by how well the product fits into what they want from a product performance perspective and perceived value, period.

2. Personally I think HD is on the right track with introducing better performing models while keeping the traditional models available. I know all the dealers in my area are stacked full of dyna's that aren't selling well. The cruiser market is very competitive and there are a lot of options. Personally I think the new Fat Bob is great, Iwould have defintiely looked at one. If you want the classic look and feel, the Street Bob and others stillf its that bill. The 17' dyna line had several model variants but in reality only appealed to the same core rider group. Now there are more noticeably, functionally different options in the 18' offerings based on performance and riding style and less on traditional "subtle" styling differences between models. As a new market entrant I think this is a huge step forward for HD.

3. The first thing i think when I step into an HD dealership is that the overhead to operate these places must be enormous. It gives you the feeling of "boutiqe" and that you are not getting a good value for your dollar. IMO, this is a huge turn off and is detrimental in attracting new buyers. We live in an "amazon" world now and people just dont care about a fancy, bloated dealer and are really just interested in the actual product. The clothing side of the dealerships is going to dwindle for two reasons - one is that most people think they can get clothing cheaper online and will go that route instead of buying clothing at the dealer. Second is that I dont think newer riders want to be decked out "HD" labeled garb. Personally I love my HD bike but that is enough, I have zero interest in advertising HD with my wardobe. Antoher thing i have ntoiced is that there are proably to many HD dealers in a given area. In my area, San Antonio I think we have more HD delaers than Chevrolet or Ford, etc. That is brutal market saturation and you have to wonder if all these high overhead dealerships can survive long term.

4. HD has done a great job in cultivating its "culture" almost to the point that I don't think its inviting for new riders. When Ive attended functions at my local HD dealerships I see a lot of guys wearing the typical tough guy HD uniform with their vests with the "1%'r" patches. Im a motorcycle guy, I like HD's for the bikes and the mechanical tradition of the product. Like a lot of other motorcyclist's the "biker lifestyle" really has little appeal. When you go to a local car cruise in/show you see all sorts of brands and styles of cars. This is appealing, its fun to talk to the old school muscle car guys, efi muscle car guys, euro car guys,and yes even the japanese car guys. When I go to an HD event it's 99.9% Harley;s and 50% of the guys have bought into the "biker personna" and really dont appear to want to talk to talk to guys like me who are just clean cut, motorcycle enthusiast and that is a shame. Future growth of the HD brand needs to include a shift towards motorcyclist inclusivity. I and many others would go to a lot more "bike nights" at HD dealerships if their were BMW's, Metrics, Euro Bikes, etc. I like motorcycles and am just as interested in talking to someone about a Trumph Rocket 3 or Ducati Multistrada. This would help foster rider growth and get more people exposed to HD offerings outside of the "purists".

Sorry for the long post- in conclusion I think a shift towards product and perceived value for that product will be how motorcycle purchases are made and the value of culture and exclusivity will become less important to new motorcycle buyers in generations to come. Owning a Harley is a great feeling, but owning a Harley because it was the best choice is a better feeling and this will drive the future for HD, hopefully.

 

Welcome to the forum.
Interesting 1st post.

 

Welcome Nate,

I am new here too. Sounds like you gave the Harley experience a great deal of thought. I too agree that I'm not too keen on Harley branded everything either. I prefer to 'want' to buy a bike from a particular manufacturer because it is a great bike, instead of because it will cost me too much to change my wardrobe as well. ��

In regards to your dealership comment... I'm not sure about the fancy dealer being a turn off... If I walk in to a dealer that has 3 used bikes in a tiny joint vs a decent sized dealer with 30 - 50 new and used bikes, I feel like the bigger dealer is not a fly by night dealer. I feel like that they will be around in 5 years or more. Of course, it is entirely an assumption but since we are talking...

In any case, enjoy your RGS man!

 

I think your full of your self.
1. That's why they will be out of work>
2. Maybe your right
3. Why do you always see lots bikes at the HD dealers they all don't have to take a ****. Ya t shirts are over priced but fly out of the store.
4. I get were your coming from, but they put on there HD stuff so they look like a biker. Some would say I look like a 1%er may be maybe not, just walk up to them and say Hi I think you would be surprised, may even make a friend.
Ride safe stop trying to change whats worked for the last 120 years.

 

The op describes me to a T, except I'm 42 with a family. Oh, and I'm not nearly as tall.

Good post.

 

I miss the very modest sized dealers with a small rack of T-shirts over in the corner. The dealers didn't create an image, the guys that rode did. That's who they were and how they lived. We LOVED our Harleys!

 

Some good points!

Point 1 - I agree. You find less and less brand loyal people. I've owned some 35 different motorcycles over the 32+ years I've been riding. I've always bought what I liked whether it was looks, performance, or both. If company "A" offered what I was looking for, thats what I'd go with. But I still see about 50% of the people I ride with stick with certain brands regardless if it is or isn't the best fit. A good example is I also ride ADV bikes, and there is still a huge BMW following...

Point 4 - This is very interesting point, in that I too consider myself a motorcyclist, I'm not a "biker", don't live that lifestyle, nor do I care to dress like one. I'm not bagging on those that like to, not judging, its all a personal preference like everything else. I've got lots of friends who are bikers and who live that lifestyle. Do I own Harley branded shirts/gear? Sure. Do I own Ducati shirts/gear? (as I own a Ducati), Sure. I'm a fan of motorcycles and the motorcyclist lifestyle. One thing though is that of the 4 new motorcycles sitting in the lot at work, 2 are Indians and 2 are Harleys. When I asked the Indian owners if they considered a Harley they said, only a little. Both stated that one of the reasons, (not the only reason nor the determining factor) was the Harley "biker" image. They felt owning a Harley brought that "image" with it, which neither wanted.

On a side note, which kind relates to your other point, I think those two Indian riders would have probably been more apt to seriously consider Harley had the 2018s been available when they were shopping for a cruiser. They liked the traditional look but wanted a modern incarnation of that traditional look which to them the Indian did...

 

Welcome to the board, hell of first post but not all that unusual for someone who is not really a Harley guy.

I've been a Harley owner/rider since I bought my first one, a basket case 1951 Panhead that I had to put together myself in 1967 and I agree with only a small portion of your lengthy dissertation. That said, being new to the whole Harley-Davidson "thing" I recommend that you take some time to actually learn what the Harley experience is before pontificating and bloviating about what it consists of and how it should evolve to satisfy new riders.

Go on some more rides with different kinds of riders not just the new ones like yourself. Go on some group runs with people who really know how to ride- if they'll let you. See what it's like to scream down the highway at 70/80 mph a few feet apart from the next guy. Do some long haul riding, several hundred miles a day sprints or a week or month long tours not just to Starbucks on bike night. That's the wrong element. Do an Iron Butt run, 1,000 miles in 24 hrs. If you want to know what riding a Harley about then get out and ride it. In spite of what you've been led to believe you can't really learn a whole hell of a lot by riding around in slow circles in a parking lot or by watching a video on TV. Ride the roads.

Until then pumping up and down on a carousel pony does not really qualify you speak about what it takes to be a professional jockey. But then what do I know.


BTW. Don't spend all your time at the dealership. Most of the people that work there don't know squat.

 

Thank you for taking the t i m e to write your first post. Being that it's your first post, it has extra value because you're giving your thoughts about being on the outside and looking in. Some will say that you don't have the experience to speak to these issues, but that's the point, "new guys" are what H-D needs, and the "new guys" opinion is more valuable to H-D than what the"old guy" thinks. They spend a ton of money and energy trying to expand their riding base to younger riders and a wider demographic.

I agree, more or less, with your 4 points. From the outside, it seems more like changing your religion than buying a bike; you gotta dress different, change your vocabulary, tithe the MoCo, and attend regular worship groups. lol It's a lot to sign up for. However, that kind of brand identity is priceless and unique to Harley-Davidson, they just have to find a way to get the "new guy" past all that, and through the doors.

Welcome to the forum, from another new guy.

 

Not sure what you really are after or expecting or what is meant by the 'Harley experience'. It's just a motorcycle. Some like them. Some don't. You've discovered that Harley's are expensive and there is a lot of group-think and conformity in the Harley owners' universe. Just do what you think will make you happy and not be so concerned with what others are doing. It's your money and the only experience that should matter is yours.