There's some good points in here and I've mentioned a few similar things before. New Harleys just aren't cool...they're big, bulky, and way too electronically dependent. Plus price of course. No heart in that ****. I'll build my own.

 

We have over 330 million people in America. Dealers sell 350,000 big bikes a year. It's not just the millennials not buying. Who is going to drive up to Harley shop in a minivan and feel comfortable around The Village People? If you didn't grow up around bikes or have friend who has one, chances are you're not in the market.

 

I am not a millennial. I was born in the 40's.
My first motorcycle was a '47 Knucklehead. I hated it but in high school, my best friend and we competed at everything found a '52 pan. But motorcycling would have been a short High School thrill and ended except that the next summer, at 16, I got a '61 XLH. Now this was reliable, fast, exciting and at the max I could afford. It was all about power and handling until I was older. It was not until later, when I could enjoy the comfort and range of an '80 FLH. It was not as thrilling, but it opened up the road in ways the XLH could not.
As Harley's got better, I bought later model used ones, but I also owned and rode Beemers and metrics.
It was not until later in life, cruising two up and touring for weeks at a time that I bought a NEW Harley.

So when you say that Harley is not attracting millennials with its softtail and touring line, I say big deal. Would the V-rod or Buell have held interest for me as a youth, probably, but they were outside my pocketbook. I drove a '57 Chevy, 283, Hurst 4 speed, 411 rear end and I was happy. Would I have taken an Olds 442 as a gift, or a Shelby Tang, you bet, I had a street 500 budget. I got more bang for my buck buying late model used for nearly 50 years. Sure I envied my friends who had the first new Honda 750, or a new R90S. They were the pure sex machines of their day. But it made no difference to me on my '61 XLH, '72 XLCH, etc when we were riding together. Until I was in my 50's, I never saw a group of Harley's together except in a movie. When the new Harley Touring frame arrived, I was to afford new and desire new. Prior to that, my new bikes where less costly other brands. Suzukis were always a cheap and great motorcycle. If I had not had them to ride, I'd be in a different place today. While I've owned 3 sportsters and 6 BTs, I owned and rode as many other brands as well. And I not even a millennial, but even in the early 60s I was acting like they are now. Imagine where they will be when they get older.

Added. After my '57 Chevy, I drove a '71 GMC 3/4 Ton long bed pickup, 292 straight 6, 4 speed with grannie gear. I loved these vehicles as much as I've loved riding my motorcycles.

 

There's truth to this...while some people walk into riding on their own, most have some sort of influence from their dads riding or whatever.

I really think that the thing with millennials is this...they don't have a ton of money to be buying both a car and a bike as a toy. When it comes down to it, most people don't want to only have a motorcycle for transport so they choose to go for the car it's more practical. Gotta' have that Bluetooth and heated seats, ya' know?

 

This is pretty much the entire reason in a nutshell. The motorcycle industry has turned motorcycles into a "luxury" item. They have turned them into the opposite of what made bikes popular in the first place.

This isn't a millennial thing. That is just the excuse used by the industry instead of admitting they are putting out overpriced motorcycles while the car industry is getting cheaper. This was always going to happen. At some point people will realize when something is too expensive and the market will correct itself.

I mean I am to blame as well. I just went out last weekend and bought a new bike. While I feel I got a good deal, I definitely overpaid in general as this bike does a lot less and has a lot less features than the car I purchased for less than the bike cost. I bought it cause it was fun, but I cannot shake the feeling that I also bought it because it is what I have always done. The thought of not having a bike is weird to me. People who have never ridden don't have that feeling and don't really care to ride.

 

Car industry getting cheaper! You kidding me? 100k pickups. 80 month loans. It’s all Cyclical. People have been predicting doom and gloom for the collector car industry to but the prices keep rising. Just a percentage of the population that always believe the sky is falling.

 

Not all Harleys are riding on a decline. Some of them are riding on an incline. Just saying.

 

Very true. During the tough, lean years of raising kids I didn't ride much. Surely didn't own a Harley. My grandson is 4, I bought this bike in September. Just him being around the house and the bike for a few months I've had it, had him wanting a "Harley" for Christmas. He loves the bike. He loves to sit on the seat in garage with me and hold the handlebars and roll the throttle. He sais "Pops, lets go play with the Harley". There is definitely something to this.

 

I’ve purchased 4 new Harley’s (most recently a ‘18 114 Heritage) and 7 new BMW’s and a few Ducati’s, KTM’s, Honda’s and one Suzuki.

I’m a blue jean, T-shirt old fart, so I don’t look out of place at either a Harley or bmw shop.

BMW worked hard to regain their cache for younger riders over the past few years by introducing better handling, faster bikes with a good measure of innovative technology. Pissed off a lot of the old breed, but the reality was, the Luddite geezers weren’t going to buy a new BMW anyway, mostly.

I get why harley got rid of buell and the Vrod. They weren’t selling. Too radical a departure for the asperational Harley Rider. I do think the Fat Bob and Heritage are headed in the right direction for Harley.

But the fact is, most Harleys on their own, are not bikes designed for younger folks. And let’s face it, if the bikes aren’t the draw, then neither is the fact most folks hanging out in the dealership look more like the millennial’s Grandparents, than their friends.

My wife traded in her Super Glide for a Triumph Bobber. It gets tons of attention from younger folks. Retro looking, technologically modern, light, flickable and fast. And she loves it. My wife used to be a Harley girl, big time.

It’s not about the beer tents or clothing or bbq or a proliferation of bikes on a showroom varying slightly in style. That ain’t where the market is going.

Harley needs to continue to shift towards better performing bikes and not worry about those folks who are aging out and won’t likely be buying a new Harley anyway.

Keep the history. Deemphasize the geezer aspect.

 

To me, the real problem is, American male youth is told from day one to not be a Man! They are told that being a white male is bad and to be more feminine, well that is the opposite of the Harley persona. Just look at your kids/grandkids schools! When I was growing up and where, it was expected to be a rough tough redneck boy. We was put on dirtbikes at 5, and played cowboys and Indians, now you get scolded for letting your kid ride their bicycle without a helmet and god forbid you let your kid play with toy guns. That is why motorcycling and Harley will have a hard time catching the dreams of this new softer generation!