Is Harley riding actually on a decline? Wouldn't the definition of that be something along the lines of 'fewer people riding Harleys today'(?)


I'm not seeing fewer Harleys on the road where I travel. I think I'm seeing just as many as ever...and this makes me wonder if people assume that lower sales numbers mean a decline in riding. It may just be a case of people keeping and riding what they currently own versus cutting a big check for new wheels. In other words, a decline in sales wouldn't necessarily prove a decline in actual riding or brand popularity.

 

And $25-$35 is a damn lot of money for something I don't want to buy. Ironically, I could afford to buy for anything Harley makes, but they've become too big, heavy, and complicated for me to want to deal with.

 

Not sure actually. I think this post is about sales and not riders. I agree that more people are riding. They are just, it seems, not buying new HDs. Hence the drop in sales figures.

Time will tell either way. Hey, maybe ten years from now we will look back and laugh at all the naysayers!

 

the market is flush with 2nd hand bikes and the relatively slow pattern of model upgrades pretty made buying a new one silly prior to the release of the M8.

 

This vlog by Matt Laidlaw was pretty good, I watched it today.

 

I watched the above video lastnight, and, he makes some good points in it. He is much younger than I am, so let me point out why it sounds like this is happening to me.

Firstly, Harley riders were basically people who, back in the days, made up their minds that they would rather be on a Harley than a sport bike. They, for the most part, had their minds made up at an early age.

Second thing is, back in the days, Harleys were considered premium bikes, as they are today. But nobody was buying new. Everyone was doing the whole, barn find thing. The Moco hated them, but that's how they got out there, by buying used and building it up, piece by piece. Then, when that image caught on, Moco somewhat tried to embrace it straight from the factory. They were poser bikes, but it didn't take too long before the used market dried up, and the new market took over.

In order to get people on newer Harleys, you might want to think about getting them on used bikes for cheaper first. Like it or not, good for dealers, but not necessarily for the mothership, who wants to sell newer bikes. Without these younger riders out there on the older iron, the newer bikes aren't going to move. Because their older demographic is just that, people buying new bikes, as opposed to the older used ones that someone could ride, but no one is encouraging them to. We bought newer bikes when we got older, and had more money. WE started on used iron.

 

but someone had to buy the bike new for you to have used....

 

Kids nowadays can't drive sticks either. Maybe HD needs to come out with a slushbox. Then again, we ARE getting older....

 

 

I just watched the Laidlaw video. I've seen some of his vlogs previously. We need more 30 year old young men in the world today with his demeanor and attitude. Obviously he is part of a family owned dealership and has some great ideas. It's unfortunate and shows my age or lack of knowledge regarding today's scene. I had no clue or knowledge of any of the games or movies he spoke of other than Terminator and Easy Rider.

He is correct regarding the younger crowd today afraid of risk. I guess they have been brainwashed along the way. My son is 27 yoa, has a great job, two kids and makes decent income. He has no interest in bikes and has been around them all his life. His passion is playing all the computer games Laidlaw spoke about in his free time. Riding a bike to him is too risky. If he gets hurt he knows he can't work and his position would be passed to the next guy in line. To young men like him the risk is simply not worth the reward especially factoring in what bikes cost today.

Laidlaw made the comment that if he had to choose between his smart phone / computer over a bike he would give up his bike. I can't imagine having that mindset. I don't even own a computer other than this IPad tablet yet I do have an IPhone. I would quickly give up both before my bike in a milli-second. Different mindset.

I was raised in Pasadena, Texas in the late sixties and seventies. I with all my friends rode trail bikes anywhere we wanted. Our parents bought em, turned us loose and we rode em. Without adult supervision. If we broke an arm we wore a cast. Today, in that area all the fields and trails are gone, replaced with parking lots, homes and businesses. For most kids now a mini bike, Honda Z50 or any other trail bike isn't on the radar of interest. Those thoughts have been replaced with Xbox and PlayStations and smartphones. They grow up electronically not mechanically.

Parents now worry about injury, abduction, molestation in schools by teachers, drugs, guns and gang violence. All of which is sold to them by the main stream media each night on the news. This country has been tuned to "be afraid."

Could all of these things factor in to poor motorcycle sales across the board? Probably so in my opinion.