Yeah around 20,000 boy its nice someone put some money in it then traded it in . I saw sitting in front of the dealer right after it was finished. Ive been saying Harley needs something retro FXR related at a good price.

 

I watched that video too, honestly I think a little German pragmatism is what the motor company needs. Pulling out of all these little markets where they’re not selling anything, and the bikes they are selling are these little 500cc models they make pennies off of, matt Levitichs plan of basically doing what AMF did and slapping the Harley Davidson logo on anything from small electric scooters and dirt bikes to our beloved touring models seemed like an act of desperation...the brand H-D has is insanely strong, they’re on the decline but far from dead, I see now reason why A half way competent ceo couldn’t turn this shop around.

 

I'm not so sure Zeitz plan is to actually "turn the ship around".

His plan seems geared towards sticking to Harley's strengths: cruisers and tourers. Here is the problem with that: the motorcycle market is flatlined, it's not growing in size. Now, segments of that market ARE growing. Adventure, sport bike, and sport touring are all growing in size while cruiser and touring segments shrink. Yes Harley owns the majority of the cruiser and touring markets, but deciding to stick to those segments will only result in a slowly declining in size Harley Davidson over time.

Which I think might be what Zeitz is working towards: a smaller, leaner, more focused Harley Davidson, who dominates in cruisers and heavy touring bikes.

And honestly that might be a solid strategy, but it won't "turn the ship around". It won't reverse Harley's declining sales trend, it will instead adapt to the decline and embrace it full force. Hence layoffs, thus less models and less choices offered at higher prices. The future of HD might be a smaller MOCO by design.

 

If they built that bike they'd be smart to offer it in red and white.

 

When it's turning to ratshit around you, concentrate on what you do best.
I think this new move will work well. Reduce supply, streamline your lineup and concentrate on your core.
I think the whole world is having a big shake up, hopefully HD will survive it.

 

I worked for a large aerospace company, and in the 90's all of sudden we got the word to stop all r&d, cancel and buy out of any outstanding contracts, etc. It was a precursor to a merger. You may be right - tennis shoe boy may be getting ready for a merger/buyout/spinoff, etc. If they don't do it now and act quickly they will only continue to lose equity.

 

I tend to agree with this sentiment. Why would Harley double-down on "what they do best" when that's currently why they've had slipping sales for the last five years?

Anytime I hear of a company doing something like this it's not for the consumer, it's for the shareholders.

 

....or a 19 year old VRod

 

Let us beat a dead horse, which models would you cut? Pretty sure CEO Premium Brand will ditch any "standard" because they are not premium enough. I wonder if both trikes will survive. When it gets to the tour line it gets a bit sketchy but some of them have to go as well. Considering they stopped CVO production for the year makes me wonder if they will continue or be seriously revamped in what it means to be CVO

 

I think they cut the right bikes. As was mentioned, the Deluxe is just a stripped Heritage for only $1000 less. Not a good value. FXDR? Who didn't see that coming? Shame as it wasn't a bad bike to ride. But marketed all wrong and too expensive. And I like the Fat Bob better anyway. Breakout surprises me, but the Fat Boy is close enough I guess and they won't drop that model.

They should throw in the towel on the Livewire. It's an embarrassment for that price. The Pan America will be a huge failure.

What else should they do? As has been pretty much begged for here by many - a new FXRT done right. I'm not sure the new Softail frame does it for me in that regard. Personally I think they should start with a clean sheet of paper on the touring line starting with a better frame and suspension. Share that with the new FXRT and the rest of the touring line. New motor too. The M8 was too little, too late. They need a 125/125 water-cooled motor.

Will any of that get them back to where they were? Nope. That ship has sailed. It was a boom and now it's over for a lot of motorcycle manufacturers. But it will give HD a chance to stay a leader in the industry and actually sell a bike not just for "Harley types".