I had a lucid daydream late in the evening while pondering all of this. It went sorta like this:
A mysterious majority group, made up of powerful stockholders and Harley and Davidson heirs and relatives, calling themselves "The Wrecking Crew", rose up and took over the company. Supernaturally? Maybe; it seemed so; they were unstoppable. When the current management team and board of directors came in to work one Monday they were summarily fired on the spot. I mean they fired ALL of them, right down to production line foremen, RIGHT THEN. Escorted the whole nose-ringed limp-wristed bunch of them out the door with armed escorts. They immediately set about to put pre-agreed-upon, clandestinely-hired, established competent enthusiasts and engineers who understood the brand, in for replacements in their respective fields of expertise. It was a quick Coup D'état, swift and heartless.
Suspiciously, all attempts at lawfare went nowhere - as soon as a suit was brought the antagonist DA and lawyer teams, as well as the judges, came down with serious mysterious physical ailments and most were hospitalized, requiring indefinite postponement. BLM and DEI activists surrounded the facilities, and attempted to wreak havoc by smashing windows, gluing their genitals down to the street pavement, Molotov cocktails, etc, but a mysterious intestinal ailment broke out amongst them and the effort just fizzled due to a toilet paper shortage.
HD's next moves were astounding! They immediately decided that they needed an event to shock the motorcycling world. To make a statement; "we're not going away... we're not ashamed of our heritage... we're going to fight to get our market and buyers back, and it starts now!"
It was an extravaganza! With the whole industry watching via live TV links, media vans, and quivering reporters, they moved a giant wrecking ball (get it?) in place and knocked out a giant jagged hole in the North wall of the current Revolution Max Sportster production building. Then they rolled the wrecking ball around to the South wall and tore that wall out. They then brought in backhoes and power shovels and dug a giant pit as big as a football field and 40 ft deep outside one wall. Then D9 Cats, lined up side-by-side pushed the complete building contents, clean down to the floor, from one side out the other into the pit, which was immediately covered over. What a statement!
[Covered and concreted over, the pit later became an employee rest area, with a bronze statue of William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson on a pedestal in the center].
But the most amazing things were yet to come. In the next year, the walls and facilities were repaired and HD put in a new modern production line. What did they produce? Exact replicas, authentic down to the smell, of the 1977 XLCH Sportster 1000!
Priced at $6000 out the door, it immediately became a hit with all ages of HD enthusiasts, from the young to the graybeards and everyone in between. Harley stock shot up to record levels and ....<POP>
...AT THAT POINT I SNAPPED BACK AWAKE. Could this portend things to come? Only time will tell...
I guess I have to remove myself as I am not a die hard Harley fan. I ride Harley’s because they were the best motorcycle for me. The best riding experience, the best overall experience and the easiest to maintain.
I don’t have live your ride, ride to live tattoos, I don’t have a beard or grey beard, yes, a silver mustache and sometimes a day or two growth. I’ve not only owned/ridden Harley’s. After my divorce, a bought a house, zero furniture, and a $200 1980 Honda CMT 400 because that’s what I could afford. A few years later when I could barely afford to buy a new bike, I went to Eastside Harley on my old faded Honda to purchase a new sporty. I couldn’t get a salesman to talk with me. They just stayed bullshitting with their buddies. I waited 1/2 after getting their attention a bunch of times. I gave up, rode to the metric dealer and test rode 3 bikes that afternoon. Rode home on a new Suzuki Volusia/boulevard. Met the greatest riders touring that 800cc all over the west. Then, 5 years later I bought a new Harley. Same experience at the dealership down the street, I just did not have the right look I guess. Rode to Smoky Point and they were happy to talk and sell me a new bike. I’ve had airheads, adventure touring, metrics, enduros and Harley’s. Someone asked me what other brand, they all have screens, etc.
Id first replace my sporty, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, even Triumph. I’m not proud, it is and has always been the view over the handlebars that matters to me. I’m always on the hunt for a decent heritage classic and I have a friend who may sell his springer classic in a year or two. I can wait for now. I don’t have to have a Harley. I choose Harley because it brings me the most enjoyment riding. I’d choose something else (except Polaris) if it offered me the same experience.
My first three motorcycles were Harley’s. ‘47 knucklehead, ‘61 XLH and ‘42 Flathead. My friends rode BSA, sporty and a Norton. It’s what was available word of mouth or classified. My experience is riding. Harley is my tool. When it no longer does the best job for me, I’ll get another brand of tool. I don’t need Harley as much as they need people like me.
I found it amusing that someone’s response was, what other brand, they all are high tech driven. Not so, not Chinese, and maybe not USA every time.
If Harley can only survive by selling $ 60,000 Cadillacs, so be it. I don’t even know if Cadillac is still in business. Ford ruined the thunderbird in the name of luxury, elegance, status and profit margins instead of profit leaders. Maybe Harley’s on the right path, I hope so. Just don’t call me a greybeard because they lost my sale to used or another brand. I’m not buying hype, I’m purchasing a motorcycle to ride. The only stuff that’s important on my motorcycle is when the kick stand….oops, jiffy stand is up and I’m moving. That’s the stuff I need on my next purchase.
Whole story is about grey beards but that’s a Gen X’er in the pic.
Some grey in the beards of Gen X, not kids anymore.
Originally Posted by M Oclaf
Guitars, like Harley’s, are just not affordable in used form, and I never understood that. What makes these two things, of many, that folks don’t get are depreciating assets. Even maintaining them they become outdated. Then the owners act like they’re precious metals or some crazy crap. I personally won’t buy anything used for more than 50% of original price regardless of condition. The word used means something to me despite claims it adds value. There is the issue, people too stupid to know and pay because they can. Okay, another proverb, just cause you can doesn’t always mean you should.
I dunno. It depends what you call used and what you want out of it. I think buying used is a great bang for buck. I think 25-30+ years ago it was stupid to pay new prices for used.
It is true at some point you are putting dumb money in these old bikes. I did with my two. If they were a car maybe i would have junked them, hard saying. Have to do the math. But that is the cool thing about harley.
But if you want to buy some odler bike and cruise around on it, can be a good deal. But you have to be realistic about its.
Originally Posted by ken mcduff
My 1996 fat boy is the last harley davidson I'll buy.Overhaul and roll on.
Talking now other side of my mouth, you also need to be realistic about old bikes. They fail cause they are old. Sure you can fix them. But you will have to deal with the break downs. Wires break, electronics fail, just goody stuff on old bikes.
If you don't want to use the infotainment center, you don't have too. If you want to build the engine, they still have pistons, cams, and heads.
@soldierbot Getting more action than the Curated Content Editors (all you have to do is find an article and copy/plagiarize it). Maybe a change and a new position within the hive? LOL
07-13-2024, 09:35 AM
