Harley needs to be very, very careful. They will never be able to compete head to head with metrics because of the purchase price point.....anymore than the USA GM, Ford and Chrysler have been able to effectively, consistently compete against Toyota, Honda or Nissan. (forget the few winners like corvette, or mustang).

Even Cadillac today is a modern version of their old selves...high price and performance

GM and Chrysler especially are on the ropes because they are basically truck companies. When the population wants trucks and will pay for them, they are golden.

Harley-Davidson may actually go under eventually. Or it may go back to a niche market where you order your custom bike, wait for it, and are part of a special group like some of the fringe brand automobiles. What it cannot do without imploding, is attempt to match the metric technology and performance. That would be like having CART racing split from Indy Car...oh yeah, they did and several years later are back together after one went bankrupt...it just doesn't work.

Harley-Davidson is NOT MAINSTREAM mass produced America, that's the big difference.

 

I'm more than surprised with the ride and the brakes on my Softail. It's by far the best of my 4 so far. If your not happy with yer 05, you shoulda ridden a 77 You'd think you were in heaven nowadays
I think Harley has caught up a lot more than people think.

 

+1

My 1980 Low Rider was great. Even two up, the suspension worked fine, and never had a problem stopping. Of course, it had dual discs on the front.

I wish they came with oil coolers as standard equipment like on my '80 model.

 

I get a smile out of reading all of the things that are wrong with Harleys, from people that ostensibly ride and like Harley Davidson motorcycles. I'm sure no one forced you to buy a Harley. If what you really wanted was a Goldwing or a BMW or a bamboo bullet you could have bought one. Harley makes and sells bikes to people that want to buy Harleys. The performance characteristics and capabilities of Harleys are well known, and they also offer an extensive demo ride program for those that don't want to take other people's word for it.

Harley's marketeers, geniuses that they are, have recognized that people age, and that new consumers come to the market all the time. They are taking a flier and assuming that some of these new consumers may not have their opinion of how a bike and rider look based in the 1960's. As such they are trying a different marketing approach to these people. Nothing wrong with that either.

Motorcycles really only come in two flavors: American or European with distinct characteristics, or Japanese with emulation of the saleable characteristics of the round-eye bikes, at a lower price. The japs build a great bike and dollar for dollar you get a lot of bang for your buck. However, if you want a Ducati or a BMW or a Harley it really doesn't matter what the Asian imitation is, you want the real thing.

And if someone really wants a "performance" Harley, they should check out a Buell. Buell's are not winners in the spec sheet Grand Prix, and that's all some people think about. However, in the real world of twisty roads a Buell is as quick and fast as anything made anywhere.

 

Which age bracket would that be? Even a sportster is not chump change new, doable used($3000-$4000+).

 

All have great points. I guess the sales will dictate the direction. Harley is mainstream now. The biker culture is mainstream also. OK I laughed and saw myself in Wild Hogs, but snowboarders and skateboarders are todays rebel image. Someone else posted about OCC selling stuff on QVC. Selling an image and also a way of life. but then again, at least more people are being exposed to riding ( not sure how GOOD of a thing that is). I guess point price is key with the future of Harley. They can't sell them at these prices now and only getting more frugal. Here in CT they cant give away a bike.I have a friend in HD marketing where they track sales and all the demographics of buyers and it sucks. Either way, I love my bike and love my Harley t-shirt that they gave me with bike purchase. I couldnt afford another one after buying the bike!

 

This is one area Harley really needs to take care of - dual discs are good and should be standard.

 

I don't doubt that that's true, but there's just no reason they can't fit some nice sportbike brakes on bikes that cost as much as Harley's do. I'm sure they're better than they used to be, but they're certainly a few steps behind.

Suspension is more subjective I suppose, so it's hard to please everyone. Kinda like seats.

 

Exactly. ABS should be standart too, IMO.

 

Wow! This thread is so... deep!
I don't know how I can add substantially to it except to say this: the Harley we have now is our first Harley. There are some very disappointing things about it and about the Company and it's dealerships. The thing is... I've never owned any costly thing that didn't disappoint in one way or another.
On the other hand, the things that disappoint me about the Harley are things that ought not to be! The loud tranny (5th gear sucks), the too-low gearing, the excessive heat and lack of power, the embarrassingly loud shifting (when metrics are so quiet!), the poor ergonomics, the weak frame, the inadequate suspension, etc.
These are the the things that disappoint me about the Company (do they even read these threads? do they even care?). But you know, I somehow can't find it in me to be disappointed in the bike. I love this bike. It has become more a part of me than any bike I've ever owned before.
I'm at a loss to explain this phenomenon, but I think it's the thing that keeps the Company from going belly up.
We just love our darn bikes so much in spite of the crap the MOCO shoves our way that we continue to buy them.
It's the price of admission into something larger and more important than any other bike manufacturer can come up with. It's the heritage of a thing bigger than we are.
In that, it's a double-edged sword. It's a beautiful thing we're trapped by, in a strange kind of way. Kind of like a mistress, or a lover.