while attending the latest grand opening of illinois harley i became alarmingly aware of the conspicuous absence of youthful riders. not a whole lotta young bucks.

is harley becoming oldsmobile? even the ford mustang is abandoning the retro configuration, but am i comparing apples to oranges?

i don't think the issue is affordability, as the sportster line is competitively priced and very cool, but i'm not in my twenties. it took me a long time to appreciate harleys. now i'm not sure i'd buy anything else even though i like anything with two wheels.

i know harley has been more profitable again, but that really perplexes me, especially in light of my latest observation.

dealers are closing and/or combining, but the dealerships are big chunks of real estate. it would not surprise me if someday harley dealerships were greatly downsized boutiques although still demanding handsome prices.

boomers drove commercial and residential real estate prices and concomitantly the sales of harleys skyrocketed. bob shiller of the shiller housing index said residential real estate prices will likely decrease over the next one to two decades. will harley follow, if not in msrp, but units sold?

thoughts?

 

Quite a few 20-30 yr old riders on HD around here.
I got my first at 29 when I could pay cash for a brand new FXSTC which had me at first sight.

Same thing happening now as then. When they can afford one, they get one.

 

maybe a HD dealership grand opening isnt the proper measure of today's youth and their interests. Go to an Apple Store grand opening and about 90% are under 30. Doesnt mean the over 30 crowd isnt buying Apple products ... they are just not going to the grand openings.

 

good point.

 

I wouldn't say and harley is competitively priced....I am 31 just bought my first harley. Most younger people can't afford a HD. I would say most don't get one until late 20s early 30s. Also as long as harley focuses on touring bikes it's not going to appeal to a younger crowd. Bikes like the 48, nightster, and 72 appeal to younger people. If they want to continue their success, they need to cater to generations other than the baby boomers.

 

it's the sportsters i think are competitively priced. i think harley is trying to appeal to the younger set with the sportster line.

 

I see two or three full page ads in Playboy every month catering to the younger generation 20-40 year old crowd.

 

I work at a Harley dealer, and we sell a lot of Sporty's and Dyna's to younger people. A lot of buyers are right out of the military.

The bikes that are popular are a regional phenomenon. When I lived out in Cali, most people were buying Softails. Now I live in Colorado, and I see our #1 line is Touring.

I believe the MoCo is keenly aware of the shifting demographic and am confident they will market their bikes to meet it.

 

If they had a wet t shirt contest i dont think you would have started this thread. Young riders are too busy having fun and chasing women to go to grand openings

 

I agree with JohnFlorida. I also think the selling of bikes to the younger crowd will hinge on financing. If HD will finance the bikes at a monthly payback that they can afford the kids will purchase them.