I have to agree with 71on72, and a few others. The new generation do not want , nor can afford a harley. Yuppies, Rubs, and nex gen want the eco friendly Japanese bikes. The older generation of hardcore bikers, unless they are in a club. They are getting rid of their bikes. The new models of Evo scooters. Most harley dealers will not wrench on our older scooters. So every couple years they trade up on the newer models. I prefer to have older models as they are more reliable, and there were no recalls on Harley's.
I have to agree with 71on72, and a few others. The new generation do not want , nor can afford a harley. Yuppies, Rubs, and nex gen want the eco friendly Japanese bikes. The older generation of hardcore bikers, unless they are in a club. They are getting rid of their bikes. The new models of Evo scooters. Most harley dealers will not wrench on our older scooters. So every couple years they trade up on the newer models. I prefer to have older models as they are more reliable, and there were no recalls on Harley's.
There is only one issue with your 'feelings' on this....the average age of the customer at my local dealer was significantly less than the clientele at the BMW down the road during a 'grand reopening.' Also, for teh whole of Metro Detroit we have two BMW dealers, one Triumph, one Ducati, and 5 'powersports' dealers. But we have 6 HD dealers and given the amount of postings of sales on FB the average age appears to be in the 40's for all of these places I am watching. That is the age at about where I would expect it. The powersports dealers are still selling dirt bikes to younger folks with 'Dad' standing behind them in the pic.
Sales are down but nowhere near as dire as being painted in these threads.
One more observation...the pics of those buying the HD's that the dealers post show normal looking people. The 'pirate look' appears to be limited to those hanging out at the dealer for the free coffee and donuts. They are NOT buyers apparently. They stand around the bikes kicking the tires and lamenting how ugly the new bikes are enjoying coffee and donuts but are not buying. Just like around here....
I'm black and I used to sell Harleys. Here’s my take on your comments.
1. Harley dealers are independently owned and operated. The dealership experience varies by location. If you don’t like one, find another.
2. Salesmen come in different varieties. Some are simply order takers with no interpersonal skills. Others offer a consultative approach. Also, a salesman’s job is to sell Harleys, not understand competing brands. If you want to compare an HD to another marque, do your own analysis.
3. Harleys are expensive. If you don’t like the prices, buy used or shop another brand. And good luck finding a Victory. They went out of business in January 2017. Whether or not a Slingshot is ‘cooler than an HD’ is a subjective call. In my opinion, the Slingshot is more comparable to a cage than a motorcycle.
4. If you want to complain about parts pricing, buy a BMW. You ain’t seen nothing!!
5. If HD’s “suck”, I suggest you buy a Honda or Yamaha. They offer a few HD clones, complete with plastic chrome, fake cooling fins and low resale value.
6. In the 30+ years I’ve owned HD’s, I have never associated “culture” with ownership. In my view, motorcycles and lifestyle are mutually exclusive.
Harleys are fine motorcycles. The ownership experience is more enjoyable if you separate the motorcycle from jaded b beliefs and perceptions.
Good luck.
I'm in sales, Boilers, Chillers, Pumps and controls. And I have to know my products inside and out. I also have to know the competitions products and know them as well as mine. So I know how to do the engineering and packaging. I have to know the parts and also how to service and repair the products. Lets say I don't get the chiller sale or the boiler, I got the pumps so I have to know how to interface my product with there other purchase. I have to know the other rep and how they work.
Motorcycle and car sale people are over all complete idiots!!!!!
There is only one issue with your 'feelings' on this....the average age of the customer at my local dealer was significantly less than the clientele at the BMW down the road during a 'grand reopening.' Also, for teh whole of Metro Detroit we have two BMW dealers, one Triumph, one Ducati, and 5 'powersports' dealers. But we have 6 HD dealers and given the amount of postings of sales on FB the average age appears to be in the 40's for all of these places I am watching. That is the age at about where I would expect it. The powersports dealers are still selling dirt bikes to younger folks with 'Dad' standing behind them in the pic.
Sales are down but nowhere near as dire as being painted in these threads.
One more observation...the pics of those buying the HD's that the dealers post show normal looking people. The 'pirate look' appears to be limited to those hanging out at the dealer for the free coffee and donuts. They are NOT buyers apparently. They stand around the bikes kicking the tires and lamenting how ugly the new bikes are enjoying coffee and donuts but are not buying. Just like around here....
Ever since the economy "Ajustment" ten years or so back, no one has any Munnie.......
The fact is, most everyone under 30 sees a Harley like they do grandpa's Cadilac. The 'cool factor' does not exist with this crowd and HD has had trouble with using the brand and image to sell the bikes like they do with middle aged guys looking to regain their youth.
The fact is, most everyone under 30 sees a Harley like they do grandpa's Cadilac. The 'cool factor' does not exist with this crowd and HD has had trouble with using the brand and image to sell the bikes like they do with middle aged guys looking to regain their youth.
I disagree, and here's why:
I don't think Harley's have ever been cooler to the "younger" generation. There is a noticeably young crowd getting into the stunt game with Harleys. The problem in my opinion is not that young people don't think Harleys are cool, the problem is Harley is pricing them out of the market for the bikes they want, and not everyone wants to go drop 15-20k on a brand new bike to stunt on that will probably just end up getting thrashed, so where do they go? Craigslist. 18-25 year old kids are buying Harleys, they're just buying older, used Dynas, Sportsters, and FXR's because that's all they can afford, for the most part. I'm lucky enough at 23 to be in a position where I can afford a new bike, but I'm also not doing flat track races or professional stunt shows. Again, I don't necessarily think it's just a generational issue - I think Harley has an affordability issue too - I think a pretty big crowd of young people are still interested in Harleys, they just can't afford to throw that kind of money down on a new bike that they're going to have to spend more money customizing, when they can go buy an old FXR for 5k and have 15k to build a killer bike...
Originally Posted by cvaria
Critter count:
75+ pages of bs, arm chair CEO'ing, getting young people off lawns, and OJ(OP) and his cat doing this every time a new inane post is added:
"We got us another one, Mittens!"
Lol. This thread will live forever. .. who cares ride if you got'em
But how else am I supposed to get my post count up? lol...
Last edited by ChickinOnaChain; 05-06-2018 at 07:29 PM.
I don't think Harley's have ever been cooler to the "younger" generation. There is a noticeably young crowd getting into the stunt game with Harleys. The problem in my opinion is not that young people don't think Harleys are cool, the problem is Harley is pricing them out of the market for the bikes they want, and not everyone wants to go drop 15-20k on a brand new bike to stunt on that will probably just end up getting thrashed, so where do they go? Craigslist. 18-25 year old kids are buying Harleys, they're just buying older, used Dynas, Sportsters, and FXR's because that's all they can afford, for the most part. I'm lucky enough at 23 to be in a position where I can afford a new bike, but I'm also not doing flat track races or professional stunt shows. Again, I don't necessarily think it's just a generational issue - I think Harley has an affordability issue too - I think a pretty big crowd of young people are still interested in Harleys, they just can't afford to throw that kind of money down on a new bike that they're going to have to spend more money customizing, when they can go buy an old FXR for 5k and have 15k to build a killer bike...
I can't wait until this hipster bullshit phase is over. Some dumbass in a man-bun doing a wheelie on a dyna (fairing required), wearing a vest with "FTW" patches, maybe a anarchy patch for good measure, is not the future of Harley-Davidson. Sorry buddy.
Damn I'm ashamed of my generation. Please God do not let these people make decisions at HD anytime soon.
I'm in sales, Boilers, Chillers, Pumps and controls. And I have to know my products inside and out. I also have to know the competitions products and know them as well as mine. So I know how to do the engineering and packaging. I have to know the parts and also how to service and repair the products. Lets say I don't get the chiller sale or the boiler, I got the pumps so I have to know how to interface my product with there other purchase. I have to know the other rep and how they work.
Motorcycle and car sale people are over all complete idiots!!!!!
You wouldn't know a Lattner from a Fulton,or Cleever brooks,And probably don't know a split package or Burks pump,,Just teasing and mix your glycal correct...I'm a 150 or more PSI guy..lol It's a living..
02-27-2018, 09:30 PM
