I have (4) H-D dealers w/in a 50 mile radius and things get interesting. One dealer negotiates $2k+ off bikes/20% off accessories all the time while the other 3 negotiate less and only have 15% off accessories on occasion. They all bad mouth this dealer as not abiding by the H-D principle. Guess which one is busiest !!!

 

We have 6 in the Denver area. No problem at all getting substantial discounts on any model except the CVO's. Good ol' capitalistic competition at its finest!

 

One thing to point out is HD is not entirely made in the USA anymore, so that myth has been busted. They make or assemble just enough in the US to carry the Made USA logo.

Another thing is the American Car companies had the same mentality as HD. We make a superior product compared to the japanese etc....and we have customer loyalty. But where they missed the boat is they forgot that the younger generation was growing up on Honda's, Toyota's, etc because they were affordable and what that did was create a huge loyalty for that generation for their Toyota's and Honda's. Which has now forced the American car companies to re-assess their structure.

This appears to be the path HD is going down with those excerpts from the interview. Hopefully, it won't backfire on them like it did for the American Car companies.

I am all for protecting the brand and customer loyalty, but you have to draw in the younger generation and the 48 does not compare to a 900 or 1100 metric cruiser, especially when you price it at 11K.

 

I agree. I really can't visualize any self-respecting young punk rushing out to buy one of these things only to be laughed at and ridiculed by his peers. Maybe a few posers fresh out of Momma's basement would go for something like that, but who knows?

 

Harley execs are not getting it. A.) The "48" is not reasonably priced. MSRP is pushing $11K and they are targeting the young folks? Do they have any idea what the job market is like right now for those just coming out of college? For those that aren't college grads and in industry such as construction, mechanics, etc., it's not any better. Every industry has taken a hit and coming back very slowly. Couple that with the escalated cost of living and the "48" is not a good priced bike. Period. The established riders who are weathering the finanical storm most likely won't be putting the 48 in their list of the next Harley to buy.
B.) The dumbest statement in the world was the one, that consumers "have to pay full price". That's nuts! If I was buying, I'd say screw you man and go to local newpaper or eBay to buy a clean used one from some poor soul who needs to dump it. Harley clearly needs to lower their MSRP and then maybe full price will be more attractive; on top of that they need to offer some more incentive to get some new business from their competitors. By saying things like you'll be paying full price is a very poor business model and if that keeps up, I bet ya they report more losses in 2010. Good luck MoCo...I still love ya but I ain't paying full price for anything you sell!

"With the Milwaukee-based company trying to change direction, the company's earnings report coincided with the unveiling of a new bike called the "Forty-Eight," which features a sleek, all-black design with a reasonable price tag and is aimed at younger riders. Harley’s current customer base is made up substantially of baby-boomers, but with the upsurge in younger riders and women riders, the “Forty-Eight” is aimed to appeal to this group with it’s retro-design including elements first introduced in 1948."

 

WTF is a poser?

 

Unless you're buying in Canada. Then you pay full price PLUS Deeley's cut.

 

Yes American car companies said this in the past. The only thing they forgot was the "quality "part. People will eventually leave your brand if you are not delivering what they are paying for. If they get the same or better quality for less money they will go away. Harley has a good model, they did gain considerable market share last year. This means their sales were not down as much as the competitors were, so their sales accounted for a larger percent of the total motorcycle sales. This will be good in the long run. For now it is about cutting overhead so they can survive and keep the brand value where it is. I doubt anyone here wants Harley to drop their prices so that those of us who bopught a bike recently will lose value because a new bike can be bought for less than our used ones are worth. That approach eventually devalues your whole brand. I do agree that Harley needs a 900cc class cruiser for the sub $10k range that is not fugly.

 

What did the parts division make?..................

 

From an online dictionary:

The term developed from the French verb "poseur" in the 1870s, to refer to people who "affect an attitude or pose"; "[6] The Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that the term was also used to refer to a "person who pretends to be what he or she is not" or an "insincere person".[7] The Encarta dictionary states that the term is used to describe a "pretentious person" or "somebody who tries to impress others by behaving in an affected way".[8] The Cambridge Dictionary defines a "poseur" as "someone who pretends to be something they are not, or to have qualities that they do not possess."

There ya have it.