7 Features that Harley Owners Don’t Want
Take a break from whatever you’re doing and check out what our forum members (and this writer) have to say to the Execs at the MoCo about future bikes and products coming out of Milwaukee, York, Manaus, and Bawal.
1. Machines that aren’t the unmistakable Milwaukee Originals
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the MoCo building new and different motorcycles to satisfy the desires of different riders. They do have to stay relevant in today’s market, after all. But my point here is, at what point does the MoCo stray too far from the core machines that have kept its lights on every year since 1903? Personally, I’m excited about some of the new offerings, like the Pan America, the electrics and whatever they may have up their sleeves for the future touring models, but we also want to see them bring back offerings like the Road King Classic, the Springer Softails and the FX frame machines (the Dyna cannot be dead, I refuse to accept it).
Ok, admittedly, the bike in the picture is sorta cool and is no way a Harley-Davidson prototype (that we know of). The bike pictured is actually a Ludovic Lazareth LM847 (price tag- $217,000, if you were interested). It’s powered by a Maserati Gran Turismo’s 4.7-liter engine but its most prominent feature is its four-wheel leaning design. Weird, but cool. Google it when you have nothing better to do. Will Harley-Davidson experiment with a leaning 4-wheel design? What about inverted three-wheelers like the Can-Ams? How far outside the lines is too far?
2. Overpriced gear
This may not have come directly from HDForums, but it’s still a point of contention for this riding writer. We all understand that a great deal of engineering and research goes into designing great moto-gear, but I just got an email the other day from H-D, advertising a pair of fancy little hipster boots that were priced at over $400! In their defense, I did see another email where they are offering jeans now for $39.99… but let’s be honest, the $40 jeans are a rare item in the Motorclothes line, hidden neatly between $40 t-shirts, $85 hoodies, $550 jackets, and the “non-hipster" styled $200 riding boots. Yes, I’ll admit, I have a nice leather Harley-Davidson jacket and a pair of H-D branded boots, but I bought them online and did not pay retail prices (hint: if you didn’t know, the MoCo releases jackets like new bikes, by year model, so to speak. If you wait until the jacket you want is discontinued from regular production, i.e., the next "model" year, you can often find it at a significantly lower price).
3. Bobbed rear fenders everywhere
Forum member “dickey” made a great point with his comment “I wish they would get rid of that douchey looking bobbed rear fender that is ruining the looks of half their models.”
I couldn’t agree more. Don’t get me wrong, on the right bike and the right style, it’s not bad but good grief, what’s it take to get a real rear fender these days? I had a 2012 Wide Glide a few years ago and after swapping the bars and risers and adding a custom sissy bar for that ole’ skool look, I was on the hunt for a better looking rear fender. I traded the bike before I could find one, but I was surprised at how many of Milwaukee’s machines had that same chopped back fender. “Dickey” also made another great point when he added “And, bring back the NightTrain.”
The Nightrain was the quintessential badass of the Softail lineup and, from what I hear, it’s gone for good along with my beloved Wide Glide. Sad days for future generations if that is true. Are you listening, Milwaukee? Dickey and I say bring ‘em back!
4. Infotainment on every model with a fairing
Good. Grief. Give us a break with all the gadgetry. Some riders want it, some don’t. I fall into that second category. If I wanted GPS, a stereo system with CB, CD, MP3, digital display touchscreen, power windows (I'm looking at you, Indian Chieftain) and dual buttwarmers, I’d trade in my bike and drive a loaded-out Chevrolet for roughly the same price. On my bike, I want a V-twin engine, a windscreen big enough to deflect some of the June bugs and bumblebees and a good set of lights all around. Remember that Wide Glide I referenced in the previous slide? I traded a Road Glide Custom in on it. Why you may ask? The same reason that “BFREE” from the forums was talking about when he said that Harley-Davidson needed to bring back the “Electra Glides and Road Glides without all the infotainment equipment.”
Listen, tech is cool… SOMETIMES. But when I’m on the bike, I just want to hear the rumble of my pipes and feel the wind on my face. Hiding behind a full fairing with a giant windscreen with the radio blaring full blast is about as close to caging as I’ve ever experienced. "BFREE" wrote that comment in August of 2016 and, lo and behold, for the 2019 model year, the MoCo reintroduced the Electraglide Standard with a solo seat and not even as much as an AM/FM radio in the fairing. Maybe someone in Milwaukee is listening, after all?
5. Less stuff for more money
“Chekoz77” said in August 2016 that “I think we should be getting more for our money and Harley needs to stop trying to take advantage with all the add-ons and upgrades that should be standard equipment. Being some of the most expensive bikes on the road they should have high-end components and modern technology to justify the price. There will come a point in time where just the name won’t be enough anymore.”
OK, so, I understand where he’s coming from here. On my last Road King, for example, I had to polish my lower fork sliders because the clear coat had been eaten away by bug guts, road grime, brake dust and everything else the open road threw at it. The bike was only 4 years old when I went to work on them. Polishing them took hours, and while the end result was really nice, why can’t the MoCo just provide us with fork sliders that have better clear coating? After spending $23,000 (or more) on a bike, I shouldn’t have to spend another $170 on a four-point mount so I can add a backrest or spend another 5 hours in the garage polishing the aluminum on my forks. Parts like voltage regulators and chain tensioners wear out too quickly. Also, what’s with the engine air cooling fins? My garage-kept ’17 Road King Special already has oxidation on them. Why? Because they are raw aluminum edges. They look great in the showroom, but in the real world of riding, they oxidize within just a couple of rainy seasons. Maybe a clear coat or, at the very least, a smoothed finish so I don’t cut my fingers to hell when I’m trying to clean them would help.
6. Denim and flat EVERYTHING
“Super Glidester” made a great point when he said, “I think they need to give the Iron a break and bring back a basic XLH entry-level Sportster. One that has chrome and shiny paint, enough with the flat/blackout bikes.”
While he may have been talking about the Sporty’s in particular, I have to agree with the point of the MoCo running the “denim and black” thing into the ground on practically every bike in the lineup. I like the Denim paint jobs and black IS the fastest color after all, but it shouldn’t be so common. Making it such a common feature takes away from the uniqueness it was supposed to represent. Also, how about offering those brand-new riders something other than a blacked out Street? Maybe a Street with some chrome and some better “Harleyesque” features, like the hand controls of a real Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a different bike design? I’d like to see the Street 500 and/or 750 engine cradled in a better-looking frame, laden with chrome and full fenders, and for the love of the founders, give new riders the option of an entry level bike without that damned quarter fairing… geesh!
7. Fake models that have never ridden a motorcycle in the ads
I get that “pretty people” are the meat and potatoes (so, to speak) of the fashion industry, but HDMC should be about REAL people riding REAL American machines. It irks us to see these metro guys that pee sitting down and these emo girls that are always sulking in the advertisements for gear and bikes.
Seriously, show us some REAL people. I’m not talking about getting the Del Fuegos from the movie Wild Hogs, but the main characters in that film--Doug, Bobby, Woody, and even Dudley--are more akin to real Harley-Davidson customers than the cast of any of those damned Twilight movies that H-D's advertising team seems to love to take pictures of. You can’t tell me that real riders don’t want their pictures taken, either.
Use some real folks in your ads, like those from the Louisiana Northshore HOG chapter #2147 (pictured inside the yellow box in this collage). Let us see what that fancy, leather jacket is gonna look like on a guy with a dad-bod or what that slinky, blinged-out button-down shirt is gonna look like on a mid-40’s mother of two. Why the hell not? After all, those are the people with the lettuce to buy a $65 shirt or a $550 jacket. Instead of paying these moody emo kids to model your gear and appear in your ads, go to the dealerships and give your actual customers their 15 minutes in the spotlight. I promise you, there are a bunch of good-looking folks riding your bikes that will be happy to do it just for the fun of saying they did it.
8. Don’t sell out (again)
Look, let me be clear. We aren’t unhappy with Harley-Davidson. Hell, quite the contrary, actually. Let’s be honest though. We spend a lot of money on H-D’s bikes and gear. We want to be properly represented while we get the most for our hard-earned dollars. We want to inspire the next generation of riders and we want the Motor Company to be successful for decades to come so that our kids and grandkids can enjoy these uniquely American machines. We don’t want to see a legendary company become, well… basic and ordinary, just to fit in with the status-quo of selling gear and turning out cheap, uninspired machines (like those reminiscent of the AMF days).
Unfortunately, some folks already feel like Milwaukee has sold out. “Axlespacer,” for example, said back in 2016 that “Harley is no longer a motorcycle company at its core. It’s a branding company that makes motorcycles. Pool tables, bar stools, F-150's, baby clothes, coffee mugs, beer glasses, umbrellas... the list is endless of products you can buy with the HD brand on them. This is where Harley generates the most profit margin, not bikes. I love their bikes I'm on my 5th Harley, but you have to make it your own. As long as they can sell bikes to stay relevant and maintain the "lifestyle" that is what they'll do.”
Ouch. Sort of a nasty burn, but let’s face it, is he entirely wrong in his assessment? Even if it’s true, we still love the Motor Company and its offerings. We just don’t want to see Harley-Davidson snowmobiles, boats or any foreign motorcycles with the Harley-Davidson badges killing the company all over again. When he wrote that comment in 2016, “Axlespacer” was on his 5th H-D motorcycle and here in 2019, I’m on my 6th Harley-Davidson scooter since 2009. Don’t judge me, I’m just doing my part to help keep those Milwaukee union workers employed and to help keep the Eagle Soaring Alone.
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