Harley's Plight

[Chuck35]

Do they make you park around the corner?

As a part time employee of a Harley Davidson dealership,

 

[SouthernCruizer]

I love my Harley.
So https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/****.gif all of you.

Oh, need proof Harley's can out-perform POS crap like FJR's made in Japan from 'Murican beer cans?

that is effing funny as hell.. a classic..

I think that dude should be the official spokesman for Harley. Oh, and i have a 10" tool also.

 

[Denver_FJR]

Yet despite all the reasons NOT to own one HD still commands 50% of the big bike market.They may be falling but they've got a LONG way to go.

Yep. When I'm on the highway, for every 10 bikes I see, 1 is a Goldwing, one is maybe a sportbike (probably some kid cruising to see his GF in the next town) but the other 8 are HD's.

 

[BkerChuck]

Park around the corner? Nah! When our dealership hosts any kind of event I generally ride one of my Buells and park right out front under the American flag just to make a point! On normal weekends I just grab whatever spot is available. Most of our techs have ridden my bike and without exception all love it. Couple of them regret not looking at it more carefully before I bought it! I have even enlightened some of the HD faithful in the use of superior lighting, helmet communication rigs like Sena or Scala, the magic of a tankbag and more. Shop owners actually like me bringing a different perspective into the shop. I soemtime get tasked with test driving potential trade in bikes when they're sportbikes or metric stuff.I even have some customers who don't own Harleys but get me to order their aftermarket stuff that some of our competing metric dealers don't seem to want to take the time to help them with.

 

[lnewlf]

Sad part about Harley's struggles is that there are a lot of hard working Americans that are currently losing hours and may one day lose their jobs because of corporate reluctance and/or misjudgment. As much as I have no use for Harleys myself, it is an American company providing local jobs. It would be a shame to see them go under (did I just SAY that?).
Gary

darksider #44

Perhaps eventually all Harleys will say "made in India"

https://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-21/news/32352429_1_harley-davidson-superbikes-bawal

 

[Bustanut joker]

Had to feel bad for a company who's philosophy is they will buy what we make.. I have two buddies employed by the Motor Company, one was on the VRod design team.

Both share that attitude and look at imports with disdain.. Matter of fact they both hope the Indian experiment by Polaris fails.

 

[Auburn]

With emissions standards continually tightening, they might have painted themselves into a corner with their adherence to the air cooled twin motor. I chuckled when I saw the lengths they went to to "hide" the radiator on the V Rod; if the day comes that they have to liquid cool their big twins, they might experience a loss of sales from their core group. In today's market, a manufacturer has to do more than sue a competitor over the "patented" sound of a motor to stay in the game, just MHO.

That's alright they are having a loss of sales anyway...their target audience is taking care of that naturally by aging. Dumbest thing they did was get rid of buell. At least hewas getting younger riders into riding something with a Harley motor in it..

 

[BkerChuck]

For some good entertainment go to youtube and search for "Honest Harley Commercial" It's about a minute and a half long and hits it right on the head. I tried last night to post the link but couldn't get it to work.

 

[Fred W]

You tube assist:

 

[BkerChuck]

Thanks! I tried to share it from Youtube, copy and paste the link, etc. I couldn't get it to work finally gave up.

 

[Fred W]

Thanks! I tried to share it from Youtube, copy and paste the link, etc. I couldn't get it to work finally gave up.

Used the link on You tube under "share" and just paste that link into the reply editor.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Had to feel bad for a company who's philosophy is they will buy what we make.. I have two buddies employed by the Motor Company, one was on the VRod design team.Both share that attitude and look at imports with disdain.. Matter of fact they both hope the Indian experiment by Polaris fails.

Man, if that doesn't say it all. Talk about ignorance.

Those two buddies of yours don't understand that tough competition will make you improve. If you don't improve, your competition will eventually crush you. If you have any brains, sense of pride, and business knowledge, you would take the new Indian announcement as a personal challenge, and create a superior design. Just look at the Japanese bikes. My God, the performance compared to just 20 years ago is breathtaking. Each manufacturer keeps trying to outdo their toughest competition, and we get the benefits! Sportbikes, dirt bikes, standards, and even bikes like our beloved FJR!

I love my country, and I would love to see any American company do well. I hope that we don't lose any more jobs. But if you continue to act so arrogantly that you ignore every indication that you are falling behind and offering an inferior product at a superior price, Darwin will eventually smite you, and his punch is powerful, cold, and unemotional. Good luck, HD.

 

[Warpdrv]

Thats is an awesome video.... LMAO....

The worst part is its so true.

 

[BkerChuck]

I would really like to be able to purchase an American built sport tourer. There are none. Closest thing I've seen that would satisfy me is the upcoming Motus brand being bult in Birmingham, AL. Incredible looking machine but at a price where I could own 2 new FJRs. Short of winning the lottery, not gonna get one.

 

[lnewlf]

Motus needs shaft drive and lower price- a nice small tight sport tourer...

 

[Frushlorton]

BUT it is a HARLEY. It's the image, and Harley has done a great job creating that image.

They are into the image. Now, I'm going to put on my areostich, even though it is hot, uncomfortable and makes me look like a firefighter and roll to the Blue Ridge Fest tomorrow. Most of us buy into an image of some sort. Theirs just happens to be immitating pirates.

 

[majicmaker]

Most of us buy into an image of some sort. Theirs just happens to be immitating pirates.

Lmao!!! )

 

[Knifemaker]

Harley will always have a market here. The "blog" has some logic points, but no facts. There are "kids" (collage age) buying Harleys....(or planning to) Cruiser bike sales are still a good share of the overall market and HD has always been the leader there.

Dis the bikes they make, the other crap they sell, but their marketing is and has been extremely successful. Yeah, they sell bikes and they sell "image"....other makers nowhere close to their following. I see no "plight" here.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I have been thoroughly enjoying the Indian advertisements in the mainstream motorcycle magazines. They have been in Cycle World and Motorcyclist for the last few issues and they are really good for a chuckle. Polaris is aiming the new Indian squarely at the heart of Harley Davidson. Their ads are really quite clever and I hope it works. This month's Cycle World has the new Thunder Stroke 111 on the cover and it is undeniably interesting.

 

[Big Sky]

I just finished an article with the working title, "Culture Clash." I met the director of the local H.O.G chapter and we did a bike swap: me on his Dyna Wide Glide (Stage II-plus) and him on my 2005 FJR. It was great fun and made for a great story (on the press April 18). We talked about the H-D tradition and heritage and what it meant, the brilliance of the brand marketing, unsurpassed customer loyalty, the value of the brand probably exceeding Apple... We also talked about the box they have put themselves into: brand loyalty is so strong the "family" will accept nothing other than 45-degree air cooled V-Twin with pushrods. That engine configuration is archaic and beyond much further development, not to mention EPA issues, etc. The HOG guy referred to the V-Rod (he acted like he couldn't remember what it was called) as "not a real Harley, some kind of Porshe." The V-Rod was a too cautious attempt to see if Harley could actually update engineering while attracting a younger buyer who appreciated modern design. The V-Rod always has been and always will be a sales dog: the "real" H-D loyalist will not accept water cooling, overhead cams, etc. That is a huge problem for H-D. So, in summary: brilliant marketing that leads to ... a dead end. BUT! ... there may be hope! I think BMW was heading down that exact same road with the boxer: couldn't afford to alienate the purist loyalists with modern designs, but they are pulling off a transition, now building bikes of hyper-modern design and technology (S1000, GT1600) yet they've hung onto the boxer loyalists while (gasp!) updating the boxer configuration. Yes, water cooling, overhead cams, the whole works! Actual horsepower and performance! Harley needs to study very closely how BMW has gone about this transition: carefully, deliberately and successfully.

So when will an American motorcycle company get beyond air-cooled V-Twin and pseudo chopperesque styling? There was hope ... What happened to Motul?