Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[NEW2elec]

Well they're in their gates now ready to start the race place your bets.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/harley-struggles-fire-generation-riders-102245712.html

[JaimeC]

I'm wondering who thought millenials would have $30,000 to throw away on a brand new bike if they've never ridden before?  And on a first-year model, too.

Former CEO Keith Wandell nailed Harley's coffin shut by dropping the Buell brand, as that was PRECISELY what the motor company needed to attract new buyers and non-Harley types into their dealerships.  The Ulysses, in particular, was the biggest selling bike my local dealership had when it was available.  Unfortunately, bad marketing decisions and "stuck in the past" management doomed the brand from the start.  Hiring a non-motorcyclist as CEO was just the cherry on the s**t-sundae.  Now they're scrambling to try and attract the buyers they've SHUNNED for decades?  Good luck with that.

I'm hoping Erik can rub even more salt into the wound with his new venture (Fuell).  They're doing it right... start with the low-end models FIRST and then work your way upward.

[Doug S]

From what I'm reading, the kids these days just really aren't into motorcycles. A lot of them don't even drive cars, getting by with Uber, Lyft and rental bicycles/scooters. The motorcycle market is down overall, and not showing any signs of recovering to any degree.

But Harley hasn't made a single right move for several years now. They've been selling their "lifestyle" sizzle for so long they've forgotten how to sell a good steak.

An electric motorcycle, done properly, might not be a bad step toward recovery. And I think they've done a great job at styling that bike -- it's beautiful to my eye. But at that price? With less performance and range than (an already pricey) Zero? Not a chance.

Know thy customer, Harley.

[MVetter]

Harley hasn't known thine customer for the majority of their existence. Check any advertisement from the majority of their time in the market, it's clean cut family people dressed nicely. I don't think they showed a single 'biker' type person until the '90s.

[JaimeC]

Harley hasn't known thine customer for the majority of their existence. Check any advertisement from the majority of their time in the market, it's clean cut family people dressed nicely. I don't think they showed a single 'biker' type person until the '90s.

That was most famously demonstrated during Harley's 100th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee in 2003.  Who do you think they got as their headline performer?  Steppenwolf?  John Cougar Mellencamp?  No!  For their 100th Anniversary Celebration, with THOUSANDS of bikers from all over the country converged into one place, they booked SIR ELTON JOHN!!!

He even acknowledged it when he came out and announced that he'd like to do a medley of his motorcycle songs but... HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY!!

https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/02/13/remembering-when-elton-john-played-harleys-100th-bash-and-got-booed/2769671002/

[MVetter]

I like to think of them as a clothing company that happens to make motorcycles.

[Richard230]

I like to think of them as a clothing company that happens to make motorcycles.

LOL, That's a good one. 

[Richard230]

When it comes to making 55 years of bad business decisions, it is tough to be Harley Davidson.

[Richard230]

Apparently I am not allowed to post more than one attachment at a time. So here is attachment number two.

[MikeL]

Harley has made some strides in the right direction as a company as of late. They are making an ADV bike and a naked bike. They are also working on an electric bicycle and scooter. So they are at least trying some new stuff. 

The LiveWire SHOULD arrive any day now.

They have invested in other companies/brands such as the little electric bike brand for kids that doesn't have peddles. Supposedly they are doing really well.

Long held beliefs about Harley may fade away in a decade as they have started to pivot away from "biker gang grizzled man on an adventure" feel for several products.

Honestly, the biggest hurdle for Harley is price. Nearly everything they make is expensive. I currently have a mid-tier Harley in terms of price, Harley Dyna Low Rider S. As expensive as it was it's paid off and I've probably put an additional $7-10k between service and parts. That aspect kills me. Now mind you I mean service as in general service, so far nothing has broke on the motorcycle. All the parts have been additions I've made. Part of the draw for electric for me is you don't get trapped in the parts upgrades... as badly. More bolt on stuff than performance I'd assume.

[NEW2elec]

Wow MikeL 7-10k for add-ons and service.  How many years-miles was that in?
That does look to be where they make their money then.

[MikeL]

Wow MikeL 7-10k for add-ons and service.  How many years-miles was that in?
That does look to be where they make their money then.

Sadly, it's a 2017. So not many. But even aftermarket non-Harley parts add up quick. Mileage is roughly ~6k. I don't ride as much as I'd like. Usually just weekend runs through the hills and back. Commuted for a couple of months but now I work closer to home.

New handlebars: ~$300
New full exhaust: ~$800
New front fairing: ~$600
New steal cables: ~$200
New Handlebar + Exhuast installation + wire running + dyno tune: $1800? (can't remember exact price)
Corbin Seat: ~$600
Vance & Hines FuelPak: ~$415 (I went back to stock exhaust since my aftermarket exhaust destroyed my ears, had to retune)
New Rear Fender: ~$400? (Can't remember exact price)
Recent full service + Bolt tightening: ~$800
Sensor wire replacement: ~$120 (the only fix thus far)

Some of these prices may be off, pulling off the top of my head but that's roughly $6k I think right there. I'm probably forgetting some other parts too.

[Doug S]

What up with all the new parts? If you dropped the bike and had to make repairs, you can't blame the bike for that.

Or, if you just wanted different bars, fairing, fenders etc., you can't blame the bike for that, either. Those are just accessories to suit your own taste.

Really only if you've experienced a lot of part failures is it fair to blame Harley for those expenses....and I'd think most of them would have been replaced under warranty anyhow.

Edit: I just noticed the "(the only fix thus far)" on your last item. So really, you've spent $120 on a failed part, and I'd imagine some maintenance, though at only 6k miles and two years I'd hope not all that much for maintenance.

Hard to imagine why the sensor wasn't covered under warranty, though. That's still a pretty fresh bike.

[BigPoppa]

To be fair, that's part of the H-D experience. Most owners never leave their bikes stock since the bikes fit such a narrow demographic, physically. You almost have to swap out bars, seats, and pegs/floorboards to fine tune the riding position...especially on the bigger tourers. On top of that, I would also argue "performance" upgrades are part of the HD ownership experience as well. You almost need to, especially on the larger bikes.

[MikeL]

What up with all the new parts? If you dropped the bike and had to make repairs, you can't blame the bike for that.

Or, if you just wanted different bars, fairing, fenders etc., you can't blame the bike for that, either. Those are just accessories to suit your own taste.

Really only if you've experienced a lot of part failures is it fair to blame Harley for those expenses....and I'd think most of them would have been replaced under warranty anyhow.

Edit: I just noticed the "(the only fix thus far)" on your last item. So really, you've spent $120 on a failed part, and I'd imagine some maintenance, though at only 6k miles and two years I'd hope not all that much for maintenance.

Hard to imagine why the sensor wasn't covered under warranty, though. That's still a pretty fresh bike.

As others have said it's sorta par for the course. You want to add specific style to it so you make your own. I've had Yamaha's and Ducati's as well. I generally drop some money into them to make them "mine." But never nearly as much as this Harley.

Sadly the $120 failed sensor was days out of warranty. They wouldn't honor it. I wasn't going to fight since technically they were correct as it was out of warranty. Plus, $120 repair is on the cheaper side for a vehicle to be honest..