re: The demise of Harley Davidson

If I were getting a Harley, it'd be the Forty Eight

quote:

---

If I were getting a Harley, it'd be the Forty Eight

---

Those little things are fun to ride. Not practice for long distance riding. But fun none the less. And they’ll flat out haul arse.

quote:

---

Not bad looking little bikes and Harley even offers a riding course to teach first time riders. I can’t remember exactly, but both are available for less than $10,000 I think. I don’t believe they’ve sold that well though.

---

The 750 starts around $7600. Like you said, they're Ok bikes, but the competition at that price point is just much better. For just a little less, you can get a Kawi Vulcan S. For $8k, you can get a Yamaha Bolt. Both of those bikes are just better than what HD provides.

quote:

---

The demise of Harley Davidson

---

I couldn't fathom buying a motorcycle in this day and age of distracted driving.

HD is developing a line of electric motorcycles that seem fun but.... "loud pipes save lives"

Those bikes are ridiculously priced. Instead of working to be competitive and sell a fair priced product, they laid back expecting their name to do all the work.

quote:

---

Are the 49% tarrifs still a thing? 

---

The Reagan era tariffs were taken down a year by 1987 when HD asked Reagan to remove them. The problem was while HD rebounded they rode several waves of fads rather than having and maintaing a plan for long term growth and solvency.

Darth has a good post on an effort of bikes but HD really failed to make inroads because HD tends to be higher motorcycle. coupled with a less than stellar reputation for reliability and dependability.

To really make inroads, Harley Davidson bikes will need to be competitively priced WITH a high level of reliability and dependability. HD failed at that.

Its sad because they do make a very striking and good looking motorcylce.

quote:

---

Who upvoted this pile of statist diarrhea?

---

I'd amend it to

quote:

---

The idea that we have Free Market Capitalism is a scam.

---

quote:

---

A few years ago Harley introduced a couple of models to try and do that, the 750 Street and 500 Street

---

HD gets an A for effort but the Streets kinda suck.

1. Made in India?!
2. Up close the bike is sloppy.
3. This thing is barely an HD

So with the radiator and without the Made in America vibe the Yamaha and Honda 750 cruisers are better made and a better value.

They should get props for putting out a 500 and 750 and trying. It was the right move but the bikes feel cheap and less put together than the Japanese cruisers. tbh HD should've spent a little more time on the design and should've done a standard.

You see these on the floor and an 883 for not much more, I guarantee you are buying the 883. It's authentic. As a standard, the Street would've been different enough to merit attention.

I love my 1200 but Harley as a company can't seem to bring themselves to compete on price or develop a different class of bike. They don't necessarily need to make sport and dirt bikes but having a standard would've been a good move.

Harley Davidson is to motorcycles what Gibson is to guitars. Both are in dire straits for similar reasons.

They make premium priced products of inconsistent quality that are unaffordable for beginners, lacking in quality compared to competitors, having inconsistent quality control, and fail to appeal to younger hobbyists.

quote:

---

When you ride you need leather boots, chaps or leather pants, leather jacket, and leather gloves.

---

And yet, for so many, not a helmet.