Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't hate HD but they're not #1 in any category that I can think of other than sales. They're the Ford Taurus of motorcycles.
The day HD can offer me something similar to a Triumph street triple is the day I take a serious look at HD.
As the owner of a 2014 Taurus SHO, I'm deeply offended by this statement. The Taurus is pretty much the opposite of an HD. Tons of tech (named by IEEE as one of the Top Ten tech cars when it was introduced in 2010) and well above average performance at its price point.
H-D is more like today's pickups. Lots of money for not much engineering. Huge profit margins due to buyers who don't care about anything but image.
You make a compelling argument. Must have been the captain of the debate team. Throwing around the word hate stopped being edgy in 2004.
The fully dressed $25k bike buying crowd is aging rapidly.
So what does Indian do? Cater to the aging crowd. Genius... Indian will go the way of Victory. It's only a matter of time.
Buy a Triumph.
Different tools for different jobs. I own 2 Triumphs, an Indian Roadmaster, and a Ural. For day to day commuting (50 miles one way) and for longer trips, I love the Roadmaster. By far the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden and the first one I haven't felt at all tired or sore after a 500 mile day (bought it late in the year, didn't do any really long trips yet). For blasting around town and to the bar, it's hard to beat the Rocket III-2300CCs gets attention wherever it goes. And for the backcountry rides and week-long forest service campouts, I love the Tiger 800XC. All are top of the line bikes, but for different purposes. Tried a Goldwing, the lack of long floorboards makes it cramped and inflexible for long rides. Not to mention I like the quick detach trunk of the RM. BMW K1600GTL is probably the best, highest performance touring/sports-touring bike out there. But sadly it just didn't call to me-no where near the torque of the big Triumph (even though more HP). I'm currently working on selling both Triumphs and getting a KTM 1290 Super Enduro R. Great off road capability, more HP than the RIII and all the features needed in a touring bike. Will keep that and the Indian.
All the top of the line touring bikes are in the same general price range (well, except the Kawi-the Voyager and Vaquero are bargains). The K1600GTL, the Goldwing, the HD Road and Street Glide "Limiteds" as well as the Indian Roadmaster are all well over $25k, with more amenities than most luxury cars. Granted the HDs are down a little compared to the others (no power windshield, electric locking luggage, heated seats are extra) but still very well equipped.
Where I think they really blow it on price (both HD and Indian) are their more "basic" cruisers. Rather it's an an Indian Chief Classic ($19.5k) or a Harley Fatboy ($19k) is a ridiculous amount of money for a "basic" bike with no luggage, no windshield, no stereo, etc. Those are all basic bikes with cheap, air-cooled (well air/oil) V-twins.
Last edited by Toyman at Jewel Lake; 12-30-2017 at 07:43 PM..
All the top of the line touring bikes are in the same general price range (well, except the Kawi-the Voyager and Vaquero are bargains). The K1600GTL, the Goldwing, the HD Road and Street Glide "Limiteds" as well as the Indian Roadmaster are all well over $25k, with more amenities than most luxury cars. Granted the HDs are down a little compared to the others (no power windshield, electric locking luggage, heated seats are extra) but still very well equipped.
The K1600GTL and Goldwing are substantially different than the HD touring models. The Voyager and Vaquero are copies of the HD models. Anyone hear anything whether people on HDs still look down on the metric V-twin bikes like the Voyager and Vaquero?
I ride a Dyna. It is an 05 and I love it. That said I stopped by the local HD dealer and took a test drive on a trike. Good god 39000 for a trike. HD is getting expensive. I think they are going to hit some hard times. I just read and article that said as the bike rider generation ages the younger generations don't ride bikes near as much. This is why you see the cheaper 500 and 750 HDs. The trike I rode had so much crap on it. built in everything, water cooled heads, decompression back cyl. so it runs on one cyl at long stops. They are putting so much crap on bikes it is taking all the fun out of it.
Harley doesn't just sell a bike, but a lifestyle. Have never owned one out of the 38 bikes owned over the last 45 years because a John Deere has the same tech. I know because I grew up on a farm with a Deere and loved it. Unfortunately for hawg the millenials aren't much into two wheels or 4 wheels. My niece didn't bother to get a license until she was 24, in the 60's everybody was taking the test the day they turned 16. HD is mostly my old age group so the predictions for falling sales look accurate to me.......
As the owner of a 2014 Taurus SHO, I'm deeply offended by this statement. The Taurus is pretty much the opposite of an HD. Tons of tech (named by IEEE as one of the Top Ten tech cars when it was introduced in 2010) and well above average performance at its price point.
H-D is more like today's pickups. Lots of money for not much engineering. Huge profit margins due to buyers who don't care about anything but image.
I didn't know they made the SHO this recently. A relative had one a long time ago. He loved it. The engine was designed or built by Mercury marine, IIRC.
I thought today's pickups had all the tech of today's upscale American cars.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vf6cruiser
Harley doesn't just sell a bike, but a lifestyle. Have never owned one out of the 38 bikes owned over the last 45 years because a John Deere has the same tech. I know because I grew up on a farm with a Deere and loved it. Unfortunately for hawg the millenials aren't much into two wheels or 4 wheels. My niece didn't bother to get a license until she was 24, in the 60's everybody was taking the test the day they turned 16. HD is mostly my old age group so the predictions for falling sales look accurate to me.......
I guess the millenials not into 2 or 4 wheels are in the cities.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,389,283 times
Reputation: 40736
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vf6cruiser
Harley doesn't just sell a bike, but a lifestyle. Have never owned one out of the 38 bikes owned over the last 45 years because a John Deere has the same tech. I know because I grew up on a farm with a Deere and loved it. Unfortunately for hawg the millenials aren't much into two wheels or 4 wheels. My niece didn't bother to get a license until she was 24, in the 60's everybody was taking the test the day they turned 16. HD is mostly my old age group so the predictions for falling sales look accurate to me.......
I know you're not saying it but I'd really like to hear from those who think it so: Why is it people believe they should/can go to a store to buy a determination of how they'll live their lives?
I know you're not saying it but I'd really like to hear from those who think it so: Why is it people believe they should/can go to a store to buy a determination of how they'll live their lives?
They think they can because they actually can. Harley pirates are exactly the same as squids who buy R1's. They're trying to project an image.
Ever been to a car show or cruise in and seen the hipster 50's greaser wannabes? They can buy their lifestyle at a goodwill store.
They think they can because they actually can. Harley pirates are exactly the same as squids who buy R1's. They're trying to project an image.
Ever been to a car show or cruise in and seen the hipster 50's greaser wannabes? They can buy their lifestyle at a goodwill store.
Not everyone who buys a liter class sport bike is a squid or is trying to project an image. While it's almost certainly true that some R1 owners are concerned only about image, some of us just appreciate the combination of amazing technology, razor sharp handling, and mind-blowing acceleration that is nearly impossible to find in other other class of motorcycle. Can I get around a track faster on an R6? Probably. But the R6 doesn't offer the face-distorting acceleration of a liter class sport bike - a feature I can take advantage of on a regular basis while riding to work, etc. Is an FJR1300 more comfortable? Yep, but its not in the same league as an R1 in terms of fun-to-ride. The ONLY thing Harley has to offer is image. They're not fun to ride. They're not particularly comfortable relative to the competition. And their reliability is mediocre. The only thing H-Ds have going for them is image. And that's perfectly fine if that's what you're looking for in a motorcycle.
Your claim is analogous to saying all pickup truck owners are concerned only about projecting a redneck image, which is obviously not true since a small minority of owners use them for their intended purpose.
The difference between a Harley and an R1, pickup truck, etc., is that a Harley's purpose is exclusively to project an image - which is clearly important to their buyers.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you drive some sort of bland appliance - maybe a Camry.
Last edited by YourWakeUpCall; 01-26-2018 at 07:02 AM..
Not everyone who buys a liter class sport bike is a squid or is trying to project an image. While it's almost certainly true that some R1 owners are concerned only about image, some of us just appreciate the combination of amazing technology, razor sharp handling, and mind-blowing acceleration that is nearly impossible to find in other other class of motorcycle. Can I get around a track faster on an R6? Probably. But the R6 doesn't offer the face-distorting acceleration of a liter class sport bike - a feature I can take advantage of on a regular basis while riding to work, etc. Is an FJR1300 more comfortable? Yep, but its not in the same league as an R1 in terms of fun-to-ride. The ONLY thing Harley has to offer is image. They're not fun to ride. They're not particularly comfortable relative to the competition. And their reliability is mediocre. The only thing H-Ds have going for them is image. And that's perfectly fine if that's what you're looking for in a motorcycle.
Your claim is analogous to saying all pickup truck owners are concerned only about projecting a redneck image, which is obviously not true since a small minority of owners use them for their intended purpose.
The difference between a Harley and an R1, pickup truck, etc., is that a Harley's purpose is exclusively to project an image - which is clearly important to their buyers.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you drive some sort of bland appliance - maybe a Camry.
Your first sentence is a response to something no one said. Chuckle out loud.
Not all Harley riders are pirates and not all R1 riders are squids.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you have horrible comprehension skills.
I hate Harley's. But would never say their only purpose is image. Or that they're no fun whatsoever. I'm not that stupid.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
