Harley doomed?

[buckeye-chuck]

You make a fair point, but as a trained salesman myself, the argument has holes in it.
Many years ago, running my own business in the UK, I drove past a Jaguar dealer, spotted a beautiful Jaguar XJS Celebration (one of the very last models) on the forecourt and had to stop (as you do).
I was dressed in ripped jeans, tee shirt and trainers, strolled in and was largely ignored as a tyre kicker. However, a well dressed salesman approached me and asked if I would like a test drive, after which it was a no brainer. He had clearly been to the same sales training course as me, where I was taught that looks can be deceptive.
I bought the Jag and later two more from the same bloke.
Harley, it seems, doesn't work that way, so it's their loss.

Many dealers don’t you’re correct. I have been to those that do. Somewhat depends on the dealer is my only point. You’re right though, anyone can be a buyer.

 

[Splinter]

Many dealers don’t you’re correct. I have been to those that do. Somewhat depends on the dealer is my only point. You’re right though, anyone can be a buyer.

Maybe I should go back dressed as Harley Man!

 

[StefArmstg]

Around here, Harleys make up a large percent of the bikes on the road. And most of them wave. But they're all middle aged, and like some members of this forum, are close to aging out (on very large bikes, at least). The question is, what happens when they do?

A recent news story reported motorcycle registrations in Colorado are down 20%. Whether because of lack of funds, or risk aversion, or other interests, youngsters aren't riding. If they are, it's probably on a crotch rocket, weaving through traffic at high speeds. The other part of that same news story was the huge increase in motorcycle fatalities.

Regarding attending to customers, I once worked at a small sports car garage. Although we weren't a dealer, the owner daubled in Ferraris. A college kid came in and expressed an interest in one, which wasn't taken seriously until he handed over a card. Call this number. As a member of the royal family of an oil rich country, he had unlimited credit.

I bought my Interceptor at a Harley dealer. Once, while waiting at the service counter, a short, black guy was entertaining us with a story about a traffic dispute involving brandished firearms. He looked the part, dressed head to toe in black leather with plenty of chrome embellishments. I have no idea if there was any truth to it, but he certainly enjoyed having an audience.

 

[Roy Gavin]

Australia's biggest bike retailer, Peter Stevens, has just gone belly up, and he was the local H-D and Triumph agent!
Reported to have $42 million of stock on the floor!

 

[ddavidv]

For various reasons, I always wind up reading and responding to this topic around the internet.
Much like BMWs, Harleys have just never done it for me. I've wanted to like them, but every experience I've had riding them has always received a grade of "meh".
I've done a couple demo rides with the local Indian dealer, and always come away wanting one. I regard them as what H-D should be building if they weren't trapped in their legacy. Powerful, good handling bikes that seem to be pretty reliable. Unfortunately, Indian loses me on some of their styling cues (the bobbed fender on the Chief line is a total no-go for me) and lack of equipment (Scouts, until this year, lacked a fuel gauge). So while they tempt me, they haven't drawn me in.

I used to be a snobby Euro car owner, but have more recently come into being a Ford guy. I've always liked Mustangs, so have one now. My truck is a F150. My classic car is a 66 Falcon. I've kind of embraced the whole 'Murica thing now. I'd sort of like to have an American bike, because 'Murica, but H-D just isn't it. The products are way too expensive, bland (IMO), and still too much a part of the cosplay crowd. I'd say 80% of the H-D riders around here just look...silly. Me, being an ATGATT person, definitely will not fit in. I don't really care, but it is just another point in the negative column.

Triumph was/is on a quest to set themselves up as a 'premium' brand like H-D and BMW, but that is not their history. They make beautiful bikes, but the sticker prices are now to a point I'm just not really interested. I much preferred my dealer to look like a throwback to the 1960s vs the coffee shop they were forced to change into. I still like the product, but I now cross-shop them with other brands.

RE shows what a company run by a motorcycle enthusiast can do. They have an almost silly number of models, but in doing so they make a bike that will suit a much larger swath of buyers. I also heartily embrace their multiple color choices for each model. The domestics seem to think the only colors anyone wants are battleship gray, black, and some sort of candy red (at a substantial additional charge).

 

[buckeye-chuck]

RE shows what a company run by a motorcycle enthusiast can do. They have an almost silly number of models, but in doing so they make a bike that will suit a much larger swath of buyers. I also heartily embrace their multiple color choices for each model. The domestics seem to think the only colors anyone wants are battleship gray, black, and some sort of candy red (at a substantial additional charge).

Silly number of models but only 4 engines, so most of this is body cladding. Lots of different parts, but they can get the main stuff like the transmissions and engines all the same. I imagine this helps. Colors are a huge reason I picked RE. They just have more options!

 

[StefArmstg]

I started riding in the sixties. And did some touring on a Norton. Which meant I stopped at a fair number of Norton dealers.

I remember those old dealers fondly. My tittler Kawasaki was bought at the BSA dealer, a converted corner gas station. The local Harley shop was in a quonset hut. The owner was probably as old the company. Norton dealers, doing oil changes in the showroom. A bygone era.

 

[2LZ]

I started riding in the sixties. And did some touring on a Norton. Which meant I stopped at a fair number of Norton dealers.

I remember those old dealers fondly. My tittler Kawasaki was bought at the BSA dealer, a converted corner gas station. The local Harley shop was in a quonset hut. The owner was probably as old the company. Norton dealers, doing oil changes in the showroom. A bygone era.

My bike dealer when I was young was also a converted gas station on a corner. He did mostly Suzuki, but his true dirt bikes were Husqvarna, where mine came from that I still have. I miss the smell of a greasy, kinda-dirty, true bike shop. It wasn't a real bike shop unless it had oil stains on the wooden counter.

 

[Splinter]

An acquaintance of mine took up motorcycling at around the same tile as I did, in our 50s. Anyway, he progressed through 250cc cruisers to Triumphs and, being much wealthier than me ended up with a couple of Harleys and all the paraphernalia that goes with the style. Good luck to him if that's what he enjoys.
Later, I met up with him at a city petrol station to give him some legal docs on behalf of my wife (he was a client) and he showed me his Harley that he had spent small fortune and two frigging years having customised, along with his helmet in the same colours. It's his pride and joy, so I'm glad he's happy with it and I said so, even though it's not my thing as it were.
For me, Harleys are a statement in so many ways.

 

[Spoody]

Harley makes nice bikes but in my view just overpriced eye candy ! I let my nephew keep his Heritage softail in my garage , I got on it to move it and that thing is HEAVY .

 

[ddavidv]

That bike above reminds me of a quote from Gumball Rally, as Michael Sarrazin refers to a hot rod T-bucket: "It looks like a jukebox".
To each his own, I suppose. With the money 'invested' in that I could have the entire RE line in my garage.

 

[smilespergallon]

Bikes and cars alike, I love those super intricate 'low rider' style paint jobs. But I always start the conversation with, "Beautiful! Did you paint it?" On the rare occasion that the answer is "Yes", the conversation will continue past that point because I have then found someone with passion and skills instead of just money.

 

[Woodstock]

I'd still like and would buy a Harley if they had the bike for me. It may still happen.

 

[Scott Free]

The Pan Am is a bit of a mystery to me. I see very few of them on the road around here (Chicago area). The Garage Mahal dealership a few miles from me closed last fall, leaving an empty building almost as big as the Costco next door. They always had a few Pan Ams on the floor, and they seemed to always be the same few bikes. The dealership in Rockford also has a few, and the sales guy admitted to me that they have only sold "a few" since the bike came out. I'd blame it on the lack of "dirt bike" roads around here, but the Starbucks parking lots are infested with BMW GSs, Honda ATs, and Yamaha S10Rs. The RE dealer where I got my 450 Himalayan seems to have had no trouble selling Himalayans, Scrams and Bears (he's actually sold out all of his new 411cc bikes, both Himalayans and Scrams, and I think the "used" 411s on his floor might be demo bikes he's selling off because there will be no more new ones), not to mention CF Moto Ibexes of various sizes. So it appears there is a market for ADV bikes here in the Midwest, just not a market for the Pan Am.

On the other hand, on my recent trip to the Northwest (6000 miles to Oregon/Washington on the 21 year/118K mile old Road King), I saw a lot of Pan Ams on the road. The dealership in Boise had a lot of them on the floor, and they all appeared to be new ones (suggesting he's selling them as soon as he gets them).

All I can figure is that the Midwest, being sort of the center of the "traditional Harley" universe, is also the center of the "Harleys are big/heavy/loud/shiny" culture, the one that won't accept anything that isn't visibly descended from a 1935 model.

 

[2LZ]

I can appreciate the effort, hard work, and "rolling art" aspect of a lot of these bikes. Just like our RE mods, it's to our taste, not others.
I know I've posted this pic before but when the four of us took almost two years (around careers and $$$ needs) to build a bike for the Easy Rider show, "our taste" for the build was more traditional in styling, being that it was a '76 FLH Shovel. We did the tins with just a simple HD color scheme stripe. We knew we'd be surrounded by "super-mod" bikes and custom long bikes, with flashy lighted displays and colors, spinning on turn tables.

We simply built a fake graveyard in our spot, with a tombstone that had all the bike facts and credits on it. We surprisingly garnered a lot of attention and foot traffic.
Sorry for the crap pic. Unfortunately, the stripe runs just over the right side of the tins and tank so from this angle, it looks like your basic black Harley. The apes were just for the show (in style at the time). The bikes was meant to be a rider as opposed to most show bikes that never see oil, so standard shoulder height bars were the regular wear.

 

[BikerBear650]

Oh please no. The Moto world has enough two wheeled soulless appliances as it is now. That comment aside .....


The Indian Domestic Market being Royal Enfields bread & butter and home turf, it makes sense for them to release new models for their first year there.
A. To satisfy their biggest most loyal customer pool.
B. To keep the first year models within arms reach for easy rectification purposes should an unknown defect or flaw rear it's ugly head.

Just my opinion fwiw.

The Guerrilla is already got soul enough for RE to pay for a custom..

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 gets radical renovation