Harley in Big Trouble??

[unfknblvbl]

Originally Posted by PeterV

Absolutely.
Boutiques HAVE TO GO!



Pete

Second that! I have been in some ridiculous dealerships (size/boutique wise). Two of them come to mind: Sweetwater Harley in National City, CA and Pig Trail HD in Rogers, AR. These are both ridiculously big and "cute"

[milindh]

I read today that in 2005 Harley shipped 329,000 motorcycles. That tells me that there must be millions of Harleys out there on the road. If Harley goes under or goes into hibernation or whatever there are still going to be Harleys and their riders by the millions and they will need parts, new bikes, and all the stuff that goes with this crazy scene. It won't die but it might change a lot. I don't know if it will be the "boutique" dealerships that'll survive or the smaller grease under the fingernails dealers. I wish them all well along with the people that work for them.

[chaco68]

[QUOTE=tennesseecanefan;35727]clif02,
"I know this all sounds like the country is going under, but we will rebound. I'm sure Harley was around during the depression, and found a way to survive. They were probably worse off during the AMF days."

How did Harley make it through the depression? By building bikes for the military. How often does the military use bikes now? As for the AMF days Harley made the come back by selling more t-shirts, jackets and boots than bikes. I don't like the way most Harley dealerships look more like tourist traps than the Harley dealers of old but thats how they got where they are now. With the TV shows and chopper craze slowing down I think Harley will still have issues even after an economic rebound. If they want to keep their market share they are going to have to appeal more to the young crowd. They need a marketing strategy to pull the young bucks off the hyabusas and put them on Harleys. The Nightster and Crossbones might help but they are going to have to come up with something that can compete with the crotch rockets. Kids want fast and flashy not chrome and torque.

[Crimsonaro]

Originally Posted by chaco68

How did Harley make it through the depression? By building bikes for the military. How often does the military use bikes now? As for the AMF days Harley made the come back by selling more t-shirts, jackets and boots than bikes. I don't like the way most Harley dealerships look more like tourist traps than the Harley dealers of old but thats how they got where they are now. With the TV shows and chopper craze slowing down I think Harley will still have issues even after an economic rebound. If they want to keep their market share they are going to have to appeal more to the young crowd. They need a marketing strategy to pull the young bucks off the hyabusas and put them on Harleys. The Nightster and Crossbones might help but they are going to have to come up with something that can compete with the crotch rockets. Kids want fast and flashy not chrome and torque.

They also survived the days after the wars where others didn't because of the soldiers. The soldiers that rode them in war time or saw them in war time developed a fondness for the bikes that they owed their lives to and bought them as civilians later.

I suspect it will be similar. The riders with orange and black blood flowing through their veins will still buy. The yuppie wannabes may not. I'd be surprised if they can't scale back and 'ride' out the storm. Get back to the days of a waiting list to buy a new Harley.

[Ira Watters]

I truly believe Harley is going to have to do the same thing the car companies are going to have to do.That is come up with a new type of fuel burning engine one that leaves a greener foot print. There is the hydro invention that atomizes water and gas. That is a cleaner way of using gas and goes ten time the milage. The most thing that comes out the exhaust is water. Just an Idea

[dynadude]

The article is right that any motorcycle is a toy. They're great to have, however, college tutitions, mortgage, food, etc. all come first. I had to sell my 07 Road Glide but kept my 99 Dyna. 2 kids in college + 2 more following and the savings I had to pay for their tutitions lost 37% of it's value in 12 months. It was a luxury to have the new bike but hard to justify due to my financial situation. I s/w with the sales guy at my dealer and he said a lot of guys are just holding off buying new bikes and making due with their old one. Me too, I guess. So, I'm installing heated grips and a few other goodies on my old bike this winter using my Chrome points from my HD Visa card. Good, cheap fun. However, I look forward to getting another bagger someday. Regarding the economy and the Motor Company, Harley is a good company. They seem to treat their employees right. I'm sick and tired of hearing the answer to American manufacturing is moving it offshore. That just perpetuates the problem. I like to partonize companies that have some sense of corporate responsibilities. So when I can, I'll buy another bagger. Things are though and will get worse before getting better. But this country and HD will get through this and be better for it.

[shovelmike]

Right on, Dynadude. We prioritize, the needs of the family come first..the new bike will come around again when the time is right. Nothing but respect here for you making the hard choice to give the kids a good education.
Welcome to the forum, we'll help you keep that Dyna running better than new.

[MONTY]

Originally Posted by dynadude

The article is right that any motorcycle is a toy.

Bollocks.

Yea, an awful lot of bikes are toys these days, way too many, but i'm sure i'm not the only biker who just doesn't "do" cars, at least not in the UK, and surely not quite yet in (more afluent) America. Nope, no way are my bikes toys, they are my only transport all year round (on the rare occassions that i need to move something too big for a bike I borrow a car or a van), so if i need to buy a new bike then i really do NEED to buy a new bike.

I also don't agree that you need power and speed to seduce younger riders off of their rice-burners. I grew out of that stupidity when i was 23, and went from Jap fours to Triumph twins until i could afford an HD. I suspect it may be easier now than it was then (1985) to convince riders in their 20's given the money situation - one of the additonal reasons i gave up on Suzuki et al was the stupid running costs, price of spares (and consumables, e.g. tyres, and the rate they got through them!) and the fuel consumption. Running my last Jap 4 was costing me more than my girlfriend's car was costing her, which seemed kind of stupid. HDs are way better on fuel, their tyres etc. last longer and are cheaper, they cost less to service (cos they're still relatively easy to work on), and they hold their value better. Younger bikers need to see these points alongside the fact that HDs let you enjoy yourself without riding like a maniac.

Also, this thing about cost of running might actually help all motorcycling companies to ride the economic storm a little easier - maybe more folks will decide to ride for practical reasons, i.e. that it costs them a lot less to ride to work every day (at least on some types of bike ...!) than if they were to take the car.

[texan321]

doesn't mean a thing unless Man Friday posts it!

[clif02]

True Tex, I just beat him on that one Have a great day and ride safe...Clif