I've no interest in the 'Harley haters'. Harleys are not my thing, but they're fine motorcycles and lots and lots and lots of people have drunk the cool aid and love them. Good for them.
I do, however, find the occasional conversation about whether or not we are seeing demise of this self-appointed American icon most interesting.
From ADVRider, [url=https://advrider.com/harley-davidson-victim-of-the-times-or-author-of-its-own-demise/]this thread and opinion from RyanF9.
I've seen the vid. Harley is indeed in trouble, but they are only a symptom of the trouble the industry at large is in. New riders are not coming up in enough numbers to support a vibrant motorcycle industry here in the states. The Japanese have been smart enough to get a foothold in places like Asia and China with lots of small great motorcycles, so they will be ok, but Harley hasn't and will be in big trouble in the long run. Harley may become a boutique brand. There will always be motorcycles and I believe there will always be new Harley Davidson's
I don’t know. Cadillac and Buick reinvented themselves quite successfully to a younger demographic. Can HD follow suit?
With JC Penny's, Sears, and other big names going by the wayside, I'm not that confident HD will be around forever.
I think what may happen to them is that someone will buy them and they will become a niche brand like Moto Guzzi. With stricter and stricter regulations on emissions, HD as we know it will be gone. Gas engines are becoming an endangered power plant.
Now for a long time some transportation vehicles will still use gas but if your car doesn't, then it becomes very hard to justify all your neighborhood gas stations which will make getting gas for our toys; if not harder, certainly more expensive. At that point a lot of folks will simply find something else.
Won't affect us much. We'll be dead or confined to quarters.
None of us really knows whether Harley will survive and, if so, in what form. Ryan argues it's starting a long way from where it could have by missing a major opportunity to change when Reagan protected it.
I just read a report on Foxnews business that said according to the new CEO all new models are off the table and that dealers will only be recieving limited numbers of Harleys most popular models for the foreseeable future
No Livewire, no Pan Am, no Bronx?
Apparently. I tried copying the url but I'm on my tablet and had no success. I found it on Google news
Well, it will be sad to see HD go. But any motorcycle brand that only cater to higher end of the scale are having a tough time surviving. Even BMW see that, hence their launching of 310 models to cater for the lower range of the market. I don't like HD, but legends are still legends. Dipping their toes in the lower end market might not work for their brand. But i don't understand why they don't want to do it like what Toyota and Honda did, like Toyota with their Lexus, Honda with their Acura. Maybe HD with a sister brand for the lower end market for Asia.