03-28-2016, 01:46 AM
if Harley needs to stay relevant they need to do more than create a adv bike
They had one with the Ulysses and if it would have gotten the 1125 water cooled motor it would have been a solid rtw bike, as it was the air cooled one wasn't bad, but there weren't that many adv bike when it was available ... I used to have a ktm990adv and I still have a 620egs-e (basically the low pipe adventure - it was the bike ktm ran in the Dakar).. The problem is now there are a lot more big adv bike to pick, ktm adv, bmw gs, triumph, Yamaha, etc...
I personally think Harley is in trouble now...
Late last year I got my first Harley (shocker I know). I got it for around town stuff and to hopefully flip (my cb is for more fun twisted stuff). Only reason I got it was a coworker was getting out of riding, his 13 year old Harley was mint with low miles, and he sold to me for about 1/2 retail.. I figured if I rode it with a for sale sign and I could make a nice profit.. I thought wrong. The offers and going price was pretty close to what I paid (admittedly it was end of the season).
Here's the problem, my 13 year old dyna wide glide with the 88ci is for all intensive purposes looks like a 2016 dyna, minus some little changes.. However, in the last 13 years, Harley has punched out their engines (96ci 103ci 110ci).
So if you have someone looking for more punch, folks are going to go newer..
So while it's good for the HD dealerships, the dropping price and dropping demand for used bikes is going to dilute the brand.. Keep in mind that HD sells a lifestyle. Their bikes Have or used to have a cache with ownership. It used to not matter what year you used to own.. If now you gotta have a "newer" one, kinda the way the sportbike crowd has to update their bikes every few year to be "cool". It's going to eventually be an issue
If HD loses this in the used bike market, and they become just another used bike in the market, sure they will get some $ for those who update every few years, but their going to lose out on sales of jackets, tshirts, and the aftermarket companies will lose $ in the long run as it won't be lifestyle anymore in the long run.
They had one with the Ulysses and if it would have gotten the 1125 water cooled motor it would have been a solid rtw bike, as it was the air cooled one wasn't bad, but there weren't that many adv bike when it was available ... I used to have a ktm990adv and I still have a 620egs-e (basically the low pipe adventure - it was the bike ktm ran in the Dakar).. The problem is now there are a lot more big adv bike to pick, ktm adv, bmw gs, triumph, Yamaha, etc...
I personally think Harley is in trouble now...
Late last year I got my first Harley (shocker I know). I got it for around town stuff and to hopefully flip (my cb is for more fun twisted stuff). Only reason I got it was a coworker was getting out of riding, his 13 year old Harley was mint with low miles, and he sold to me for about 1/2 retail.. I figured if I rode it with a for sale sign and I could make a nice profit.. I thought wrong. The offers and going price was pretty close to what I paid (admittedly it was end of the season).
Here's the problem, my 13 year old dyna wide glide with the 88ci is for all intensive purposes looks like a 2016 dyna, minus some little changes.. However, in the last 13 years, Harley has punched out their engines (96ci 103ci 110ci).
So if you have someone looking for more punch, folks are going to go newer..
So while it's good for the HD dealerships, the dropping price and dropping demand for used bikes is going to dilute the brand.. Keep in mind that HD sells a lifestyle. Their bikes Have or used to have a cache with ownership. It used to not matter what year you used to own.. If now you gotta have a "newer" one, kinda the way the sportbike crowd has to update their bikes every few year to be "cool". It's going to eventually be an issue
If HD loses this in the used bike market, and they become just another used bike in the market, sure they will get some $ for those who update every few years, but their going to lose out on sales of jackets, tshirts, and the aftermarket companies will lose $ in the long run as it won't be lifestyle anymore in the long run.