The future of Harley-Davidson

I test sat a new Star Eluder. That thing is HUGE. It was a dismal seller for Yamaha (my dealer ordered 3 in 2018, still has 2 on the floor) and I think it will be a one year model for Yamaha. I've ridden a couple of their 1300's and 1700's or 1800's although I can't quote model names. I believe one was a Warrior? None appealed to me, but then again I am not a cruiser guy.

Here is one thing I think..probably unwise to say in public, but if you are going to buy a Japanese cruiser, strip off the emblems, stick loud pipes on it, and fringe and stuff, wear a doo rag and a sleeveless t shirt...just buy a Harley. It's obviously what you really want. We call them wannabes.
 
H-D wants to concentrate on the younger core group,with what? The new V Twin model they came out with is a poor example of something that’s supposed to be a competitor to the competition,the thing is just homely and I think I’ve seen one on the street. And the new electric bike,who’s going to pay $30K for one? And they killed the SuperGlide,my all time favorite,they still make the SG but in name only. I honestly don’t know how H-D keeps hangin on and I will agree on the tough guy stereotype crap,black vest,boots etc.
 
I am trying to envision a HD future where they made a really reliable, durable, ultra-cool looking, and efficient gas-powered "scooter" for the masses that was a hit with most everyone and was close to affordable. I am talkin' a "cult"-followin' phenom not unlike the 60's Honda Cub that took 'merica by storm. I believe HD has the resources to do this. But do they have the courage? My current perception is HD does not have the courage.

It would possibly mean relegating their current portfolio line-up to the "Legacy" (or does "Legendary" sound better?) class models. Would current HD owners want to be associated with intelligent and possibly "smart" new generation HD products? Or would such new product offerings split the company customer alliance? Would that be a bad thing? The company, in theory, would still make money, support the legacy line and finally open the door to 21st century brave new innovation.
 
A marketing angle for Harley could be to tap into the idea of making stylish throwback motorcycles out of metal, i.e. targeted toward the hipster crowd. Guys that want to ride a classic-looking steed, but who don't know how to wrench and don't have an $18,000 budget. What could be done in the 800-1000cc class for $9,000? Make the bike look as cool as possible while still being comfortable. I'm thinking something in the direction of the Musket V-Twin.

 
^^^ Some gorgeous engineering spirit behind that Stichill. Just imagine what a budget like HD thrown in could do? Oh wait - it could go either way. :dodgy:
 
I think the motorcycle manufacturers have been slow to figure out that a lot of young guys just want a cool-looking bike that’s affordable and easy to own. They don’t really even care about performance...seems perfect for Harley’s traditional aversion to performance. They should leverage their great dealer network with some kind of lifetime maintenance program for these young guys. Build it into the price of the bike. You get automatic free inspections, automatic free oil changes, tuneups, heck even your first two sets of tires (at least get them to 25,000 miles before they have to buy tires out of pocket).
 
Stichill_imp said:
A marketing angle for Harley could be to tap into the idea of making stylish throwback motorcycles out of metal, i.e. targeted toward the hipster crowd. Guys that want to ride a classic-looking steed, but who don't know how to wrench and don't have an $18,000 budget. What could be done in the 800-1000cc class for $9,000? Make the bike look as cool as possible while still being comfortable. I'm thinking something in the direction of the Musket V-Twin.
Click to expand...
The Guzzi small blocks meet much of your request. It would be nice if they had a large dealer network in the US. Maybe they should team up with HD.

[url=https://www.motoguzzi.com/en_EN/motorbikes/classic/V7-III/V7-III-Stone-MY19/]https://www.motoguzzi.com/en_EN/motorbikes/classic/V7-III/V7-III-Stone-MY19/

It wouldn't be the first time Harley brand labeled Italian iron. Thinking back to the Aermacchi/HD 250 and 350 Sprints of the 1960s.

Retrospective: 1961-1968 Harley-Davidson 250 Sprint | Rider Magazine
 
Based on some numbers I saw a while back my guess is it would take approx $250-300 million to make a serious offer on buying Moto Guzzi outright from Piagio. With the new V85 motor Guzzi’s selling price might now be higher as it seems they have a hit on their hands with the new smaller ADV bike and rumors that the motor will be the basis for another potential platform or 2.

Not sure how the faithful would embrace an Italien Harley sitting in the showroom next to their bread and butter V Twins. As an aside, everything I’ve read indicates Corporate Moto Guzzi is all but impossible to work with. That’s from the dealers which carry the marque and is one of the primary reasons their dealers drop faster than flies. With the problems HD is currently facing I can’t image MoCo getting into a business relationship with a partner that has a reputation like that.

But, a lighter weight air cooled Sportster in the 750cc range ala Indians FTR might attract interest. Especially if HD made a concerted effort to keep the price down. I just don’t see that happening any time soon since the Streetfighter is due out next year at the 1000cc -/+ mark. Then of course there’s the article were their CEO states he’s fixated on a 40% profit margin.
 
I dont think Harley is interested in another Italian marqee, they already bought and sold MV Augusta ( losing a boat load in the process) one of the most iconic and beautiful Italian sport bikes. NO, Harley wants to do this on their own, mano a mano whether they win or lose. Winning on their own terms is important to them, although imo, in this fight, they are fighting above their weight class with a good chance of getting knocked out.
 
Love the Moto Guzzi offerings. Hope they can manage for years to come.

- - -

Would still love to see a HD "scooter". It doesn't have to look like a scooter as we know them today, and certainly not a Vespa. This would be done on HD's terms, with HD metal, their interpretation for the modern world and how it would play in it. A product that bridges low dependence on dino (i.e. I fuel economy), but durable, if not even bulletproof in implementation. It would be cool for all ages, and likely owned by traditional HD riders who want a toy to rack up on the back of their RV.

Honda and Yamaha are already executing on fusion scooter-ADV recipes and they appear to be popular in some countries. I am sure HD could come up with a recipe that would just reek, " ... I must have." ... if they had the courage. Think Honda Monkey, but heavy-duty HD style (without being heavy, of course).
 
In many circles, Moto Guzzi is considered the "Italian Harley-Davidson," though I can't imagine a merger would play well in Peoria. Or Paris (France or Texas).
 
Peter Lynch from Fidelity years ago said : invest in a company any idiot can run because sooner or later an idiot will run it.
There are plenty of motor cycle manufactures run by idiots in the past and some broke the company.
 
Hate to say it but Harley is circling the drain with no "rebirth" coming. The Buell experiment had promise but Eric was goofy and a bad executive. Remember the stunt when he put a new 500cc Blast into a crusher and said that "this isn't who we are"? That was dumb. Upgrading the Blast into a reliable and fun entry-level platform would have made sense. But Eric's hubris quickly brought on the Harley shut down. Karma's a b***h, eh?
 
I suppose anything is possible: HD almost went bankrupt in '69, only later to give birth to the HD "Confederate Edition" in the 70s. Not much of a birth there.

Look at Blackberry (formerly RIM) in 2010: Top of the world in smartphones commanding about 78% of the market. Today, they no longer manufacture smartphones. No bail-outs, nuttin'. Just arrogance by the corporate leadership.
 
Apple is a good example for HD management to copy. Jobs brought Apple back from the brink with laser focus on design. He put Jony Ive, his design guy, right next to his office in the C-suite and together they put together the iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPad, iPhone, IOS, etc.. The HD guy is still thinking profit margins. He needs to move the CFO to another floor and bring in people focused on making cool bikes they will be relevant now and for decades to come.
 
DAC_imp said:
Apple is a good example for HD management to copy. Jobs brought Apple back from the brink with laser focus on design. He put Jony Ive, his design guy, right next to his office in the C-suite and together they put together the iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPad, iPhone, IOS, etc.. The HD guy is still thinking profit margins. He needs to move the CFO to another floor and bring in people focused on making cool bikes they will be relevant now and for decades to come.
Click to expand...
(+1) :thumbsup:
 
That’s somewhat dismissive. I’m not trying to compare the impact of Jobs on our society as a whole with what WG did for Harley. Jobs was gifted and was able to draw talent around him which pushed his visions into reality. WG in his own way was gifted and had a significant impact on the motorcycling world. He’s was with the company since the 60’s and at one time was their chief designer involved in a number of MoCo’s key product lines. Probably his best known and most enduring design was the Super Glide. He was an executive there when the company was bought back from AMF and contributed significantly to the meteoric rise and take over by Harley of the American domestic market for the niche it targeted. One could make the case based purely on data that Willies retirement was the beginning of Harley’s slide downward. You say tomato I say......

It’s easy to forget that back in the 70s Moto Guzzi sold more bikes for a number of years than Harley did.
 
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