liberpolly

Xactly. So people are lamenting poor management choices that are going to cause this to happen. Pity, that.

chadams66

the answer to those questions is yes...ford vrs chevy? oh hell yeah it's on...this stuff has been going on since..oh I don't know..FOREVER??? stang vrs vette? yeah nobody ever got into that fight...yammy vrs suzuki vrs kawasuki? I think I just may have heard a few barbs thrown around...scooters and mopeds?

harley guys dissing other kind of bikes? never happens..nope..no way...if Harley goes out of business there's enough of them out there to supply any demand there is for them..and the owners now will probably see a price bump for them...

A2B

Since this is a motorcycle forum and I'm not riding for a few hours... It's not really pissing on Harley, it's much more about the motorcycle industry as a whole. I agree, if HD goes out of business it would be a collective loss, but it's more likely they get bought. (think jeep?) The HD culture is alive and well, but look at HOG stock and company financials. You can't really say "if it's not broke, don't fix it". I just looked at the 2020 HD models, 34 bikes, not many that appeal to new, budget, young riders. The XG750 is a bad ass factory flattracker, but HD dealerships don't even put them on the floor. I couldn't find any current reviews, comparisons that would give me incentive to buy that bike. A 5 year old review that says it's lovely around town doesn't make me reach for the check book. Unless you got 30k for a full dresser or an electric, there's not much else. The West Coast Chopper craze is dead, 240 rear tires-RIP! All I'm saying is that if you want to keep a brand/industry alive you need to stay relevant. There are lots of really cool mid-sized bikes and scramblers out there. We've confessed here that as we get older, lighter is a growing interest.

And just for the record. I've never owned a ford and my chevy vega was the coolest car EVER....ok let me have it....

Snomofo

Love my xr 1200

Jkester92

I’ve got a fatboy in the garage that I never ride it’s a 2000 with 6,600 miles on it I bought it 2+ years ago with 6,400 miles on it. Another thing Harley really sucks at is support for anything they sell other than the old boat anchor V twin, I knew a guy that bought a V rod when they came out, he really liked it but had a hell of a time finding any one that would touch it, those grizzled old biker wannabe mechanics just gave him nothing but attitude, same with buells, can only imagine what getting them to work on an electric bike would be like.
I’d rather ride my zx14/ ducati Monster, hell even my old fjr any day. Anybody wanna buy a fatboy? Ha

Parilla125

Whoa, whoa whoa WHOA There! I had two Corvair’s and THEY were the COOLEST!

307T

Corsa? Huh,huh? Cool! Screw Ralph Nader.

MMcN49

Many, if not most Buell owners who kept their bikes have turned into really good mechanics.

Parilla125

Nope. A '60 with an auto and a gas heater and a much built '63 stick car. I was trying to remember the bike I had back then. I think it was a little Honda and a Yamaha Big Bear Scrambler. That would have been early to mid '70's.
I built a hardtail, extended and raked Sportster from a bare frame and boxes of parts but that was later. Choppers are cool! To look at anyway. Got it done and rode it for about two months and sold it. Had to run 12 psi in the rear tire to tolerate it even that long. 1" padding on the formed seat, 'Z' bars, 6" (or 8", can't remember) extension. When you turned at slow speed it would try and go right to the neck stop. Straight pipes. Awesome. Not really.
Had a '92 HD Heritage Softail that is one of my few 'regret I sold' bikes. Really a nice ride, and comfortable.
I just read a road test putting the HD Livewire against the Zero and while they sound interesting, the high price and limited range still puts them out of my 'interest' range. Best wishes to HD going forward though.

Kaptainkoolz

Harley's biggest problem is their customers, I say let them die.

WarpShatner7

Imagine that V-Rod engine on a bike designed for any other purpose than going to the pool hall and back. I'd have loved to see a tourer built around it, but they'd never have been able to sell it that way.

FireDave

I agree. I don't piss on HDs. Some of their bikes are ok.

But I do piss on the way they sell them,
the way their management is afraid of their own shadow when it comes to offering a bike with a broader appeal, beyond their tired ol' cliches,
their ever-so-predictable pleas for federal bailouts,
and I piss on many of the asshats who think that owning an HD grants them membership with the wild-ones, that we 'don't get it' when it comes to riding.

If HD ever presents us with a marketing-platter sans the above menu items, I'll stop pissing on them. They're trying, with the livewire, 1 of their newest 4 concepts, actually available for purchase. Though I fear it's about to become extinct.

Cougar

The local H-D dealer also sells Yamahas, Kawasakis, Suzukis and KTMs. I had a recall on my FJR so I took it in for service. I walked into the shop with the tech so that he could show me what was going on with my bike. There must have been at least a dozen bikes in there and maybe more. The place was packed with H-Ds and one FJR. That is not a good sign in my book.

chadams66

uhhhh...

paradox206

If they maintained its current look in street form, I'd put a deposit on one right now. I've never considered buying a HD, but that one...hell yeah!