So apparently Harley Davidson is struggling to attract millennials.
No surprise as they don't see it as a good investment, more so a luxury item. Additionally no one wants to be associated with obese boomers blasting shitty rock.
I usually see young ppl riding crotch rockets which is fine. If I can get a Jap bike that's faster at a fraction of the cost why not.
What does Harley do from here. Looks like once their boomers die off they're fucked.
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reuters.com
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It's just their time to go.
They should make quality generators at a lower price point then honda.
make better bikes or go out of business or they could just serve niche customers
Jap and italian rockets aren't just safer, they're safer. The sport image may encourage dangerous riding habits for some people, but they have stiff frames and suspensions that don't get death wobbles easily, really good brakes with ABS, and shit like rider modes and traction control so you don't kill yourself on damp pavement. Or at all. Yes, you can buy a literbike and press a button to make it accelerate like a mid-sized 80s UJM.
Harleys have, uh, crash bars. You're not meant to ride them if it's not sunny out and if the highway isn't straight and empty.
can't forget lean angle
nobody wants to scrape a pipe and flip the bike over trying to keep up with traffic around corners
>American automotive company
>making sensible business decision
Nope
Harley has made decednt progress in the last decade. The problem is people like you, OP, who have never ridden a new one nor even just researched them, yet you still go around calling them "out-dated boomer mobiles."
Harley generally uses better materials and more US-made parts than other brands - I hate when cars/bikes use "chrome-painted" plastics all over the place, it cheapens the experience. That said, H-D has been trying to bring down the prices over the last few years by introducing a few "entry-level" bikes. Yamaha Cruisers are basically just as expensive as comparable H-Ds.
You probably aren't aware that Harley has been slowly incorperatimh liquid-cooling into many of their bikes over the last ~4 years (and I'm not talking about the Porsche-engined VRSC). The boomers think that liquid-cooling ruins the classic Harley 'look,' so Harley has quietly been incorporating "spot-cooling" into a lot of their bikes This is just a small water-cooling system with a small radiator that stays mostly hidden and efficiently cools certain "spots ofthe engine. The long-term plan is for H-D to go liquid-cooled in a few years.
';
>So apparently Harley Davidson is struggling to attract millennials.
They are also bad bikes to use for committing crimes. They are overly bulky and loud. An efficient getaway bike that can hold two people isn't what Harley sells. So they lost a large segment of customers there.
rofl
roflrofl
Fuck you faggot. Harley made their choice years ago to be the brand ambassador for the """badass""" fat, balding, 2nd midlife crisis having choads out there. They got exactly the demographic they wanted and no amount of shapeshifting is going to fix the image that it's just an obnoxiously loud piece of shit made exclusively for fuckhead boomers.
maybe they'll add more cup holders on the next iterations.
>They should make quality generators at a lower price point then honda.
Those would be pretty loud generators then with the signature H-D rumble.
Harley just doesn't make cool bikes is really what it boils down to. Just look at the Yamaha vmax. Bitchin v4 in a fuckin pimp ass looking cruiser? You kidding me? How can anyone even compete? With another cucked 1200 v-twin? Cool story bro
Are you 13 years old or do you just have an underdeveloped perception of how the world works?
>I talk about how H-D hast been trying to stay competitive through liquid-cooling and lower-end models.
>You roflrofl like an elementary schooler.
>Hurr fat boomers and cup holders
It's almost as if your entire understanding of Harleys is purely social stereotypes from TV and movies.
I hope they go bankrupt
>lower end models
The street 500/750 is shit and you can't deny it.
Rumor is HD is trying to buy Ducati from VW
reuters.com
Hopefully they go bankrupt, one step to getting those compensating, middle aged fatfuck """riders""" off the road.
Shame, I much prefer an old boomer on a Harley to some 20-something riding like a douchebag on some jap crap lane splitting and weaving all over the place. Oh well.
OP here
No. Harley riders thought they were this guy. Wanted to be cool guy Fonz and now that they're obese sweaty lard asses no one wants to associate with them. That's HDs target buyer.
Harley knows they fucked up. Millenials are too stuck in college debt and trying to simply live rather then buy overpriced garbage and look like a wannabe hell's angel.
The masses don't care about your liquid cooling nonsense. That's not even why they're not selling bikes.
People want affordable bikes that go fast and look nice. Without taking out essentially a car loan in the process.
You all half nutted young sons of bitches trying to shit on an American tradition can fucking suck it go get me another beer gaddamiit
At least they're significantly better than the Buell Blast was. People asked for cheaper models and Harley delivered.
Wow, you really are a high schooler. Stop trying to put people in boxes.
Maybe some people just enjoy torquey, wide-tired, deep-rumble-making motorcycles.
I want to also point out that 2/3rds of Harley-Davidson's history was before Happy Days even started.
>The masses don't care about your liquid cooling nonsense.
>People want affordable bikes that go fast and look nice.
Yes, and liquid-cooling has nothing to do with performance or reliability, right?
...stop worrying about what other people think all the time and just try to have some fun while you're alive.
wait thats a harley?
sign me up
while HD do looks nice, their engines suck. at least from what i've heard they have to be rebuild every 30.000 miles or so, while japs can go well over 200.000. i myself drive a 750 shadow ace and it's a very good bike. almost clocked 50.000 on it and i only had it fail once but that was because i put extra front lights on it and the battery couldn't take it. otherwise it's a good looking bike which rides well. it only misses a sixth gear tough. but that can be solved by putting a smaller sprocket at the back.
The brand is too associated with Boomers, they're in the same sort of place that Cadillac is in.
If I was them, I'd just create a new brand to sell a different sort of motorbike and tailor that brand to cater to what young buyers need. Bikes are cheaper and more fuel efficient, I'm sure there's a market there if they have a halfway competent marketing department.
Harley is a victim of themselves. They spent so much time selling an IMAGE tailored to turds and boomers and now boomers are dying off. They also fucked Eric Buell in the ass which I know pissed riders off. They have also shown themselves to be hypocrites when they talk about buy Murka or you ain't Murkan then you look at all the non-Murka parts on their bikes and go WTF? They also can't compete on a level playing field with a lot of their bikes in terms of quality, performance, and pricepoint. And their model designations are dumb. FRSCLMNOP
I will admit they have been getting better in some regards and there are a legit few Hardleys I would own but IMO it is too little too late for them. They made their bed they can lie in it.
>The brand is too associated with Boomers
Boomer or not, my view of the H-D stereotype is that H-D are inconveniently big, heavy bikes that are loud and vibrate a lot. I saw an H-D the other day and one of the chrome accessories was vibrating pretty hard back and forth. To me that looked low class.
I remember reading the autobiography of the founder of the Hell's Angels and he said something to the effect of "No, I'm not a big fan of Harleys, actually my advice is to look at a BMW motorbike first"
To me, they are what they are, and they cater to a segment of the market very well - but that segment is getting older and smaller by the day.
H-Ds are gay as fuck nowadays.
It's more that millenials don't have credit and nobody wants to finance them, plus college loan debts because they chose liberal arts over a welding certificate
t. guy who can't get financed because shit credit and bought a beat up Ninja off craigslist instead
Cheap small bikes and cheap cafe racer bikes. Nobody wants 800lb of chrome pushed around by 50hp anymore.
See:
> Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen & Svartpilen
yesterdays technology at tomorrows price.
had a 919cbr and 1100 shadow, id rather have a goldwing than almost any harley.
It's more like millennials don't give a fuck and rather spend money and time on experiences and traveling.
Not spending thousands for a heavy bike catered to old men with midlife crises and going to biker dive bars.
shut up dad
>id rather have a goldwing
>nobike:thepost
That put 500w.
Harley-Davidson Touring bikes start at $19,000.
GoldWings start at $24,700.
That feel when nearly everyone in this thread knows nothing about motorcycles other than normie stereotypes.
Its a generator who the fuck cares, 9/10 your running power tools off it. They just need to have one of their employees buy a honda generator and take it into work, then they modify it just enough to avoid getting sued and then sell it for 3/4 the price.
For this amount of money you could easily buy a sports car like a Honda s2000 or even a Corvette C5
it doesnt matter if they have been moving downmarket or trying to incorporate modern technology, that isnt the issue. their brand is.
the attitude "millennials" have towards harley davidson is almost universal contempt because the image that the company has projected is fundamentally misaligned with the consumer base. the company says badass outlaw, the reality is overweight office worker.
this, in my opinion, is the crux of the issue. its so far away from authenticity its cringeworthy.
also, "normies" are the only thing that keep companies alive, their money and their brand perceptions are the ONLY thing that matter for the ongoing success of a consumer product.
>the attitude "millennials" have towards harley davidson is almost universal contempt because the image that the company has projected is fundamentally misaligned with the consumer base
Yeah, the company didn't project that image; the news, media, and people who dislike motorcycles did.
when do you ever hear harley davidson in the news media
...
What's your point?
The brand has a geriatric leather sex roadhouse image because that's the fantasy of the old farts that buy them and no one wants to be a part of it.
"Biker's for Trump"
I love Harleys, but I hate most Harley riders. Weird place to be.
But Indian bikes are best bikes desu
It is 2017 and your using Harley trying to start liquid cooling bikes as a pro...2 liquid cooled bikes in 2017!
114 > 111
I like both though
>he thinks you have to belong to a culture just because you buy a bike
What a faggot.
>Posting the abomination that is the vrod
No get the fuck out of here with that shit, everyone likes to poster child the fucking VROD as progress.
That thing is absolutely horrible, I work at a harley dealer and I have ridden everything that harley makes under the fucking sun. I can say with complete honesty that that thing is fucking horrible.
It can't corner, it looks like shit and isn't even that fast.
To further add, the streets are absolute shit as well. All the ones i've had experience with were utter garbage. They literally feel like gook bikes, constant issues with fuel pumps, cheap wiring, cheap components. The worst build quality ever.
The lowrider S is the best bike harley has made since the FXR.
I have owned quite a few motorcycles. Cruisers and sportsbikes alike. My current bike is a '16 HD Roadster 1200.
It's a fat damn pig compared to my last bike (euro literbike). The throttle is choppy, the power delivery isn't smooth, it runs out of rpm pretty quick... but the damn thing is so much fun to just ride. Super comfortable, good posture, and I can lean the thing like a bastard. It has a lot of character. I don't rev the shit out of it. Honestly I just left the stock exhaust on. It's not obnoxious and nobody complains
Don't get me wrong, I miss 4th gear wheelies, but the HD is just plain fun. I liken it to a Jeep Wranger. They're not fast, they're not pretty, they're old-school and a shitload of fun to drive.
I'm 28, not sure if that counts as millenial or not
There will always be fat, middle aged men stuck in joyless lives of marriage, kids and middle management to buy Harleys in a sad attempt to rescue their lost manhood.
We are but simple creatures who judge by association.
>spend money on experiences and traveling
>the poorest generation
LOL. Sure pal. Nice self awareness.
I think a lot of millennials just grew up with the image of HD being crappy dad rides, the head to toe leather skull look is just not in, and it's never coming back.
Even if they ran an aggressive campaign to rebrand, they can't change the very look of their bikes themselves, which by and large don't look cool either. That being said I can't wait for boomers to curse us on their death beds for killing HD, cable TV and chain restaurants
>Even if they ran an aggressive campaign to rebrand, they can't change the very look of their bikes themselves,
they are trying very hard to do this with the new sportster. the commercial is even marketed towards yuppie commuters.
They already did through every outlet and avenue available from politics to the economy to business to the environment.
They need someone like Lee Iacocca to make something like the K car, something basic and cheap that large numbers of people want.
They're pushing the x-games hard right now too with flat track but Indians beating them at that already. Kawasaki already was before that. They need to make something that actually looks cool like their flat trackers though.
I went ahead and pulled a random picture of a 2013 HD, something I figure someone my age (25) could afford with a salary job. Still looks like a harley, which just isn't cool to young people.
Young people become old people though
>So apparently Harley Davidson is struggling to attract millennials.
It's too big and heavy and loud and it's seating arrangement sucks. It would be hard to the Harley motorcycle like in this webm. That means H-D doesn't sell bikes to this demographic.
It looks Happy Days a fuck, half the reason sport bikes are still doing well is because of 80s nostalgia.
Die off and let superior Indian take over
People aren't as into the 80s as they used to be. The only people I know that are left in that era are there for cartoons and Japanese stuff. Obviously I don't know everyone but it must be a fair assessment given the claims that HD aren't attracting millennials anymore.
If I had to make a guess as to future trends, watch for more dual sport bikes to sell, millennials like good investments, seem to like the outdoors, and dual purpose items.
It's not about Jap being faster, better, or more reliable. It's about the Harley image and the price. It's tied to the young people of decades ago who are now in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s with wads of cash to blow away. Boomers grew up with Harley and they'll die with Harley. If Harley wants to recreate itd image it can certainly do that in a similar way to how Lexus went from being the old money luxobarge brand to the luxury sport brand.
I live near Milwaukee so I know all about the HD presence.
>for the middle aged man looking for boi pussy
Ftfy
i hope harleycuck die with there shitty homo cuck brand
Melinnial here.
My dad, all his friends, my father in law, all his friends, and most other older guys I know all ride Harleys. I don't. I don't like the look, the vibration at idle, the retarded fucking maintenance costs, and especially the pompous fucking attitudes from people who do ride them. I'm less of a man because I don't ride a Harley?
Fuck that, I'll get a 4k jap cruiser that looks better, runs smoother, puts out more power, uses less gas, and has cheaper parts.
nice
Why don't they finance another show like American chopper and put it on mainstream TV or netflix?
Clearly young people don't want Harleys.
Honestly, I'm not surprised.
Young people are moving away from personal transportation in general so even less people will be buying motorcycles, let alone Harleys so yeah, what did you expect.
>Jap and italian rockets aren't just safer, they're safer
What did he mean by this?
That bad arse image came about in the 50's when harley's were cheap leftover items from ww2 and all the troubled poor fags bought them and raced around on them.
>dad used to be a Jap guy
>Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis, you name it he rode it
>ATGATT even before ATGATT was a thing
>now he's 60 and paunchy
>has a Harley since 2005
>barely takes it out anymore
>when he does he "rides free"
I also thin most of the hells angels types want to build a harley from the 60's or 70's meaning their new bikes are reserved for office worker wannabes.
Why do hells angels ride harleys then?
The media created the image and harley went with it by choice.
>That thing is absolutely horrible, I work at a harley dealer and I have ridden everything that harley makes under the fucking sun. I can say with complete honesty that that thing is fucking horrible.
>It can't corner, it looks like shit and isn't even that fast.
It's a cruiser you retard.
>Fuck that, I'll get a 4k jap cruiser that looks better, runs smoother, puts out more power, uses less gas, and has cheaper parts.
lol
B-BUT EVERY BIKE SHOULD BEHAVE LEIK A SPORT BIKE XD I'M A FAGGOT PLEASE RAPE MY FACE
is indian..
dare i say...
/ourguy/?
I talked to a guy who tows bikes in my area, I asked him what the bike he sees the most of, he wouldn't answer. We got to bullshitting, he said I shouldn't look at a HD until I make more money.
I'd be fine riding one if they were affordable, but the simple fact is they're too goddamn expensive. Their cheap bikes are shit according to the motojornos and don't exist in the secondhand market yet.
>not affordable
>too expensive
>cheap...shit
You just sound like you aren't in the income range for a Harley desu
I don't mind spending a little more money and getting a little more bike, but it's more that they are a bad value proposition if you look at initial buy in and MTBF.
This coming from a guy that rides an Aprillia
23 year old Harley rider here
ask me anything
Are you gay?
Why, do you want to fool around?
H-D will adapt, or die. Simple as that.
Yes.
okay
...
They won't survive, they told buell to fuck off and it was the biggest mistake they ever made now they will never be able to make a bike to compete with Japan.
They dug their own grave and deserve to fill it.
i hope the smug old cunts die sooner rather than later.
the Harley image is something millennials dont associate with. let her jackets and bandana are cringy to young people
My uncle LOVESSSSS(!!!!!) HD.
>almost everything in his house was purchased from an HD dealership.
>all his clothes are HD brand (shirt, jeans, belt, boots, EVERYTHING)
>every gift he gives comes from HD
>shitty HD tattoo
>picks up stained glass / welding as hobby and literally everything he fabricated is modeled after HD
And lo and behold he's an insufferable cunt.
He ruined his relation with one of my aunts. The fight was so bad that my grandmother had a heart related episode and she had to get a pace maker installed because of the stress. My aunt and uncle don't talk anymore
He ruined the relationship between my mom and another uncle because he convinced my uncle to move out of my moms house (where he and my grandmother were living rent free) and take my grandma with them so they can get a house together (hey it's cheaper when you can use your mothers pension money to pay for your rent right?!). They didn't even tell my mom, she found out when she got home one day and all her shit was missing. What's fucking worse is that he ended up not liking it there (because hurr dude the shitty people I hang out with aren't great) and ditched them after half a year. Now my uncle had to get a shitty house to take care of my grandmother. I heard he had to ditch Austin because some other biker gang wanted to kick his shit in, which is why he convinced them to get a house with him.
He stole my gun and my baseball bat. I reported that shit but nothing has come from it.
I'm glad that the woman he was seeing ditched him when she made millions of dollarinos from some hotel mogel after they illegal constructed a hotel on her grandfathers property.
Fuck that guy and fuck HD. I'm glad they're struggling.
I hope im there when this faggot government realizes apps arent going to save the economy. God damn dumb fucks. America is getting REALLY brown.
If it's shit it goes out of business, it's that simple. Germany had around half a dozen motorcycle manufacturers up until the sixties, even more before the war, and then they dropped one after another until by the 90s only BMW were left.
>no cheap bikes under 5k
that's why. I wanna get a new bike just to mess around on but I don't wanna spend more than 4 grand so I'm gonna get a grom or maybe a duel sport just for riding/messing around.
yeah a muscle cruiser in competition with the Vmax and the Diavel.
Both those bikes got way more power and can corner properly.
>It's almost as if your entire understanding of Harleys is purely social stereotypes from TV and movies.
that is 99% of peoples entire understanding of almost everything. I know you consider yourself an enlightened gentlemen but you are just as detatched from those you think you're better off.
Neither of you are wrong, both of you are right.
Deal with it.