I have a lot of feelings about this. If you decide to read this garbage that I’m spewing, keep this in mind: 40 years ago the average age for a motorcycle owner was 27. Today it’s 50.
Harley Davidson was trying to reach out to a new generation because old angry people are the majority of their customers right now and their growth rate is absolute garbage. They haven’t hit on something that the under-50 crowd wants and their bikes underperform pretty much everyone else both dollar for dollar and power for size/weight. I like the way they look because I like cruisers, but Honda, Indian, Yamaha, and Triumph make cruisers as well. Of those, everyone makes them cheaper except for Indian who makes a better quality and better performing bike.
I don’t hear people making fun of other people’s motorcycles often, but every single time I do it’s some guy who rides a fucking Dyna Glide a thousand miles a year into town and back home. Those older bikers are terrified of anyone who is different from them.
So the company is trying things like redesigning motorcycles to be sportier, adding new features to their bikes, and addressing the concerns of a new generation. Every time they do it they alienate the old ass hate squad who actually buys their stuff new from dealerships. When they walk it back they alienate anyone who was looking at them because they were attempting to change with the times. For one example, they were shit on so hard about their electric motorcycle that they spun it off to its own brand.
They’re in a bad place. They still sell plenty of motorcycles for now, but they’re sliding and have become synonymous with the “my dick is bigger than yours” baby boomer crowd rather than people who are genuinely inclusive of other riders. When you think of a Harley Rider the image is an old hobbiest or a criminal. On top of that, a new one costs as much as a low end new car with less utility.
If they don’t change something they’re fucked in the long run.
Edit: a word
Not garbage you’re spewing — thanks. I’m not a motorcycle guy, and you’ve helped me understand WTF is going on with Harley-Davidson.
Honestly, Curiousfur described the current situation with them incredibly succinctly with this line:
Not every Harley rider is one of those types, but when you only cater to a shrinking, bitter in-group, you eventually stop bringing in people who aren’t part of that group.
I could have said something similar but this topic always makes me ramble because it pisses me off so badly. I hate it.
The Youtube app on my parents television served them an ad titled “Harley went woke so I destroyed my bike.” It was served as an ad.
Harley-Davidson: “So Viagra doesn’t work anymore, huh?”
Was it Columbia War Machine? I saw a few seconds of that video and it was embarrassing to watch.
I think so. Thumbnail was a lump of chewing tabakkker aiming a shotgun at a brownish gold Electraglide.
Is it really an initiate if it’s half-hearted?
