Harley-Davidson failing miserably with millenials

[oilpsi2high]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-18/harley-davidson-is-losing-its-cool

Quote:

People who like Harley-Davidson, meanwhile, still tend to skew older, male, and politically conservative, according to YouGov, an analytics company that runs a proprietary index of brand perception. For a rookie rider who knows little about motorcycles, what a brand represents mechanically may matter less than what it means culturally. Now, more than ever, Harley-Davidson needs to keep its cool.

Ask anyone under 30 what they think about Harley-Davidson, and they'll either tell you that their dad/uncle/father-in-law rides one, or mention something about the Hells Angels. Every single bike is the same thing in the eyes of the younger crowd: an outdated, slow, overweight, overpriced piece of machinery. Don't get me wrong, I love HD, but for the money I feel like the younger crowd is going to go with something else. The street 750 is a step in the right direction, but needs improvement - it looks like a moped.

 

[jeepman3071]

I can agree with this. Most people from my generation that I know who ride bikes have either a sport bike, a comfortable cruiser for touring, or one of those road legal dirt bikes. None have Harleys.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I remember there was a huge wave of 40-50ish guys I knew buying their first Harleys in the mid-2000s, just before the economy collapsed. So many people had too much money in their wallets and had to buy something...some of the guys I knew rode them once or twice and parked them, some became avid riders. But, yeah, I generally don't see young people riding Harleys unless they are sporting colors.

 

[L_Sludger]

It's because millennials don't have the kind of throw-away money that boomers have.

 

[JMJNet]

Those Harley are more expensive than some cars??? Wonder why the millenials cannot afford it? I think it is obvious. IMO, it is not very practical because you will get wet when raining. Besides, it is prone to accident.

 

[itguy08]

Wonder how it compares to motorcycle ownership in general? Maybe the younger generations don't want to be roadkill? Give me a sports car and real steel (or aluminum) any day over a bike.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger

It's because millennials don't have the kind of throw-away money that boomers have.

Yep. Having a Harley in your garage meant you achieved success as a middle aged man. Demographics are changing and older people are getting out of the motorcycle hobby. The younger adults really don't want to be associated with an older Caucasian man's past time and hobby. I'm in the demographic Harley Davidson advertisements are marketed towards, yet I have zero desire to ride a Harley and have the money to buy 20 of them.

 

[Bambam]

Two kinds of riders, those that ride a Harley, those that wish they rode a Harley !

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: itguy08

Wonder how it compares to motorcycle ownership in general? Maybe the younger generations don't want to be roadkill? Give me a sports car and real steel (or aluminum) any day over a bike.

I think this is a big part of it. Cell phones and distracted driving have really increased over the last decade. Many of my friends who rode motorcycles stopped riding because of accidents or close calls with dumb drivers. One actually hit two deer on the same stretch of road a few months apart and didn't buy another bike after that.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger

It's because millennials don't have the kind of throw-away money that boomers have.

YUP, (source: I live 1/2 mile from a HD dealership)

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

The younger adults really don't want to be associated with an older Caucasian man's past time and hobby.

I worked over couple summers in Chicago Southside: as soon as the warm weather come, there where a lot of HD/motorcycle riders.... I even sold my rental to one....

 

[HemiHawk]

The title is a little click baitey. They call out "millennials". Sure, younger people aren't buying Harleys. But its pretty complicated. I saw another article the other day that new riders in the US will approach 0% in the coming years. Less people are riding overall. Motorcycles are a luxury item, and a rather niche one at that. I can justify a fun weekend car that I can also take passengers in or drive in all conditions. A bike much less so. On top of that people are factoring in safety and cost. Times change. Some people will come in here and say "blah blah blah millenials can't text on it so they don't want it". The truth is probably more that people are deciding bikes just don't fit into our lives.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: pandus13

I worked over couple summers in Chicago Southside: as soon as the warm weather come, there where a lot of HD/motorcycle riders.... I even sold my rental to one....

I agree. From what I have seen, which is worth what you paid to read this message, HD ownership preference isn't exclusive to any racial group in particular.

 

[javacontour]

I think the trend extends to cars too, but less so. Licensing rates are dropping and/or kids seems to be waiting longer before getting licensed. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/many-teens-dont-want-get-drivers-license/

Originally Posted By: From Linked Story

The share of high school seniors across the country who have a driver’s license dropped from 85.3 percent in 1996 to a record low 71.5 percent in 2015, according to data from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey.

 

[KrisZ]

Were HDs popular with baby boomers when they were less than 30 years of age? I hardly doubt it. Harleys seem to start appealing to people over a certain age group and people in this age group usually have more disposable income available to them.

 

[Lyman]

I am 54 years old. Nuff said.

 

[Smokescreen]

IF I were to get a bike, HD wouldn't even be on my radar. As I watched bikes over the past 30 years, HD is always stopped on the side of the road being wrenched on or taking a break from or whatever. Loud, obnoxious, rattling, shaky bike that always seems to have what looks like a cross between a unshaven homeless dirty old man or wanna be weekender tough biker or a real biker that I am afraid to make eye contact with on it . No offense to anyone that has one on here but that is what I see. Then, there is the financial aspect of it... Most expensive touring HD ~$50K Most expensive touring Yammy ~$30K Most expensive touring Honda ~$30K

 

[Olas]

From an engineering standpoint a 200bhp 60cui I4 that revs to 18000 is much more impressive than a V2.

 

[supton]

I must have made the mistake of reading a link on my phone, now it keeps sending me articles about how millennials are ruining the world. I've seen this article (or its like) before. Should people under 30 really be chasing after expensive bikes; or should they be paying off their house? and raising kids, and all the other trappings of young and middle age? Don't get me wrong, if you chose to skip on those, or have the money for it all, then have it. But if one has limited means... doesn't this make sense? Likewise on buying expensive new automobiles. For all we whine about how expensive cars have gotten today--wouldn't it be a wise financial choice for young adults to be avoiding these these depreciating things? [Yes I know, HD don't depreciate.] And yes I know, these kids today seem to be chasing after worthless cellphones; I guess everyone has a vice. But a grand a year on a smartphone is kinda cheap compared to motorized vehicles.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Here's the bike I would want: http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/breakout.html $ 19,299 + TTL. The V-Rod was pretty cool when it first came out and catered to the "younger" crowd: http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/v-rod-muscle.html $ 17,449. Say your average younger rider has 10k to plop down on a new bike, which seems to be about the average. Why would anyone ride this: http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/1200-custom.html When they could be riding something like this: http://www.apriliausa.com/motorcycles/2016-dorsoduro-750-abs.html

 

[khittner]

There's a big learning curve, as well as economic barriers to motorcycle riding and ownership. Most young people, my two young adult sons included, don't know how to operate a manual transmission of any kind, and aren't very interested in learning how to do it. Mix in the real and perceived inherent downside risks of a rider's own, or someone else's, driving mistakes, and even most 1%-ers can and do find other ways to spend their time and money.