Harley-Davidson failing miserably with millenials

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger

Dave, that's a pretty broad statement. Theres plenty of us that own houses. I go on the computer when I need to that's it. And even if people don't spend all their money. Can you blame them? When you were young trying to find a career and start life after school did you get hit with a huge recession? Where people couldn't find a decent job or when college cost so much? Things are different nowadays, the days of graduating high school and buying a new car and house are gone.

Let's discuss. Congrats btw- home ownership is huge. My 26 year old son is saving for a home right now with his very young wife and they are months away from a glorious event. There are always outliers like yourself, but the numbers for the millennial generation "are in" so to speak and in the big picture Im not distorting it. As a group they arent purchasing at the level of the still spending but somewhat conservative X'ers and its unlikely any generation will match the boomers level of consumerism. Im 50. I dont know anyone who got out of high school and got a job period much less a new car because I graduated from high school in 85 - a year during a huge recession. There was no work to be had at any wage. These guys you speak of that graduated and bought a new car guys wasnt my gen because we were broke as one was hiring us during our high school years in the summer either. My child life was affected by three recessions, one made worse by the local caterpillar union striking during a recession devastating my small home towns economy. Even though my family income came from diff means and not directly affected by this strike the local populace was devastated by this combo. My working life was affected by three as well, so yes. I have lived through recessions during almost all phases of my life. They are all on line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States I can't blame anyone for wanting to be conservative with money. UD

 

[brave sir robin]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig

Originally Posted By: 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.

Some older white guys ride BMW bikes. Let's leave cheap shots at race out of it.

to be totally fair they are associated with obese middle aged white guys beemers tend to be slimmer but what they lack in body fat they make up in GORE-TEX

 

[9050lx]

57 years old.We all grew up riding Japanese dirt bikes such as Honda elsinores,Suzuki Tm's,etc. Most of us thought it ridiculous to ride anything other than a [censored] bike.We watched the evolution of these machines which I still marvel at.

 

[5AcresAndAFool]

I am 37 so depending on who you ask I am the youngest of the Gen Xers, Or Gen Y, Or the oldest of the millennials...and My "good" vehicle is 8 years old and has 100k on it. A toy like a motorcycle just ain't going to happen. Between a 40 year old house, maintaining vehicles and raising a family there is not much extra money. Health insurance and health care costs can be our biggest monthly expense. Its frustrating. The Millennial's I see that are into vehicles aspire to drive a BroDozer pickup truck. I generally find the sound of harleys obnoxious. But I am the type of guy that likes peace and quiet, however though I do love the sound of many old muscle cars and I love the sound of a Japanese sport bike winding up, they sound so precision. I have worked with several guys that owned Harleys over the years and it seems that they seemed to have a lot of issues with them, they were always fixing something, oil leaks, blown engines, ect.. If I had Extra cash to burn I would LOVE a Nice Mustang.

 

[Mr Nice]

During the height of the OCC, Jesse James, Biker Build-off and Sons of Anarchy, etc... many guys wanted a motorcycle. Now that fad is over and all the posers left the hobby. The real bikers still ride today, not just when TV shows ended. People under the age of 40 need to focus on maximizing their retirement, not pretending to be Jesse James on the weekends.

 

[UncleDave]

Most of these bikes were a joke. Having to lean to the side to see around the bars and other lameness. These custom shops are hilarious " custom" being the most misused term of all here. Monday a frame shows up. Tuesday an engine and wheels tires and forks show up Thursday a tank and shows up Friday no suspension shows up because its a hard tail. The guy takes a week to make a fender or maybe a few weeks to make tank. Then they take it on a trip where they ride out of town with camera crew and backup rig and trailer in tow then kill the camera load up and tow the bikes to a bar somewhere out of town, unload and ride up to the bar on camera. Its a joke. UD

 

[aquariuscsm]

I'm a dirt bike guy. Had a Yamaha and a Honda. I've always wanted to get an early-mid 80s era Honda XL600.

 

[Bambam]

Originally Posted By: grampi

Originally Posted By: Bambam

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

Please, spare us the tired, and outdated ridiculous clichés...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: gman2304

Originally Posted By: grampi

Originally Posted By: dlundblad

Although, if I wanted a toy, it'd be something old with a V8. A trans am, a Jeep something etc.

That's me too. It's time for me to hang up my riding gear and get a Corvette. If it gets too hot I can turn on the air. If it gets too cold I can turn on the heat. If it rains I stay dry, and the best part, my wife will go with in the Vette, whereas she won't ride on the back of my bike...

Now that's odd.....A middle aged guy driving a Corvette!

Middle aged? Lol! Thanks!

 

[Alfred_B]

Originally Posted By: brave sir robin

Originally Posted By: SF0059

I am, unfortunately, classified as a "millennial" since I was born in 1982 and the cutoff is 80-81. What happened to Generation Y? Anyway, I think I am the perfect example of Harley's lost millennial market. Here are the issues: #1 - My wife will leave me if I buy a motorcycle. Her favorite TV show is Sons of Anarchy and stares at bikes on the highway, but God forbid HER husband bite it on a motorcycle. There is a definite double standard there, but my mom was the same way with my dad. Our society has less of a taste for potential injury than it used to.

No woman I have ever dated has even hinted at anything remotely approaching this level of control with me. eff that

Not married, are you?

 

[Alfred_B]

Here is a 50 page report by the Fed that will answer why the young people are not buying big ticket items. https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/staff_reports/sr820.pdf?la=en

 

[gman2304]

I've owned everything from dirt bikes, {my oldest son owns my old 74 YZ 250 A model} to a 1975 Kawasaki 900 Z1 {in my twenties} to Goldwings, to Harley's, to an 08 Suzuki Vstrom, {bought new} to my current 09 Superglide. My sons grew up riding mini bikes, dirt bikes, 3 wheelers {remember those} and now motorcycles. One of my sons left this past Saturday to ride his 07 CVO Roadking to Minneapolis, MN on business, and will be back home this coming weekend after taking the 'behind the scenes tour' at the Harley plant in Milwaukee. He could have easily flown, but had the time and decided to ride instead. I raised a family but still managed to have a motorcycle or three during those years. Almost all of them were bought used from people who thought they wanted a motorcycle. I think all motorcycle manufacturers {remember Victory} have their backs against the wall, but if I had to put money on one to come out OK in the end, it would be the 114 year old company from Milwaukee. I don't understand how some here seem to be rooting for the failure of Harley Davidson.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: gman2304

I've owned everything from dirt bikes, {my oldest son owns my old 74 YZ 250 A model} to a 1975 Kawasaki 900 Z1 {in my twenties} to Goldwings, to Harley's, to an 08 Suzuki Vstrom, {bought new} to my current 09 Superglide. My sons grew up riding mini bikes, dirt bikes, 3 wheelers {remember those} and now motorcycles. One of my sons left this past Saturday to ride his 07 CVO Roadking to Minneapolis, MN on business, and will be back home this coming weekend after taking the 'behind the scenes tour' at the Harley plant in Milwaukee. He could have easily flown, but had the time and decided to ride instead. I raised a family but still managed to have a motorcycle or three during those years. Almost all of them were bought used from people who thought they wanted a motorcycle. I think all motorcycle manufacturers {remember Victory} have their backs against the wall, but if I had to put money on one to come out OK in the end, it would be the 114 year old company from Milwaukee. I don't understand how some here seem to be rooting for the failure of Harley Davidson.

Even though I don't care for their bikes, I certainly wouldn't want to see HD go under. They are an American icon and if they folded it would be a black eye on the good ol' US of A...

 

[SF0059]

Originally Posted By: Alfred_B

Originally Posted By: brave sir robin

Originally Posted By: SF0059

I am, unfortunately, classified as a "millennial" since I was born in 1982 and the cutoff is 80-81. What happened to Generation Y? Anyway, I think I am the perfect example of Harley's lost millennial market. Here are the issues: #1 - My wife will leave me if I buy a motorcycle. Her favorite TV show is Sons of Anarchy and stares at bikes on the highway, but God forbid HER husband bite it on a motorcycle. There is a definite double standard there, but my mom was the same way with my dad. Our society has less of a taste for potential injury than it used to.

No woman I have ever dated has even hinted at anything remotely approaching this level of control with me. eff that

Not married, are you?

True that. Happy wife, happy life. Even if I had known she wouldn't let me buy a motorcycle I still would have married her... she's far better. But now it is something for me to grumble and act cranky about .

 

[gman2304]

^^^ she wouldn't let me buy a motorcycle ^^^

 

[Smokescreen]

" Happy wife, happy life. " Absolutely hate this cliche phrase. It clearly states an unequal marriage relationship, whether spoken by a dominant wife or a henpecked husband it means the husband beheld as clearly inferior and usually by quite a margin. Real marriages are more like: "Happy spouse, Happy house"

 

[L_Sludger]

Smokescreen, The true phrase is: "Happy wife, happy wife." also ibtl?

 

[Cujet]

I hire and fire people in my aviation based job. Not once has a "Millennial" come in the door with any sort of qualifications. The few I've hired for menial jobs were gone in two weeks. They expect a living wage and success, and don't qualify to wash an airplane, not to mention work on one, or fly one. I typically pay $20/hr for the hard working, clean-cut but unqualified. Which is $5 more than my competition. My trained guys make $75/hr and/or $750/day to $1500/day depending on mx or pilot. Not one of the "Millennial's can earn enough to purchase a Harley. Sorry, but without qualifications, you won't get paid much. And you won't purchase much. However, I don't see them as completely disinterested in them. One ride's his dad's Harley to work....

 

[Mr Nice]

Cujet, Lots of mommy's boys still living at 25 years old. A motorcycle is the last thing they even think about.