Harley-Davidson failing miserably with millenials

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I'm a 30 year old, we just don't have all the extra money to throw around. Sure the guys that don't want a family can swing it. If you have a family good luck. Daycare for two kids is more then my mortgage. Having one newer car is a luxury lol.
 
Motorcycle
As I was typing my reply my brother sent me this, a guy from our hometown. Looks like a good time. This touches on another point. I think a lot of people my age aren't gonna risk safety for a bike. There's a lot of bad drivers I see daily, not just cause of cell phones. Just bad driving no one cares.
 
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Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger
I'm a 30 year old, we just don't have all the extra money to throw around. Sure the guys that don't want a family can swing it. If you have a family good luck. Daycare for two kids is more then my mortgage. Having one newer car is a luxury lol.


I paid 3500 bucks for my Aprilia and put maybe another 200 in mods and tools to make it reliable. It had less than 12k miles and makes 130hp with Brembo brakes Penske racing shock and akrapovic pipes. Used bikes are dirt cheap as long as its not a Ducati, Harley or BMW.

I do not have any kids though lol
 
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.



q3iCWqE.gif


No woman I have ever dated has even hinted at anything remotely approaching this level of control with me. eff that
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The best part about a Harley is the sound, bar none. With a GOOD set of pipes (not just straight through exhaust, but a tuned exhaust with baffles) sounds incredible on those things.


Triumph triple
Ducati V twin
Aprilia V four
Yamaha inline four with uneven firing order
Rotax V twins used by KTM and Aprilia

all these bikes sound way better than anything Harley has done
 
Originally Posted By: brave sir robin


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



My grandmother has.

Of course, she lost her husband who survived the Battle of the Bulge to a motorcycle accident about 18 months after he got home from the war.

She was all worried about him in combat, but it was a motorcycle accident that left her a widow and my mom without a father.

When I had a bike, she had a fit and let me know why.

Out of respect, I never bought another.

My choice, not hers. But I do understand her motivations.

I would never begrudge anyone the right to ride. I just don't want to shoulder the consequences for the choices of others.

Yes, it's complicated.
 
I started ring in 1972 and licensed on the road in 74, Triumph, BSA, Nortons were my favorites own a few of each of them, the 750 Commando and BSA lightning were my favorite twins even more so than the 850 commando.
Over the years I had a few HD bikes both new and used, they were not very good at anything but making noise, heavy lumbering hulks with poor handling and brakes, low power and only average build quality. A total posers machine not a riders bike, the twins would run rings around them and had a wonderful sound to boot.

In 83 I bought what I consider my first real bike, a VF1100C (V65 Magna), over a 100 HP, superior build quality but not the best handling thing ditto the Vmax I got a few years later then I found the right bike for me the CBR1000F over 130 HP sport tourer, an amazing motorcycle, blinding fast in 92 good handling, good protection from the elements and comfortable for long hours, reliable and build quality as any vehicle I ever owned.

From there it was the CBR1100XX, ZX10, GSXR 1300, BMW K1200S and a few others I kept only for a short time. The last bike on my list to even look at would be a HD today. I see the bike for what it is not a cult icon or lifestyle, I don't need to wear a salad bowl on my head running around looking like Paul Sr bar to bar I want to ride in my Rukka Gore-tex Kombi, Daytona boots and Arai or Shoei full face.
I think these millennials are judging the bikes on their merits as bikes and in that light the HD doesn't do well by any benchmark.

Donning flame suit.

Edit: I also like sport bikes the CBR900RR was great, handled like a scared cat but a bit cramped for 8hrs at a time in the stool.
 
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Originally Posted By: javacontour
Originally Posted By: brave sir robin


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



My grandmother has.

Of course, she lost her husband who survived the Battle of the Bulge to a motorcycle accident about 18 months after he got home from the war.

She was all worried about him in combat, but it was a motorcycle accident that left her a widow and my mom without a father.

When I had a bike, she had a fit and let me know why.

Out of respect, I never bought another.

My choice, not hers. But I do understand her motivations.

I would never begrudge anyone the right to ride. I just don't want to shoulder the consequences for the choices of others.

Yes, it's complicated.


My aunts dad was a retired motorcycle CHP officer. She was not a fan of motorcycles at all and when she saw my first bike (600 Kawi) she looked out of the door into the driveway and just turned around and closed the door not saying a word.

I am a fiercely independent person (my grandmother says I have always been this way) I do not take kindly to people attempting to control mine or others lives. Its pretty much reflexive at this point for me. I understand the reasons but at the end of the day you must always be true to yourself.
 
Millennials aren't buying houses, condos, or even primary vehicles unless they absolutely have to.

They certainly aren't buying secondary vehicles, like Harleys or even "cheap" 5-10K bikes and lifestyle support vehicles like trucks to haul campers or things like boats are beyond distant hopes and dreams even if they are interested which most simply aren't.

They are just as content to stay at home on the web and in front of screens all the time.



Uncle Dave
 
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The best part about a Harley is the sound, bar none. With a GOOD set of pipes (not just straight through exhaust, but a tuned exhaust with baffles) sounds incredible on those things.

With all due respect NOPE!

I live 1/2 mile from a HD dealership, and I have nearby:
- a UPS staging facility (read truck in and out all day)
- a busy road with also some semi traffic
- and a railroad (which beside commuter Metra handle some commercial loads)

Guess who is the most noisy thing ion the area?
-semi-trucks? NO
-semi-tracks beeping while backing? NO
-trains while pulling at least 20 wagons? NO
-commuter trains? NO
-local road maintainers? NO
-HD's to and from the dealership? YUP

so please respect my ears and I will respect your choice of transport and also give you wide berth and treat you like a car.

Ride safely!


We got a Harley customizing place a few doors down from the boat shop.

These guys are noisy as the hinges of hades, and not very talented based on all the broken plastic all over the street nearly every weekend.

UD
 
Originally Posted By: UncleDave
Millennials aren't buying houses, condos, or even primary vehicles unless they absolutely have to.

They certainly aren't buying secondary vehicles, like Harleys or even "cheap" 5-10K bikes and lifestyle support vehicles like trucks to haul campers or things like boats are beyond distant hopes and dreams even if they are interested which most simply aren't.

They are just as content to stay at home on the web and in front of screens all the time.




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.



Uncle Dave
 
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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.
 
It's harder to text and check your phone every 10 seconds, on a bike. Some people walk around with their phone in their hand, in case they get a message. if you are on a bike thats hard to do, so that's part of it.
 
Originally Posted By: SF0059


If I had money burning a hole in my pocket I would buy a BMW for its sheer engineering perfection, but not a Harley. I think most people my same age feel the same way.


A family member recently sold his BMW dealership, so I've spent considerable time around their entire line up of bikes. I also own a current model S1000RR. They are generally nice bikes, but not the engineering perfection that some people seem to believe. If anything, they tend to be finicky.

That said, so far my bike hasn't had any major issues. But it is more tempermental than my Japanese sportbike which is heavily modified, but despite that, has had no issues at all.
 
Each and every one of you is wrong...

Harley sales are dropping since Viagra quit their joint advertising campaign.

Rimshot please.
 
No cheap shot on my part.

If you mention Harley Davidson to young adults.... they picture some guy looking like 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Duane Chapman on a HD motorcycle.
 
Originally Posted By: UncleDave
Millennials aren't buying houses, condos, or even primary vehicles unless they absolutely have to.

They certainly aren't buying secondary vehicles, like Harleys or even "cheap" 5-10K bikes and lifestyle support vehicles like trucks to haul campers or things like boats are beyond distant hopes and dreams even if they are interested which most simply aren't.

They are just as content to stay at home on the web and in front of screens all the time.



Uncle Dave
I'm 39 and fit in more like stereotypical gen-Xers
I will probably never own a home mostly because I no longer make enough money or have the job security to do so. I do love restoring, maintaining and operating all kinds of fun stuff though. Most days I'm either fixing something (bike, car, truck, computer) or out with my dogs.

Here in California owning a house is something only very well off individuals or dual income households can achieve.
 
He have a pretty visible gang presence here, they are still recruiting young guys...and a Harley is a must. We didn't get many Harleys in NZ until the late '70's, before then gangs used British bikes. They were usually dole bludgers so low on cash,a Harley would be out of their reach. It wasn't until they got into serious crime that there was any money to lavish on expensive bikes.

Like most countries outside the US, the first vehicle for young people was a motorcycle, cars were just too expensive...you needed to be working for a couple of years before you could afford a car. So in the '70's and '80's motorcycles were everywhere, everyone had one. Then with the economic reforms we had in the late '80's, used imports started coming in from Japan, and the price of 2nd hand cars fell off a cliff. Eg, my mothers's KP60 Starlet was insured for $8,000, it dropped overnight to $2,000. Now young guys could buy a cheap car, and motorcycle sales dropped. Same result, just a different way to get there.
 
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