Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Why do so many "performance " bikes become extinct after only a few years of production ? Could it be their owners tire of the uninspired looks ? Maybe a bike that can only go faster then the legal speed limit gets them too many tickets, and is no fun to ride at normal speed limits? or cost more to insure then it's worth? Since the '70's almost every metric bike company has brought out their "Superbikes" designed to go faster, handle better, and put Harley out of business. They made so many models they ran out of names, so they started numbering them. The thought was "sell bikes at a lower price then a Harley and we'll sell millions of them", well that hasn't worked out too well.You can still buy '09's right off the showroom floor. And being their produced like popcorn, their demand and resale is depressing. What's up with trying to copy Harley's design? Every company now makes a v-twin motor with saddle bags and floor boards and windshield.That should have been sure fire right? Nah, their bikes still look like cheaply made knockoffs. In a world where people can buy any bike they want, people want the real thing, and are willing to pay a premium for it. Harley never sold its bike with a sales pitch of being the fastest bike on the planet, or the best handling. 110 years of production with a loyalty none of the other brands will ever see, is what makes a motorcycle great. Being a flash in the pan, here today gone this afternoon super dooper fast wizz bang bike, whos replacement model is already loaded on the boat for the USA, will never gain classic status or be anything but an edition to the long list of bikes they "used to make" that people couldn't wait to get rid of and forget about.,,
Hi, I ride a Triumph parallel twin 1600. Different style from Harley. Made in the UK and Triumph started making motorcycles a year before Harley Davidson did. Triumph motorcycles had parallel twins a long time ago. Some classic Triumph bikes were ridden by Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen and even Fonzi. Harley has 47% of the motorcycle market but there are the other 53% of other bikes that are still rolling around the planet.