ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

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CentralOzzy
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ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#91 Unread post by CentralOzzy »

I have been happy with all the ones I have owned. Right now I have an 06 Street-Rod, 2000 Roadking & an 08 Ultra Classic. They are a tonne of fun to ride. I'll bet I could sell the 08 Ultra next week for the same $ I paid for it....which would make it inexpensive to have owned....but I like it too much to do that.

My Philosophy is: If you want it, get it...regardless of the price....& be happy.

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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#92 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

I had a chance this summer to ride many different 2010 Harley-Davidson motorcycle models and they were great, all with different personalities and riding styles.

Mike
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#93 Unread post by Marvin »

Notice in any of your local classified motorcycle for sale adds, you will see MOST of the bikes for sale are HD's
If everybody loves their HD so much why are they selling it for?
I have a few ideas, some I know are facts, some I am just guessing
#1 People don't get rid of motorcycles they love owning and love to ride so its very rare to see certain brands and make of bikes for sale, so these motorcycles are almost never seen for sale in classified adds (examples: Gold Wings, V Stroms, BMW Touring Bikes, Concours)
#2 HD Owners want a new HD, but the dealer doesn't want it cause the dealer doesn't want his showroom filled up with used HD's, the dealer wants to sell new HD's, so he only offers $3000 trade in price where the owner expects a $10,000 trade in price, so the owner sells in in the classified adds for $10K ( HD's are #2 most selling motorcycle in the U.S., Honda is #1 in sales)
#3 Many HD Owners have financed their HD for a large monthly payment for 5 years and with the economy down some are loosing their jobs and can no longer afford it and they are selling it to get out of the payment, (most late model HD's fo sale still have a lein)

Please don't take me the wrong way, don't take my comments as cutting down HD, HD's are a motorcycle for a certain type person, its mostly for the older man in his late 40's that always dreamed of owning a HD and now for the first time in his life he can afford to own one, nothing wrong with that! Just ride and enjoy it!
but NEVER buy a HD thinking its an investment!
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#94 Unread post by Gummiente »

Marvin wrote:Please don't take me the wrong way, don't take my comments as cutting down HD, HD's are a motorcycle for a certain type person, its mostly for the older man in his late 40's that always dreamed of owning a HD and now for the first time in his life he can afford to own one, nothing wrong with that!
A quick Google search reveals that 52% of new Harley purchases were madde by people who have owned one before, 33% owned a competitor's motorcycle and only 13% bought it as their first Harley. But you are correct about the age bracket, though, but that's hardly earth shattering news. Harley has been tracking a certain element of society, known as the Baby Boomers for many years now.
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#95 Unread post by Marvin »

Gummiente wrote:
Marvin wrote:Please don't take me the wrong way, don't take my comments as cutting down HD, HD's are a motorcycle for a certain type person, its mostly for the older man in his late 40's that always dreamed of owning a HD and now for the first time in his life he can afford to own one, nothing wrong with that!
A quick Google search reveals that 52% of new Harley purchases were madde by people who have owned one before, 33% owned a competitor's motorcycle and only 13% bought it as their first Harley. But you are correct about the age bracket, though, but that's hardly earth shattering news. Harley has been tracking a certain element of society, known as the Baby Boomers for many years now.
Whats the percentage of HD Owners that owned a HD then switched to a competitors motorcycle?
Since your percentages add up to 99%, I find it hard to believe that people that used to own a HD and now own a Non-HD bike as 1%
I have seen many former HD Owners that have switched to Victory and Honda Gold Wings.
In the past I have rode many HD's and I tried very hard to fall in love with it, I really wanted to own one so I could be accepted by the majority of riders that do own one, but the excitement , love and the passion wasn't there for me.
The baby boomers are getting older and poorer and HD isn't creating excitement to the younger generation.
HD's are hard and heavy to ride and the older men have worse vision and slow reaction time and the std HD has very poor handling with sub standard brakes and poor traction bias ply tires. Thats why most responcible HD Riders ride slow and safe at the legal speed limits, don't ride them long distances and mostly ride in fair weather.
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#96 Unread post by Gummiente »

Marvin wrote:HD's are hard and heavy to ride and the older men have worse vision and slow reaction time and the std HD has very poor handling with sub standard brakes and poor traction bias ply tires. Thats why most responcible HD Riders ride slow and safe at the legal speed limits, don't ride them long distances and mostly ride in fair weather.
Ok, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but clearly your only intent here is to troll. When you're ready for a serious and productive conversation, let me know.
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#97 Unread post by spydercanopus »

They're great cruisers with american support. If you wanna spend the extra dough on that + style, it's a good choice. But they're not cheap. The old ones are pretty bulky, so I would get a newer model. Can't go wrong with a v-twin. Simple design.

Check out this sick model:
Image

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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#98 Unread post by RockBottom »

Marvin wrote:Notice in any of your local classified motorcycle for sale adds, you will see MOST of the bikes for sale are HD's
If everybody loves their HD so much why are they selling it for?
I think part of the explanation is simply market dominance--there are more of them out there, so there will be more for sale. I also think it's a result of Harley's marketing strategy. They've been very successful at marketing them as a "lifestyle choice." I don't mean this critically--it's simply a business decision that has worked well for them. But the outcome is that a certain percentage of people buy them because the lifestyle is appealing but then find that they just don't like riding enough to justify the cost. This isn't a result of the bikes themselves, but of the marketing strategy.
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#99 Unread post by Gummiente »

RockBottom wrote:I think part of the explanation is simply market dominance--there are more of them out there, so there will be more for sale. I also think it's a result of Harley's marketing strategy. They've been very successful at marketing them as a "lifestyle choice." I don't mean this critically--it's simply a business decision that has worked well for them. But the outcome is that a certain percentage of people buy them because the lifestyle is appealing but then find that they just don't like riding enough to justify the cost. This isn't a result of the bikes themselves, but of the marketing strategy.
:humm: Y'know, I could swear I've read that same response - verbatim - on here before. Maybe it was another forum, but I know I've read this before.
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Re: ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

#100 Unread post by RockBottom »

Gummiente wrote:
RockBottom wrote:I think part of the explanation is simply market dominance--there are more of them out there, so there will be more for sale. I also think it's a result of Harley's marketing strategy. They've been very successful at marketing them as a "lifestyle choice." I don't mean this critically--it's simply a business decision that has worked well for them. But the outcome is that a certain percentage of people buy them because the lifestyle is appealing but then find that they just don't like riding enough to justify the cost. This isn't a result of the bikes themselves, but of the marketing strategy.
:humm: Y'know, I could swear I've read that same response - verbatim - on here before. Maybe it was another forum, but I know I've read this before.

You're not implying I should actually READ a whole thread before butting in, are you??
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