I'm currently between bikes and doing the usual research. As much as I want to buy AMERICAN I'm having a very hard time justifying another Harley.
I'm not trashing Harleys or Harley owners. I'm just trying to approach the purchse of a new bike by being the devils advocate with a little logic and reason.
I'm in my 60's, have my own business and can well afford the bike but Harley can't match the metrics in many areas. I'm old enouhg to know better than to throw money way on the the Harley image which seems to be a good portion of their marketing plan rather than providing a quality product. Granted Harley has come a long way but still has a long way to go.
I would really like to see Harley come up with something and expand their model line to go against the Goldwing, water cooled and drive shaft metrics. Don't say it wouldn't be a Harley. They no longer produce the same bike they did 75 years ago and the models produced 75 years later are still Harleys.
Way can't Harley provide a decent stock seat on most models. I would guess that 70% of the seats are changed out either immediately or within the first year. What a racket. They're making a small forture in the aftermarket.
Why is it Harley can't be more competitive in their pricing. Harley dosen't make the best, fastest or most reliable bike. Harley spouts ,"The best bike on the road", and that is not reflected in their warranty. They don't offer nearly as many standard features as the metrics. They do however offer the most expensive bikes.
When you compare the Harley to the metrics dollar for dollar they are way over priced. Now someone will say ".. well people buy them no matter the price", and that's true. But that's a high price to pay for something as intangible as an image and dosen't say much for their comsumer loyality. I'm of the generation that took Harley through the hard times when they were producing real junk bikes. So I ask myself what has Harley done for the consumer? Harley should have a much greater market share and there are very good reasons why they don't.
Harley has always been slow to change and only when their backs are against the wall.
Harley is an American icon and falls short of what an American bike can and what we know it should be -THE BEST. I'm very sorry to say that Harley seems to have gone the way of the American Auto Industry.
Any constructive thoughts or comments on the topic?
Mike 
