[Redmule]

Trump-approved boycott appears to be hitting Harley-Davidson amid rising trade-ins for rival Indian brand

How many sales Harley losing who knows but guess it has to be hurting sales some.

 

[vision_nut]

View attachment 502197

 

[Ghostrider25]

Interesting. Fake news? Maybe. Maybe not. Harley didn't make any friends with their actions, that is for sure. But if those same people took a deeper look at Polaris indian, they would see that they are doing almost the same damned thing. They have shifted a ton of work to Mexico and are going to Poland as well. So far it hasn't cost any American jobs - yet. Give them time...

 

[Bueller]

Thats like saying hrc clinton lost the election because of the russians. hd is losing and its all THEIR own fault.

 

[greaserman]

The north American market is saturated and mature. Most people who want this stuff already have it. Building stuff in a high cost country and trying to sell in a low cost country won't work. HD has the right idea. Build cheaper smaller bikes and focus on emerging markets. A billion potential riders in India vs less then half that in north America? Where would u focus on? As much as we think we know better companies like hd do what's right for them. Flag waving and patriotism are great for marketing to a older generation. Most millennials dont care about that. Millenials have grown up in a global economy. They dont care. I dont blame them.

 

[slickvic]

The north American market is saturated and mature. Most people who want this stuff already have it. Building stuff in a high cost country and trying to sell in a low cost country won't work. HD has the right idea. Build cheaper smaller bikes and focus on emerging markets. A billion potential riders in India vs less then half that in north America? Where would u focus on? As much as we think we know better companies like hd do what's right for them. Flag waving and patriotism are great for marketing to a older generation. Most millennials dont care about that. Millenials have grown up in a global economy. They dont care. I dont blame them.

So true. Millenials are nothing like us boomers. In 20 hrs from now when most of us have hung it up it will be interesting to see where American Big twin Motorcycling ends up. We are the end of great times my friends.

 

[Poseidon]

So true. Millenials are nothing like us boomers. In 20 hrs from now when most of us have hung it up it will be interesting to see where American Big twin Motorcycling ends up. We are the end of great times my friends.

Why are you going to quit riding in 20 hours? If that is the case, you better get off this website and go ride!!!

I plan to still be riding well in excess of 200,000 hours. If my math is correct that is around 22 years. That will put me close to 70 years old.

 

[Ampdreamer]

I'm sure he meant 20 yrs not hrs

 

[Ampdreamer]

I think you all are wrong. Yes they don't want cruisers now but as they age they will. I see many people riding cruisers now that started out on sport bikes.

 

[Ghostrider25]

I'm gonna ride for as long as I can as well. I figure I have a lot of miles left in me. Maybe even one more bike. What that bike will be I have no idea! I'm pretty doubtful it will be a heavy, but never say never.

 

[40caliber]

I think you all are wrong. Yes they don't want cruisers now but as they age they will. I see many people riding cruisers now that started out on sport bikes.

Completely agree. I had been off motorcycles for 20 years. I came back at 48 in 2012. I bought a 900 vulcan cause i wanted a naked bike, not some "old man" motorcycle with fairing etc....

4 months after buying the Vulcan, I traded it for an "old man bike" a CCT with fairing bags , trunk, heated seats etc.... LOL

quite possible millenials follow the same path

 

[40caliber]

Interstingly, I received a flyer from HD. They are giving $2000 off of new 2017s and 2018s. $1500 of 2019s! Is this new? i am not a HD guy so i wouldn't know. it seems surprising they have a rebate on a 2019 that just came out...

 

[RoteBarron]

Demographics say it all. Amusing the bit about "millennials have grown up in a global economy". I almost lost my lunch laughing so hard. WE ALL GREW UP IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY. Car and motorcycle parts, electronics and other items have been made abroad for "American" brands since before I was born (Mid last century) Soooo, that part is a reach at best. Reality (IMHO) ? The largest group of consumers in the history of this great nation is getting OLD. There aren't as many coming along behind us and of course (like many of us before them) they don't want, as one so eloquently pointed out, an old man bike. IMHO they want adventure bikes, naked bikes, and sport bikes. Polaris and even HD are slowly figuring that bit out. Additionally, emerging markets clearly don't have an appetite for large bikes partly because they cannot afford them especially if they are made in the US and then their own countries place enormous tariffs on their import. Yell all you want about American leadership (I get it) but those bastards abroad do the same (If not worse) thing. So for me, I'm gonna watch it and laugh and ride my Victories until the wheels fall off. LMYR

 

[YENRABSRIDE]

IMO, I don't know why a leader of this country would ask for a boycott of an American brand, would MAGA. Not just an American brand, an American icon.

 

[BBob]

Interstingly, I received a flyer from HD. They are giving $2000 off of new 2017s and 2018s. $1500 of 2019s! Is this new? i am not a HD guy so i wouldn't know. it seems surprising they have a rebate on a 2019 that just came out...

As always it's supply and demand. HD has an over-supply right now so they have to mark down their new unsold previous years bikes. Victory did the same thing.

There was a time when HD's had to be ordered 6 months or more in advance because the demand was more than they could keep up with.

I bet they wish those days were back.

 

[waterhog]

Interesting. Fake news? Maybe. Maybe not. Harley didn't make any friends with their actions, that is for sure. But if those same people took a deeper look at Polaris indian, they would see that they are doing almost the same damned thing. They have shifted a ton of work to Mexico and are going to Poland as well. So far it hasn't cost any American jobs - yet. Give them time...

One significant difference: Polaris readily admitted their plans to move production to Poland and elsewhere before tariffs became an issue. HD, like that fella who said "it depends on what is is," tried to use tariffs as a scapegoat after the fact. They resemble more a marketing than manufacturing company.

 

[Poseidon]

Demographics say it all. Amusing the bit about "millennials have grown up in a global economy". I almost lost my lunch laughing so hard. WE ALL GREW UP IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY. Car and motorcycle parts, electronics and other items have been made abroad for "American" brands since before I was born (Mid last century) Soooo, that part is a reach at best. Reality (IMHO) ? The largest group of consumers in the history of this great nation is getting OLD. There aren't as many coming along behind us and of course (like many of us before them) they don't want, as one so eloquently pointed out, an old man bike. IMHO they want adventure bikes, naked bikes, and sport bikes. Polaris and even HD are slowly figuring that bit out. Additionally, emerging markets clearly don't have an appetite for large bikes partly because they cannot afford them especially if they are made in the US and then their own countries place enormous tariffs on their import. Yell all you want about American leadership (I get it) but those bastards abroad do the same (If not worse) thing. So for me, I'm gonna watch it and laugh and ride my Victories until the wheels fall off. LMYR

Millennials are the first generation to out number Boomers. That is the main reason why they are the focus of marketing plans. Millennials are the ones companies are targeting to see what it is going to take to get them to start buying bikes the way the Boomers did. They skipped right over the Gen X'ers. I guess there just isn't enough of us to make it worth while.

Even tho parts were made abroad, it wasn't publicized the way it is today and there were far less parts of an American car, truck, motorcycle, etc made abroad. Now you have foreign companies building vehicles in the America and American companies building vehicles abroad. Yamaha advertises their ATVs as "Made in America". None of this was happening back in the 50's. So, yes... you are correct. There has been a global economy for a very long time, but not at the level it has been during the Millennial's life time.

 

[BBob]

Speaking personally; I didn't want nor think about buying a touring style bike until I was in my 40's so using me as an example; the motor companies targeting Millennials under 40 might want to focus more on lighter cruisers or sport bikes and eventually e-bikes while still making touring bikes for those who can afford and want them.

 

[broggyr]

They resemble more a marketing than manufacturing company.

That's because they are, and have been for decades. You don't get that big and stay that big with an inferior product (based solely on the product's merits, not the love and loyalty that go with it) without a huge marketing effort.

Speaking personally; I didn't want nor think about buying a touring style bike until I was in my 40's so using me as an example; the motor companies targeting Millennials under 40 might want to focus more on lighter cruisers or sport bikes and eventually e-bikes while still making touring bikes for those who can afford and want them.

I, however, wanted a full dresser from before I could even ride. I was totally enamored with the fully-lit Christmas-tree Goldwings I saw in the mid 80s and that's what I wanted. Had my first bike, a Honda CB750C for 1 year and put 10,000 miles on it. The next year, I had a full dresser Suzuki Cavalcade (and put 40,000 on it in 4 years).

 

[MoRider]

One significant difference: Polaris readily admitted their plans to move production to Poland and elsewhere before tariffs became an issue. HD, like that fella who said "it depends on what is is," tried to use tariffs as a scapegoat after the fact. They resemble more a marketing than manufacturing company.

Harley already announced plans to build the Thailand plant about a year before the tariffs but it was going to be a CKD plant only. Polaris announced their plans to build Indians out of the Poland plant after Harley made their announcement.