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Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

  1. #51
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by hawk View Post
    Why don't they just put their efforts into making touring bikes with quality suspensions and frames that can actually be ridden. I had a street glide for a while. It did everything right as far as wind control and with some minor changes I made it very comfortable. What it lacked was a frame and suspension that would allow me to push it and have some, shall we say elevated fun. Also why does a motorcycle still need to vibrate like that at a stop light. They know how to make a balanced motor why not put it in everything. People are changing but they still want a good touring bike. Instead of continuing to make traditional ones. Make ones with traditional styling but bring in today's technology and make a bike to rival the goldwing in capability, make it 200lbs lighter and I would bet they would have a winner.
    I tried to make a Roadster into a motorcycle. HD uses the absolute cheapest Showa OEM suspension components. But the show stopper was engine case width.

    In the end I had to strip all the aftermarket stuff off to sell it.

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  2. #52
    Your Father csmutty's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul_E_D View Post
    I may be dead, but you are alive and becoming irrelevant.
    Your words hurt man.

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  3. #53
    Lifer obsolete's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by Chippertheripper View Post
    More than nobody.
    There’s whole clans of hipsters with clapped out Harley’s and mild chops running around out there pretending to be having fun. Granted, not a one of them is buying a soft tail rocker model, but still, people under 40 are riding cruisers.
    The girl and I rode the bicycles to Plum Island. Some guy on a clapped out sporty had a tshirt on that says "no one gives a fuck about your bagger". They're starting to eat each other.

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  4. #54
    Lifer capitalcrew's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Good shirt, lol

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  5. #55

    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Once they start selling them I'll ride and make up my mind then. I care about how the machine rides, and ultimately how much it costs. I put a over a thousand miles on a Softail I rented in Vegas. Decent ergonomics, rode well enough for a cruiser, but I didn't like the transmission. My '86 Yamaha shifted nicer. As for brand, I could care less whether it's Harley, Triumph, Kawasaki or Royal Enfield.

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  6. #56
    no can kneedown feralchimp's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    All I want out of a cruiser is:
    - Virago 1100 geometry
    - fuel injection
    - cruise control
    - modern suspension and brakes
    - remote preload adjustment on the rear
    - weighs less than 500lbs

    AFAIK this doesn't exist and isn't on anyone's horizon, but I would love to be informed otherwise.

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    -Jared
    ZX-4RR, Hyperstrada 821, ZX-6R (FS!), 701 E/SM (FS!)

  7. #57
    Super Moderator TheIglu's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by feralchimp View Post
    All I want out of a cruiser is:
    - Virago 1100 geometry
    - fuel injection
    - cruise control
    - modern suspension and brakes
    - remote preload adjustment on the rear
    - weighs less than 500lbs

    AFAIK this doesn't exist and isn't on anyone's horizon, but I would love to be informed otherwise.
    Modern Goldwing + a few hundred balloons and you got your dream bike.

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  8. #58
    Lifer BSR6's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    I just bought a 99 Super Glide. It's a total piece of shit and the suspension is absolutely horrible. The funny part is that's why I like it. The one thing Harley has nailed is character. I have no intentions of riding more than a couple hours at a time. For long rides I'll be finding a sport touring bike in a few years. I have a 3 and 5 year old so right now I just don't have time for that. In the meantime the Super Glide fits the bill nicely because it's fun.

    I once met a pilot who flew fighter planes in the air force. He was since retired and owned a P51 Mustang (WWII plane). He said that out of all the aircraft he had flown it was his favorite. He pointed out that he had flown much "nicer" aircraft, but the character of the Mustang is what captured him. The Super Glide is my P51 Mustang.

    I'm not saying they don't need to change. I think they should build off of what they have. They need to evolve without losing their identity. That being said, my guess is the adventure and streetfighter approach may not pan out so well.

    Full disclosure...I used to rag on Harley's bigtime. After spending some time on one, I started to "get it" and now I own one.

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  9. #59
    Lifer
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by feralchimp View Post
    All I want out of a cruiser is:
    - Virago 1100 geometry
    - fuel injection
    - cruise control
    - modern suspension and brakes
    - remote preload adjustment on the rear
    - weighs less than 500lbs

    AFAIK this doesn't exist and isn't on anyone's horizon, but I would love to be informed otherwise.
    NOT AT ALL!

    The cruiser market buyers believe there is no replacement for displacement. Hell, most boomers seem to believe this. And I argue most cruiser/tourer buyers are currently boomers. (That's going to change soon, and I think HD recognizes that.) But in the meantime all the big-boy-bikes are way >1000cc. Because those buyers believe anything under 1k is a "toy". And with that comes >500lbs.

    Anything under 500lbs is going to be de-contented and targeted to the "budget" buyer. I don't know about ergonomics. But the Kawi Vulcan S ticks some of your boxes. It's a Ninja 650 twin, recamed and jammed in a cruiser-ish package. My buddys wife just bought one and he claims it is pretty neat. Arguably out performs his Star 1100 (or is it a 1400?). But you'll never find high-end touring options like cruise on a machine like that. No way. They need reasons to push buyers into their higher dollar offerings.

    This is true in every segment. ADV-ers are the same. Some reversal of that recently. See the BMW 850GS, now available with cruise (for extra $) and all the fixings. Interested to see what that does to 1200GS sales. Triumph Tiger 800 x models too.

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  10. #60
    Lifer Garandman's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike


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  11. #61

    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by BSR6 View Post
    I just bought a 99 Super Glide. ...

    Full disclosure...I used to rag on Harley's bigtime. After spending some time on one, I started to "get it" and now I own one.
    My entire sport bike riding crew used to make fun of Harleys and Cruisers in general. A decade later, of the people who still ride most ride cruisers, some ride the very Harleys we used to make fun of.

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  12. #62
    no can kneedown feralchimp's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post
    Anything under 500lbs is going to be de-contented and targeted to the "budget" buyer.
    The KTM Superduke GT is in the neighborhood of 500lbs. The Diavel has a claimed wet weight of 515lbs. I could be convinced that cruiser geometry is tougher to build light, but those are high-end bikes carrying their manufacturers' heaviest motors. Chuck an 821 in a Diavel-like frame and lose the cartoonishly wide rear tire and you're close enough. Old man yells at cloud, but god damn.

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  13. #63
    Super Adventurer SRTie4k's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post
    NOT AT ALL!

    The cruiser market buyers believe there is no replacement for displacement. Hell, most boomers seem to believe this. And I argue most cruiser/tourer buyers are currently boomers. (That's going to change soon, and I think HD recognizes that.) But in the meantime all the big-boy-bikes are way >1000cc. Because those buyers believe anything under 1k is a "toy". And with that comes >500lbs.

    Anything under 500lbs is going to be de-contented and targeted to the "budget" buyer. I don't know about ergonomics. But the Kawi Vulcan S ticks some of your boxes. It's a Ninja 650 twin, recamed and jammed in a cruiser-ish package. My buddys wife just bought one and he claims it is pretty neat. Arguably out performs his Star 1100 (or is it a 1400?). But you'll never find high-end touring options like cruise on a machine like that. No way. They need reasons to push buyers into their higher dollar offerings.

    This is true in every segment. ADV-ers are the same. Some reversal of that recently. See the BMW 850GS, now available with cruise (for extra $) and all the fixings. Interested to see what that does to 1200GS sales. Triumph Tiger 800 x models too.
    Bonneville T120, Yamaha Tracer 900 GT, MT-10 all either come with cruise control or have options for it as well.

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  14. #64
    Angry Gumball RandyO's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    saw this posted on Facebook this morning

    "Harley Davidson Closing Plant Due to Declining Sales and here is why."

    Apparently the Baby-Boomers all have motorcycles.

    Generation X is only buying a few, and the next generation isn't buying any at all.

    A recent study was done to find out why.
    Here are 25 reasons why Millennials don't ride Harleys:

    1. Pants won't pull up far enough for them to straddle the seat.

    2. Can't get their phone to their ear with a helmet on.

    3. Can't use 2 hands to eat while driving.

    4. They don't get a trophy and a recognition plaque just for buying one.

    5. Don't have enough strength to hold the bike up when stopped.

    6. Might have a bug hit them in the face and then they would need emergency medical care or extensive psychological counseling.

    7. Motorcycles don't have air conditioning.

    8. They can't afford one because they spent 1 2 years in college working on a degree in Humanities, Art History, or Gender Studies for which no jobs are available.

    9. They are allergic to fresh air.

    10. Their pajamas get caught on the exhaust pipes.

    11. They might get their hands dirty checking the oil.

    12. The handle bars have buttons and levers and cannot be controlled by touch-screen or voice commands.

    13. You have to shift manually and use something called a clutch.

    14. It's too hard to take selfies while riding.

    15. They don't come with training wheels like their bicycles did.

    16. Harleys don't have power steering or power brakes.

    17. Their nose ring interferes with the face shield.

    18. They would have to use leg muscles to back up.

    19. When stopped, a light breeze might blow exhaust fumes in their face and cause nearly instantaneous cancer.

    20. It could rain on them and expose them to non-softened water.

    21. Harleys burn gasoline and that supports the big oil companies.

    22. Can't use both thumbs for texting while riding.

    23. Can't use a Harley to earn extra money driving for Uber or Lyft.

    24. Harleys don't provide enough sun protection for those spending most of their time playing video games in their Mom's basement.

    25. The Harley roar would scare their therapy dog, and then the dog would need therapy.

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    RandyO
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  15. #65
    Lifer Chippertheripper's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Yawn.

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  16. #66
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    A couple weekends ago I rode with friends to the regional Harley event at Sunday River, Maine More than a few people asked about my FJR1300 “What is that bike”. I had a few laughs telling them it was the new Harley Davidson Sports Tour.

    Some observations from the weekend:
    - At 57 I was by far one of the youngest riders
    - HD wouldn’t allow any vendors to the event so no vendor tents
    - HD didn’t bother to bring their own tent
    - HD brought DEMO bikes but thought it a great idea to have the DEMO tent miles away from the event

    Got my balls busted for suiting up and riding in the rain 2 out of the 4 days. I pushed back that “a HD and the tattoo = melts in the rain”. All in all the people at the event were nice and we had a good time. That said, while it is true that some younger people are still buying their bikes, I don’t see them buying into the lifestyle which is what (IMO) made HD profitable.

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  17. #67
    Super Adventurer SRTie4k's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by RandyO View Post
    ...
    Here are 25 reasons why Millennials don't ride Harleys:
    ...
    And that right there is part of why a lot of millenials won't buy Harleys, because a lot of the louder riders come off as condescending douchebags.

    Harley's biggest problem is the image of it's own riders. Posts like that certainly don't help their cause.

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    2023 KTM 890 Adventure R

  18. #68
    Lifer
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by SRTie4k View Post
    Harley's biggest problem is the image of it's own riders. Posts like that certainly don't help their cause.
    After owning one for a few months, I agree. The brand is rather polarizing. Even if the product is solid.

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  19. #69
    Backwoods lobster boy number9's Avatar
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    Re: Harley announces adventure bike, naked bike and potentially a sport bike

    Quote Originally Posted by SRTie4k View Post
    And that right there is part of why a lot of millenials won't buy Harleys, because a lot of the louder riders come off as condescending douchebags.

    Harley's biggest problem is the image of it's own riders. Posts like that certainly don't help their cause.
    And yet Suzuki has no trouble selling GSX-Rs...

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