Thread: Is Harley Davidson Corp doomed?

Well here she is trapped behind a snow blower in my garage from hell lol.

@tcrideshd.. Thank you for the review on that Indian.. I find them intriguing but it's probably because of the very few I see around here, remind me a bit of the Valkyrie.. If you do get that Panhead throw a few pics up, love to see it.. Thnx

I've owned motorcycles since I was 16 but had been riding friends before I bought one. When I was 14 a friend had a Harley and I'd wanted one ever since. So when I retired in 2016 I told the kids to kiss some of their inheritance goodbye and I went looking.

There wasn't any way that I could afford a new bike but I wanted a good used one, one that would be reliable. However I didn't know much about Harleys so I reached out to a fellow member here at SRP. Tcrideshd to the rescue!

He took time out of his very busy life to help guide me. I'd send him links to bikes that I'd found and he'd point out the good, the bad and the ugly. I finally found a 1997 Heritage with 17,000 original miles on it. Tc told me what extras he could see and gave me the green light. Here it is:



Tc rode all the way from his home in TN to show me how to properly service my bike and then we went for a ride up the Old Lewiston Grade, and over Lo Lo Pass. Then over to Glen's.

The bike now has 32,000 miles on it. I did rebuild the front brakes and replaced some rocker box gaskets this winter and will be rebuilding the rear brakes and installing a new rear tire this spring.

I'd like to ride to TN to visit Tc this coming summer and I have a feeling that I'll ride away with more HP than I arrived with-

As long as I can get parts for the bike, I'm good to go. With that said HD does need to sell new bikes, just like GM, Chrysler, Ford and any other manufacturer. I do hope they can find the market.

I do find that the younger generation do prefer the crotch rockets but you don't see many of them out for the long rides. However I do see many of the younger riders liking to do what I consider really stupid things on their bikes-----like this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSkVxKioqVs

Originally Posted by Phrank

I read somewhere H D is considering making an electric bike - eco friendly type thing for the younger urban commuter/biker - anyone else heard about that?

@Crown - yes, that’s also what I read, what younger person has $30k to drop on something that for most will only be used during the summer, when there are so many cheaper options - millennials just don’t have that money for a “summer toy” I believe the phrase was used...

Phrank, Harley has been working on an electric bike for the last few years & plan on adding it to their line of motorcycles in the near future.

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Right now HD has spent a bunch on research to market to the younger crowd but shut down the dyna, bad move. But Harley has been in trouble before, yet they had Willie G. To fix it. I dont know if they survive, and I couldn't care less. I,m a loyal Harley owner and rider, had one of the new Indians in my driveway for a week, took it back and said no in a loud and clear voice. I'll ride my Harley's, as to getting anymore, yes I will, I buy used ones fix them up ride them , then sell them unless I really like it. I,m buying a new Roadglide now. As long as I can rebuild them I don't need the MOCO to survive, the 1958 pan I have an offer into doesn't care if poor management and lousy marketing goes on or if the company is still here. Shame for the economy and jobs lost though. Tc

Tc, you are so right about removing the Dyna from their line of motorcycles being a bad move & they have made some of them into Softail's like I mentioned in a previous post. There are many people who agree with you including myself about removing it from their line of motorcycles & I wonder how much money they have lost from that particular move. When my 100th anniversary Dyna was totaled, I told myself that was it, I'm going back old school, particularly a shovelhead since I have 2 of them. I would love to have a pan, a knuckle or flathead. I find the older ones much more fascinating & much simpler. People used to always say Harley's leak oil & I would tell them sure they do drip a little because the older ones had a drive chain oiler on the oil pump & it had a screw you could turn in or out to allow more or less to oil the chain. I always had it to where it basically oiled the chain only & tried to keep from dripping too excessively. An alternative is to have an o-ring chain which requires little or no oiling. Now that Willie G. retired as longtime Senior Vice President and Chief Styling Officer, they have younger people designing & styling & IMHO, I believe a longtime older style motorcycle is now gone, possibly forever except for the ones which remain. Of course other companies have made aftermarket pans & knuckles who are trying to keep the old school style but anyone having any original old school Harley's, cherish them because they are bringing in the new & an old era is diminishing.

Very nice Tour Glide.. And that is what a garage is supposed to look like isn't It? ��

Originally Posted by TCMichigander

Very nice Tour Glide.. And that is what a garage is supposed to look like isn't It? ��

Haha yeah maybe although some guys I know have garages that look more like a pharmacy than a garage. I guess i feel just a little guilty that all my crap should be better organized. Naah.

Of of all touring models i have always loved the Road Glide.

Very nice Heritage Roy.

This video was on right after the one Roy posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq2ueILuU9Q

Its not surprising. Harley has been living on the Harley mystique for years, without really coming out with anything new or unique. If you were in the market for a new bike, wanted an American cruiser and werent leaning one way or another, why in the world would you buy a Harley over an Indian?

@badgerstate... That is one of thevteasons I opened this thread and hope to keep it going for a little while. As stated I've had a number of different brands of bikes but for at least 20yrs I've always had a Harley as my main bike so I guess at this point I'm a pretty loyal Harley guy. My Road King is not real old (2007) but I would like to buy a new bike in the not too distant future and some of the Indian models have caught my eye. So not am I only concerned about Harley staying afloat as a company but I'm also hoping to get good, honest feedback from guys like Tc who have spent seat time on the new (polaris) Indian's .. Like Tc said, Indian name has been bought and sold a number of times through the last 20yrs and none of them have raving reviews. With a company that has a lot of $$$ backing them does Indian stick around and make some noise? Or do I stay with Harley whether it's a new bike or used but newer than what I have now?..

I have ridden motorcycles since i was single digits and have been a Harley Davidson rider/owner for 20+ years. I currently ride a 2015 Ultra which I absolutely love. Would not trade it in for anything! I will keep faith in HD pulling it out again.

That said, with the younger generation wanting everything instantly, not driving themselves rather taking an Uber, food delivered to their door, etc, companies which pride themselves on taking life at a slow pace and taking time to smell the roses have a struggle ahead. Time will tell what the world has in store for life as we know it...

In the mean time, I will enjoy every twisty road, change of scenery, and wind in my hair that my HD provides me!!