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Harley to pull out of Worlds largest motorcycle market.

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steve the grease
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PostPosted: 14:11 - 25 Sep 2020    Post subject: Harley to pull out of Worlds largest motorcycle market. Reply with quote

They can't compete with Honda and local brand Hero
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54290245
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arry
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PostPosted: 14:33 - 25 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fortnine did a decent take on Harley's fortunes recently - couldn't help but LOL really; he was bang on the money:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOwxxsPaogY&t=9s
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 16:12 - 25 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the end they haven't made bikes that the masses want. OK, India is a bit different as the taxes are stupidly high if you aren't in a tie in with an Indian firm, but they have many more problems than that.

They are in an invidious position that if they tie in with another manufacturer to market a small bike their mainstream customer will object, remember AMF Harley Davidson and their foray into small 2 smokes.

I gather their much vaunted electric bike, while a decent ride has less range than a mobility buggy.

Despite the piss take of them, two wheeled tractors and the like, I really hope they survive in the long term but I have trouble seeing it.
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 18:45 - 25 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Royal Enfield is the only brand that didn't have to prove its worth in India, and that's because it did it a very long time ago. RE could always just sit on its laurels. Honda, Suzuki, Bajaj, Hero, KTM, etc. each had to bring something special to the table. Honda and KTM, particularly, focussed on product excellence. What Harley brought to the table there was the Street 750.
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smokin joe
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PostPosted: 18:48 - 25 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Were it not for the image Harley got from having their motorcycles as the bike of choice for the Hells Angels I suspect they'd have gone to the wall years ago.
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Copycat73
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PostPosted: 10:00 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

you go to a bike meet round here and you rarely see a harley davidson of any sort .. if at all .. when you do its just the support 81 crew .. and they only talk to you when they want to sell their tickets... recently i replaced my main bikes .. wit another jap machine ....
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arry
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PostPosted: 11:13 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

smokin joe wrote:
Were it not for the image Harley got from having their motorcycles as the bike of choice for the Hells Angels I suspect they'd have gone to the wall years ago.


I suspect it's entirely the reason they are going out of business rather than what has sustained them.
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MCN
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PostPosted: 12:17 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

They are oot the game because they did not evolve.

Who want pre-WWI tech in a £20000 bike?

Not many. Or not enough to sustain HD as a major manufacturer.

They are niche.

We don't have the weather for them in Europe.
All that chrome... 🤣
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 13:06 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

As has oft been mentioned their main demographic is rich doctors who like to cosplay "Sons of Anarchy" at the weekend. Talk about specific!

It's not like this stuff is hard to do. Volkswagen sell essentially the same car under Skoda, Seat, VW and Audi badges. Harley have a rich history they could easily draw on but no vision.
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 14:29 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apparently, Harley sold over 25000 Street 750s in India. I'm surprised they sold that many. The Street 750 sold for 7500-ish USD, and the Street 500 for 6700-ish USD. Assembled in India, to duck Indian tariffs. Complete junk bikes - the market spat them out. What a commentary on the way to enter that market though... As if all motorcycle markets all over the world are filled with wannabe Sons of Anarchy types who just can't find the denarii to get on board with the real thing, so give them a poorly-made knockoff and they'll lap it up... It's proof that Harley really believes its own hype. You might ride a Honda, but you'll have a Harley one day. They really believe it. Rolling Eyes
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MCN
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PostPosted: 14:48 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwud-2RKwA0
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MCN
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PostPosted: 14:55 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harley Davidson Alternative Names:

Hog.
Chopper.
Cruiser.
Cement Mixer (Quoted from an auld BCF post).
Harley Dae-Anything (My Scottish Option.)
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 15:27 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I really don't like that company, or their bikes. On principle, I could never bring myself to buy one, even as a project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoj26UlNMxQ

"A Harley Someday"

Those Harleys they cost so much money
A Honda is all he could buy
He covers it up on his car port,
If anyone saw it he'd die.

He acts just as tough as his buddies
They drink Harley Davidson beer.

And he tells anyone that will listen,
He's buying a panhead next year.

And we all laugh and think it's so funny,
Especially when we hear him say,
"Right now I'm just learning to ride, man
Oh but I'll have a Harley someday."

He don't take his bike to Daytona,
But he carries his helmet along.
And the Ironhorse Saloon shirt he's wearing,
Says bike week 1981.

He's a bona fide wanna be tough guy.
With long hair and chains on his boots.
He works 9 to 5 Monday through Friday
In loafers and Ivy League suits.

And we all laugh and think it's so funny,
Especially when we hear him say,
"Right now I'm just learning to ride, man
Oh but I'll have a Harley someday."

And he's thinking of getting a tattoo,
And maybe an earring or two.
As much as we hate to admit it,
We all know what he's going through.

We say he's a true weekend warrior,
He's wearing his old Harley hat.
And the truth is it's hard to remember,
That we all started out just like that.

And we all laugh and think it's so funny,
Especially when we hear him say,
"Right now I'm just learning to ride, man
Oh but I'll have a Harley someday."
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Copycat73
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PostPosted: 19:43 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bhud wrote:

He don't take his bike to Daytona,
But he carries his helmet along.
And the Ironhorse Saloon shirt he's wearing,
Says bike week 1981.


this ... in Newcastle upon Tyne there is a street .. westgate rd.. that is lined with bike shops .. where upon Hill walkers roam up and down carrying their lid ,wearing appropriate clothing and lookin for all the world the part .. but i know they caught the bus over there cos i was drivin it .. lol.
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 20:04 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

No great surprise. Question is, how long does the house of cards stay up given the aging target demogrphic, and the company's insistence at discontinuing anything even half interesting, while doggedly pursuing the sales tactics of selling a lifestyle, with the bike being secondary.
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 22:56 - 26 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Copycat73 wrote:
in Newcastle upon Tyne there is a street .. westgate rd.. that is lined with bike shops


Just "walked" down it with Google Street View. Woah... that is a lot of bike shops.

I can sort of understand why people take the bus to go and walk up and down there. They're sort of in the doldrums, and it keeps hope alive.
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Moxey
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PostPosted: 14:50 - 27 Sep 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Copycat73 wrote:
you go to a bike meet round here and you rarely see a harley davidson of any sort .. if at all .. when you do its just the support 81 crew .. and they only talk to you when they want to sell their tickets... recently i replaced my main bikes .. wit another jap machine ....


True, much more prevalent at rallies.

Saying that there are lot of people with Sportsters in the Northeast I found from owning mine earlier this year and quite a few meetups through Sportster Sickness NE.

Brilliant group of people for banter and friendliness but dull as dishwater for riding with, they seem to avoid the usual meets and make their own.

Wasn't for me though hence selling after 3 month.
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steve the grease
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PostPosted: 18:09 - 15 Oct 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

MCN wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwud-2RKwA0


Not neccessarily brought about by the same set of circumstances , but a similar film could be made about ( not in any specific order)
Norton
Triumph
BSA
Vincent
AMC
Take your market for granted and it will disappear.
Harley would have gone decades ago except for rampant American nationalism.
When I was 15 , I would have died for a Harley , when I became old enough to actually ride a bike on the road I realised that a Harley was the last thing I actually needed.
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All the above is my personal opinion, you can see my lips move, but I'm talking out of my arse.
I've been riding, and fixing , bikes for 50 years, in that time the more I learn, the less I am absolutely sure of.....
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Johnnythefox
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PostPosted: 09:14 - 16 Oct 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

steve the grease wrote:
MCN wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwud-2RKwA0


Not neccessarily brought about by the same set of circumstances , but a similar film could be made about ( not in any specific order)
Norton
Triumph
BSA
Vincent
AMC
Take your market for granted and it will disappear.
Harley would have gone decades ago except for rampant American nationalism.
When I was 15 , I would have died for a Harley , when I became old enough to actually ride a bike on the road I realised that a Harley was the last thing I actually needed.


When i was 15, I would've died for an RD250LC, when i became old enough to ride a Harley(56) i bought one.
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steve the grease
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PostPosted: 18:41 - 22 Oct 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Copycat73 wrote:
Bhud wrote:

He don't take his bike to Daytona,
But he carries his helmet along.
And the Ironhorse Saloon shirt he's wearing,
Says bike week 1981.


this ... in Newcastle upon Tyne there is a street .. westgate rd.. that is lined with bike shops .. where upon Hill walkers roam up and down carrying their lid ,wearing appropriate clothing and lookin for all the world the part .. but i know they caught the bus over there cos i was drivin it .. lol.


It was a bit like this in a bike club I hung around with , some blokes would have all the gear, leather jacket , boots etc, but only owned a box of bits and a provisional licence. Every week they would turn up to the club meeting with a knackered old Amal Monoblock or a piston oil pump which they showed anyone who was vaguely interested and lamented how they were saving up for a new part or how they would have the bike rebuilt by the time they passed their test. Meanwhile they would scrounge a lift on the back of someone elses bike, off to next weekends rally somewhere, getting pissed and enjoying the 'lifestyle'. I called them virtual bikers, they had 90% of the fun for a very small comitment, just a bus pass and a basket case bike
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All the above is my personal opinion, you can see my lips move, but I'm talking out of my arse.
I've been riding, and fixing , bikes for 50 years, in that time the more I learn, the less I am absolutely sure of.....
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