| Author | Message | ||
     Electraglider_1997 |
I'm certain this will get a lot of heated discussion but maybe not. I'm thinking that Harley will see the writing on the wall and probably already has. Harley is going to come out with a ULY type bike. They will see how the new Triumph Tiger sales go before they commit. The Tiger is going to be a best seller and Harley will follow suit with a competing bike which may or may not be a ULY with a 19" front wheel and the 1125 motor. I for one, would be very interested in that bike. Harley has a massive dealer support network and following and also needs to branch out from the cruiser thing before Polaris does. | ||
| Paralegalpete |
But they don't make new parts anymore, they just cobble together existing parts from existing bikes to make "new models" add a little powder coating here, a fat tire there, a new pain scheme and Bob's your Uncle. Who is going to design a completly new purpose built bike, Willie G.? | ||
| Hughlysses |
I've seen some pretty good "artist's concept" pics of "scrambler" versions of the Sportster. They could do one of those without a ridiculous effort, and that would pass for a decent adventure bike, but I just don't see them even trying. They don't appear to be willing to stray very far from the cruiser type, and their current management seems even more determined to stay on that course. | ||
| Ratbuell |
It's not their "core market". They won't touch it. | ||
| Froggy |
I would love to see the type of bike you describe come to market from Harley, but they seem to be unable to do anything other than their core heritage lineup. I'm sure if the management pulls their head out of their ass and properly use their marketing department, they could make anything happen. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Eventually they have to pull it out to gasp for air is my thought. In the past they have sold trail bikes, golf carts, bomb casings, utilimaster vehicles, Holiday Rambler Motorhomes and others. | ||
| Buellerxt |
I agree with the doubters above. Harley doesn't have the vision or smarts to first, see it, and second, make it work successfully, and I used to be a big Harley supporter. Harley was on the right course and executing very well through the eighties and nineties but greed and blindness set in and they thought the world was their oyster. They ramped up their production from only 95,000 total bikes a year in 1996 to well over 300,000 bikes/year in the early 2000's and in the early years of the ramp-up, as bikes sold wildly, they lost sight of reality, ramped up the already out-of-control greed and thought they were the Federal Reserve and could print money. Since reality struck they got very myopic, very pedestrian in their thinking, and decided that cost cutting and OVER emphasis on the hoodlum look was the course to follow. They've totally lost me and many others I know but they've been able to fool investors into buying into their plan, so far. Bikes and passion are merely implements and words to Harley these days. They wouldn't care if they were selling buggy whips with chrome handles as long as they sold. Harley is myopically focused on two things right now: Going more retro, blacked out, hoodie culture and continuing to try and build on the 'biker' lifestyle, while turning out Glides for the dieing off core, and FOREIGN sales. The current management thinks that foreign sales will bail them out and allow them to take huge payoffs as they turn their dysfunctional company over to a new crop of management in 2-4 years. 40% foreign sales by 2014 by turning upper crust Indians into bad ass bikers? LOL Pass the cool-aid. LOL Sorry to go on and on with my forecast for Harley but it really bugs me. It shouldn't have happened. They had it all and p*ssed it away. Shameful. I've agreed with their cost cutting and efficiency improvements but everything else has been leadership eroding mistakes. That wouldn't know what to do with the perfect adventure bike if it was given to them. (Message edited by buellerxt on February 20, 2011) | ||
| Uly_man |
I am with what Buellerxt said. For me part of the reason Buell failed so badly here in the UK was HDs very, very bad support of the bike and even though a Buell is a simple bike it makes most HDs look stone age. A Tiger up against a Uly. I think not and I am a Brit. Its not in the same ball park AT ALL. HDs head, like most US/UK/EU industry, is "old iron" and trading on its name. It dumped Buell and MV to trade on its core buyers, accountants, dentists and others who want to buy into the long forgotten "Easy Rider" bull sh+t. Then again its like most things today. We have more access to history than ever before but people still do not learn from it. HD is just another "numb nuts" company of the West and the reason China, India and others are walking all over us. | ||
| Itileman |
The bigger problem I see with HD and a true adventure bike is their board of directors, that, as a group, believe that riding off road is wrong. Note the Uly with a compliant, yet non-certified USFS muffler. Don't tell me HD couldn't afford to get it stamped as approved. No, the latest and greatest piece of machinery brochure I got from the MoCo was for the new "naked" look. They're stripping parts off and raising prices. The "Off-Road King"???? 850#'s of pure dirt pleasure (if you like to wallow). The "Sportster Low" for going under those pesky downed tree branches. The "Fat Boy", an ultimate support vehicle. I did like the carbon fiber doo-rag though. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I am in total agreement with EG97. | ||
| Daveymac |
just buy an R1200GS | ||
| Mad_doctor |
You know... it is kind of ironic, the bike that won the jackpine of years ago, does not even have a bike that would be able to compete in that kind of race now. (That was when men were men). now they think we all want to ride ultras or cross bones. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Here's one of those Sportster scrambler pics from ADVrider:  Cool bike, but I don't think current HD management would ever build it. | ||
| Yamafreak |
They have This!   | ||
| Gunut75 |
Cool bike, but I don't think current HD management would ever build it. Good Heavens I hope not.  | ||
| Druelly |
It's a XR1200 with knobbies and a skid plate. Druelly | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Hugh, The ADVrider bike is nice looking. It would have to have different gearing since it is pretty close to the ULY's and especially with the Sportsters heavier flywheel. | ||
| Windrider |
It will have 32 HP, weigh 780lbs, and (a first in the Dual Sport market) a chrome bash plate. It will also have a no suspension in the back and a springer shock on the front. Sorry, couldn't resist. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Windrider, It not about the HP, it's all about the torque. Nobody rides off road at 15,000 rpm. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
they could Uly-fi the XR1200 pretty easy | ||
| Paralegalpete |
how well does it crash? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
pretty good from what I could tell at Buelltoberfest | ||
| Tootal |
pretty good from what I could tell at Buelltoberfest  Man, that is so funny, yet sad!! | ||
| Hughlysses |
Yep, anything you can run off the side of Wolfpen Gap and then ride home ~500 miles crashes pretty good! | ||
| Buellhusker |
Harley used to build a pretty good off road bike in 1958 the Sportster XLC and XLCH and the XLRTT, and KRTT these were bare bones bikes. No mufflers, no electrical system other than a kill button for the mag. In 1959 they added a generator, battery & lights to make it road legal but that was easy to remove, they were a fast bike for the times. | ||
| Needs_o2 |
Hey Jim, Maybe they should just reintroduce the 1958 Sporty as it was then, cause it would fit right in with their current line up!  |
