Are you a Harley Davidson Owner? If you are what makes a Harley so appealing?

Question

I am completing a thesis for my Masters program & I need to reach out to the Harley Davidson community to find out "What is the Harley Davidson organization doing to deliver value?

Answer 1

I am not a Harley owner, and have enjoyed 43 years of motorcycling without ever owning one. However, I have ridden plenty of them, enough to know that I don't want or need one, especially at their price. A few of my rides on Harleys have been miserably uncomfortable, and I have yet to try one that did not drag hard parts at moderate, everyday cornering speeds. I have owned motorcycles that were bigger pieces of crap, but their price tags registered in the hundreds, not tens of thousands of dollars.



The Harley-Davidson does not deliver value, but it does a great job at creating the illusion of value, and there are plenty of suckers to lap it up. God love 'em, though. If they all wanted the bikes I like to ride, it would only drive up demand.

Answer 2

What's the difference between a Harley and a Kirby?





The position of the dirt bag.

Answer 3

Many people do believe Harley sells a life style rather than a motorcycle. This may be true for some folks. I mean for a lot of folks any activity is more fun when done in groups whether it's golfing or riding motorcycles and there is no doubt that there is more of a brotherhood between Harley riders than other brands. There are always various Harley events to ride to, meet new riders, hear good music, etc. Me personally, I am kind of a loner so that aspect of Harley ownership did not appeal to me and had nothing to do with my purchasing one. My reason was quite simple...it was pretty. Many people complain about the performance of Harley, but as a motocross racer of many years I get all of my performance fix on the track so I don't really need that when I'm road riding. I was looking for a great looking bike and that was my only criteria, not price, not performance, etc. I looked at all of the Japanese models and quite frankly they did not even come close in terms of the fit and finish. The chrome and paint on these machines is incredible. I wouldn't say Harley provides a great value, people don't buy Harley's because they are a great value. I wouldn't really say the company provides anything else that is of great value either compared to other manufacturers. There are some that will buy a Harley for the image, some will buy because of the fellowship amongst Harley riders, some will buy because it is an American icon and some, like me, will buy them because they are beautiful motorcycles (at least some models are). I have owned over 30 motorcycles on only 2 have been Harley's so I on by no means a "Harley guy" just trying to give an open and unbiased opinion. I currently do not own one.

Answer 4

Yes I am a Harley Davidson owner. The initial and ongoing appeal is looks. Looking at a simple silhouette, It's what seems to me a motorcycle should look like. For the most part, there are many styles.

I say initially because when I first started riding, no other bike had that profile.

My first bike was an 81 Sportster 1000. As I came to find out, it fell in the AMF years. Had I known, I honestly would have gotten something else. AMF did not care about Harley and cut corners so badly that as you can see by other comments, the company never recovered in some eyes.

I tore the bike down to the frame and axed it to my taste. Rebuilt and machined pieces that should have been there out of the box.

I still have the bike, as a matter of fact, it's the only bike I've ever owned. I've worked on and ridden a myriad of other bikes, but now that I need something bigger, the chances of it being a Harley are almost certain. The feel of them is unique. Out of all the cruisers I've ridden, a Fatboy I rode for a friend was hands down the most comfortable bike I've ever been on.

As far as what our heroes behind the bar and shield are doing for our money? All I can say for certain is long term investment. Example, check with police department motor pools about how many miles their bikes are turned in at, compare the different brands they use. Low revving torquey engines simply last longer.

Answer 5

Though I don't presently own a Harley, I've owned three of them in the past. I liked my Harleys, but they required attention and tweaking to keep them running right. For the past 20 years I've ridden Jap bikes, and everyone already knows the story about lower initial costs, extraordinary dependability, lower maintenance costs, quality of build etc., so I won't reiterate all of that here. Suffice to say that my '06 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe came from the factory with 5-year, unlimited mileage warranty. Harley will never attempt that.



What is Harley doing to deliver value? To their credit, Harley-Davidson is building better bikes now than ever before. The build quality, fit and finish is much better now, and the bikes are more dependable, lessening that hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling any time you set out for a long ride.



About 10-12 years ago the management at Harley must have sat down around a conference table and talked in a realistic manner about what they had to do. They knew they built the most beauftiful looking bikes on the planet, with a sound and mystique unmatched by any other bike, and with owner loyalty that is simply off the charts. But in their black & orange heart-of-hearts, they also knew...they built undependable crap and they charged two prices for it and the required maintenance. That settled, Harley went to work adapting their manufacturing processes, and adopting at least some of the Japanese bike manufacturers' quality control techniques & standards. That has resulted in a far better Harley being delivered to customers, and considerably fewer maintenance issues and mechanical failures. They're not up to the Jap bikes' typical build quality or dependability yet, but they're way closer than they've ever been. Harley prices, however, are still an issue for many potential owners who don't see the high costs as justified.

Answer 6

YES to your answer,

as to what makes it appealing, For me I grew up around motorcycles. I have personal owned several from dirt bikes- racers and cruisers. The classic V-twin has a unique feel to it. The sound and feeling is imitated but never duplicated perfectly. my riding style influenced my decision to buy a Harley. I didn't buy into for the stigma of being a Harley owner although I am proud to be one. there is always someone who can relate to you when you ride a Harley, be it there cost of maintenance or the shinny chrome. Most HD owners share at least a minimal amount of respect with each other. there is also the exclusivity of owning a HD and making it yours. Rarely will you find an owner that has not purchased a chrome dodad or done some modification to the bike within a few weeks of owning it. I like the fact that at any given time I can change the look of my bike the way it handles etc at my will. You will be hard pressed to find any manufacturer other then the v-twin providers that give you so much flexibility. The upside to all of this is if you ever decide to part with your HD, resale values stay high on them as long as they are maintained. I guess it all boils down to the ability to make the bike what "I" want it to be. The freedom to change it easily. Sure there are other manufacturers out there "victory" is one that comes to mind, but there knock offs of the original thing.

Answer 7

Retired Ironworker, my first bike was a 1954 Triumph, all the rest were HDs. Yes iknow lots of both. I'm 70 yrs old and from what I hear most of the bashers are just flat jealous, I know a lot of metric bike owners, they ride their bikes, I ride mine and we get along just fine, even the metric riders I don"t know all seem like decent folks, like I say a few jealous people that repeat things they heard other people say, they don't really know anything about HDs.Harley is the only bike for me, what others ride is not my business . I got the bike I wanted off the floor, an 08 FLHX. From central Pa. to Las Vegas, 2500 mile in 4 days. I feel HD is as high tech as any bike on the market and more than most. I've been riding for 50 years, Ive never ridden a metric bike but that doesn't mean I don't like them. HD has always treated me good , so i'm sticking with them.

Answer 8

I was up until last July. My first harley was a 03 vrod, then when i began doing longer rides, i traded it for a 04 fatboy. My first bike was a 07 Honda shadow, and when my girl's dad let me ride his 08 heritage, i was sold on Harley's. I think they are beautiful bikes with an amazing sound. The reason I got rid of the fatboy in favor of a Victory (the other american motorcycle manufacturer) is I require a bike that isn't a shop whore. I spent 10 grand on the bike and 3500 in repairs in the 8 months I owned it. During that time I put about 12k miles on it. That was unacceptable for this college student. Maybe someday Harley will make a reliable bike and earn back my business (when I can afford it), but I have not ridden a better motorcycle than my Victory. The Motor Company delivers value to their customer in the form of community and lifestyle. It should be no surprise that overall the company makes 60% of its profits from merchandising, 20% from bike sales, and 20% from service. I still wear my Harley shirts and Jacket even on my non HD bike. The HOG, Harley Owners Group, provides a local community, taking advantage of an extensive dealer network, that provides the local members with group rides and events, and a way to get involved and meet more riders. The value of Harley Davidson motorcycles comes from the notoriety of the name of the company. Their bikes cannot compete with other companies in price, reliability, or technology, so they work diligently to maintain their current and extremely loyal owners. One thing that helps is they have been the #1 selling motorcycle company in the US for a looooooong time, and as such have several after market parts companies that make literally millions of harley specific parts. They seem to really rely on the loyalty of their customers, most of them are die hard and will not even consider another bike. Hell, I was like that until I found out about Victorys.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Harley owner, the appeal for me is the after market parts world seems to cater to Harley riders, there is 10 times more parts available for these bikes than any other brand. Haters say it's because they break more, but I believe it's because the bikes have been slowly changed over the years and date back many more years than jap bikes.

Answer 11

I'm with Adam 100% I'm another old school biker who has been on two wheel for many years. I also ride a pan chopper. What is harley doing? They are taking the biker way of life, sanitizing it, and selling it at an inflated price to a bunch of yuppies and over the hill wannabees who never had the nads to live the life for real. 20 grand and 20 miles does NOT make you a biker.

Answer 12

Yes - legends are forever.The moment I saw mine I wanted it - 12months later the love story is still strong.These bikes have a soul of their own & are as individual as the people that ride them - no 2 Harley - Davidson bikes are the same once they have been owned for a while.The bashers can get on the bandwagon all they like - the pipes on my H.D. will drown them out anyway!

Answer 13

I would rather push a Harley than ride a Honda.... jap bikes simply cannot offer the same kind of ride a Harley does. Does that answer your question? It's all about the ride....

Answer 14

All the Harley haters will be along soon to tell you what terrible motorcycles they are.They don't believe in freedom of choice and they can't wait to jump on here and tell us all their tired rant.As for those of us that love them you will hear many reasons i expect.As for myself,I have always thought they were a beautiful bike.I wanted one from the time i was about 10 and went and saw Easyrider with my brothers at the drive in movie.I remember telling them that i would own one someday.It took me 11 years before i got one.It was a 1956 Panhead which i still own today 33 years later.It's not that fast and it does require more maintenance than newer bikes do, but i still love it just as much as the day i bought it.It's hard to explain but to me a good motorcycle is one that puts a smile on your face when you ride it.I have owned many different makes of bikes over the years and i liked them all.But the Panhead still puts the biggest grin on my face.And i could care less what anyone else thinks of them.

Answer 15

I use to ride Harley's in the 80's and up till 93 at that time the dealers were playing games when it came to buying a new bike so i stopped riding Harley's and went to the imports.My riding style has changed to sport bikes and Harley just does not make a bike to fit my type of riding. What they do sell is a life style,one i want no part of. What does matter is that you ride because you love it !

Answer 16

Unlike jap bike makers Harley delivers bikes that hold their value,made by Americans that value their job,and bought by people who value keeping jobs in the USA.

Answer 17

This never ceases to amaze me. I keep reading the same old drivel about Harleys breaking down all the time and how they're not worth what people pay. It's really getting old. First off, the guy with 11 bikes, you're lying flat out lying. The crap about being afraid to ride an electra glide a thousand miles? Pure unadulterated garbage.

I purchased my first bike at 13, a Hodaka Super Rat for 300 bucks and have had so many bikes over the years, it's really hard to count. Currently I have in my garage a 2007 Fatboy and a 1982 Suzuki GS750EZ that still runs and my sons park a R1 and a Road Star Warrior there also. I've ridden both quite a lot and they both have their good points.

BUT! I'vre ridden the fatboy over 25,000 miles in two and a half years, I ride every day it's not raining if I can avoind it and I've ridden in it snow and a low of 16 degrees. I've been riding now for what? 42 years non stop and have owned everything from Husqvarnas to Yamaha 650s (two of these, a 72 and a 78)

the Fatboy is my first harley to own. I rode one for a year or so when a freind left a 74 super glide while he went on missionary work for a while and it was fun to ride but things fell off it a lot. It was indeed a piece of AMF junk.

My longest trip to date is 3300 miles with the first lday's leg going 740 miles through a driving rain storm that lasted from Amarillo to Gallup New Mexico. There were three of us on Harleys and not one of them broke or sputtered a bit. The remainder of the trip ran through elevations up to 11,000 feet and rain, sleet, finally snow and 20 degree weather and still not one sputter.

I plan to ride mine to Sturgis this year and look forward to it as much as my first ride on a bike.

I'm not into the old school biker thing, but for anyone to call me a poser is something I could care less about. I ride more than most "old school" bikers and can prove it any time one wants to say anything. riding a bike doesn't make me a tough guy any more than it does anyone else. I have NEVER had anyone riding a rice rocket, japanese wannabe or any other brand of bike come up to me and say anything bad about my bike or my choice in what I ride. I have whoever had a lot of them start talking about bikes and the things theirs would do as oppsosed to mine and then start making exceuse why they bought what they bought and why they didn't get a Harley. I could care less!

While it's easy to hide behind a computer on here and talk crap, it apparently isn't as easy to shoot their mouths off in person.

I simply do not care what you ride, it's THAT you ride.

As for my choice in bikes? I bought this thing because I've always wanted a Fatboy since I saw my first one parked utside the Canyon fire Department at a school way back there. I just liked the looks.

I don't subscribe to a philosophy of bikerhood and I ride most of my miles alone.

The bike offers me peace of mind. It has never broken ANYTHING in the 25,000 miles I've put on it and actually, in all of the the poker runs, rallies and such that I've been to over the past 3 years, the only two bikes I saw sitting on the road broke were a honda of some sort, a v-twin that looked good but the kid riding it wouldn't buy a new battery and had to be push started (by people riding Harleys no less) at every stop on the ride. The other was an old shovelhead that lost a tail light lense at about 85 miles an hour. So where are all the broken Harleys?

Harley Davidson offers more performance and appearance parts than ANY other motorcycle manufacturer hands down and the rest of the aftermarket offers far more pieces parts for Harleys than any other brand and I defy anyone to prove otherwise. SO, there must be a bigger market for these parts among Harley riders, hence more harleys are still on the road.

This old line of bile about jap bikes lasting longer is pure B'S'. I have never seen a Jap bike with 134,000 miles on it and I have several freinds who have more than that on their bikes. One feller I read about last year has over 700,000 miles on his and yes, he's bought a new engine since he bought it but that was at about 450,000 miles.

As far as performance? It outruns just qabout anything on 4 wheels from a standing start and where in this country can you ride 185 miles ano hour? Mine has a 103 kit with cams and a few other goodies and it runs fine up to 110 miles an hour..Where can I maintain that for any length of time legally? I don't need your Japanese horsepower or the rediculous insurance rates you pay to have it. It doesn['t take any skill to twist a throttle and make a crotch rocket hit triple digit speeds. They can teach a monkey to do that so who cares?

My Fatboy was the bike that fit everything I wanted in a new bike and althought I did wince a bit when writing the check, I was willing to spend the money so if you can't afford something you want, it just sux to be you. Don't put me down for buying what I wanted. I didn't settle! Period!



I don't k

Answer 18

the fist bike i owed was a honda cb360t. then a 750 Kawasaki 4cylinder.i learned to ride on those bikes.saved my money for ten years to buy what i rely wanted.and that's what i have know a 98 soft tail custom.and yes i love everything about it

Answer 19

I have a sportster and an electraglide. Neither one is my favorite out of the 11 bikes I own. I prefer my Royal Star Venture over the electraglide because it"s more dependable and comfortable on a long ride. I've taken the venture on a few 1 day 1000+ mile trips and wouldn't trust the glide to go that far for fear of sitting on the side of the road with a busted part in my hand. I do like it though for the sound it makes and the classic looks, I just have to ride it close to home. The sportster I bought just because the price was right, but I like my 900 vulcan a whole lot better. The balance, power, looks, and dependability are so much better. Why do I have two Harleys then? So my club brothers will shut up about all my "jap bikes". I myself don't find them all that appealing compared to the other more modern bikes on the market. All the advances HD has made on their line are still 10 years behind what the other companies are doing and they're just hanging on the apron strings of brand loyalty and new riders who don't know anything but name recognition. I can't count the times I've been complimented on my "Nice Harley" when I was riding one of my japanese bikes. I think the only thing people find appealing about a harley davidson is the sticker on the side of the tank and their doctors and lawyers all ride one. why else would someone want to buy an over priced piece of antiquated farm equipment.

Answer 20

yup but Im an ol school,long haired tattood chopper rider! I dont buy bikes I build them. I could care less what the fools who dont like H.D. say they know better than to walk up to me and talk smack because they will get smashed.My chopper isnt as fast as that jap junk and I dont care! Its 1961 panhead where are the 1961 jap bikes? There aint none so tell me about jap so called quality!

Answer 21

I LOVE my '48 HD Panhead, 'nuff said.