For discussion: Op-Ed about Harley’s future

[Peter Cooke]

If Harley would produce that motorcycle, I believe it would sell.

I concur. For that style, it's a great looking machine.

[hacksaw01]

Just got to post my 3 cents worth on this. I have six Harleys but have never and never will buy a new one. Last times I have gone to a dealership to buy 50wt oil; one dealer employee told me I could not park in parking since my Shovelhead was leaking oil on the asphalt and at another time, I had a girl dressed like a pirate in the parts department tell me that Harley has never made a bike that used 50wt oil. In my opinion the last genuine Harley Davidson was the Evolution model. All models manufactured after that time are just bikes made to resemble and sound like authentic Harleys for sales purposes. I do have one late model Harley, a Twin Cam I use only for traveling distance. If it broke down at home, I would not trust anyone in my local dealership repair it. If it broke down on a long trip, there would be some Harley dealers that would not work on it since they would consider a Twin Cam to be obsolete. I probably have not been in a dealership in last approx. 10 or more years and do not plan to go in one again. Harley has created their own problems, and I have no symphony for them. Now, I feel better.

This is just wrong. I am not defending dealers but you are just plain wrong.
first , you can’t understand why a dealer doesn’t want oil leaked in front of his place. Sure it makes Harley look like leakers , but it also can get oil on the tires of the next few bikes parked in that spot. That’s a big safety issue.
next , if you run straight 50wt in warm riding weather , nobody would be surprised . All though my guess on a shovel it’s leaking tranny oil from the countershaft bushing
as well as whatever else
also- if you are running straight 50wt in a twin cam you are next on the blown cam chest list.
my twin cams ran 20-50 if memory serves me. Not 50w
parts ladies dressed as pirates- sounds hot to me. But I basically agree with her . At least in any Harley I am familiar with . My “47 Indian ran 50. But Harleys ran strait 60. Noted in the 1979 owners manual . 70wt in extreme heat . 50wt in extreme cold those are extremes you will only find riders using in old copies of The Enthusiast.
every shovelhead came stock with 60 as per spec .
know the difference between 20-50 and strait 50.
your Twinkie will thank you.

[hacksaw01]

Hmm, that's a different perspective on the situation. I like it. The articles I read about the previous CEO and the changes the new one is making focused on price and customer demand. HD will survive, but you can't turn a battleship around quickly. It's obvious that the demographic is ageing out, and old grey hairs in charge need to figure out what younger riders want.. I think this CEO gets that.

But I disagree that the rebel aesthetic is going away. Companies like Lowbrow Customs are doing very well providing parts to make stripped down bikes for young riders. HD needs to jump back on that bandwagon, like they did with the special sportster models a few years back. The new sportster is actually a good bike, and young people like it because it's fast. A stripped down custom paint series would sell well. The Lowrider ST is an awesome bike, they should have an entry level version of it and a Road King as an entry touring bike. If I ruled the world...

ps I still laugh at them, because Vivid Black, the mainstay of Harley paint forever, is now an upcharge. Clear-coated primer is the base color now. Talk about cheapening the brand.

Agreed. I recall Todd? From lowbrow 20 years ago was on an old yahoo chopper group. His start up company printed stickers and t shirts. Now he has a big aftermarket company and races the salt flats. When I am building I order from him regularly.
paying more for black is sick. Henry ford must be rolling in his grave.

[hacksaw01]

Here is another link with the story on the X440 & the X350. I think Harley may be testing these models for future goals...What Is The Harley-Davidson X 440 And Why Can't You Buy It In The US?

Junk . What was wrong with the 500 baby vrod ?
A decent bike that didn’t really sell. Along with its sibling 750?
whom in their right mind would by Chinese , or Indian Harley’s . They would be better off to bring back Aermacchi.

[hacksaw01]

Somebody previous in this thread mentioned worldwide sales of Honda and mention, Kawasaki.
first off I believe that Harley is still number one in sales of large machines. Honda sells a lot of tiddlers world wide, and I don’t even know if they sell more than some Chinese brand. As to Kawasaki, the ones I had in my youth were very fast, but they were junk. I don’t know if today’s Kawasaki’s are any better or not. I imagine they might be and since I’m in the market perhaps for a dual purpose, smaller bike I will look at them, but they don’t compare to Harley Davidson as far as a big bikes go.

[duffeycycles]

The VRod & Baby VRod as you call it was an engine design that I suggested to Willie G in 1997. The chassis is not what I suggested but I thought HD needed to catch up with modern technology in D shaped head design with 4 valve heads & closed loop Fuel injection with 02 sensors, & hopefully no cam chain noise. Nobody likes rattling motors.This design would allow them to create higher compression & performance with capabilities of changing exhaust & air cleaners without having to go to dealers for remapping which was the problem in early FI Harleys. I also mentioned that at least on the fairing bikes, they would need to run coolant thru the heads to run pump gas. I said stick to the Harley V Twin platform so it still had that Harley feel & sound. I mentioned going to European automotive manufacturers for help, maybe Porsche who was the leader in those engine designs. I also suggested they practice with 500 & 750 displacement motors, eventually adapting that technology to the big motors. Willie always listened to me & I have seen it in the design changes over the years. The first was the VRod that came out in 2001, not long after our long talk at Davenport. 02 sensors & closed loop were added to the Twinkies in 2007. The M8 motor is the result of those years of practice. In my opinion it is a great motor, smooth powerfull, higher compression & larger displacement than anything before. Lastly when HD mentioned when they were dropping the 500 & 750 Street bikes that they were not done with the platform that new designs were in the works.