Harley-Davidson demographic death
- Thread starter turkeydance
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These are the types of things I need to hear. Going by Team Powersports on Glenwood tomorrow afternoon...
OK here's a new old one-
What do Harleys and Hoovers have in common?
They both carry dirtbags.
And in full disclosure..I absolutely do not care what someone chooses to ride. Also, I'll try anything.
Currently I have a Goldwing, DRZ Supermoto bike, Old smoker 250 Elsinore(street legal), atv, CB125, mini-moto, and a Trail 70. The CB and the mini are in my living room and the SM bike is in my dining room.
I'd have the Goldwing in here too but I can't fit it through the door.
Lately sold the 2-fiddy dirt bike, KTM 525 Supermoto race bike(sniff..which also was front and center in the living room it was so pretty), and the Yamahammer 1000.
I've been to Daytona Bike Week..17 times I think? Lost count. Have a ticket framed on the wall for doing a burnout at 1:30 in the morning on main street in front of Froggys...just because the wife hated it and my buddys called it a badge of honor. My little Pom foo dog is named Honda, and we've been riding together for 13 years.
Been to bike events from San Diego to St. Augustine.
I'm a slut. I'll ride with anybody. I think bikes are rolling art and I love to look at them, hear them, and smell them. Some of the creations I've seen in my travels are seared into memory, and many of those are Harleys.
From the first one to date, there have been over 3000 motorcycle manufacturers world wide.
No..I've never hated my fellow rider or their bike. We all have at least one thing in common that bonds us;
We all hate idiot brain-dead car drivers.
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Okay, all this motorcycle talk has got me going again. Checked to make sure the battery tender was on the old 77 last night and now if the rain stops.....yep, not that hard core anymore.
OK here's a new old one-
What do Harleys and Hoovers have in common?
They both carry dirtbags.
And in full disclosure..I absolutely do not care what someone chooses to ride. Also, I'll try anything.
Currently I have a Goldwing, DRZ Supermoto bike, Old smoker 250 Elsinore(street legal), atv, CB125, mini-moto, and a Trail 70. The CB and the mini are in my living room and the SM bike is in my dining room.
I'd have the Goldwing in here too but I can't fit it through the door.
Lately sold the 2-fiddy dirt bike, KTM 525 Supermoto race bike(sniff..which also was front and center in the living room it was so pretty), and the Yamahammer 1000.
I've been to Daytona Bike Week..17 times I think? Lost count. Have a ticket framed on the wall for doing a burnout at 1:30 in the morning on main street in front of Froggys...just because the wife hated it and my buddys called it a badge of honor. My little Pom foo dog is named Honda, and we've been riding together for 13 years.
Been to bike events from San Diego to St. Augustine.
I'm a slut. I'll ride with anybody. I think bikes are rolling art and I love to look at them, hear them, and smell them. Some of the creations I've seen in my travels are seared into memory, and many of those are Harleys.
From the first one to date, there have been over 3000 motorcycle manufacturers world wide.
No..I've never hated my fellow rider or their bike. We all have at least one thing in common that bonds us;
We all hate idiot brain-dead car drivers.
I always heard it this way:
Q: "Whats difference between a Harley and a Hoover?
A: "The Harley has the dirtbag on the OUTSIDE"
I like the slut comment. That's me too. I will ride with anybody, but most importantly: I will ride anything. I will ride the wheels off a scooter, and not give a damn what anybody thinks! I'll have fun on anything with two wheels.
And, there are a lot of Harleys I would love to own, for the record. And I admire them whenever I see one.
One thing I noticed when going on tours, you mostly see: Lots of dudes riding Harleys all over the dang place. Middle of nowhere? Dudes on Harleys. So I respect why people own them, love them, and ride them. I think @Cranbiz on here has like 100,000 on an Sporster!
When I got back from Germany, I was out with the missus on the ZRX & pulled into a crowded biker bar in Fayetteville. Wife was all like "uh, sweetie?". Parked right up front, hopped off & when I pulled off my Shoei RF-1000, the response was "Carl? Dude! Nice effing whip!". Always fun to weird out the sport bike crowd, too. Pull up on the Harley & start checkin' out their rides- "Izzat the new ....? Whattaya think of the re-design? What's the top end on these nowadays?"
Goldwingers can be stand-offish & forget talking to the Bavarian fanatics, unless they're on a cafe'd out old airhead. The rest of the crowd? The guys on motards & funky FZ-09s, Guzzis, Trumpets & even Ducs? They're just happy to stand around & jaw about motorcycles.
Some of the Harley crowd can be just asinine, tho. "Oh, you ride a TwinCam? I'll stick with my real Harley, an Evo." Really? Effing noob. Guarantee most of those jackwads have never helped disassemble a '38 Knuckle chopper with a 20" over springer in order to get it out of the basement it was built in. Molded a Frisco'd Sportster tank into a Panhead chopper frame? Not bloody likely. Had to re-set the points on a Shovelhead on the side of the road? No way in hell, but they gotta have their schtick & pretend to be some kind of super-biker, when they'd never ridden a Harley until they became "cool" in the early-mid '90's & their wives finally gave them permission to buy one. Can't even tell you why you used to be able to recognize a Sportster rider by his limp & never been to a private/invite-only party at a clubhouse., but think they're some kind of uber-biker.
HD will probably survive in some fashion or another. They usually do, but chasing & selling an image they used to disavow has kinda painted them into a corner.
Goldwingers can be stand-offish & forget talking to the Bavarian fanatics, unless they're on a cafe'd out old airhead. The rest of the crowd? The guys on motards & funky FZ-09s, Guzzis, Trumpets & even Ducs? They're just happy to stand around & jaw about motorcycles.
Some of the Harley crowd can be just asinine, tho. "Oh, you ride a TwinCam? I'll stick with my real Harley, an Evo." Really? Effing noob. Guarantee most of those jackwads have never helped disassemble a '38 Knuckle chopper with a 20" over springer in order to get it out of the basement it was built in. Molded a Frisco'd Sportster tank into a Panhead chopper frame? Not bloody likely. Had to re-set the points on a Shovelhead on the side of the road? No way in hell, but they gotta have their schtick & pretend to be some kind of super-biker, when they'd never ridden a Harley until they became "cool" in the early-mid '90's & their wives finally gave them permission to buy one. Can't even tell you why you used to be able to recognize a Sportster rider by his limp & never been to a private/invite-only party at a clubhouse., but think they're some kind of uber-biker.
HD will probably survive in some fashion or another. They usually do, but chasing & selling an image they used to disavow has kinda painted them into a corner.
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Ikarus1
Avtomat Krishna-kov
Dad was always a Honda man since the 70s when the DOHC 750s dominated the world of motorcycling. Reliably. And the AMF Bicycle company owned Hardly Ableson.
Sure they had their renaissance and the last few Hardly's I rode with EFI purred like kittens and could pull stumps out of my yard with the amount of torque they made.
But my 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 had Anti Lock braking, reliable and nearly zero maintenance shaft-drive, was more comfortable at 70 on the highway, could do 160+ MPH if I needed it to, would pull the kinda of chicks I like if I weren't married, and cost much less than a Ultra Glide.
Sure they had their renaissance and the last few Hardly's I rode with EFI purred like kittens and could pull stumps out of my yard with the amount of torque they made.
But my 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 had Anti Lock braking, reliable and nearly zero maintenance shaft-drive, was more comfortable at 70 on the highway, could do 160+ MPH if I needed it to, would pull the kinda of chicks I like if I weren't married, and cost much less than a Ultra Glide.
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yes I'm aware my reference is to the fact that unlike guns, not many that climb on a bike that can do 160 and doesn't strive to make it do that and to boot go in between cars down the road. Yes it's true the bike doesn't make them do it I'm not insulting the bike itself. I almost was responsible for the death of one such person well not responsible it would have been his fault but I still woulda felt bad or worse, I was on a two lane road and going up a small hill and just at the top of there's a car going opposite direction and a frickin bike in my lane I just go off into the ditch in time as he zips by at least 100mph. I've had em go in between me and cars on the interstate riding the centerline, pulling out right in front of me I make sure to double check for bikes when I'm turning of all people I expect even more caution from bike riders at intersections,, etc. sorry I'm not trying to insult anyone I realize not all bike riders are idiots in fact most aren't, maybe even most of the ones that wanna do 160 even have the sense when not to do it, but I've seen too much stupid stunts not to have a tainted view...
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Hell yeah, I love Rucki. (Ruckeses? Rucks?)
Japan is really into scooters. I dig them.
This cant be helping matters
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/harley-davidson-recalls-175000-motorcycles-over-brake-failure/
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/harley-davidson-recalls-175000-motorcycles-over-brake-failure/
NCLivingBrit
Well-Known Member
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Supporting Member
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Just Google "bike accident injuries", that's how I keep off the two wheeled devil's.
NCLivingBrit
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Slosolo2
Here to be happy
Don't touch the front brake you'll go over the bars. Just lay'er down if you have to.
I'd totally rock that green one.
Way too scary. No roll cage, safety harness and full moto helmet.
Hey I know something they could produce again that would sell to Millenials like crack nowadays:
If you want to see a bunch of old Harley stuff, Wheels of Time in Maggie Valley has it. It's well worth the entry fee if you've never been.
You might even get lucky and Dale will have some out and might even let you ride one! He had the crazy thing with the oblong or out of round wheels that looks like it has Pogo sticks for shocks out one day I was there and was letting folks ride it. I had to decline that invitation.
You might even get lucky and Dale will have some out and might even let you ride one! He had the crazy thing with the oblong or out of round wheels that looks like it has Pogo sticks for shocks out one day I was there and was letting folks ride it. I had to decline that invitation.
I picked up my bike last week. I'll be 34 in two months. I guess I fall into the millennial category and most of my friends don't ride, or have any interest in riding. I think it's a combination of motorcycles "not being safe" and them having no money.
I searched for this exact bike (along with a aprilia tuono RF) for the past year. I finally found a deal from a dealer in VA and pulled the trigger. I'm super excited to ride again.
I searched for this exact bike (along with a aprilia tuono RF) for the past year. I finally found a deal from a dealer in VA and pulled the trigger. I'm super excited to ride again.
Lol, that cracked me up!
As a Millenial (32), I agree with most of the comments. You can't vape on a bike, and skinny jeans aren't flexible enough to throw a leg over one. That said, I'm not much like the rest of my generation. At 18, I bought a 95 model 750 Katana. Sold it a few months later to buy a Ducati Monster. Sold the Monster a year or so later to buy a Triumph Daytona 650 that I kept a few years and wish I had back. As some may recall from my thread in October, I decided to get another bike. Partly because I can finally afford one again, and partly because I finally have someone to ride with again that inadvertently convinced me to buy another bike. I went with a Harley. Why? Nostalgia, style, sound, heritage, 'Merica. Money didn't really play a part, but I went with a used (270 miles) 2017 Sportster Forty-Eight. I have yet to regret it or wish I had bought something else. In fact, my next savings project will be for a sportbike, most likely an Aprilia. I was just eyeballing one last week for $3k, but I'm not quite ready to buy yet. I, like most here, used to despise the Harley crowd. They were rude, arrogant, a-holes. They rarely acknowledged most sportbikes. That is changing now that I am of them and several of my old riding buddies are now Harley guys too. Things come full circle, and we aren't the hardcore crowd that's dying off because we all started on crotch rockets and still have a fair amount of respect for them.
Combat Diver
Well-Known Member
Ridden a few during my younger days at Bragg but never a bike guy. I'll always take a pickup truck or Jeep. And if I want the wind in my hair I'll go real old school and mount a horse.
CD
CD
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So, I just called up a dealer and asked for OTD prices on a couple of things they had advertised. A used bike for 3198, they said would be 4209. A new bike advertised at 4406 became 5914. That is insane. Is that typical? An extra $1000 on a used bike and $1500 on a new one? I didn't try to bargain, I just told her she was wasting my time and hung up. Back to craigslist and cycletrader I guess.
Slosolo2
Here to be happy
Probably have better luck face to face than on the phone.
From what little I have seen: yes typical.
But was much more in CA. As you can probably imagine!
On a used bike, no excuse for more than tax, tags, and title fee.
On a new bike, destination charge from mfr of about 300 and _maybe_ a couple hundred for prep is reasonable, at least to me.
We were clearly in 2 different worlds, so no point. Plus, I am near Raleigh and they are near Charlotte. Not going to show up there without a deal made.
I'm OK with CL - probably save me a lot of depreciation, especially if I get one pre-scratched up.
Find an owners forum for whatever bike you are looking for and check out their classifieds. Youll find a pristine used bike for a good price if you are patient. Be careful at dealers they love to rape you with fees.
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The biggest problem with finding a clean used bike is that most of the people selling them don’t actually own them. They usually owe what they are asking for the bike and I wouldn’t hand over cash for something that I don’t have a title to. “I need the cash to pay off the loan and when they send me the title I’ll send it to you” uhh, no thanks.
For new bikes I would have a figure plus tax/tag that you’re willing to pay for the model you want and just start calling dealers. When a manager calls back and says they’ll accept your offer then ask them to email you a buyer’s order with a vin # on it. $500 deposit on a CC and you have nothing to lose.
For new bikes I would have a figure plus tax/tag that you’re willing to pay for the model you want and just start calling dealers. When a manager calls back and says they’ll accept your offer then ask them to email you a buyer’s order with a vin # on it. $500 deposit on a CC and you have nothing to lose.
"So my neighbor told me a sales rep was in today and that he has a cousin who said his UPS guy told him he saw a video online of a Glock and THE BARREL blew up! He saw it on the interweb so it's got to be true. So if you buy a Glock it's going to blow up, they all do........."
To me that pretty much sums up this thread. Unless your comments are based on your ownership experience then it's nothing more than a Ford vs Chevy or 9mm vs .45 second hand debate.
Seems Glocks and Harleys have either people who love them or who hate them. Not too many middle of the road types.
( and it's easy for me to recognize the motorcycle snobs on this forum because my wife is one, I know what you sound like )
.
To me that pretty much sums up this thread. Unless your comments are based on your ownership experience then it's nothing more than a Ford vs Chevy or 9mm vs .45 second hand debate.
Seems Glocks and Harleys have either people who love them or who hate them. Not too many middle of the road types.
( and it's easy for me to recognize the motorcycle snobs on this forum because my wife is one, I know what you sound like )
.
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I hate it for the Motor Company. They've had a good run.
Alls I know is I just had a very enjoyable ride on mine!
Showing 68 here in Johnston county right now so
I say get out, enjoy this day and ride whatever you ride, whatever moves your soul.
HD does it for me.
Alls I know is I just had a very enjoyable ride on mine!
Showing 68 here in Johnston county right now so
I say get out, enjoy this day and ride whatever you ride, whatever moves your soul.
HD does it for me.