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Old 24 February 2018, 02:54 AM   #31
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If you read the motorcycle forums the angst is pretty prevalent about trying get younger rides into the sport/hobby/lifestyle.

One of the many problems Harley has is their base which is dying off, and young people aren’t interested in cruisers. Whenever Harley has tried other styles their dealers and customers who are into the pirate lifestyle and costuming, scoff at the new bikes.

The more European style sport touring bikes like BMW are doing well and younger people have always like the crotch rocket sport bikes, but often grow out of them, but don’t progress towards cruisers either.

Triumph has been doing well with its cafe style Bonneville do-overs from the 60s and they are attracting a lot of younger people.

Harley is sort of a victim of its own success. I believe the majority of Harley Cruiser style bikes are now being bought by doctors and dentists who can afford them and like to play dress up on weekends.
ARRRRRR!!! Road rash be a way of life matey!

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Old 24 February 2018, 02:56 AM   #32
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ARRRRRR!!! Road rash be a way of life matey!
Village People?
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Old 24 February 2018, 03:10 AM   #33
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Village People?
No, just some random pirate biker I pulled up on google images.

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Old 24 February 2018, 06:41 AM   #34
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Triumph has been doing well with its cafe style Bonneville do-overs from the 60s and they are attracting a lot of younger people.

Harley is sort of a victim of its own success. I believe the majority of Harley Cruiser style bikes are now being bought by doctors and dentists who can afford them and like to play dress up on weekends.
I traded in my Triumph Thruxton last summer for a HD Street Glide Special.

I've been super happy with this bike. We racked up a lot of miles before winter and look forward to spring.

I wish I had made this decision years back. It's been a fun and comfortable motorcycle for my wife and I.

An no neither of us, gear up like above.
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Old 24 February 2018, 06:57 AM   #35
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If you read the motorcycle forums the angst is pretty prevalent about trying get younger rides into the sport/hobby/lifestyle.

One of the many problems Harley has is their base which is dying off, and young people aren’t interested in cruisers. Whenever Harley has tried other styles their dealers and customers who are into the pirate lifestyle and costuming, scoff at the new bikes.

The more European style sport touring bikes like BMW are doing well and younger people have always like the crotch rocket sport bikes, but often grow out of them, but don’t progress towards cruisers either.

Triumph has been doing well with its cafe style Bonneville do-overs from the 60s and they are attracting a lot of younger people.

Harley is sort of a victim of its own success. I believe the majority of Harley Cruiser style bikes are now being bought by doctors and dentists who can afford them and like to play dress up on weekends.

This is exactly the problem! I bought a Vrod because it was the only Harley that really spoke to me. However, I just couldn't get into all the "other" stuff. I didn't want to wear leather chaps, ugly ass black boots, and spend $60 on a t-shirt that said "HD" blah blah on it. I tried it, but reverted back to more normal attire and a full face helmet.

Everyone I rode with was a MD, lawyer, business owner, executive, etc fully decked out in HD gear - jeans, socks, belts, rings, etc. Sold the Vrod and miss riding, but I do not miss all the polishing, washing, cleaning, special attire, etc.

I want another bike, but I am thinking cafe racer or BMW.
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Old 24 February 2018, 07:01 AM   #36
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I bought a 2000 FXDX that I took off the top end and replaced with it with all Screamin' Eagle parts before it left the dealer. 95" cylinders, heads, forged aluminum pistons, pushrods, carb, ignition, cams, exhaust. It wasn't a kit but individual parts I selected. On the Dyno it put out 95HP and 96FT/LBS at the rear wheel. I put 30,000 trouble free miles on it before I sold it last year. I didn't baby it either. I didn't have one breakdown or repair, or malfunction with it. I serviced it according to the manual. I also changed the oil every 1,000 miles. Even after I started running synthetic. Might have been overkill, but it worked They can reliable when modified as long as you use the right parts and take care of them

Now I have a 2003 100th Anniversary Electra Glide Classic with a 95" Big Bore kit in it. Had 23,000 on it when I got it last year. I know the original owner and he babied it so there's no worry to me. I also helped him set it up when he ordered it
Depends on who does the work I guess. My neighbor was into that scene and he had a Street Bob that was fine stock but once he started modding it it got progressively less reliable. I won't even get into the custom chopper he bought and how unreliable that was. Stock, they are pretty quiet and decent running machines.

The extent of mods I've done to my Ducati is a full Arrow exhaust and forged Marchesini wheels. Fueling is a bit better with the exhaust and it dropped about 15lbs of weight plus it sounds better with the baffle in than the stock exhaust, with the baffle out it is quite loud, too loud for me really, but still not as loud as a Harley with straight pipes. The wheels reduced weight another 5lbs.

At 150hp and 90ft lbs of torque stock there really isn't any reason to try to add more power. It will hoist the front wheel up in the first couple gears pretty easily, it is way more capable than I am.
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Old 24 February 2018, 07:39 AM   #37
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I know a lot of retired guys that have BMW touring bikes. Incredible machines, but it's hard to beat the Japanese bikes. They offer the all day comfort and great reliability for a fraction of the cost. All of my motorcycles have been Honda except for my GNCC days. KTM was the only thing that could handle the abuse I dished out. GasGas was close, but you couldn't get parts for the dang thing.
KTM rules the woods. When riding enduro off-road areas (gncc type riding) KTM and now huskys make up about 75% of the bikes. Amoung racers I am sure it is higher.

I had a 300 Ktm but now have a husqvarna TE300 which is essentially the same.
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Old 24 February 2018, 01:49 PM   #38
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I also changed the oil every 1,000 miles.
Every 1000 miles?!?!? Your bike and your money but that seems a bit extreme.
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Old 24 February 2018, 08:31 PM   #39
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Depends on who does the work I guess. My neighbor was into that scene and he had a Street Bob that was fine stock but once he started modding it it got progressively less reliable. I won't even get into the custom chopper he bought and how unreliable that was. Stock, they are pretty quiet and decent running machines.

The extent of mods I've done to my Ducati is a full Arrow exhaust and forged Marchesini wheels. Fueling is a bit better with the exhaust and it dropped about 15lbs of weight plus it sounds better with the baffle in than the stock exhaust, with the baffle out it is quite loud, too loud for me really, but still not as loud as a Harley with straight pipes. The wheels reduced weight another 5lbs.

At 150hp and 90ft lbs of torque stock there really isn't any reason to try to add more power. It will hoist the front wheel up in the first couple gears pretty easily, it is way more capable than I am.
You're 100% correct on who does the work. The guy who built my motor at the dealership is top notch. I took it there for service when it was under warranty so I had a record of it too in case something went wrong. He also worked out of his house at night, and eventually went on to open up his own shop. Besides me doing fluid changes and small stuff, he's the only person who ever took a wrench to my motorcycle. We became good friends and riding buddies too

Buying a custom chopper is a crap shoot. So many problems, right from the get go. Even if they were from a manufacturer. A friend had an Ultra Ground Pounder he bought new. He had his share of problems, not to mention the bath he took when he sold it. Terrible re sale on those things. I'm sorry your friend had problems with his.

If I ever have a Ducati, I probably would stop at the extent you did, exhaust and maybe wheels. They're just about as perfect as they come I like loud, but not obnoxious loud. I'm not a fan of Thunderheaders and drag pipes. I've always had baffles in my exhaust. Drag pipes rob power from you on the street. They are great on the drag strip at WFO
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Old 24 February 2018, 08:32 PM   #40
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Every 1000 miles?!?!? Your bike and your money but that seems a bit extreme.
1,000 miles or once every spring. Whichever came first. It probably was excessive. I rode it hard thou and didn't want to take any chances. I probably won't do the same with the Dresser I have now
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Old 24 February 2018, 08:45 PM   #41
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Every 1000 miles?!?!? Your bike and your money but that seems a bit extreme.
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1,000 miles or once every spring. Whichever came first. It probably was excessive. I rode it hard thou and didn't want to take any chances. I probably won't do the same with the Dresser I have now
I had a ‘74 Sportster that changed its own oil about every 200 miles.
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Old 24 February 2018, 09:11 PM   #42
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I had a ‘74 Sportster that changed its own oil about every 200 miles.
The '69 Sportster I had wasn't too far behind that
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Old 24 February 2018, 09:18 PM   #43
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The '69 Sportster I had wasn't too far behind that
My apartment building manager made me put a drip pan under it in the parking lot.

I traded a KZ1000 for it, which in hindsight was probably a dumb trade. But it was a really good idea at that time in my life. I could see touring on a Goldwing now, but the HD leather crowd that predominates riding culture here is a big turn off for me.
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Old 24 February 2018, 09:36 PM   #44
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I should have taken out loans in 2008 to short HD when they went from one destination Dealer in TX to nearly 50 today opening huge Dealerships in every Texas town over 50K population. Nobody is buying that many Electraglides in Blue.
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Old 24 February 2018, 09:37 PM   #45
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You're 100% correct on who does the work. The guy who built my motor at the dealership is top notch. I took it there for service when it was under warranty so I had a record of it too in case something went wrong. He also worked out of his house at night, and eventually went on to open up his own shop. Besides me doing fluid changes and small stuff, he's the only person who ever took a wrench to my motorcycle. We became good friends and riding buddies too

Buying a custom chopper is a crap shoot. So many problems, right from the get go. Even if they were from a manufacturer. A friend had an Ultra Ground Pounder he bought new. He had his share of problems, not to mention the bath he took when he sold it. Terrible re sale on those things. I'm sorry your friend had problems with his.

If I ever have a Ducati, I probably would stop at the extent you did, exhaust and maybe wheels. They're just about as perfect as they come I like loud, but not obnoxious loud. I'm not a fan of Thunderheaders and drag pipes. I've always had baffles in my exhaust. Drag pipes rob power from you on the street. They are great on the drag strip at WFO
Oh they aren’t perfect. They are not without their odd Italian quirks and problems that never really seem to get fixed. Plastic fuel tanks that don’t work well long term with the ethanol we put in our fuel and fuel gauge sending units that also have long term issues with our fuel to mention a couple. The tanks don’t leak, they just bulge, expand and warp a bit causing figment issues and cosmetic problems. To be fair though, this isn’t a problem that only affects Ducati. BMW and MV Agusta have also had problems with plastic fuel tanks.

I’m on my third fuel gauge sending unit. They work for a year or two and then they start giving faulty readings and error messages. I’ve had the front brake master cylinder replaced under warranty too. It didn’t fail but was getting spongy and progressively worse until I took it in. My local dealer is top notch and I honestly don’t think I’d ever own a Ducati without the support of a trustworthy Ducati dealership nearby. I purchased both of my Ducati’s from them new and I’d recommend them to anyone looking to buy a Ducati or have their bike serviced.

If you’re going to buy a new Ducati my recommendation would be to ride the crap out of it. If anything fails, you want it to fail under warranty. Extended warranties are a bit of a bargain too, I would recommend purchasing one from your dealer before the factory warranty expires. Ducati.ms is a great online resource too. I’m a member there under the same username I have here. I’ve been a member there for almost 10 years.

This reminds me, I need to bleed my rear brake soon, they get spongy and need this done about every 12 months. I can do that myself though.
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Old 24 February 2018, 10:01 PM   #46
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Oh they aren’t perfect. They are not without their odd Italian quirks and problems that never really seem to get fixed. Plastic fuel tanks that don’t work well long term with the ethanol we put in our fuel and fuel gauge sending units that also have long term issues with our fuel to mention a couple. The tanks don’t leak, they just bulge, expand and warp a bit causing figment issues and cosmetic problems. To be fair though, this isn’t a problem that only affects Ducati. BMW and MV Agusta have also had problems with plastic fuel tanks.

I’m on my third fuel gauge sending unit. They work for a year or two and then they start giving faulty readings and error messages. I’ve had the front brake master cylinder replaced under warranty too. It didn’t fail but was getting spongy and progressively worse until I took it in. My local dealer is top notch and I honestly don’t think I’d ever own a Ducati without the support of a trustworthy Ducati dealership nearby. I purchased both of my Ducati’s from them new and I’d recommend them to anyone looking to buy a Ducati or have their bike serviced.

If you’re going to buy a new Ducati my recommendation would be to ride the crap out of it. If anything fails, you want it to fail under warranty. Extended warranties are a bit of a bargain too, I would recommend purchasing one from your dealer before the factory warranty expires. Ducati.ms is a great online resource too. I’m a member there under the same username I have here. I’ve been a member there for almost 10 years.

This reminds me, I need to bleed my rear brake soon, they get spongy and need this done about every 12 months. I can do that myself though.
Can you get alcohol free gas there? Our Super grades here are ethanol free.
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Old 25 February 2018, 12:44 AM   #47
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Can you get alcohol free gas there? Our Super grades here are ethanol free.
Nope.

And I don’t mean to imply that they are unreliable, they aren’t. Neither of my Ducati’s ever left me stranded and I would own them both all over again.
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Old 25 February 2018, 03:12 PM   #48
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My apartment building manager made me put a drip pan under it in the parking lot.

I traded a KZ1000 for it, which in hindsight was probably a dumb trade. But it was a really good idea at that time in my life. I could see touring on a Goldwing now, but the HD leather crowd that predominates riding culture here is a big turn off for me.
Goldwing is my next bike. Plenty of creature comforts as I am now at the age where the more comfortable the better. My cruiser days are done.
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Old 25 February 2018, 03:23 PM   #49
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Old 25 February 2018, 11:02 PM   #50
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Nope.

And I don’t mean to imply that they are unreliable, they aren’t. Neither of my Ducati’s ever left me stranded and I would own them both all over again.
Too bad you can’t get “good” gas. The ethanol fuels are hard on systems not designed for it. I have a similar problem with US diesel fuel. My truck was designed for the lubricity of high sulfur diesel, so I use additives to replace the sulfur.

Ducati’s are great bikes. I rented one in the UAE for a holiday a few years ago. It was a blast.
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Old 25 February 2018, 11:23 PM   #51
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My apartment building manager made me put a drip pan under it in the parking lot.

I traded a KZ1000 for it, which in hindsight was probably a dumb trade. But it was a really good idea at that time in my life. I could see touring on a Goldwing now, but the HD leather crowd that predominates riding culture here is a big turn off for me.
I kept a cookie sheet on the garage floor under mine On the VL models in the 1930's the oil systems were total loss systems. They were designed where they would use about one quart every 750 miles or so. Part of that was because of the automatic chain oiler.

I've literally been a fan of HD my whole life. There's been one in the garage every day of my life. My dad rode and still does once in a while. Motorcycles are in my blood. However...if I were to do any serious touring, I'd have a hard look at a Goldwing. You can't ignore what they have to offer with that motorcycle

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Oh they aren’t perfect. They are not without their odd Italian quirks and problems that never really seem to get fixed. Plastic fuel tanks that don’t work well long term with the ethanol we put in our fuel and fuel gauge sending units that also have long term issues with our fuel to mention a couple. The tanks don’t leak, they just bulge, expand and warp a bit causing figment issues and cosmetic problems. To be fair though, this isn’t a problem that only affects Ducati. BMW and MV Agusta have also had problems with plastic fuel tanks.

I’m on my third fuel gauge sending unit. They work for a year or two and then they start giving faulty readings and error messages. I’ve had the front brake master cylinder replaced under warranty too. It didn’t fail but was getting spongy and progressively worse until I took it in. My local dealer is top notch and I honestly don’t think I’d ever own a Ducati without the support of a trustworthy Ducati dealership nearby. I purchased both of my Ducati’s from them new and I’d recommend them to anyone looking to buy a Ducati or have their bike serviced.

If you’re going to buy a new Ducati my recommendation would be to ride the crap out of it. If anything fails, you want it to fail under warranty. Extended warranties are a bit of a bargain too, I would recommend purchasing one from your dealer before the factory warranty expires. Ducati.ms is a great online resource too. I’m a member there under the same username I have here. I’ve been a member there for almost 10 years.

This reminds me, I need to bleed my rear brake soon, they get spongy and need this done about every 12 months. I can do that myself though.
It's still a Ducati One friend had a Monster and it was great for the short time he owned it. Another has a 748 he bought brand new in '98. It's yellow and beautiful. What a sound it has. The Panigale V4 S is just nuts.
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Old 25 February 2018, 11:30 PM   #52
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Harley had a big following with the Dyna platform. They sold every one they made. They have a huge following. Same thing with the FXR line. The guys who are in their 60-70's now didn't like the FXR's because of the way they look. It's debatable now that they're the best handling motorcycle they've made. Even more so than the Dyna that replaced it. A lot of guys in their 20's-30's won't ride anything else but these. Have a look at all the Instagram pages to see that.

Problem is HD discontinued them both. They killed off a lot of new business by doing that. The young crowd that ride Dynas now, don't like it's replacement. When they are ready to buy a new motorcycle, they might look elsewhere. I haven't rode a new Softail yet to see if it is as good as it's been hyped up to be. Who knows, it could be the new FXR
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Old 26 February 2018, 12:18 AM   #53
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Wow. I was shocked to see how bad sales are. Guess they have to do something as motorcycle industry is in a huge down trend.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/harley-da...113001093.html

Still if I am owning a motorbike it would never be electric. Especially not a Harley.
seriously! save the electric bikes for the rice jockiy's
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Old 26 February 2018, 12:23 AM   #54
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Harley had a big following with the Dyna platform. They sold every one they made. They have a huge following. Same thing with the FXR line. The guys who are in their 60-70's now didn't like the FXR's because of the way they look. It's debatable now that they're the best handling motorcycle they've made. Even more so than the Dyna that replaced it. A lot of guys in their 20's-30's won't ride anything else but these. Have a look at all the Instagram pages to see that.

Problem is HD discontinued them both. They killed off a lot of new business by doing that. The young crowd that ride Dynas now, don't like it's replacement. When they are ready to buy a new motorcycle, they might look elsewhere. I haven't rode a new Softail yet to see if it is as good as it's been hyped up to be. Who knows, it could be the new FXR
my good has an FXR which ive had the pleasure of using a few times ita an awesome ride but the softail is no FXR. HD is manufacturing way too many different bikes IMHO and trying to appeal to everyone they need to get back to their roots
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Old 26 February 2018, 12:54 AM   #55
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my good has an FXR which ive had the pleasure of using a few times ita an awesome ride but the softail is no FXR. HD is manufacturing way too many different bikes IMHO and trying to appeal to everyone they need to get back to their roots
They only have the Street models, Sportster, Softail, V-Rod and Touring models. That's only 5 different chassis. I've have a lot of miles on FXR's too. From stock to 100HP 100FTLBS at the real wheel. Hard to beat. What I meant is from what I hear, not only from the press but from people who have actual miles on them. The new Softail chassis is stiffer and gives more feedback to the rider than the Dynas. Supposedly it's tight like Dynas and FXR's. Taller suspension means more lean angle. They've told me as far as that goes, it it's comparable. As far as going back to it's roots, the lines of the Softail are designed to look like the old hardtails. I'd much rather ride an FXR or the Dyna I owned than previous versions of the Softail but I won't rule the new ones out until I have personal experience
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Old 26 February 2018, 01:52 AM   #56
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my good has an FXR which ive had the pleasure of using a few times ita an awesome ride but the softail is no FXR. HD is manufacturing way too many different bikes IMHO and trying to appeal to everyone they need to get back to their roots

They are mainly appealing to the younger generation with some of their newer styling and blackened out paint and no chrome. Personally I don't like the newfangled styles they have right now but I loved the traditional styles with lots of chrome. But the company sales are way down, and the 20 somethings and 30 somethings are not interested in Harleys. The RUB's (rich urban bikers) who are your white collar high income weekend riders are aging just like the baby boomers and this generation of riders are not riding anymore due to the fact they are getting older. Harley has a serious dilemma ahead of them, IMO
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Old 26 February 2018, 04:05 AM   #57
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Harley has based it's brand and marketing on the 70's biker gang look and that very distinctive sound which they tried to patent at one time (but failed). Just like old muscle cars, these bikes are dinosaurs. The younger generations don't want them. It's too damn hard to text and ride one of those cruise ship anchors.
I agree; my innovative and more modern V-Rod was discontinued because it was not traditional enough. The water-cooled, V-Rod, was scoffed at by many so-called bikers that believed it wasn't part of their biking Stone Age. HD is no longer known for craftsmanship or technology; so how do they expect to compete with other companies.
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Old 26 February 2018, 05:00 AM   #58
Bigblu10
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Ironic that back in the early 90's you had to go on a waiting list to get the Harley model of your choice. Kinda like the stainless Rolex models going on now.
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Old 26 February 2018, 06:18 AM   #59
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Ironic that back in the early 90's you had to go on a waiting list to get the Harley model of your choice. Kinda like the stainless Rolex models going on now.
Fat Boys and Road Kings back then were like SS Daytonas now. If you were luck enough to get one, you could name your price on the secondary market. The local dealer wouldn't sell to you again if did that.
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Old 19 March 2018, 10:17 PM   #60
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I should have taken out loans in 2008 to short HD when they went from one destination Dealer in TX to nearly 50 today opening huge Dealerships in every Texas town over 50K population. Nobody is buying that many Electraglides in Blue.
I get your point, but you wouldn't have to take out loans to short a stock (borrow and sell the shares). You just need a margin account. Now, if the stock moves against you (up) and you start getting margin calls....well then, that's when you may need to take out some loans!
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