Kansas city plant closure

I heard on the radio this evening that HD shares were falling in quite a big way. I guess there is a certain inevitability in that. Motorcyclists in general and HD riders in particular are an ageing demographic. The tipping point when riders are starting to give up through age I would imagine is upon us. HD in particular have not kept up with the times especially in the current climate. I wonder is the writing on the wall for them. They are seen as an old man's brand by the young (not without reason). No new blood coming in. Can't help but wonder if it is too late for HD.
 
And the fact that they think £23k for a street glide is good value!!

Fuck em
 
And the fact that they think £23k for a street glide is good value!!

Fuck em

Exactly, there are far better bikes for far less money. You can only live off the brand/image bullshit for so long and the whole badass thing is a bit of a laughable cliche now.
 
Exactly, there are far better bikes for far less money. You can only live off the brand/image bullshit for so long and the whole badass thing is a bit of a laughable cliche now.

It’s harley a laughing matter ! :rob
 
They announced and brought out about 7 new models late last year. These are aimed at bringing new customers to the brand. I’m sure their sales targets will get hit when the weather changes.
 
They’ve been taking the piss for years... and I suspect it’s finally catching up with them.
 
I get the impression that the attrition rate for Harleys is pretty low.

Crahes, mileage - low, Longevity good?

Do Harley owners hang on to the bike longer than your average BMW/Jap bike owner?

Cant be great for sales
 
According to their press release - Harley-Davidson worldwide retail motorcycle sales were down 6.7% in 2017 compared to 2016. U.S. retail sales decreased 8.5% and international retail sales were down 3.9%. In 2017, Harley shipped 241,498 motorcycles total, down about 8% from a year earlier.

HD sold fewer bikes but made more money selling those fewer bikes quarter over quarter.

2016 4th quarter had 46,610 bikes sold (wholesale) for $685,047,000. Average $14,697 per bike.

2017 4th quarter had 42,142 bikes sold (wholesale) for $801,726,000. Average $19,0243 per bike.
 
This must have been planned well ahead of now. The Dyna was produced at this plant and they've dropped it from the range in favour of the new softails. The Street bikes that are also produced there are also produced in India. That just leaves the sporters to move.
 
I get the impression that the attrition rate for Harleys is pretty low.Crahes, mileage - low, Longevity good?Do Harley owners hang on to the bike longer than your average BMW/Jap bike owner?Cant be great for sales
I think most are on PCP now pretty much like everybody else.Harleys tend to disappear when they get to 5k in price as they're worth more in bits.Plenty of high mileage ones around - Twizzles had over 100k on it I believe. They tend to be much cheaper to run than other bikes as long as you keep them standard as there are huge amounts of standard parts that get replaced by some very strange people who also ride Harley but appear to be from another planet.
 
Yep, currently sitting at 106k - after my French and Spanish trips this year it will be closer to 112k - I know of loads of high milers, ridden all year round by some very loyal owners..... trouble is not one of them would buy a new one -

You can pick up a nice Road King today for £12k from a dealer if you wish - with a handful of miles and most likely all the mandatory Stage One stuff already fitted ..... why would you pay £19 k for a new one + £2k for Stage One + Running in service etc - Bonkers.

Also, HD PCP' are run by Black Horse, and the %% rates are eye watering - at least BMW/KTM etc have the decency to offer some competitive rates (Ish)

I've just run this through the online calculator

HD RK - £19,195 - £2,000 deposit - £299 PCM for 36 months £10,500 Final Payment - TAP £23,275

Or Second Hand RK for £12,000 - £2,000 deposit £291 PCM for 36 months From Tesco Bank no Final payment - Owned out right - TAP £12,509

So, same deposit, £9 per month cheaper- £3,500 less %% Interest and it's yours at the end of 3 years - rather then having to fund £10k.......(or hand it back)
 
Or do what I did, and get an Evo Softail (1989) for under five grand... works for me
 
Or do what I did, and get an Evo Softail (1989) for under five grand... works for me

Paid £4,800 for my EVO 7 years ago...... reckon it's worth around £5,800 today - even with the star ship mileage... As Rob stated the V5 is £2.5k with the Vin - £1k for the engine - £500 for the gearbox - £4k for the main components - then you can part out the tin ware etc...... so worth £4k min in bits......
 
You can get a brand new Tomos for £1,095 at the moment.

If anybody's interested, I know the guy that imports them. I'm sure I could get at least £95 off for anybody on ukGSer :)

Andres
 
HD customer base comes from a diverse pool of enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts (image buying midlife types) alike.
As already pointed out many owners/enthusiasts are a dying breed and will be hanging their keys up due to the restriction of age.
This leaves the company trying to sell overpriced motorcycles to younger people who aren't really connected with the brand.
What could be left are the ones who feel the need to buy into a 'life style' and have the disposal income to do so.
But HD will find it difficult to continue in business by selling bikes to a well heeled mildle aged niche market.
Furthermore, second hand residuals will suffer and drop, therfore a used bike with 2k (discarded bank manager toys
of which there are many under sheets in garages) on the clock will be the way forward.
However there is hope. This in effect could stimulate a younger audience once again due to more realistic prices generated in
the second hand market, thus a future resurgence in the brand could bring about an uplift in the production of new bikes.
Long live the brand.

Amen.
 


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