Harley Davidson Pan American

Blind_Io

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Harley has decided they want some of that sweet, sweet BMW R1200GS money, so they announced this abortion:

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No idea on weight yet, but knowing HD, it will probably weigh as much as a small planet. Not that it matters, this thing looks like RoboCop had a dumpster lovechild with a riding mower. I just don't see anyone who currently has a KTM, BMW R1200GS, Yamaha Super Tenere, or Honda Africa Twin trading in for an unknown bike with an unproven engine from a manufacturer that has had serious business and quality issues. Maybe they will manage to unload some onto current HD owners, but I don't think many will go for something like this because it doesn't have enough Heritage™.

The last thing I want out in the woods is to hear some dickhead in his pirate cosplay out on the trails with his Screaming Eagle Thunder Life-Saving Anniversary Edition Super American Heritage Astroglide Pipes bringing The Thunder to all the fuzzy wuzzies of the woods.

And why the hell does it have a Porn Stache crash bar under that laser printer of a headlight?!
 
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At least they are trying something different?

Beyond the aesthetics, it looks very wide. Almost to the point of being uncomfortably so.

When do they loan it out to the normal magazines for review?
 
Damn, you write better than most news outlet I've seen reporting this this THING. :lol:
 
I think the big news is not this bike, it is that this bike is part of a new line up of what Harley is calling a middleweight bike.
 
GRtak;n3551857 said:
At least they are trying something different?

I agree with this. The pirates are becoming too old to ride and HD needs to appeal to a younger crowd. The problem HD has is that they haven't captured younger buyers for decades, and I would imagine people will stick with their current brand rather than give HD a conquest.

They need something super retro and small to compete with the Super Cub.
 
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Retro? Retro to what? They don't have anything in their past they can draw from since they have only ever made big cruisers.

HD is a joke, they are going to need 10-20 years of building actual good bikes that don't piss oil all over themselves, aren't twice as likely to break as the least reliable Japanese bike, can actually run when it rolls out from the factory, has brakes that work, doesn't weigh as much as tractor, and doesn't sound like a tractor. That last bit is literal. I was out in the country with some people and we heard that distinctive PotatoPotatoPotatoPotato engine firing start up, Two people started arguing about which Harley it was just by the sound. A few moments later a restored John Deere rolled out of the barn across the road and I nearly died laughing.

Harley is their own worst enemy, they spent so long building a Lifestyle Image that made their brand synonymous with Dentist Pirate Cosplay and meth running gangs that very few people of today's generation want to be associated with it. Millennials are going to buy the reintroduced Honda Cup by the boatload, it's cheap, reliable, adorable, practical, and you can buy and run it while paying off your crippling student debt. Most Millennials aren't even buying cheap eco-box cars, they can't afford to buy a place to live, and they are the first generation since the Great Depression to be poorer than their parents. Motorcycles in general are a cooling market, they are luxury items and toys for people with disposable income. So who the hell does Harley think is going to buy their overpriced, unreliable garbage? The Millennials who strut around like they rent the place?
 
That is not true. Harley has made scooters, just not for very long. It was called the Topper. They also have other bikes that they could go back to, but won't because they were other companies designs that were built under license.

harley-davidson-topper-1-4140.jpg

That is not to say the rest of your argument is invalid.
 
Blind_Io;n3551935 said:
So who the hell does Harley think is going to buy their overpriced, unreliable garbage? The Millennials who strut around like they rent the place?

Latin America.

Their market share in Brazil is still small (around 20%) but they're growing in a market that's shringking. Maybe that's repressed demand, but the fact is: Brazil loves to play "pretend USA". Remember the SUV craze? We had it too....in fact, are having. Ask anyone to picture a motorcycle as a recreational vehicle and most people will think "HARLEY", and the name is still synonym for "cruiser", no matter if it's Japanese, Italian, Chinese or whatever.
On the other hand, the local management deserves credit too:
They are attracting female motorcycle riders with their "smaller" bikes, low center of gravity etc.
They organize A LOT of social events. BBQs, group rides, etc, and that draws people in. A common complaint for older riders is that they have no one else to ride with, and they provide that.
They are pricing the entry-level models very aggressively, and people feel like they are getting more motorcycle for the same money (well, if you count weight and displacement, they are :lol:)
The "prestige" :unsure: of saying "I have a Harley" still has a strong appeal to the older demographic, which is the one that has money for the payments.
 
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We are still in the midst of the SUV craze too. Crossovers have taken some of that, but car sales are dropping fast here.
 
Redliner;n3551947 said:
Latin America.

Their market share in Brazil is still small (around 20%) but they're growing in a market that's shringking. Maybe that's repressed demand, but the fact is: Brazil loves to play "pretend USA". Remember the SUV craze? We had it too....in fact, are having. Ask anyone to picture a motorcycle as a recreational vehicle and most people will think "HARLEY", and the name is still synonym for "cruiser", no matter if it's Japanese, Italian, Chinese or whatever.
On the other hand, the local management deserves credit too:
They are attracting female motorcycle riders with their "smaller" bikes, low center of gravity etc.
They organize A LOT of social events. BBQs, group rides, etc, and that draws people in. A common complaint for older riders is that they have no one else to ride with, and they provide that.
They are pricing the entry-level models very aggressively, and people feel like they are getting more motorcycle for the same money (well, if you count weight and displacement, they are :lol:)
The "prestige" :unsure: of saying "I have a Harley" still has a strong appeal to the older demographic, which is the one that has money for the payments.

That's their problem - mostly Harley appeals to older riders remember the "good old days" - which is why the marketing of "heritage" and "AmericaFuckYeah" appeals. Considering the utter failure that was the 750 launch, I'm not holding my breath.
 
Not to be too contrarian, but I like how this looks.

I certainly find it far more appealing than the GS or Super Tenere. It's maybe tied with the Africa Twin. The 1290SAR wins easily.

And if it's ridden how the vast majority of the big ADV bikes are—mostly to Starbucks and occasionally around the country on well paved roads—it won't that big of an issue. :D
 
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