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I know a reason, brake calipers for a 2020 Road king is backordered 19 weeks. My 2009 Softail rear brake caliper was ordered in January and has yet to be shipped. $20k for a Harley? Maybe a Sporty. You get in the cruisers and you start at $22k for a Softail.
. Why the Hell would anyone pay Top Dollar for a Subpar Motorcycle??? ..Harleys Still are no where close and Reliable as the Japanese bikes!!!! Although True Harley Davidson improved greatly from the AMF Years Harley Davidson reliability was already a Major Issue Before AMF!! Harley Davidson was heading towards bankruptcy prior to AMF Buying them..
Harley Davidson is to blame for pricing. Their entry level 883 costs 14800 USD in India. Majority of people are buying Triumphs and Royal Enfield. They need to get their pricing right.
You guys in India you will be getting the new Evolution Sportster that's made in China. You're going to find out how much better an evolution Sportster is that anything your country currently builds. You buy one you will be pleasantly surprised.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 HA! You obviously don't know what you are talking about. An $8 000 Royal Enfield, though a cheaper bike, has excellent build quality, and will easily outlast an Evo Sportster, and at a fraction of the service costs. Would never waste my time and money on a Harley.
@@martythemartian99 Marvin the Martian you have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. Number one I have a Harley Sportster with 400,000 miles on it with a Gear Drive that will not snap like the cam chain in your meteor. Number to it has hydraulically adjusted valve's so you never have to adjust the valves. It is extremely easy to change the oil filter and gearbox fluid 20 minutes in my driveway start to finish. Nice clean smooth belt drive, no adjustment no oiling. Same price as an endless chain last 10 times as long, I got 100,000 miles plus out of a belt drive. My Sportster has 400,000 MI on the original untouched engine. There are customization part out the wazoo as well as engine hop-up parts. The bike could not be more economical or reliable for any motorcycle especially a Sportster. My Evo Sportster runs 200 degrees in the oil tank two up in August in Florida can't get any hotter than that. Fuel-injected air-cooled motorcycles cook their oil because they are so lean jetted to pass emission regulations. The spark plugs in my Sportster are 15 years old. For $25 I can change my oil and my filter. I commuted back and forth to work on the bike regularly for 20 years now it is used for day trips around the beautiful state of Florida where I ride all year round. I have sold six Sportsters at the Harley shop just talkin to customers extra length of Virtues Of The Sportster. Guys who have 108,000 miles or 125,000 miles on their Sportster and think they have a lot are amazed that I have four hundred thousand miles. The only thing I replace is the little bearing in the clutch that goes out every 50 or 60 thousand miles. $10 bag of parts that cost me $75 to have installed I got I'm good to go for another 50 or 60 thousand miles clutch primary chain everything in the primary all original except for the stator. I wore out the stator 250,000 MI. The bike has been phenomenally reliable and dependable which is ironic because I bought it because I wanted to have a multitude of choices to do and contributes work when required and it has not ever needed any outside of the clutch bearing. Plenty a curved Road in Florida as long as you get away from the interstate. The Sportster motor is infinitely real buildable because everything is in bushings and bearings because it is an old-school design made before planned obsolescence. $2,000 out of every Royal Enfield whether it is a 350 single or a 650 twin it's just to satisfy pollution requirements fuel injection oxygen sensors electronic control unit and other sundry electronics are not required on my bike nice simple CV carburetor. Just a cost for chain and sprockets on a Royal Enfield 400000 miles will cost you more than what you paid for the motorcycle itself. If a belt snaps it does not go through your engine cases the way a drive chain will. Harley-Davidson sold 40,000 Sportsters a year even after they jacked up the price to kill the Kansas City plant. Outside of the Evolution Big twin it was Harley's most reliable motorcycle which is why it was discontinued. Euro five with just used as an excuse to discontinue the Sportster because the Chinese Sportster canpass euro-5 Harley could not have been bothered. Harley replace a $10,000 Sportster with a $17,000 Nightster that is butt ugly and it's unreliable just like the Milwaukee eight. Everybody told me to put the 1200 kit in it and I said yeah when I wear it out, 25 years later I'm still waiting to wear it out. When the Stormbreaker becomes available it's going to Knox it Royal Enfield meteor right out of the ballpark. Once you replace all the cheap parts on that bike it's no longer a cheap motorcycle. I don't need phony Indian made British motorcycles I have the real thing. I just bought a BSA 441 shooting star 6000 Regional miles matching numbers everything they're everything works. Less than $1,000 delivered to my door with all paperwork. Now that I have shot down all of your argument I'm done
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 lol. Buying harley from china? In your dreams. It would probably be a heavy, hot, oily bike that does not know the meaning of turn.
@@bulthaosen1169 the Harley Sportster is a great motorcycle legendary beyond words on the road and on the track I have had a Sportster for 25 years and it had four hundred thousand miles on her. She is nothing more than a real motorcycle used for transportation she turns very well on the curvy roads once you get away from the interstate. In Florida to up she runs in August 200 degrees according to the thermometer in the oil tank. She's now old enough to be considered a vintage bike
Just bought a 07 Dyna Street Bob. Went to several HD dealerships and only one dealer was truly honest about their breakdown of prices and even took some charges off to try to make a deal. Went with a private seller instead and he knew his stuff. Forget buying from a dealer! They will gouge you!
Whole lot of jibber-jabber for a simple solution. Harley motorcycles are way overpriced simple as that wake up people. They like to call it everything but what it is
In the 80s I could buy a Honda 450 Nighthawk for under 2,000. Try even touching a 50cc scooter new for that now. I realize inflation obviously, but this still seems like price gouging to me.
As the owner of two 1979 Harleys, I am amazed at all of these Harley videos on RUclips. Most seem to really complicate things, it's really not that hard. I don't ride much, but I really enjoy riding my two bikes. I don't care about image, other people's opinions, or making some type of statement. Harleys aren't for everyone, so if, for whatever reason(s) you don't like them find a bike you like and buy it instead.
i also own the past,ride the past,find parts for it at hundreds of parts outlets,the new harleys are full of chains,mine and yours,no,first design IS THE DESIGN,fire all engineers who want to fix what is already working
I have a '79 XLH I putter around on, from when Harley was still a bike made for the working man. Today's Harley's look nice and have a great feel to them, but they are an overly expensive boutique item.
Good idea :) I shall take your sage advice and buy myself a Royal Enfield... but which one? Classic Signal 350 looks cool, but the Super Meteor would be better on the highways I rarely go on. o_O
Harleys biggest problem is their price. They are considered recreational vehicles so unless a young person has good credit they will get higher interest rates making their payments higher. The way the world is going towards a recession it will make it more difficult for younger people to want to ride let alone get a Harley. Another issues is the way kids are being raised to by little wimps so they feel it’s too dangerous to ride a motorcycle and will never understand what the wind in the face feels like and how much of a stress reliever it is
I'm 28, been riding for only 10 years, and only 600cc sportbikes. I recently got married and we decided to get a touring bike. HD is just way, waaay of the table for a regular 30s millenial here in Mexico. You only see 50+ old couples on them here because a road glide cost the same as a small house in some places!
Totally agree. Cost of living is way too high and wages too low for our generation. Probably why so few people under 40 ride motorbikes. Buy a BMW GS, much better bikes
Dude I own a thirty thousand dollars Harley Davidson Softail Heritage and I grew up riding the old kz900 and kz1000 Ltd bikes and I can tell you Harley is just a fancy brand and not very good motorcycles I should have bought a new Kawasaki 1000 sport bike for less than half the money and I can’t get ten grand for the Harley now and it’s only got seven thousand miles on it Harley is a brand they want two grand just to put louder pipe’s on it and two grand to get bigger cams everything is two grand on a piece of junk Harley you are better off getting a new Kawasaki or something like that. I’m looking for a new project sport bike and I will ride the Harley to take chicks for a ride but I’m still going to get a Kawasaki or a bmw ss 1000 RR or a Kawasaki 1000
My final comment on this discussion. If you want an inexpensive Harley. The used market is loaded with 883 and 1200 Sportsters that have been well cared for and loaded with options you wont have to pay for cause they are already on the bike. Just stay away from the 4 speeds. You want 5 speed belt drive Sportys. Thats 94 and up I believe. Fuel injection came in 07 on Sporsters. Big twin 90s evos and early twin cams can be had for 4500 to 10,000 in very well maintained condition. You dont need to buy brand new if you really want an HD. Not to mention the very goid metric cruisers out there. KAW Vulcan Classic. Suzuki Boulevard, Yamaha Roadstar, Ducati Scrambler are alternate choices for similar bikes. Amen
It's not just Harley. All of the manufacturers are searching for the new Honda 350/750. The kids aren't interested in things their parents liked. Pro sports. Hobbies. Hunting and fishing. They just play with their phones and queue up at the apple store for the latest iPhone.
I think a big part of the downturn in bike sales is because of smartphones. People look at it and realize they can't cruise down the road and instagram at the same time. In cars you see it also in that manual transmissions are becoming a rarity.
Harley’s are way overpriced for what you get off the showroom floor. Sure, HD has huge aftermarket support. But I shouldn’t have to buy a bike at 30K, then have to pour an additional 5K-10K just to make the bike what it should have been to begin with.
I agree 💯. I recently checked out a 2022 Road Glide Special, the seat sucked, the suspension sucked and the handlebars felt like i was riding a wheelbarrow. To replace all of that on top of the cost of the bike I would have been looking at nearly $40k out the door, for a motorcycle. I’ll stick with my 1250GS until I hit the lottery, lol
I would like a Harley. I just can't afford one. Harley made a huge mistake overpricing the base model bikes like the sportsters. Now they are stopping production of the sportsters. So nothing available for beginner riders? OK. Sounds like a huge marketing mistake to me. They basically removed Harley from a large part of the motorcycle market.
@@DJGENOTYPE Indian scouts are high priced too. About $15,000. Close in price to Harley starter bikes. You could almost buy 2 suzuki 650 SV for that amount.
@@jeremyd8778 I don’t really think you can compare a SV650 to a Scout. But my first cruiser was a 2011 Kawasaki Vaquero. Loved that bike and it was cheap compared to a Road Glide. As
I'm seeing less and less people ride motorcycles. There was a time there was 3 people around my neighborhood had a bike including me. Bikes rumbling all day, night, everyday. Now. Nothing. Traffic is horrible, too many cars, constant road construction, quiet area are torn down and houses, office buildings, warehouses, popping up everywhere, people on their phone, . No fun.
I tried to buy a Sportster S last year no dealers had them on the floor and if they did it was already sold. If you want a $25k bagger there's 25-35 of those to choose from. Not to mention the mark up the dealers are allowed to do with a motorcycle that was/is in high demand. After being jerked around by practically every HD dealership I gave up. I went to a metric dealer in my area they were willing to negotiate and didn't try to get me to finance the bike. If fact they seemed pleased I was paying cash/certified check I paid $300 fees all in. An HD dealership in Port Charlotte Florida got pissy that I wanted to pay cash, plus 1k over msrp plus freight plus prep and on and on it went. After buying two Harley Davidsons brand new from two different dealerships I think I'm done with them. Unless they change which I don't see until they are close to bankruptcy. It happened before it can happen again. Hopefully the government won't bail them out the next time.
Was gonna get a Harley after getting my license only getting a house came first. I went to the dealer to do my research on all the bikes and what would suit me best. Long story short, I ultimately left because the salesmen kept trying to force a sale, and when I said I was in the mortgage process and can't take a line of credit out on a bike they told me not to believe my mortgage agent.... I called them out on how scummy that was since it could ruin a sale especially if someone didn't know better. Was told I'm not a real Harley guy anyways if I wasn't gonna buy then and there and to get a Honda instead. I said "yeah, maybe I should." And then I walked off. Months later after getting my house and renovating a bit I got an Indian Scout Bobber. Since then, got an Indian Chief Bobber Dark Horse. In my case I'd have bought a Harley if they didn't try to financially screw me and lie to my face about it and then get all offended when I called them out. I'm sure not every dealer is like that, but in my case it was pretty toxic. I'd love to get a Harley maybe one day but not from that dealership lol
@Marty theMartian yeah to be honest I'll probably go through a private listing than buy one brand new. Fiancée is looking to get into riding and an 883 would be nice but then again, many Japanese cruisers are just as nice.
@@CWJester Throughout this comment section, you may find me saying the same thing to everybody. Try a Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Twin. Inexpensive, fun and easy to ride and maintain. But by all means, get the bike you like, and ignore what others say. Happy safe riding to you and your fiancee. :)
@@martythemartian99 What's funny is when she went with me to trade in the Scout up to the Chief, she was eyeballing those Royal Enfields. My grandpa had one and always seemed reliable and it's got good looks too! That bike is definitely on the list!
Twice I went into the local HD shopping for my wife's first street bike (specifically a used Sportster), both times, different sale pimps took me over to new touring bikes. I'm tempted to try a third time just to see if it will happen again.
I have been riding almost all types of bikes in 35 years. I am 57 now. I saved 28K, drips and drops over the years to buy myself a good touring bike and keep it for many years. That was 2020 when I started to shop around. I have to say, I could not see myself spending all that money on any HD. These bikes never gave me a good taste other then a loud pipes. They seem poor to me on design, class of quality, reliably and after sell, service and customer support. The only thing I do like from HD is the quality of the riding gear. So, I went with 2020 Goldwing DCT Tour. Boy, do I not regret that!!!! The best machine I have ever owned, hands down !!!! The more I ride her, the more I love her.
@@martythemartian99 Not sure about wise, but I have to think ahead cause these bikes are not cheap and as a commuter bike, I want trouble free machine. Honda and Yamaha are on my list, always. Statistics don't lie. Happy riding !!!!
the jap bikes are cheep plastic junk sorry guys, also when you sell that harley you will get top dollar. a 10 year old jap bike is just like there cars junk toss it out .
@@andrewslagle1974 Only if you constantly pay top dollar over and over for maintenance and parts for 10 years. Financially, HD are not worth it. But hey, if you like 'em, ride 'em. I'll go my own way.
Four years ago I traded my 30 year old HD which I bought new, for the latest generation M8 engine Harley. I don't seem to experience any more issues than other brands that I owned alongside the three Harley's I owned in the last 45 years. My 2005 BMW K1200S that I bought new and still own is just as big of a pain as any other motorcycle that I have owned. Approximately 9 bikes in over 52 years. What's your problem?
I have a 1989 FXRS Low Rider that I bought in 2003. It's in beautiful condition, I have taken excellent care of it, and I will never get rid of it. It has the look, sound, feel, and mechanical simplicity I want from a motorcycle. I test rode an M8 shortly after they came out. YUK. I felt like I was on a Goldwing. No sound, no feel, the same things that caused me to sell my '93 Goldwing in less than a year. Drop dead boring. And on top of that, it was only available in black on top of black on top of more black. I like bright shiny paint, polished aluminum, and tons of chrome.
I'm same. I admit, I was initially worried my 2020 RK wouldn't hold up. Was my first HD. I was wrong. It's got 43k miles on it now and it's been as reliable as an axe. The part of this vid about maintenance was also wrong. The only real maintenance it needs for the first 50k miles is oil/tire/air filter changes. My other bikes all required valve clearance checks, much shorter fork oil intervals, anti-freeze changes etc. The other thing this guy gets so wrong is that everyone only cares about top speed. That may be what young men trying to impress someone cares about. Many people like to ride and go places and the bigger HDs are perfect for that. Plenty of storage capacity, smooth as silk, plenty fast to ride 95 mph all day if you're so inclined. Smaller HDs are fine for around town riding and are also very LOW maintenance motorcycles. HD has come a long way since the late 70s/early 80s.
Harley's reputation for unreliability does not come from hot rodded aftermarket customers motors. Stock Harley-Davidson straight from the factory have a list of factory built-in defects from using cheap parts that cause catastrophic engine failure left right and Center. You're being dishonest in this respect. New big twin Harleys drain oil from areas like to transmission until your transmission blows up. Or the automatic primary chain makes the primary change so tight IT destroys the bearings in the transmission. Never mind the mistake of continuing to use a cam chain instead of Gears like an Evolution motor which lasts forever. Fuel injection that runs leanness to pass emission test that result in the engines cooking themselves to death at temperatures of over 300 degrees stock. Keep stamped crankshafts that have lots of play in the crankcase. Oil pumps that are not up to the task of dealing with such humongous Motors. Your oil pump fails no oil your motor dies. No question. These motors are straight from the factory these are the same things like when they brought out the cam chain driven twin cams and they went through three types of change and four types of tensioners instead of going back to a Gear Drive which is more expensive they tried like hell to keep a cheap message of driving the valves. Most people who have a twin cam put in a gear driven camshaft and get rid of all of that garbage. My 1970s Airhead BMW cam chain in the engine was original and that bike at 500,000 miles on it until we went through the side of a car. My gear Drive Evolution Sportster has 400,000 miles on it my CX500 with its chain driven cam died at 250,000 miles because the chain snapped and tore through the engine. Dish common reliability engine problems have been known for over 20 years. Harley said that they ran the twin cam engines for a million miles and had no problems. I guess they made a million bikes and ran them all a mile right? I could go on and on but I think you get the message. AMF had a lot of employee sabotage during the 1970s just as General Motors had with their employees and BSA had with theirs. Dealers would open the primary case on a Harley and there would be a note inside saying I get paid $4 an hour to fuck shit up. Or haha no second gear. It was up to the dealers to make it right. Harley-Davidson in 1969 was making motorcycles like it was 1930 everything was worn out and the workforce was all on the verge of retirement. AMF spent 7 to 10 million on the new engine plant to facilitate production and increase the number of Harley's available to people. Harley dealers during the AMF days where Mom and Pop shops. AMF had little commuter bikes dirt bikes that were made in Italy. They're only American made bikes for the Sportster and the big twin. If it was not for AMF we would not have Harley-Davidson today no if no and no butts AMF saved Harley-Davidson from Extinction and the family in court told the judge they wanted AMF to get Harley-Davidson. Because of AMF they survived. Let's not forget in the seventies the British motorcycle industry once the greatest in the world was run into the ground by incompetent management and a hostile Workforce. They shot themselves into in their foot until they lost their jobs and their livelihoods completely. Pushing both the big twin and the Sportster to get higher and higher levels of power out of an older designed motor that was not designed to put out that size of power cause them to have problems because they were push too hard. The problems of the Shovelhead big Twins were alleviated by The Evolution Big twin which was the best motor in modern history that Harley ever built in reliability everything else that there is an motorcycle. As for the Sportster the alloy heads and cylinders cooled the bike eventually from the 350° of the Ironhead Sportster down to a more reasonable temperature as well as reducing weight the transmission was updated to a 5-speed and then a belt drive and a belt drive was incorporated which moved out the power delivery to the back wheel. Those two bikes made Harley's Fortune and they sold them as fast as they could build them. Now it seems as the prices have gone up the reliability has gone down. The desirability of a Harley is not what it used to be but they still have enough Rich old people to buy 100,000 something motorcycles a year. Their new adventure bikes as well as their hideous liquid cooled monstrosity that they have the audacity to call a Sportster will sink like stones. It will be an unhappy ending to a bad chapter in company history one I do not see it surviving.
They had it right 20 plus years ago with the Evolution motor. They have done nothing but screw up left right and Center ever since. I wouldn't take one of their new motorcycles for free I couldn't afford to fix one.
I have had many different motorcycles. Never had a Harley. Currently since I’m getting older I ride a Yamaha TW200. It’s slow and lite but fun to ride.
I’ve had multiple Harley’s now and I’m starting to lean towards Indian now. Aftermarket parts are starting to be a lot more readily available and the bikes last and cost less. To each their own
I was born in 2000, I've been riding on 2 wheels since I was 12. Got my 1st harley last year and have loved it! I bought it private sale because of how bad the dealer was screwing me around with high prices and STILL trying to charge extra fees
You forgot to mention the South Park episode ridiculing Harley-Davidson riders. That influenced and ruined an entire generation of potential customers.
I think that was an expression of a symptom more than a cause. Harley people already ruined HD for me before that episode, I already did not want to be one of them "f___."
The only problem/issue here in Australia is the price. For example, a Fatboy ride away standard is $38'000. Then add pipes/stages, seat, grips etc etc etc and you're up for a small fortune. Remember, this is a motorbike not a Rolls Royce.
I've been a Honda and Kawasaki muscle cruiser rider since '98. Most of my friends, all who ride Harley's, encouraged me to start on Metrics and get my crashes and experience on cheaper bikes and then move up to Harley. I started around 40 and figured I'd eventually move up to a new HD. Now, at 63, Harley has priced itself out of my range, many of the guys I rode, all lifelong, die hards, with have moved on to Gold Wings, BMW's, and Indians as a way to protest HD's direction, lack of tech, and reliability. Its wierd, I have seen most all metric riders (in FB groups) strive to eventually get on an HD because it really is the goal, and they do attain it, but at the same time I know personally many who have done the opposite. I guess I'll be happy with my metrics and remain debt free in my retirement, and leave HD to those who can afford them.
I know this may sound like a weird recommendation, but if you get the chance, have a test ride on a Royal Enfield Super Meteor. Not big muscle, but a genuinely fun and easy ride. Very satisfying.
My Evolution Sportster with a Belk Drive has saved me thousands of dollars in Chains and sprockets and chain lube considering I have 400,000 miles on my Sportster. Now I have gone through three belts but changing a belt on a Sportster is not the nightmare it is changing it on a big twin. The valve train on the Sportster is hydraulically adjusted so you do not have to bother with it at all another Plus. It is very simple to drain the oil tank and change the oil filter which I can do in 20 minutes. In my driveway. Not going to a shop and certainly not going to a quack mechanic that is an insult to all the aftermarket shops out there that work on all the bikes that Harley won't touch. I've gotten much better service on my Sportster when it's needed by my aftermarket shop that buy the dealer. I would never take my Harley back to a dealer again. They screwed up my bike once and I will not give them a second chance. They're so called mechanics are not worth what's they are paid. Belt drive motorcycle is much more economical than a chain driven one and when a belt breaks it does not go through your engine cases like a chain does. So you don't have to adjust the valves you don't have to adjust the chain you don't have to just the timing or the points because there aren't any points the carburetor is good for life so all you have to do is change the oil and the filter. And if you can I change the oil and the filter on your motorcycle you should not ride a motorcycle you should take the bus. Like your previous comment you're calling me aftermarket mechanics Quacks is uncalled for. Insult to them. Some of your presentation is highly suspect.
Good for you brother ...New Evo sportys are great dependable bikes...400000 miles..the gives me more faith in my scooter...thanks ...it's a very underestimated vehicle...
@@davidcaplan6972 I ironically bought my Harley Davidson 883 Sportster because I figured when it came time to do valves and maybe new rings I would have a plethora choices to bring my bike to when it did need something. It has been phenomenal totally reliable and dependable. My carbureted Sportster runs very cool to up in August in the summertime it runs 200 degrees according to the thermometer in the oil tank. Can't get better than that. If your oil is not boiled down to the viscosity of water then it continues to lubricate and cool your motor. On the big twins the oil is cooked to death and then it's cooled off and return to the oil tank but then it's useless after all of its lubrication properties have been boiled out of it. The hurricane tore down the shed my Sportster vision and all it did was scratch the paint on the gas tank after the tornado blew it over. When the alternator stator went at 250,000 Mi the Harley shop said don't fix your bike traded in on a new one I said it has 250,000 miles on it what are you going to give me for it they said nothing and if it's for a good running bike with no issues. I have had the bike over 20 years. It may not have any monetary value but it is valuable to me.
Sturges - “For the last several years it’s kind of been winding down. I've been around for 23 years, so I've seen when it was low, and then there was the 75th anniversary, which was unbelievable,” Nancy Gellerman, the owner of Sage Creek Grille in Custer, told Forum News Service. “And now the crowd is just so much older. Which, after so many years, I guess they get older. Since 2016 they were saying that the younger crowd was coming, but I didn't really see that. I'm worried that without an influx of new riders the whole thing will just wind down.”
When I was looking for my first bike six years ago, I was initially leaning towards Triumph. I'd seen The World's Fastest Indian as a teenager so after discovering the Indian Scout was in production again, I got a Scout Sixty instead. I know it isn't the OG company or model, but the brand appealed to that fondness for something fresh that isn't hypermodern. In my mind, people get Harleys because they want Harleys. They don't typically go to a multi brand dealership and search high and low before setting their sights on a Harley. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just not one of those people. When I purchase my next bike, it'll be something that fills a different niche than my Scout, might even consider a scooter if I have a short enough commute by then. Although I didn't begin riding until after college, I hope to ride many years to come on many different bikes.
A buddy of mine has a 2010 street glide. After what he told me in how much a seat cost vs a new front tire cost. My mouth dropped!! And he still has a motorcycle payment!!! Nope I'm good!! I'll stick to my 1996 Honda shadow 1100. That's still on the road that I only paid $1800.00 for. SMH.
I bought a Harley Davidson ONCE! That experience convinced me that I will NEVER buy another one! I would rather RIDE my motorcycle than have to WORK on it before and after EVERY ride! Therefore, I buy Honda's & Yamaha's, because I don't have to WORK on them! All I have to do, is put the key in the ignition, start it up and RIDE! I do the occasional Required Maintenance (change the oil, new tires, etc.) and I enjoy lots of RIDING with minimal WORK! I'm a firm believer in "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!" Harley Davidson fooled me once! They will NEVER fool me again!
I blame it on all the parents that continuously wiped there kids hands down with alcohol wipes and let there kids sit in the basement and play video games till they are 30, not making them get a driver's license or a job.... Gen Y = "poor babies"
Maybe Harley Davidson needs to come up with their own Video game. You can buy a bike online modify it drive it around in a virtual reality. Sounds sad but it would probably sell.
Trust me, video games and hand wipes have nothing to do with the lack of competent leadership at Harley Davidson. $20k+ motorcycles only get sold to people with plenty of disposable income. I know lots of 20-35 year olds who absolutely love HD. They just can’t afford them. The cheapest Harley is a $13,500 sportster 975 and that’s before all the extra fees and taxes.
Pricing is insane, I will see what comes in '23 with the projected dropping of the 107 baggers. I have been thinking of replacing the '09 FLHTCUSE4 with a M8/107 Road King. Was informed it will not be available. Not quite ready to jump on the Indian train. (Challenger has some potential) Aftermarket support is very limited. One Area where HD shines. I can take a RK107 and 3.5g of upgrades and have a 130hp/150tq barn burner, and still have $500 in my pocket as opposed to a new RKS, which is a smog choked.
Check out a used Moto Guzzi Eldorado. They quit making them because it could not pass the European emission standards. What was new around 17000 bucks can be had used for aprox 7-10,000 dollars. Easy to self service. I'm 66 and have been riding since i was 13. Best bike i have ever owned.
Now let me get this straight Chinese make an evolution Sportster that they can't call a Sportster yet Harley Davidson makes a motorcycle that's not a Sportster but they call it a Sportster. Riddle Me That Batman.
Harley wants too much for EVERYTHING. Harley isn't made in the USA. The parts are made everywhere but in the USA and "assembled" in the USA. Harley was an American motorcycle that was killed when Corporate sought profit over everything else. The Harley brand is dead, and I own one.
I don't know which gen I am, mid 30's just got my M license and wanted to buy a HD as first bike.... experienced riders warned me to start with a reliable and cheaper one...got a used Honda VTX for only 3 grand... the price, looks, performance and reliability can smoke any bike...
I live in the vicinity of Malibu and frequent The Rock Store on my Husqvarna Vitpilen 401. On Sundays there are more Harleys there than all the other makes put together.
My Three Reasons: 1) Don't want to pay over $20K for a $15K bike, just for the sake of a name badge. 2) Want a bike to ride, not to wrestle. 3) The attitude of the company makes me wanna puke (remember their cuckold advertising strategy?)
I just got a low rider S and the issue is the Dealership's are ripping people off.. the seat was trash and wastrying to kill me, the auto clutch adjust was junk, the mirrors needed put out 3 inchs to see anything, the blinker bulb socket has issues I had to put tape to make up the slop, the foot controls were way wrong and needed adjusted to be useable, the front forks dive too much when breaking, the wind drag on a cruzer is Ridiculous and it Didn't come with a windshield ect...
I have noticed that many young guys who have a Japanese rice rocket also have a classic bike that they feel comfortable about tinkering around with and riding compared to their sport bike. I once got a knock on my door and there were two young kids who wrote Jap bikes who had to stop and tell me how sick my BMW was. That was a compliment by the way. One of the kids was riding a Kawasaki Vulcan and I picked up a Kawasaki Vulcan sign at some swapmeet so I gave it to him and he was happy about that.
Been riding for a few years. I have a 2015 road glide I got second hand. It's at almost 61,000 miles....those are hard motorcycle club miles....so far I have had to replace the clutch (which is a wear item) got about 15k miles out of it than most. I had to replace the gasket on the rocker box because it was seeping oil. It cost $35, took me 2 hours to do and the kit came with new breathers which is also a wear item. Besides regular maintenance I don't wrench on it much. As far as price....yeah it's up there, it is comparable to Indian which offers more options for the money, but the fit and finish is lacking compared to a Harley Davidson. The reason you see Harleys break down more than the others has a lot to do with just how many there are and how long people hold on to them. It's nothing to see a 30 year old Harley going down the road. And if your old Evo does break, odds are the part you need is sitting on a shelf at the local dealership or multiple Indy shops near by. Good luck finding that with your 15 year old European motorcycle. With all that said, I don't care what someone rides. I care that they ride. Also my next bike will be an Indian Challenger dark horse, they are fast AF for a touring bagger.
Adrenaline Harley in Sarasota, FLORIDA - took my bike in for electrical service at Adrenaline Harley Dealer - They took over Rossiters about 5 month ago. . . . .it streetglide with big stereo w/ amps. They told me $300 and would be back same day. 10 days later and $1000 they say its ready. They told me they found chaffed wire inside the handelbar & mandatory to replaced a throttle sensor which ran inside the handelbars . . . .then whne i showed up to pay them. . .Laster said no we did not replace sensor just cleane it and reprogrammed it but was same charge. + charge for programming it. SO i pick up bike at 5:45pm and pay my ridiculous / OUTRAGEOUS bill. I ride off the lot to the nearest gas station about 6 blocks away at corner. i shut bike off and then had to restart it and it blew starter fuse (which is why i took it in for service) bike wont start again. .. .. . of course they are closed at this time 6:15 or so .NOT COOL! - beware!it no exaggeration when they call it stealership ilo dealership. very unhappy. Dont go there it will be worse than you expect. criminal even. as the next day (Friday) - they send trailer over to get bike and about 1pm, service guy calls me back at 4:30 and say hey we fixed your bike it had a blown fuse. I tried to explain to them yes- this is why i took it too you. . .it about 10th time it has happen randomly. they then said - we are not interested in working on the bike - too many wires, beyond our control. come get your bike. SO i wasted 10 days of time and 1000 for them to do nothing. ughhhhhh lazy ass mechanics and terrible service.
I got yelled at over a comment I made to a Harley guy. He was talking about how lucky he was to finally find a Harley mechanic that he could trust and depend on. I commented that I did not need a good mechanic because I drive a Honda.
You are 50 years behind in your remarks. Any Harley Evolution sportster or Big twin IS Reliable. Problems arise when they are. Hot roded. They are easy to maintain as long as the owner stays away from the factory computers. They handle we'll because they use the same suspension parts as most bikes. The new models have had problems. They are too complicated , too big and too expensive. Harley Davidson should do what they do best, and not try to make a better Indian,
Being an ex owner I can say Harley is a total worthless bike for the money you spend. The battery is also one of the worst performers. So a big NO to Harley. 👎
I had a Honda CX500 while I was in the Air Force and I had that by ten years and 250,000 MI before the campaign broke and destroyed the engine but by then the rest of the bike was worn out anyway
Price is too high and the quality too low, they are unreliable, the maintenance costs are way too high. Insurance is insane. The customer service sucks.
I’ve ridden with numerous organizations, MC’s and RC’s, even being a Road Captain for an RC in Florida and hands down the HD’s broke down 10 to 1 comparatively. And this went for those maintained by self proclaimed mechanics and those owned by “posers” who wouldn’t even consider getting their chrome wet much less go anywhere else but the HD dealer for maintenance/repair. Kids think metal slides, merry-go-rounds and playing outside are dangerous so motorcycles aren’t even a consideration. Not their fault, just what happens when men and boys are feminized…
LOVE Harleys... always have. I have also NEVER had one. I've never been able to afford one, ... and Im almost 60. I've even toured the plant in Pennsylvania, twice. I have owned Yamahas, Hondas, Kawasakis, two Chinese bikes, and my latest is a Trumph.
What’s annoying about Harley is they don’t listen to us. They dont make brakes better bikes lighter and they all look like old man bikes. You have to take that 20k bike and sink 5 k more to make it bad ass.
I think myself is pretty bad when you got all of these older guys old bikers that I grew up with can't ride anymore because I can't afford that expensive motorcycle and now every time I see a commercial a nice Harley-Davidson sitting there with a rap song going on play some Skynyrd some old 70s music or something excuse me but that's the way I feel
G'day, My 2008 VRSCDX Night Rod Special (bought new) The Australian dollar was at parity with the greenback. Yet it cost $32 740. Had powder coating (came off) Clutch and brake paint (came off) Rubbish rear shockies Oil leak from the rocket cover breather Bugger all ground clearance. HD makes their bikes deliberately bad Hoping folk will buy them anyway. Thank goodness the next Harley Davidson is: Built in China To an Italian design 500 X parallel twin. Steveo :-)
I don't need a luxury motorcycle to get me to and from work ,I already have a decent hard working motorcycle that doesn't remind me everyday that it's slowly draining my bank account ,plus the vmax never goes out of style and nobody criticizes my power Ranger outfit on it.
Here some reasons 1 same 3 same engines for all models. 2 no power (HP) 3 15-20 k for generic bikes that cost way too much in after market parts to customize
Targeting old wealthy people only is a straight road to the grave. I’m 31, I love V-twin cruisers, but I don’t need motorcycle to deal with middle age crisis wearing like badass pirate. Moreover I don’t care about all that silly “hd culture” of selling gears for x3 price to make regular family guy feel “in the club” or like a gang member 😂. This is how HD marketing tries to sell bikes. So, less marketing BS, more good and different motorcycles for reasonable price.
Wow you guy's totally missed the mark and still full of BAD Information, i started working at harley dealers in 1973 just a few years into the AMF years, and the AMF Harleys were Great Bikes, in fact my 1st Big Twin was a 77 FXS Lowrider and i had that bike until 1992 when i traded it for an FXR and i had ZERO trouble with my Shovelhead, it was 1978 and 79 and part of 80 where there was problems, believed by many to have been caused by Labor Problems with the Union and Employees sabotaging the bikes. Harley's biggest problem is after the EVO Era they started to think they could do nothing wrong because Boomers Like Me were just coming into our Money making days in the 90's and the 2000s with the Early Twin Cams, and Harley started demanding Dealers Build these big palaces dealerships that the family owners could no longer afford when the 2009 recession hit and sales took a dump, and in came the Car Dealer Group Owners , who didn't think there was a down turn and kept right on jacking the bikes $3000 to $5000 over MSRP, and $1500 to $2500 in Extra Fee's on used bikes, and they are still doing it today, but now there are Independent Motorcycle Dealers Specializing in Used Harleys and selling for $1000s less than the HD Dealerships without the Tacked on extra fee's. Then Polaris Brought Back Indian and the Scout and the Base Model chiefs and the Challenger are FAR Better than anything Harley has, and the Metric remain full generations ahead of Harley or Indian and you can buy a metric bike for MSRP or LESS !! Now in your story you start listling things that go bad, i have owned over a dozen Harleys and i have NEVER replaced a clutch, unless i was upgrading to a performance clutch to match an engine modification i may have made, and Harley Gaskets Don't leak if you follow the owner's manual for start up, the riders who do not warm their bikes properly and let all the different metals come to temp, they come and see me for leaking gaskets, i properly warm my bikes and have never blown a gasket , and my harley batteries last longer than most of my metric bike batteries and i keep all my bikes on tenders
I am 59 and have owned dozens of bikes. I can't justify the cost of a harley nowadays, especially when they have parts manufactured all around the world , like every other motorcycle co. , my next new bike will be a Indian or kawasaki Vulcan voyager
Killing blue collar union jobs to send them overseas is a pretty POS move. No wonder no one wants a Harley. Can’t even afford a decent car, rent or mortgage. Let alone heath care or groceries. Gee.. This is a real friggin mystery here…
I have had 5 Harley's since 1972 including an AMF era Sportster . I never had a single problem with one of them . I ride Indian now for one reason . I find them more comfortable . Harley's are still the best looking bikes . They are a bunch of money and I can't justify spending that much money for a bike . But you do get what you pay for
I've owned a 95 sporty since 08 it has well over 100000 miles and it runs great to this day...I take care of it's maintenance and ride it to it's potential it's been reliable as a BMW I owned for 20 some odd years... pretty much brakes tires and oil changes ..so take care of your ride and it will take care of you...
You pay two-and-a-half times would I pay for full coverage for my 883 Sportster for a motorcycle less than half its displacement should be because it has ninja in the name sportbikes are always ridiculously more expensive to insure because they're writers crash so much more often
You know they whine and cry but they're selling $150,000 motorcycles a year roughly. Triumph would sell every motorcycle they can make and they can barely make a third of that. Bsa/ Triumph would have to run 24/7 7 days a week 365 days a year to match $150,000 motorcycle sales a year. Yet Harley overextended itself with all these monuments to how great it was. Yeah it was great and not anymore. Now all those white elephants are dragging down the bottom line. When they go bankrupt maybe the Chinese will buy their name and they can put it on the evolution Sportster that just come out with. I'll imagine after that they might come out with an evolution powered big twin touring bike. I wonder how many Harley riders with tattoos are going to get them removed afterwards?
Look folks are struggling and a bike is a toy. HD are ditching their lower price bike. $10k is a heap of $$$ so they might go for a used bike and save thousands.
Harley suffers from the same thing that killed Jaguar. trying to live off past glory no longer deserved. Performance, reliability are FAR below much better, faster, innovative bikes selling for far less money.
I’d love to have a Harley Davidson. I just can’t afford one. I’m not paying for 1940s technology at 2063 prices. I’ll go by an Italian Harley Davidson. A Moto Guzzi is much more affordable for the working man and woman.
Reasonable price for Harley Davidson is to high. You can get a brand new Japanese bike for under $10,000 that will smoke anything HD offers. Japanese bike is oil change and go.
My experience is with the EVO big twin and the EVO sportsters, mainly. The unmodded 1340’s and the 883 and 1200 sporty models are very reliable in my humble opinion. The servicing can be done by most owners if they take time and understand the manual. Parts for a complete sportster service is about 92 bucks and takes about 2 hours. Fuel injection and hydraulic valves make this easier. Biggies are a little more due to addition of tranny oil and more engine oil. If you buy a dealer service for a sporty it used to rain about $375 to $450 for biggies. European bikes are a fortune to service. KTM, Ducati, Triumph, Guzzi BMW cost small fortunes.
I’m 34 years old, and got my first dirt bike 2 years ago. Here soon, I’ll be on the market for my first street bike, but you’d best believe that I’m going to steer clear of HD. They’re far too expensive, and I think all of their current (modernized) models look like crap compared to their older models. I’ll probably get me a KTM duke 390 or a Honda. No thanks Harley.
The Vulcan is $7000 NEW; so there's more than just crotch rockets for young riders. Many crotch rocket owners eventually end up wanting a cruiser for comfort and more importantly for passenger comfort and safety. So to be more specific many of them want a cruiser with a sissy bar. Some riders will trade or sell their old bikes to get a cruiser, but many others will add a cruiser to their stable so they can have the best of both worlds.
Personally, I sing the praises of the Royal Enfield Super Meteor. Low price, high quality, great ride. It's no Harley, but sometimes, that's a good thing.
@@martythemartian99 It's not available in the USA yet. They are saying sometime this summer. I think the delay is from having to put extra stuff on it to meet EPA requirements.
Harley's sound good though , but is it worth it? My Honda Gold Wing 2001 Canary yellow still amazes me on it's dependability and comfort and affordability, facts win arguments!
It’s mostly because towards the end of the millennial generation and all of Gen Z men have been feminized - fewer and fewer men do actual man-type things. Harley is a bike that men ride.
This younger generation can't even figure out which bathroom to use let alone how to buy and ride a Harley. I guess that means the price will be dropping for us older hardcore fans. Ill ride one till the day I die.
LOl, what a dumb comment! I’ve seen women, teenagers, white collar workers and everyone in between riding Harley’s these days. They are no more difficult to ride than anything else. When you try convincing people that only real men can ride a Harley you close the brand off to all those groups of people who aren’t like you. Thats why the brand has such a shitty reputation, because of people like you. Grow up
I’m 15 I like motorcycles and why buy a Harley for 20 when you can get a Honda rebel for 6 I mean I wouldn’t exactly never buy one but I would buy a older one and make it into a chopper
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#harleydavidson #motorcycle #failure
I know a reason, brake calipers for a 2020 Road king is backordered 19 weeks.
My 2009 Softail rear brake caliper was ordered in January and has yet to be shipped.
$20k for a Harley? Maybe a Sporty. You get in the cruisers and you start at $22k for a Softail.
. Why the Hell would anyone pay Top Dollar for a Subpar Motorcycle??? ..Harleys Still are no where close and Reliable as the Japanese bikes!!!! Although True Harley Davidson improved greatly from the AMF Years Harley Davidson reliability was already a Major Issue Before AMF!! Harley Davidson was heading towards bankruptcy prior to AMF Buying them..
I’ll tell you why most people don’t buy Harley Davidson is Money,Money, Money, they have priced me out of the game
It’s all part of the plan. They want to be a luxury brand, and if you can’t afford it, they don’t care.
Or maybe the new platform and m8 is the reason they're more $$$... it's worth it trust me!
harley always was pricey high quality no plastic and cheep components cost money !resale value is also top for used hd!
And now they have partnership with anti American budweiser. Another reason to not buy Harley......the only reason we need.
Worst is saying that Harley are expensive to service. Are BMW and Ducati’s what? High!
Harley Davidson is to blame for pricing. Their entry level 883 costs 14800 USD in India. Majority of people are buying Triumphs and Royal Enfield. They need to get their pricing right.
You guys in India you will be getting the new Evolution Sportster that's made in China. You're going to find out how much better an evolution Sportster is that anything your country currently builds. You buy one you will be pleasantly surprised.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 HA! You obviously don't know what you are talking about. An $8 000 Royal Enfield, though a cheaper bike, has excellent build quality, and will easily outlast an Evo Sportster, and at a fraction of the service costs. Would never waste my time and money on a Harley.
@@martythemartian99 Marvin the Martian you have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. Number one I have a Harley Sportster with 400,000 miles on it with a Gear Drive that will not snap like the cam chain in your meteor. Number to it has hydraulically adjusted valve's so you never have to adjust the valves. It is extremely easy to change the oil filter and gearbox fluid 20 minutes in my driveway start to finish. Nice clean smooth belt drive, no adjustment no oiling. Same price as an endless chain last 10 times as long, I got 100,000 miles plus out of a belt drive. My Sportster has 400,000 MI on the original untouched engine. There are customization part out the wazoo as well as engine hop-up parts. The bike could not be more economical or reliable for any motorcycle especially a Sportster. My Evo Sportster runs 200 degrees in the oil tank two up in August in Florida can't get any hotter than that. Fuel-injected air-cooled motorcycles cook their oil because they are so lean jetted to pass emission regulations. The spark plugs in my Sportster are 15 years old. For $25 I can change my oil and my filter. I commuted back and forth to work on the bike regularly for 20 years now it is used for day trips around the beautiful state of Florida where I ride all year round. I have sold six Sportsters at the Harley shop just talkin to customers extra length of Virtues Of The Sportster. Guys who have 108,000 miles or 125,000 miles on their Sportster and think they have a lot are amazed that I have four hundred thousand miles. The only thing I replace is the little bearing in the clutch that goes out every 50 or 60 thousand miles. $10 bag of parts that cost me $75 to have installed I got I'm good to go for another 50 or 60 thousand miles clutch primary chain everything in the primary all original except for the stator. I wore out the stator 250,000 MI. The bike has been phenomenally reliable and dependable which is ironic because I bought it because I wanted to have a multitude of choices to do and contributes work when required and it has not ever needed any outside of the clutch bearing. Plenty a curved Road in Florida as long as you get away from the interstate. The Sportster motor is infinitely real buildable because everything is in bushings and bearings because it is an old-school design made before planned obsolescence. $2,000 out of every Royal Enfield whether it is a 350 single or a 650 twin it's just to satisfy pollution requirements fuel injection oxygen sensors electronic control unit and other sundry electronics are not required on my bike nice simple CV carburetor. Just a cost for chain and sprockets on a Royal Enfield 400000 miles will cost you more than what you paid for the motorcycle itself. If a belt snaps it does not go through your engine cases the way a drive chain will. Harley-Davidson sold 40,000 Sportsters a year even after they jacked up the price to kill the Kansas City plant. Outside of the Evolution Big twin it was Harley's most reliable motorcycle which is why it was discontinued. Euro five with just used as an excuse to discontinue the Sportster because the Chinese Sportster canpass euro-5 Harley could not have been bothered. Harley replace a $10,000 Sportster with a $17,000 Nightster that is butt ugly and it's unreliable just like the Milwaukee eight. Everybody told me to put the 1200 kit in it and I said yeah when I wear it out, 25 years later I'm still waiting to wear it out. When the Stormbreaker becomes available it's going to Knox it Royal Enfield meteor right out of the ballpark. Once you replace all the cheap parts on that bike it's no longer a cheap motorcycle. I don't need phony Indian made British motorcycles I have the real thing. I just bought a BSA 441 shooting star 6000 Regional miles matching numbers everything they're everything works. Less than $1,000 delivered to my door with all paperwork. Now that I have shot down all of your argument I'm done
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 lol. Buying harley from china? In your dreams. It would probably be a heavy, hot, oily bike that does not know the meaning of turn.
@@bulthaosen1169 the Harley Sportster is a great motorcycle legendary beyond words on the road and on the track I have had a Sportster for 25 years and it had four hundred thousand miles on her. She is nothing more than a real motorcycle used for transportation she turns very well on the curvy roads once you get away from the interstate. In Florida to up she runs in August 200 degrees according to the thermometer in the oil tank. She's now old enough to be considered a vintage bike
Just bought a 07 Dyna Street Bob. Went to several HD dealerships and only one dealer was truly honest about their breakdown of prices and even took some charges off to try to make a deal. Went with a private seller instead and he knew his stuff. Forget buying from a dealer! They will gouge you!
Dreams
I heard it said that
Harley wants to make $3500. Off of you on the sale ..
That is a lot of profit..
Whole lot of jibber-jabber for a simple solution. Harley motorcycles are way overpriced simple as that wake up people. They like to call it everything but what it is
In the 80s I could buy a Honda 450 Nighthawk for under 2,000. Try even touching a 50cc scooter new for that now. I realize inflation obviously, but this still seems like price gouging to me.
As the owner of two 1979 Harleys, I am amazed at all of these Harley videos on RUclips. Most seem to really complicate things, it's really not that hard. I don't ride much, but I really enjoy riding my two bikes. I don't care about image, other people's opinions, or making some type of statement. Harleys aren't for everyone, so if, for whatever reason(s) you don't like them find a bike you like and buy it instead.
i also own the past,ride the past,find parts for it at hundreds of parts outlets,the new harleys are full of chains,mine and yours,no,first design IS THE DESIGN,fire all engineers who want to fix what is already working
Loved" Harleys arent for everyone"
I have a '79 XLH I putter around on, from when Harley was still a bike made for the working man. Today's Harley's look nice and have a great feel to them, but they are an overly expensive boutique item.
@MarkPalmer1000 yes I agree I paid fifty-five hundred for my dresser in 79 that was a lot of money even then.
Good idea :)
I shall take your sage advice and buy myself a Royal Enfield... but which one?
Classic Signal 350 looks cool, but the Super Meteor would be better on the highways I rarely go on. o_O
Because they are over priced , over weight , underpowered , dont do corners and are crap .. its that simple
Harleys biggest problem is their price. They are considered recreational vehicles so unless a young person has good credit they will get higher interest rates making their payments higher. The way the world is going towards a recession it will make it more difficult for younger people to want to ride let alone get a Harley. Another issues is the way kids are being raised to by little wimps so they feel it’s too dangerous to ride a motorcycle and will never understand what the wind in the face feels like and how much of a stress reliever it is
Gouging customers for parts might have something to do with it.
I'm 28, been riding for only 10 years, and only 600cc sportbikes. I recently got married and we decided to get a touring bike. HD is just way, waaay of the table for a regular 30s millenial here in Mexico. You only see 50+ old couples on them here because a road glide cost the same as a small house in some places!
Totally agree. Cost of living is way too high and wages too low for our generation. Probably why so few people under 40 ride motorbikes.
Buy a BMW GS, much better bikes
You don't realize that most Harley riders are either gangsta wannabees. Cops CIA or sutch.
@@mikerussell911 That "most" Harley haters are abundant in ignorance and are Biden voters.
Dude I own a thirty thousand dollars Harley Davidson Softail Heritage and I grew up riding the old kz900 and kz1000 Ltd bikes and I can tell you Harley is just a fancy brand and not very good motorcycles I should have bought a new Kawasaki 1000 sport bike for less than half the money and I can’t get ten grand for the Harley now and it’s only got seven thousand miles on it Harley is a brand they want two grand just to put louder pipe’s on it and two grand to get bigger cams everything is two grand on a piece of junk Harley you are better off getting a new Kawasaki or something like that. I’m looking for a new project sport bike and I will ride the Harley to take chicks for a ride but I’m still going to get a Kawasaki or a bmw ss 1000 RR or a Kawasaki 1000
My final comment on this discussion. If you want an inexpensive Harley. The used market is loaded with 883 and 1200 Sportsters that have been well cared for and loaded with options you wont have to pay for cause they are already on the bike. Just stay away from the 4 speeds. You want 5 speed belt drive Sportys. Thats 94 and up I believe. Fuel injection came in 07 on Sporsters. Big twin 90s evos and early twin cams can be had for 4500 to 10,000 in very well maintained condition. You dont need to buy brand new if you really want an HD. Not to mention the very goid metric cruisers out there. KAW Vulcan Classic. Suzuki Boulevard, Yamaha Roadstar, Ducati Scrambler are alternate choices for similar bikes. Amen
You know your bikes, thank you for the advice of used bikes for I’m shopping for a HD.
It's not just Harley. All of the manufacturers are searching for the new Honda 350/750. The kids aren't interested in things their parents liked. Pro sports. Hobbies. Hunting and fishing. They just play with their phones and queue up at the apple store for the latest iPhone.
I think a big part of the downturn in bike sales is because of smartphones. People look at it and realize they can't cruise down the road and instagram at the same time. In cars you see it also in that manual transmissions are becoming a rarity.
@@WildBikerBill We could paralize a couple generations if we all wrote in cursive and drove manual transmissions.
@@timothydubois5834 What?
Your absolutely right about that.
Good one.
Harley’s are way overpriced for what you get off the showroom floor. Sure, HD has huge aftermarket support. But I shouldn’t have to buy a bike at 30K, then have to pour an additional 5K-10K just to make the bike what it should have been to begin with.
Right you would think that oil coolers would have come standard for decades rather then being an upgrade...well atleast they are water cooled now.
I agree 💯. I recently checked out a 2022 Road Glide Special, the seat sucked, the suspension sucked and the handlebars felt like i was riding a wheelbarrow. To replace all of that on top of the cost of the bike I would have been looking at nearly $40k out the door, for a motorcycle. I’ll stick with my 1250GS until I hit the lottery, lol
Doubled, is ridicolus,
I would like a Harley. I just can't afford one. Harley made a huge mistake overpricing the base model bikes like the sportsters. Now they are stopping production of the sportsters. So nothing available for beginner riders? OK. Sounds like a huge marketing mistake to me. They basically removed Harley from a large part of the motorcycle market.
Get you an Indian Scout. Way better performance and ride quality.
@@DJGENOTYPE Indian scouts are high priced too. About $15,000. Close in price to Harley starter bikes. You could almost buy 2 suzuki 650 SV for that amount.
@@jeremyd8778 I don’t really think you can compare a SV650 to a Scout. But my first cruiser was a 2011 Kawasaki Vaquero. Loved that bike and it was cheap compared to a Road Glide. As
Shit buy a royal Engield interceptor it's like $6200 if you need a starter bike then trade later for dp on a scout.
Buy used. They are often very reasonably priced. I have 4 now and have owned several others.
I'm seeing less and less people ride motorcycles. There was a time there was 3 people around my neighborhood had a bike including me. Bikes rumbling all day, night, everyday. Now. Nothing. Traffic is horrible, too many cars, constant road construction, quiet area are torn down and houses, office buildings, warehouses, popping up everywhere, people on their phone, . No fun.
I tried to buy a Sportster S last year no dealers had them on the floor and if they did it was already sold. If you want a $25k bagger there's 25-35 of those to choose from. Not to mention the mark up the dealers are allowed to do with a motorcycle that was/is in high demand. After being jerked around by practically every HD dealership I gave up. I went to a metric dealer in my area they were willing to negotiate and didn't try to get me to finance the bike. If fact they seemed pleased I was paying cash/certified check I paid $300 fees all in. An HD dealership in Port Charlotte Florida got pissy that I wanted to pay cash, plus 1k over msrp plus freight plus prep and on and on it went. After buying two Harley Davidsons brand new from two different dealerships I think I'm done with them. Unless they change which I don't see until they are close to bankruptcy. It happened before it can happen again. Hopefully the government won't bail them out the next time.
Was gonna get a Harley after getting my license only getting a house came first. I went to the dealer to do my research on all the bikes and what would suit me best.
Long story short, I ultimately left because the salesmen kept trying to force a sale, and when I said I was in the mortgage process and can't take a line of credit out on a bike they told me not to believe my mortgage agent.... I called them out on how scummy that was since it could ruin a sale especially if someone didn't know better.
Was told I'm not a real Harley guy anyways if I wasn't gonna buy then and there and to get a Honda instead. I said "yeah, maybe I should." And then I walked off. Months later after getting my house and renovating a bit I got an Indian Scout Bobber. Since then, got an Indian Chief Bobber Dark Horse.
In my case I'd have bought a Harley if they didn't try to financially screw me and lie to my face about it and then get all offended when I called them out. I'm sure not every dealer is like that, but in my case it was pretty toxic. I'd love to get a Harley maybe one day but not from that dealership lol
You'll be hard pressed to find a good HD dealer anywhere.
@Marty theMartian yeah to be honest I'll probably go through a private listing than buy one brand new. Fiancée is looking to get into riding and an 883 would be nice but then again, many Japanese cruisers are just as nice.
@@CWJester Throughout this comment section, you may find me saying the same thing to everybody. Try a Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Twin.
Inexpensive, fun and easy to ride and maintain. But by all means, get the bike you like, and ignore what others say.
Happy safe riding to you and your fiancee. :)
@@martythemartian99 What's funny is when she went with me to trade in the Scout up to the Chief, she was eyeballing those Royal Enfields. My grandpa had one and always seemed reliable and it's got good looks too! That bike is definitely on the list!
Twice I went into the local HD shopping for my wife's first street bike (specifically a used Sportster), both times, different sale pimps took me over to new touring bikes. I'm tempted to try a third time just to see if it will happen again.
I have been riding almost all types of bikes in 35 years. I am 57 now. I saved 28K, drips and drops over the years to buy myself a good touring bike and keep it for many years. That was 2020 when I started to shop around. I have to say, I could not see myself spending all that money on any HD. These bikes never gave me a good taste other then a loud pipes. They seem poor to me on design, class of quality, reliably and after sell, service and customer support. The only thing I do like from HD is the quality of the riding gear. So, I went with 2020 Goldwing DCT Tour. Boy, do I not regret that!!!! The best machine I have ever owned, hands down !!!! The more I ride her, the more I love her.
I have ridden all types myself, and if I had to put it into one word, it's.....Honda.
I can see you are wise.
@@martythemartian99 Not sure about wise, but I have to think ahead cause these bikes are not cheap and as a commuter bike, I want trouble free machine. Honda and Yamaha are on my list, always. Statistics don't lie. Happy riding !!!!
the jap bikes are cheep plastic junk sorry guys, also when you sell that harley you will get top dollar. a 10 year old jap bike is just like there cars junk toss it out .
@@andrewslagle1974 Only if you constantly pay top dollar over and over for maintenance and parts for 10 years. Financially, HD are not worth it.
But hey, if you like 'em, ride 'em. I'll go my own way.
Four years ago I traded my 30 year old HD which I bought new, for the latest generation M8 engine Harley. I don't seem to experience any more issues than other brands that I owned alongside the three Harley's I owned in the last 45 years. My 2005 BMW K1200S that I bought new and still own is just as big of a pain as any other motorcycle that I have owned. Approximately 9 bikes in over 52 years. What's your problem?
I have a 1989 FXRS Low Rider that I bought in 2003. It's in beautiful condition, I have taken excellent care of it, and I will never get rid of it. It has the look, sound, feel, and mechanical simplicity I want from a motorcycle. I test rode an M8 shortly after they came out. YUK. I felt like I was on a Goldwing. No sound, no feel, the same things that caused me to sell my '93 Goldwing in less than a year. Drop dead boring. And on top of that, it was only available in black on top of black on top of more black. I like bright shiny paint, polished aluminum, and tons of chrome.
@@geraldscott4302 Nice bike!
I'm same. I admit, I was initially worried my 2020 RK wouldn't hold up. Was my first HD. I was wrong. It's got 43k miles on it now and it's been as reliable as an axe. The part of this vid about maintenance was also wrong. The only real maintenance it needs for the first 50k miles is oil/tire/air filter changes. My other bikes all required valve clearance checks, much shorter fork oil intervals, anti-freeze changes etc.
The other thing this guy gets so wrong is that everyone only cares about top speed. That may be what young men trying to impress someone cares about. Many people like to ride and go places and the bigger HDs are perfect for that. Plenty of storage capacity, smooth as silk, plenty fast to ride 95 mph all day if you're so inclined. Smaller HDs are fine for around town riding and are also very LOW maintenance motorcycles. HD has come a long way since the late 70s/early 80s.
Harley's reputation for unreliability does not come from hot rodded aftermarket customers motors. Stock Harley-Davidson straight from the factory have a list of factory built-in defects from using cheap parts that cause catastrophic engine failure left right and Center. You're being dishonest in this respect. New big twin Harleys drain oil from areas like to transmission until your transmission blows up. Or the automatic primary chain makes the primary change so tight IT destroys the bearings in the transmission. Never mind the mistake of continuing to use a cam chain instead of Gears like an Evolution motor which lasts forever. Fuel injection that runs leanness to pass emission test that result in the engines cooking themselves to death at temperatures of over 300 degrees stock. Keep stamped crankshafts that have lots of play in the crankcase. Oil pumps that are not up to the task of dealing with such humongous Motors. Your oil pump fails no oil your motor dies. No question. These motors are straight from the factory these are the same things like when they brought out the cam chain driven twin cams and they went through three types of change and four types of tensioners instead of going back to a Gear Drive which is more expensive they tried like hell to keep a cheap message of driving the valves. Most people who have a twin cam put in a gear driven camshaft and get rid of all of that garbage. My 1970s Airhead BMW cam chain in the engine was original and that bike at 500,000 miles on it until we went through the side of a car. My gear Drive Evolution Sportster has 400,000 miles on it my CX500 with its chain driven cam died at 250,000 miles because the chain snapped and tore through the engine. Dish common reliability engine problems have been known for over 20 years. Harley said that they ran the twin cam engines for a million miles and had no problems. I guess they made a million bikes and ran them all a mile right? I could go on and on but I think you get the message. AMF had a lot of employee sabotage during the 1970s just as General Motors had with their employees and BSA had with theirs. Dealers would open the primary case on a Harley and there would be a note inside saying I get paid $4 an hour to fuck shit up. Or haha no second gear. It was up to the dealers to make it right. Harley-Davidson in 1969 was making motorcycles like it was 1930 everything was worn out and the workforce was all on the verge of retirement. AMF spent 7 to 10 million on the new engine plant to facilitate production and increase the number of Harley's available to people. Harley dealers during the AMF days where Mom and Pop shops. AMF had little commuter bikes dirt bikes that were made in Italy. They're only American made bikes for the Sportster and the big twin. If it was not for AMF we would not have Harley-Davidson today no if no and no butts AMF saved Harley-Davidson from Extinction and the family in court told the judge they wanted AMF to get Harley-Davidson. Because of AMF they survived. Let's not forget in the seventies the British motorcycle industry once the greatest in the world was run into the ground by incompetent management and a hostile Workforce. They shot themselves into in their foot until they lost their jobs and their livelihoods completely. Pushing both the big twin and the Sportster to get higher and higher levels of power out of an older designed motor that was not designed to put out that size of power cause them to have problems because they were push too hard. The problems of the Shovelhead big Twins were alleviated by The Evolution Big twin which was the best motor in modern history that Harley ever built in reliability everything else that there is an motorcycle. As for the Sportster the alloy heads and cylinders cooled the bike eventually from the 350° of the Ironhead Sportster down to a more reasonable temperature as well as reducing weight the transmission was updated to a 5-speed and then a belt drive and a belt drive was incorporated which moved out the power delivery to the back wheel. Those two bikes made Harley's Fortune and they sold them as fast as they could build them. Now it seems as the prices have gone up the reliability has gone down. The desirability of a Harley is not what it used to be but they still have enough Rich old people to buy 100,000 something motorcycles a year. Their new adventure bikes as well as their hideous liquid cooled monstrosity that they have the audacity to call a Sportster will sink like stones. It will be an unhappy ending to a bad chapter in company history one I do not see it surviving.
They had it right 20 plus years ago with the Evolution motor. They have done nothing but screw up left right and Center ever since. I wouldn't take one of their new motorcycles for free I couldn't afford to fix one.
I ride the old ones . No computers and I can work on them myself.
I have had many different motorcycles. Never had a Harley. Currently since I’m getting older I ride a Yamaha TW200. It’s slow and lite but fun to ride.
I still have my vfr800 but around town it's my genuine buddy 125
I’ve had multiple Harley’s now and I’m starting to lean towards Indian now. Aftermarket parts are starting to be a lot more readily available and the bikes last and cost less. To each their own
Same here, got me self a Honda rebell 1000cc, is joy all the time, going for a indian Dark Horse, as is looks so good it begs me to give it a home.
I was born in 2000, I've been riding on 2 wheels since I was 12. Got my 1st harley last year and have loved it! I bought it private sale because of how bad the dealer was screwing me around with high prices and STILL trying to charge extra fees
You forgot to mention the South Park episode ridiculing Harley-Davidson riders. That influenced and ruined an entire generation of potential customers.
😂
I think that was an expression of a symptom more than a cause. Harley people already ruined HD for me before that episode, I already did not want to be one of them "f___."
If you judge what riders do based on a south park cartoon, you dont need a bike. You just need to sit at home and watch...cartoons. enjoy.
The only problem/issue here in Australia is the price. For example, a Fatboy ride away standard is $38'000. Then add pipes/stages, seat, grips etc etc etc and you're up for a small fortune. Remember, this is a motorbike not a Rolls Royce.
I've been a Honda and Kawasaki muscle cruiser rider since '98. Most of my friends, all who ride Harley's, encouraged me to start on Metrics and get my crashes and experience on cheaper bikes and then move up to Harley. I started around 40 and figured I'd eventually move up to a new HD. Now, at 63, Harley has priced itself out of my range, many of the guys I rode, all lifelong, die hards, with have moved on to Gold Wings, BMW's, and Indians as a way to protest HD's direction, lack of tech, and reliability. Its wierd, I have seen most all metric riders (in FB groups) strive to eventually get on an HD because it really is the goal, and they do attain it, but at the same time I know personally many who have done the opposite.
I guess I'll be happy with my metrics and remain debt free in my retirement, and leave HD to those who can afford them.
I know this may sound like a weird recommendation, but if you get the chance, have a test ride on a Royal Enfield Super Meteor. Not big muscle, but a genuinely fun and easy ride. Very satisfying.
My Evolution Sportster with a Belk Drive has saved me thousands of dollars in Chains and sprockets and chain lube considering I have 400,000 miles on my Sportster. Now I have gone through three belts but changing a belt on a Sportster is not the nightmare it is changing it on a big twin. The valve train on the Sportster is hydraulically adjusted so you do not have to bother with it at all another Plus. It is very simple to drain the oil tank and change the oil filter which I can do in 20 minutes. In my driveway. Not going to a shop and certainly not going to a quack mechanic that is an insult to all the aftermarket shops out there that work on all the bikes that Harley won't touch. I've gotten much better service on my Sportster when it's needed by my aftermarket shop that buy the dealer. I would never take my Harley back to a dealer again. They screwed up my bike once and I will not give them a second chance. They're so called mechanics are not worth what's they are paid. Belt drive motorcycle is much more economical than a chain driven one and when a belt breaks it does not go through your engine cases like a chain does. So you don't have to adjust the valves you don't have to adjust the chain you don't have to just the timing or the points because there aren't any points the carburetor is good for life so all you have to do is change the oil and the filter. And if you can I change the oil and the filter on your motorcycle you should not ride a motorcycle you should take the bus. Like your previous comment you're calling me aftermarket mechanics Quacks is uncalled for. Insult to them. Some of your presentation is highly suspect.
Good for you brother ...New Evo sportys are great dependable bikes...400000 miles..the gives me more faith in my scooter...thanks ...it's a very underestimated vehicle...
@@davidcaplan6972 I ironically bought my Harley Davidson 883 Sportster because I figured when it came time to do valves and maybe new rings I would have a plethora choices to bring my bike to when it did need something. It has been phenomenal totally reliable and dependable. My carbureted Sportster runs very cool to up in August in the summertime it runs 200 degrees according to the thermometer in the oil tank. Can't get better than that. If your oil is not boiled down to the viscosity of water then it continues to lubricate and cool your motor. On the big twins the oil is cooked to death and then it's cooled off and return to the oil tank but then it's useless after all of its lubrication properties have been boiled out of it. The hurricane tore down the shed my Sportster vision and all it did was scratch the paint on the gas tank after the tornado blew it over. When the alternator stator went at 250,000 Mi the Harley shop said don't fix your bike traded in on a new one I said it has 250,000 miles on it what are you going to give me for it they said nothing and if it's for a good running bike with no issues. I have had the bike over 20 years. It may not have any monetary value but it is valuable to me.
Every time i took my harleys in for service at the harley dealership, they would destroy my engine on purpose so i would come back for more.
Sturges - “For the last several years it’s kind of been winding down. I've been around for 23 years, so I've seen when it was low, and then there was the 75th anniversary, which was unbelievable,” Nancy Gellerman, the owner of Sage Creek Grille in Custer, told Forum News Service. “And now the crowd is just so much older. Which, after so many years, I guess they get older. Since 2016 they were saying that the younger crowd was coming, but I didn't really see that. I'm worried that without an influx of new riders the whole thing will just wind down.”
When I was looking for my first bike six years ago, I was initially leaning towards Triumph. I'd seen The World's Fastest Indian as a teenager so after discovering the Indian Scout was in production again, I got a Scout Sixty instead. I know it isn't the OG company or model, but the brand appealed to that fondness for something fresh that isn't hypermodern.
In my mind, people get Harleys because they want Harleys. They don't typically go to a multi brand dealership and search high and low before setting their sights on a Harley. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just not one of those people. When I purchase my next bike, it'll be something that fills a different niche than my Scout, might even consider a scooter if I have a short enough commute by then. Although I didn't begin riding until after college, I hope to ride many years to come on many different bikes.
A buddy of mine has a 2010 street glide. After what he told me in how much a seat cost vs a new front tire cost. My mouth dropped!! And he still has a motorcycle payment!!! Nope I'm good!! I'll stick to my 1996 Honda shadow 1100. That's still on the road that I only paid $1800.00 for. SMH.
I bought a Harley Davidson ONCE! That experience convinced me that I will NEVER buy another one!
I would rather RIDE my motorcycle than have to WORK on it before and after EVERY ride! Therefore, I buy Honda's & Yamaha's, because I don't have to WORK on them! All I have to do, is put the key in the ignition, start it up and RIDE! I do the occasional Required Maintenance (change the oil, new tires, etc.) and I enjoy lots of RIDING with minimal WORK!
I'm a firm believer in "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!" Harley Davidson fooled me once! They will NEVER fool me again!
I blame it on all the parents that continuously wiped there kids hands down with alcohol wipes and let there kids sit in the basement and play video games till they are 30, not making them get a driver's license or a job.... Gen Y = "poor babies"
That's right. They have video games to simulate motorcycle riding.
Maybe Harley Davidson needs to come up with their own Video game. You can buy a bike online modify it drive it around in a virtual reality. Sounds sad but it would probably sell.
Trust me, video games and hand wipes have nothing to do with the lack of competent leadership at Harley Davidson. $20k+ motorcycles only get sold to people with plenty of disposable income. I know lots of 20-35 year olds who absolutely love HD. They just can’t afford them. The cheapest Harley is a $13,500 sportster 975 and that’s before all the extra fees and taxes.
You missed the mark with this one
@@robbyclark6915 After the Taxes and fees the Nightster 975 comes out to be $17,319.
Pricing is insane, I will see what comes in '23 with the projected dropping of the 107 baggers. I have been thinking of replacing the '09 FLHTCUSE4 with a M8/107 Road King. Was informed it will not be available. Not quite ready to jump on the Indian train. (Challenger has some potential) Aftermarket support is very limited. One Area where HD shines. I can take a RK107 and 3.5g of upgrades and have a 130hp/150tq barn burner, and still have $500 in my pocket as opposed to a new RKS, which is a smog choked.
You would not be disappointed with the Thunderstroke motor. The 111ci has plenty of grunt and the 116ci has rip your arms off torque.
@@Heavywall70 Agree, after a test ride on a Challenger, I'll never look back.
Check out a used Moto Guzzi Eldorado. They quit making them because it could not pass the European emission standards. What was new around 17000 bucks can be had used for aprox 7-10,000 dollars. Easy to self service. I'm 66 and have been riding since i was 13. Best bike i have ever owned.
@@homeontherange733 I like the red heads on the Guzzi
Now let me get this straight Chinese make an evolution Sportster that they can't call a Sportster yet Harley Davidson makes a motorcycle that's not a Sportster but they call it a Sportster. Riddle Me That Batman.
Harley wants too much for EVERYTHING. Harley isn't made in the USA. The parts are made everywhere but in the USA and "assembled" in the USA. Harley was an American motorcycle that was killed when Corporate sought profit over everything else. The Harley brand is dead, and I own one.
I don't know which gen I am, mid 30's just got my M license and wanted to buy a HD as first bike.... experienced riders warned me to start with a reliable and cheaper one...got a used Honda VTX for only 3 grand... the price, looks, performance and reliability can smoke any bike...
Excellent choice!
I live in the vicinity of Malibu and frequent The Rock Store on my Husqvarna Vitpilen 401. On Sundays there are more Harleys there than all the other makes put together.
My Three Reasons:
1) Don't want to pay over $20K for a $15K bike, just for the sake of a name badge.
2) Want a bike to ride, not to wrestle.
3) The attitude of the company makes me wanna puke (remember their cuckold advertising strategy?)
Too expensive for me and too heavy for me to handle. HD needs to extend appeals to more market segments.
I just got a low rider S and the issue is the Dealership's are ripping people off.. the seat was trash and wastrying to kill me, the auto clutch adjust was junk, the mirrors needed put out 3 inchs to see anything, the blinker bulb socket has issues I had to put tape to make up the slop, the foot controls were way wrong and needed adjusted to be useable, the front forks dive too much when breaking, the wind drag on a cruzer is Ridiculous and it Didn't come with a windshield ect...
My 3 reasons for not buying another Harley: 1) Salesmen 2) Saleswomen 3) Price
Well they cost to much. Then you have to buy equipment to program the bike or modified the bike.
I have noticed that many young guys who have a Japanese rice rocket also have a classic bike that they feel comfortable about tinkering around with and riding compared to their sport bike. I once got a knock on my door and there were two young kids who wrote Jap bikes who had to stop and tell me how sick my BMW was. That was a compliment by the way. One of the kids was riding a Kawasaki Vulcan and I picked up a Kawasaki Vulcan sign at some swapmeet so I gave it to him and he was happy about that.
If you can't afford it, move on to the next brand. No need to say negative about it. Save up or get a different brand you can afford.
No
Been riding for a few years. I have a 2015 road glide I got second hand. It's at almost 61,000 miles....those are hard motorcycle club miles....so far I have had to replace the clutch (which is a wear item) got about 15k miles out of it than most. I had to replace the gasket on the rocker box because it was seeping oil. It cost $35, took me 2 hours to do and the kit came with new breathers which is also a wear item. Besides regular maintenance I don't wrench on it much. As far as price....yeah it's up there, it is comparable to Indian which offers more options for the money, but the fit and finish is lacking compared to a Harley Davidson. The reason you see Harleys break down more than the others has a lot to do with just how many there are and how long people hold on to them. It's nothing to see a 30 year old Harley going down the road. And if your old Evo does break, odds are the part you need is sitting on a shelf at the local dealership or multiple Indy shops near by. Good luck finding that with your 15 year old European motorcycle.
With all that said, I don't care what someone rides. I care that they ride. Also my next bike will be an Indian Challenger dark horse, they are fast AF for a touring bagger.
Adrenaline Harley in Sarasota, FLORIDA - took my bike in for electrical service at Adrenaline Harley Dealer - They took over Rossiters about 5 month ago. . . . .it streetglide with big stereo w/ amps. They told me $300 and would be back same day. 10 days later and $1000 they say its ready. They told me they found chaffed wire inside the handelbar & mandatory to replaced a throttle sensor which ran inside the handelbars . . . .then whne i showed up to pay them. . .Laster said no we did not replace sensor just cleane it and reprogrammed it but was same charge. + charge for programming it. SO i pick up bike at 5:45pm and pay my ridiculous / OUTRAGEOUS bill. I ride off the lot to the nearest gas station about 6 blocks away at corner. i shut bike off and then had to restart it and it blew starter fuse (which is why i took it in for service) bike wont start again. .. .. . of course they are closed at this time 6:15 or so
.NOT COOL! - beware!it no exaggeration when they call it stealership ilo dealership. very unhappy. Dont go there it will be worse than you expect.
criminal even.
as the next day (Friday) - they send trailer over to get bike and about 1pm, service guy calls me back at 4:30 and say hey we fixed your bike it had a blown fuse.
I tried to explain to them yes- this is why i took it too you. . .it about 10th time it has happen randomly.
they then said - we are not interested in working on the bike - too many wires, beyond our control. come get your bike.
SO i wasted 10 days of time and 1000 for them to do nothing. ughhhhhh
lazy ass mechanics and terrible service.
I got yelled at over a comment I made to a Harley guy. He was talking about how lucky he was to finally find a Harley mechanic that he could trust and depend on. I commented that I did not need a good mechanic because I drive a Honda.
For me personally, Harley Financing is extremely predatory. Especially for younger people like myself who don't have excellent credit.
You are 50 years behind in your remarks. Any Harley Evolution sportster or Big twin IS Reliable. Problems arise when they are. Hot roded. They are easy to maintain as long as the owner stays away from the factory computers. They handle we'll because they use the same suspension parts as most bikes. The new models have had problems. They are too complicated , too big and too expensive. Harley Davidson should do what they do best, and not try to make a better Indian,
In my 60's now and I have owned almost every brand of bike throughout the years. I'm on my # 9 Harley cruiser now....what's the problem?
Being an ex owner I can say Harley is a total worthless bike for the money you spend. The battery is also one of the worst performers. So a big NO to Harley. 👎
I had a Honda CX500 while I was in the Air Force and I had that by ten years and 250,000 MI before the campaign broke and destroyed the engine but by then the rest of the bike was worn out anyway
Price is too high and the quality too low, they are unreliable, the maintenance costs are way too high. Insurance is insane. The customer service sucks.
M8 engines built, 2017 , 18, 19, with defective oil pumps causing motor sumping, overheating etc.
People will buy Harley when pricing is not crazy and sales people aren't assholes at the dealership
I’ve ridden with numerous organizations, MC’s and RC’s, even being a Road Captain for an RC in Florida and hands down the HD’s broke down 10 to 1 comparatively. And this went for those maintained by self proclaimed mechanics and those owned by “posers” who wouldn’t even consider getting their chrome wet much less go anywhere else but the HD dealer for maintenance/repair.
Kids think metal slides, merry-go-rounds and playing outside are dangerous so motorcycles aren’t even a consideration. Not their fault, just what happens when men and boys are feminized…
I don't buy motorcycles from tee shirt shops
LOVE Harleys... always have. I have also NEVER had one. I've never been able to afford one, ... and Im almost 60. I've even toured the plant in Pennsylvania, twice. I have owned Yamahas, Hondas, Kawasakis, two Chinese bikes, and my latest is a Trumph.
What’s annoying about Harley is they don’t listen to us. They dont make brakes better bikes lighter and they all look like old man bikes. You have to take that 20k bike and sink 5 k more to make it bad ass.
Ive owned 10 bikes, none Harleys, but this video is mostly a collection of negative assertions. It sounds like a local news report.
This article is ridiculous and not in touch with reality. What a load of crap.
Exactly
Reality...A tough pill to swallow for Harley tards.
I think myself is pretty bad when you got all of these older guys old bikers that I grew up with can't ride anymore because I can't afford that expensive motorcycle and now every time I see a commercial a nice Harley-Davidson sitting there with a rap song going on play some Skynyrd some old 70s music or something excuse me but that's the way I feel
G'day,
My 2008 VRSCDX Night Rod Special (bought new)
The Australian dollar was at parity with the greenback. Yet it cost $32 740.
Had powder coating (came off)
Clutch and brake paint (came off)
Rubbish rear shockies
Oil leak from the rocket cover breather
Bugger all ground clearance.
HD makes their bikes deliberately bad
Hoping folk will buy them anyway.
Thank goodness the next Harley Davidson is:
Built in China
To an Italian design
500 X parallel twin.
Steveo :-)
I don't need a luxury motorcycle to get me to and from work ,I already have a decent hard working motorcycle that doesn't remind me everyday that it's slowly draining my bank account ,plus the vmax never goes out of style and nobody criticizes my power Ranger outfit on it.
Here some reasons 1 same 3 same engines for all models. 2 no power (HP) 3 15-20 k for generic bikes that cost way too much in after market parts to customize
Targeting old wealthy people only is a straight road to the grave. I’m 31, I love V-twin cruisers, but I don’t need motorcycle to deal with middle age crisis wearing like badass pirate. Moreover I don’t care about all that silly “hd culture” of selling gears for x3 price to make regular family guy feel “in the club” or like a gang member 😂. This is how HD marketing tries to sell bikes. So, less marketing BS, more good and different motorcycles for reasonable price.
Wow you guy's totally missed the mark and still full of BAD Information, i started working at harley dealers in 1973 just a few years into the AMF years, and the AMF Harleys were Great Bikes, in fact my 1st Big Twin was a 77 FXS Lowrider and i had that bike until 1992 when i traded it for an FXR and i had ZERO trouble with my Shovelhead, it was 1978 and 79 and part of 80 where there was problems, believed by many to have been caused by Labor Problems with the Union and Employees sabotaging the bikes. Harley's biggest problem is after the EVO Era they started to think they could do nothing wrong because Boomers Like Me were just coming into our Money making days in the 90's and the 2000s with the Early Twin Cams, and Harley started demanding Dealers Build these big palaces dealerships that the family owners could no longer afford when the 2009 recession hit and sales took a dump, and in came the Car Dealer Group Owners , who didn't think there was a down turn and kept right on jacking the bikes $3000 to $5000 over MSRP, and $1500 to $2500 in Extra Fee's on used bikes, and they are still doing it today, but now there are Independent Motorcycle Dealers Specializing in Used Harleys and selling for $1000s less than the HD Dealerships without the Tacked on extra fee's. Then Polaris Brought Back Indian and the Scout and the Base Model chiefs and the Challenger are FAR Better than anything Harley has, and the Metric remain full generations ahead of Harley or Indian and you can buy a metric bike for MSRP or LESS !! Now in your story you start listling things that go bad, i have owned over a dozen Harleys and i have NEVER replaced a clutch, unless i was upgrading to a performance clutch to match an engine modification i may have made, and Harley Gaskets Don't leak if you follow the owner's manual for start up, the riders who do not warm their bikes properly and let all the different metals come to temp, they come and see me for leaking gaskets, i properly warm my bikes and have never blown a gasket , and my harley batteries last longer than most of my metric bike batteries and i keep all my bikes on tenders
In my area the price tags have a surcharge on them. It is a sign saying HD thinks their customers are stupid.
I could either pay 20 thousand for a shiny harely or 15 for a vmax and have a blast Yamaha is king.
Kawasaki is pretty good too
@pauldavies8638 yeah most motorcycle are pretty good ,Suzuki too.
I am 59 and have owned dozens of bikes. I can't justify the cost of a harley nowadays, especially when they have parts manufactured all around the world , like every other motorcycle co. , my next new bike will be a Indian or kawasaki Vulcan voyager
Killing blue collar union jobs to send them overseas is a pretty POS move. No wonder no one wants a Harley. Can’t even afford a decent car, rent or mortgage. Let alone heath care or groceries. Gee.. This is a real friggin mystery here…
I have had 5 Harley's since 1972 including an AMF era Sportster . I never had a single problem with one of them . I ride Indian now for one reason . I find them more comfortable . Harley's are still the best looking bikes . They are a bunch of money and I can't justify spending that much money for a bike . But you do get what you pay for
It’s very simple. Either you’re a straight male that likes women(Harley Davidson. Or you’re a new age male and like sport bikes and men.
Fact!
What the hell went wrong with these sissy boys?
I sold my sportbike and bought a harley last week, wish i did it years ago
@@j.vosier6786 you’ve finally became a man. Welcome brother.
@@Bluis5445 thanks man
their recent practice of discontinuing top selling models doesn't help
If Harley continues going the way they are going… they’ll soon be history……..
So all dealerships change a lot for service no matter what brand and almost every bike will have clutch problems if used hard or wrong with any brand
If you give up your car for a Harley. You might have mental health issues. Quit your job because you won't be at work.
I've owned a 95 sporty since 08 it has well over 100000 miles and it runs great to this day...I take care of it's maintenance and ride it to it's potential it's been reliable as a BMW I owned for 20 some odd years... pretty much brakes tires and oil changes ..so take care of your ride and it will take care of you...
I'm sixty years of age and just bought a Ninja 400, and I love the heck out of it. The payment is $129 per month insurance, $225 per year.
You pay two-and-a-half times would I pay for full coverage for my 883 Sportster for a motorcycle less than half its displacement should be because it has ninja in the name sportbikes are always ridiculously more expensive to insure because they're writers crash so much more often
1. They're expensive
2. They're expensive
3. They're expensive
Who ever thought we wouldn't have enough wanna be badass bikers?
Indeed! We need far more douche bags on Hondas to make the world a better place.
@@JVass-oq1mp I'm glad to help out with that!
You know they whine and cry but they're selling $150,000 motorcycles a year roughly. Triumph would sell every motorcycle they can make and they can barely make a third of that. Bsa/ Triumph would have to run 24/7 7 days a week 365 days a year to match $150,000 motorcycle sales a year. Yet Harley overextended itself with all these monuments to how great it was. Yeah it was great and not anymore. Now all those white elephants are dragging down the bottom line. When they go bankrupt maybe the Chinese will buy their name and they can put it on the evolution Sportster that just come out with. I'll imagine after that they might come out with an evolution powered big twin touring bike. I wonder how many Harley riders with tattoos are going to get them removed afterwards?
Look folks are struggling and a bike is a toy. HD are ditching their lower price bike. $10k is a heap of $$$ so they might go for a used bike and save thousands.
Its just because it’s way to expensive. They just don’t want to be in debt for decades.
Nothing for beginners- so brand engagement doesn't evolve, hard to get new customers, old getting older .....price way to high
Harley suffers from the same thing that killed Jaguar. trying to live off past glory no longer deserved. Performance, reliability are FAR below much better, faster, innovative bikes selling for far less money.
I’d love to have a Harley Davidson. I just can’t afford one. I’m not paying for 1940s technology at 2063 prices.
I’ll go by an Italian Harley Davidson. A Moto Guzzi is much more affordable for the working man and woman.
Reasonable price for Harley Davidson is to high. You can get a brand new Japanese bike for under $10,000 that will smoke anything HD offers. Japanese bike is oil change and go.
My experience is with the EVO big twin and the EVO sportsters, mainly. The unmodded 1340’s and the 883 and 1200 sporty models are very reliable in my humble opinion. The servicing can be done by most owners if they take time and understand the manual. Parts for a complete sportster service is about 92 bucks and takes about 2 hours. Fuel injection and hydraulic valves make this easier. Biggies are a little more due to addition of tranny oil and more engine oil. If you buy a dealer service for a sporty it used to rain about $375 to $450 for biggies. European bikes are a fortune to service. KTM, Ducati, Triumph, Guzzi BMW cost small fortunes.
Millennials would rather take uber and lyft. If they decide to ride a motorcycle they would choose a Honda Rebel or any import.
I’m 34 years old, and got my first dirt bike 2 years ago.
Here soon, I’ll be on the market for my first street bike, but you’d best believe that I’m going to steer clear of HD.
They’re far too expensive, and I think all of their current (modernized) models look like crap compared to their older models.
I’ll probably get me a KTM duke 390 or a Honda.
No thanks Harley.
The Vulcan is $7000 NEW; so there's more than just crotch rockets for young riders.
Many crotch rocket owners eventually end up wanting a cruiser for comfort and more importantly for passenger comfort and safety. So to be more specific many of them want a cruiser with a sissy bar.
Some riders will trade or sell their old bikes to get a cruiser, but many others will add a cruiser to their stable so they can have the best of both worlds.
I like the Vulcan Custom. I wish they made one with a bigger engine.
Personally, I sing the praises of the Royal Enfield Super Meteor.
Low price, high quality, great ride.
It's no Harley, but sometimes, that's a good thing.
@@martythemartian99 It's not available in the USA yet. They are saying sometime this summer. I think the delay is from having to put extra stuff on it to meet EPA requirements.
If it wasn’t for our tax money bailing them out…Harley would be dead now……..be safe and thank you kindly…….
Harley's sound good though , but is it worth it? My Honda Gold Wing 2001 Canary yellow still amazes me on it's dependability and comfort and affordability, facts win arguments!
My harley breakout blew up 3 times, the 4th time it was about to blow i traded it in for a 2022 Hayabusa Gen 3.
"Breakout" sounds like a contagious STD
Not everyone wants a heavy bike and a house payment.
They are junk. Too heavy to loud can't evade. And cops like pitting them. To damn slow. So why waste your money time and possibly your life.
It’s mostly because towards the end of the millennial generation and all of Gen Z men have been feminized - fewer and fewer men do actual man-type things. Harley is a bike that men ride.
This younger generation can't even figure out which bathroom to use let alone how to buy and ride a Harley. I guess that means the price will be dropping for us older hardcore fans. Ill ride one till the day I die.
LOl, what a dumb comment! I’ve seen women, teenagers, white collar workers and everyone in between riding Harley’s these days. They are no more difficult to ride than anything else. When you try convincing people that only real men can ride a Harley you close the brand off to all those groups of people who aren’t like you. Thats why the brand has such a shitty reputation, because of people like you. Grow up
Women too.
I’m 15 I like motorcycles and why buy a Harley for 20 when you can get a Honda rebel for 6 I mean I wouldn’t exactly never buy one but I would buy a older one and make it into a chopper
@@61936 You can get a Harley for 6 grand. The sky is the limit when it comes to customization.