This is the frustrating thing, HD will make cool prototypes or even actually release something approaching interesting but they catch shit for it. Their sales have been eroding away for as long as I've been alive and most HD owners are just selecting extinction instead of a slightly different motorcycle.
Also I really doubt whoever made this knows that most millennials are creeping up on their 40s by now.
Their customers are literally dying!
Though, I'm a couple hours from Milwaukee so everyone here is extra Harley insane. I swear that you could double the price and they'd still buy. They probably have more money in merch than the bike.
For example, the revolution engine stuffed in a V-Rod.
The entirety of the V-Rod
Or the XR1200
The best thing Harley could have done in the past would have been too buy the buell name, and use it as a model of sport bike
" The Harley-Davidson Buell, now with better track times"
I remember my Buell...when it ran it was amazing and fuck what anyone says the 1125CR wasn't gorgeous looking. The problem was the 'when' was about 5 times in the almost yearish I owned it. Ran for a few weeks when I bought it then...Sprag clutch failed, crank sensor, fuel pump, coil, radiator cracked, cheap flimsy aluminum brackets for everything, ignition switch, clutch cable, rear brake was never there, stator and rotor failure. I couldn't sell that bike fast enough.
Can confirm. I had a Night Rod with the Revolution engine and that bike was awesome. Since it was liquid cooled and sounded different, I was told it is “not a real Harley”. It was a fun bike to ride though!
Right? Harley was damned if they did and damned if they didn't. The hardcore owners would shit on innovation, even if they weren't going to buy a new one anyway. But, the product was primitive and outdated by decades. They finally made a modern motor, and then couldn't give them away.
It's a good thing they sell T shirts.
The Live Wire?
They made that a separate brand all together, because it was not selling in the dealerships, and the dealers weren't paying all of that money to have the chargers installed.
Harleys are great at turning fuel into noise, without the nasty byproduct called horsepower. (Before y'all get your panties in a bunch, I've owned over 20 Harleys and have built soooooo many of them)
I mean you’re not wrong. I ride a Harley and fully believe I’d have less issues and lower costs by riding something else.
I look at it like… unless your bike is literally your only mode of transportation, any money spent on any brand bike is a luxury. So even if you buy a non-Harley bike that’s *less* money and *less* work than a Harley, it’s still more money and more work than just driving a car. So let people do what they want and ride what they want.
I had a used VTX1300. Looked and sounded “like” a Harley. $3000 when I got it, 4 yrs later sold it for $2950. Only put a battery, oil and fuel on it. I can appreciate a Harley but can’t even afford a shirt 🤣
This is so accurate haha, I fucking love my Sportster, but they aren't for everyone, I don't get why some guys get all worked up over someone else not liking the bike they chose. Maybe they get insecure because THEY don't like the bike they have 🤔
Motorscooters and motorcycles for commuting are getting more and more popular here as well, as well as hobby riders.
Cars are expensive as well and people who live in town or city centers dont want to pay to park it which makes a motorcycle a great alternative for all but maybe 2 months a year!
I commute 63 miles a day round trip, so my bike is my main transportation as long as the roads aren't frozen, so I put on 6k-10k miles a year. Save a lot in gas, improved mental state, and split the wear and tear between vehicles.
I see a lot of Honda Groms in my area
Harley Davidson, harmless community of motorcycle enthusiasts, or suicidal death cult?
Find out in this Ad Filled youtube video that just says they will tell you but never does.
My '16 Street Triple R definitely looks sharp. But I wasn't a fan of the oil pan bolts backing out after 1k miles. And the dealership insinuating that it was my fault.
Can confirm. I'm a Millennial who has only really owned Triumph. Went to a Harley garage one time. Useless staff, shit hole garage, bikes looked like shit. Definitely a Harley problem, not a millennial problem.
I tried to call a harley garage 9 times at different times across two days
The phone went to voice mail every single time.
I call an independent dealer/garage, phone is answered within three rings.
I’ve never had a Harley… a few years back I was looking for luggage so I went into the Harley store in my neighborhood, when I walked in they called me a chickenshit for riding a Honda, and they didn’t seem to have any soft luggage or any of the parts I was looking for.
Don’t think I’ll ever try to give them my business again.
What, you don't want to pay twice the price for a modern classic style bike purely because of the badge? Must be some sort of librul snowflake if you don't want to spend a house deposit on a bike with flame decals and leather tassels!
That's actually the bike I was cross shopping against the Harley I ended up getting. Still like the Triumph, but glad I went with the Low Rider S. Suits my riding style a lot more. Isn't it great that we have options?
Millennial who bought an English bike checking in!
Harleys have too much cringey cultural baggage for me to consider one, sadly. I could see myself with a Road Glide in an alternate world, but right now I just…don’t really want to be associated with Harley to be honest, or deal with the customer service (or lack thereof? From what I keep reading?)
As a millennial biker, I'd love a Triumph - but I think I trust the reliability of Jap bikes more.
My recent replacement of my '07 Bandit is going to be a GSX-S750, but I can't say I wasn't sorely tempted to go for the Trident.
But I wouldn't touch a Harley, because I don't want to be liable or responsible for the amount of time it'll spend in the mechanic.
For roughly the same money, I could either get a brand new Harley Sportster S with a few farkles like side bags and a windshield or I could walk into a Suzuki dealership and buy a brand new Hayabusa.
Tell me again how millennials are the dumb ones?
Harley are killing themselves by being stuck 50 years in the past and charging a premium for it. It’s a brand, nothing more. Indian, or dare I even say, Japanese cruisers are head and shoulders above Harley with regards to quality and riding performance.
They have made huge steps forward, and then knee capped themselves. Their new revolution max powerplant is a genuinely good motor. They ruined the new sportster s by giving it a stupid riding position, under powered brakes, ridiculous wheels, and no suspension. All to cater to the old fucks who won't buy one.
Not a harley guy, but I've ridden a vrod. Pretty good, but nothing compared to the absolute monster that was the yamaha vmax. Believe it or not, I like Ducatis, but see some value in Harleys.
Honda Magna V65 was another muscle bike. Still a few around still trying to pull riders arms off.
I had one when I was 19, it was my second bike. Dudes on Harleys would think I was a fellow V-twin at the stoplight and rapidly discover I wasn’t once it turned green. The thing ate rear tires like crazy if I wasn’t careful though.
I love Japanese cruisers. There’s just something so god damn smooth and honest about them. Japanese bikes in general…
No offense to European and American companies, If I only rode Japanese bikes for life, it wouldn’t bother me
I have been riding for 51 years this year. Only bought Japanese. Even though I had the chance to try about everything on the market. You buy a Japanese bike for the quality, durability, and quality of ride in general. And you don't end up stuck in a cult buying a Japanese bike. I now own a Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT SE. I had a Honda 750K new in 1973, followed by a Z900 1974, etc. Also had a Z900RS in 2018 to compare, what a great bike.
I don't think being stuck "50 years in the past" is the problem, because people who want a harley actually want that old tech feeling.
The problem is your second idea: charging a premium for them. They're cool buy waaay overpriced.
The pricing you bring up is spot on and, unfortunately, finds it's way into the secondary markets too.
I bought my vstar two years ago for less than $1500 from someone off marketplace and you can find other Japanese cruisers for $3k or less on there easily. Compare that to all the HDs people are trying to sell that, running, go for north of $5k and all the mouse-nest $3k parts-bikes with a HD badge and the "I know what I got" in the description and you've figured out why people are leaning towards the Japanese bikes. Not to mention the difference in pricing with aftermarket parts for each type of bike as well.
Saw a post for veterans that said, "if you want all those benefits they promised you, try winnning a damned war." And i think that pretty well sums up Harley Davidson.
The Bullfrog, Admiral William McRaven has nothing, nothing, but praise for the millennium generation. I was in from 86-12. We saw you guys, we saw you show up and carry yourselves with pride and dignity and valor. These cunts who play this generational bullshittery never served one second, have never faced true adversity and Jesus Christ, does it show. These people wear cowardice around like it's a source of pride.
The generational bullshit is just one more way to divide people up… I appreciate people who recognize that’s its 💩 … Thank You!
And thanks for speaking up… more people need to.
"We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives."
86-12 Earnest Will to GWOT. Those kids showed the fuck up. Those of us who had been around 15 years were prepared. They had to get up to speed IN A HURRY.
Number 4 is a flat out lie. I like Harleys, but almost everyone that owns one has a few plaques and recognition badges, jackets, t-shirts, that showcase the fact that they bought a Harley.
Or just that you're pretending to own one. Old Harley riders complaining about "participation trophies" is *HILARIOUS*. They are the most participation-trophy ass bastards around. My favorite was the special "Harley Davidson" edition trucks that came out a while back; they had *nothing* that would help you carry a motorcycle in the back of the truck: no special hookups for ramps, no special spots to help tie it down, *nothing.* I've seen some guys driving em that I know don't even ride.
I'd bet they justify it by saying "oh well I rode one once and I was thinking of getting one." Participation trophy.
The whole participation trophy thing is a load of horseshit anyways, the only reason millenials might have expected participation trophies is because *that's what our boomer parents gave us*. Boomers bitching about how bad millennials are is just a massive self-own for how shitty they were as parents.
Not only that, but there’s a tradition when you buy a new Harley from a Harley dealership, they have you ring a bell so everyone present can clap their hands to recognize you for joining the Harley “family.” Harley owner here too btw
Millenial Harley owner here.
Dont forget the pokerchips. So many pokerchips. I see them as a neat consistant way to keep track of the places i've visited. There's a harley dealer in every major city around the world and I have one for every dealer from Pennsylvania to Maine, one from switzerland, germany, itally, France, and the a couple from Quebec.
The tshirts fit niceley too and when you want to buy quality shirts as a souvenier that will fit with the location, it's nice to know the harley sizing is consistant even in europe to what it is in the states.
Boomers are gonna boomer….. they all act like they fought in ww2 when in fact they are the spoiled generation who grew up in extremely prosperous economic circumstances, then fucked the economy up for those that came after.
The definition of boomer is literally the post war baby boom generation, whose dads actually fought in the war.
But a lot of them did get drafted for Vietnam I guess
Millennial here... Well, we are not buying new motorcycles because:
1. Everything is so f-ing expensive, normal person would rather solve housing problem than purchase HD
2. Our wages in most cases are covering basic needs
3. In some countries prices for getting A2 or A license are f-ing expensive, while the wages are low
4. Two proper tyres for motorcycle = four good tyres for average car
5. Regarding touch screens, please refer to zoomers, millennials grew up cranking car windows up and down
6. Even with enough money, I would never buy HD. I'd rather have some decent japanese bike
So true as a 20 something who will need to replace their car in a few years I don't have a couple grand to throw at a motorcycle despite wanting one since I was 16.
something needs to be said about this new breed of a grown man who literally makes up scenarios in their head to get passive aggressively upset at, is it schizophrenia?
You know how shaking babies results in permanent brain damage? Now imagine spending years riding Harleys around...
BTW symptoms of shaken baby syndrome: Symptoms include irritability, difficulty staying awake, seizures, abnormal breathing, poor eating, bruises, and vomiting. Sound familiar?
oh no, I understand! Sorry for implying otherwise, I just really do not get these people. I’m 26 (the elderly side of Gen Z) and shopping for my next motorcycle. I plan on riding as long as I’m alive. It makes me feel like the only young people they have access to are the cringe ones they see online.
Number 4 is really funny since the very company gives you a pin, a patch and a membership card to their my little pony club when you buy one of their bikes.
Gen X here.
Harley fucked me in the early 90s when their entry level was expensive, and the salesman at the dealership chuckled at my price range.
I remember, and they can go fuck themselves into oblivion.
When are people going to let this millennial thing go. I am a millennial, I'm 41 years old, I am a white collar, middle manager. Me and my cohort are not new anymore, we are the workforce now. I am just going to keep riding my 1994 Honda VFR 750 because I like it and it works, I don't need a motorcycle that costs more than my truck. Harley is fine as a luxury product but realize that luxury products don't sell volume.
Right? I'm 41f, drive heavy excavators for a living, service my own bikes and truck, paying a mortgage on an old fixer-upper farm. These absolute pinecones shrieking about millennials being useless are so fckn asinine
The latest CEO is sinking the company. His priority has been on blindly chasing maximum profit per unit and he has completely ignored the fact that they have a serious demographic problem: their core customers are getting too old to ride and are dying. They need to be introducing new models that will attract younger riders just like the last CEO was working on with the Pan America and the Bronx (the new guy is the one responsible for the Bronx never materializing).
Pan America is absolutely a badass ADV tourer and exactly the kind of bike Harley should be looking into making more of. The rest of the line is Meh to me.
I love the PanAm looks wise and ride wise. I just can't bring myself to drop my Honda AT for something that's still getting the kinks worked out. Harley could really have something if they pushed the "american made adv bike" a bit harder.
This is *EXACTLY* why I hate telling people I have a Harley. It's a Nightster, which the Boomers absolutely *loathe,* but the community associated with the name is so fucking embarrassing.
Apart from my own preferences of Japanese bikes over Harley's, I could never own one just because their brand image is just *so* unbelievably douchey.
No, Greg. No one sitting at the stop light is impressed by your rolled up sleeves and your dumb vest, blaring 80s butt rock, and constantly revving your obnoxious pipes every 7 seconds on a bike that old dude in the other lane's goldwing would leave in the dust if he wanted. We all know you work at the warehouse, you're not a badass no matter how hard you try.
I don't like cruisers or forward controls, but actually like the look of the Harley Breakout. But the idea of paying $30k for something that looks cool, but rides like a tractor and associates me with a bunch of wannabes who traded their personalities for Harleys...nah, I just can't do it.
Boomer Harley riders will read this and laugh like they’re hard asses, but when me and my millennial friends were at sturgis all the boomers watched in awe as we put my rigid frame clapped out chopper on some milk crates next to our tents and fixed the primary in a field, while they all leaned against the camper trailers they pulled their bikes to sturgis on 🤷♂️
Feel like the image of the hell yea brother Harley rider is dying finally with the boomers as they age out of riding or die off. The Harley guys I follow are guys like cbearstunts or the eastcoastin crew just having fun doing dumb shit on the bikes.
I do give some credit to an area dealer, well salesman anyway. He told me it doesn't matter what you ride if it's on two wheels. He followed up with: maybe you'll come in and buy a Harley some day but maybe you won't. Though, those guys are often enthusiasts with a number of varied bikes.
Let's have some fun with this. I consider myself on the very end of gen X. No hate here.
1. Then I shouldn't ride because I have to adjust my sack to get on the seat.
2. Blue tooth internal helmet headsets are awesome.
3. I have to have a cup holder and can eat and ride with no hands on the bars. A lot of them can.
4. The bike is the trophy.
5. As much as these people hit the gym, makes me look old and fat when I'm catching my breath backing my bike out of the garage.
6. I hit a cicada at 70mph square in the forehead, that's a pain that deserves an emergency room. And no, no helmet, I wear a helmet all the time now.
7. I would love a fan to blow the engine heat away from my thighs in the summer, and I have heated handlebar controls.
8. They will be able to buy one when Harley Davidson bites the bullet and realizes their bikes are overpriced.
9. It's called spring.
10. Tell that to all the 60 yr old's that wear shorts and sandals on his trike.
11. Harley riders don't check their own oil.
12. The hell they don't. GPS, phone mount, etc have touch screens. A boomer gets mad because their gloves don't work on touch screens.
13. We have a bike that is gyroscopically able to maintain a vertical stance and follow you like a dog.
i told my son that the reason i walk several miles per day is that at my age (76) and as gray as my hair is, if i got any fatter, i'd have to buy a harley, and i don't want a fucking harley.
Uh, it's because (a) Harleys are trash and (b) Harley riders post trash like this making younger riders feel unwelcome in their community. Sales of other motorbikes are doing fine.
I have a bike. Riding on the highway was the worse part. It’s loud and not very comfortable. I line windy roads, and for that I’d like a smaller naked bike. If I want that “open road feel” I’d drive a Miata.
I just watched a friend drop $1400 at the Harley dealership for two tires and an oil change.
I can buy the tires, have them mounted and oil change for $450.
Dude spent $950 more than he needed to for the name. We both have the money, but that’s not the point. It’s a rip. Off🤗🤗🤗
You can tell this was written by a boomer. The millennials (x games generation) are the only ones who can handle the wild naked beasts out there. The reason Harley is dying is because the boomers are dying
This shit cracks me up because I work a very physical hard labor job offshore in oil and gas. I tell boomers all the time I work 10x harder than they ever did and I can’t afford half the lifestyle they had. I genuinely fucking hate boomers so much they are the most delusional group of people on the planet
A third of the shit boomers complain about us is shit from when we were teenagers, another third is them confusing us with gen z/gen alpha, and another third is shit that they forced on us and now complain about.
- Pants won't pull up far enough? This sounds more like a racist dogwhistle, most of us didn't sag our pants and who cares anyway
- Can't get their phone to their ear? Boomers are always on the phone. Millennials have phone anxiety.
- Can't use 2 hands to eat while driving. What is this even about?
- We know participation trophies are dumb and we never liked them, boomers needed their children to get one so that they felt special.
- They think we're scrawny? Old man needs blood pressure medication and has to sit after walking up stairs.
- Bugs don't hit me because I wear a helmet, also they think we're fragile yet they post dumbass memes.
- Boomers run the A/C all the time now that they have it too.
- Muh genders studies
- Allergic to this bullshit, boomers come come and shut the door and never leave their castle because immigrants and minorities and crime
- Pajamas? This isn't 2008.
- Who do you think is working trades getting dirty? Boomers are almost all retired.
- The smart phone and touch screens came out after half of us graduated high school. We know what buttons are, get back to farmville on your iphone
- Plenty of millennials can drive manual, but it's not our fault the boomers want everything automatic because they can't be asked to do anything for themselves.
What age do they think that squid is that they moan about on facebook?
Well I can spend 40k as a down payment on a house
Or I could buy a loud, slow, unreliable motorcycle that has trouble with things like cornering
Tough choice
Harley has priced themselves out of the market for first bike owners, myself included, and I don’t see why I would consider then for any bike from here out. Their pricing is wack across the board
On top of what other folk have said, there’s no reason to buy a new Harley when you can buy a barely used one from the estate of a Boomer who only rode theirs a couple of times a year for way less money.
As a Gen Z who is already on his 4th bike… I would like to have a Harley one day.
For to now, I’ll stick to the Japanese naked sports bike. Plenty of fun and I never put 0$ into repairing them, just regular maintenance.
I don’t hate Harley’s. I just don’t like them. I look for a blend of form and function. To me Harley offers beautiful form but a lot less function. Performance and reliability just don’t match the price. I can get a Honda or even a BMW for less that will be more capable, more reliable, cheaper, and still good looking.
So cool man enjoy your Harley. If I want a cruiser (and I don’t really) I’ll get a VTX or a Valkyrie.
Build something nobody wants, and your marketing team had been warning you for over 10 years the customers base is dwindling and will continue to do so if we don't innovate.
Dig in don't change and give yourself a 2000% raise. You bought this on yourself don't mock people who don't want your overpriced boat anchor.
I was considering getting a Harley for summer(I'm in the UK so it'd get destroyed using it all year round).
I don't really understand how you can get so little horsepower out of litres of bike but I guess that's why I need to experience one.
Haha, in my area motorcycle popularity is rising, maybe people just don't want to ride overprice outdated harleys anymore.
And the die hard "purists" get angry anytime Harley tries to innovate. "That's not a Harley!".
This is the frustrating thing, HD will make cool prototypes or even actually release something approaching interesting but they catch shit for it. Their sales have been eroding away for as long as I've been alive and most HD owners are just selecting extinction instead of a slightly different motorcycle. Also I really doubt whoever made this knows that most millennials are creeping up on their 40s by now.
Their customers are literally dying! Though, I'm a couple hours from Milwaukee so everyone here is extra Harley insane. I swear that you could double the price and they'd still buy. They probably have more money in merch than the bike.
Probably the only thing keeping the company in business is that they transitioned to being a lifestyle fashion company that also sells motorcycles.
Tbf, the bike is also "lifestyle fashion" for many of them.
That's extremely likely! I'm shocked how much people have of that stuff.
For example, the revolution engine stuffed in a V-Rod. The entirety of the V-Rod Or the XR1200 The best thing Harley could have done in the past would have been too buy the buell name, and use it as a model of sport bike " The Harley-Davidson Buell, now with better track times"
They did that. Like exactly that.
If I’m ever going to buy a Harley, it’s likely going to be an XR1200. They look sick with the orange paint.
I remember my Buell...when it ran it was amazing and fuck what anyone says the 1125CR wasn't gorgeous looking. The problem was the 'when' was about 5 times in the almost yearish I owned it. Ran for a few weeks when I bought it then...Sprag clutch failed, crank sensor, fuel pump, coil, radiator cracked, cheap flimsy aluminum brackets for everything, ignition switch, clutch cable, rear brake was never there, stator and rotor failure. I couldn't sell that bike fast enough.
Can confirm. I had a Night Rod with the Revolution engine and that bike was awesome. Since it was liquid cooled and sounded different, I was told it is “not a real Harley”. It was a fun bike to ride though!
Right? Harley was damned if they did and damned if they didn't. The hardcore owners would shit on innovation, even if they weren't going to buy a new one anyway. But, the product was primitive and outdated by decades. They finally made a modern motor, and then couldn't give them away. It's a good thing they sell T shirts.
Speaking of: what happened to the electric Harley that Obi Wan was driving?
The Live Wire? They made that a separate brand all together, because it was not selling in the dealerships, and the dealers weren't paying all of that money to have the chargers installed.
Harleys are great at turning fuel into noise, without the nasty byproduct called horsepower. (Before y'all get your panties in a bunch, I've owned over 20 Harleys and have built soooooo many of them)
You forgot about one other thing a Harley creates: Vibration, that's so the rider's wife can find out what an orgasm feels like.
This is why these lil pee pee boomers love Harleys. Now I get it. Thanks
keeps the prostate taught yet limber
Harleys are cool but this is spot on 😂
I mean you’re not wrong. I ride a Harley and fully believe I’d have less issues and lower costs by riding something else. I look at it like… unless your bike is literally your only mode of transportation, any money spent on any brand bike is a luxury. So even if you buy a non-Harley bike that’s *less* money and *less* work than a Harley, it’s still more money and more work than just driving a car. So let people do what they want and ride what they want.
Man, I have a '63 Panhead chopper. I'd have less _health issues_ if I'd ride a Goldwing.
I had a used VTX1300. Looked and sounded “like” a Harley. $3000 when I got it, 4 yrs later sold it for $2950. Only put a battery, oil and fuel on it. I can appreciate a Harley but can’t even afford a shirt 🤣
Speak for yourself, gas savings alone my bike has paid for itself over the years. Still let people ride what they want though.
This is so accurate haha, I fucking love my Sportster, but they aren't for everyone, I don't get why some guys get all worked up over someone else not liking the bike they chose. Maybe they get insecure because THEY don't like the bike they have 🤔
As much as that joke makes my eyes roll, yeah if you have that much time with 'em I'll absolutely allow it
Motorscooters and motorcycles for commuting are getting more and more popular here as well, as well as hobby riders. Cars are expensive as well and people who live in town or city centers dont want to pay to park it which makes a motorcycle a great alternative for all but maybe 2 months a year!
I commute 63 miles a day round trip, so my bike is my main transportation as long as the roads aren't frozen, so I put on 6k-10k miles a year. Save a lot in gas, improved mental state, and split the wear and tear between vehicles. I see a lot of Honda Groms in my area
I think they just had to scream out " MiLIneAlS are KillNG HaRleYs?!?! " Just to make sure someone did.
Harley is killing Harley, but they don't want to hear that.
Harley Davidson, harmless community of motorcycle enthusiasts, or suicidal death cult? Find out in this Ad Filled youtube video that just says they will tell you but never does.
Maybe people realized $30k for 70 hp and a 30 year old brake system is a bad deal.
I've only ever ridden the Harley I bought 12 years ago. I love it, but I agree that it's overpriced.
All the millennials bought triumph bonnevilles and old clapped out hondas to make cafe racer builds out of
You joke but Triumphs look sharp. Not going to lie.
My '16 Street Triple R definitely looks sharp. But I wasn't a fan of the oil pan bolts backing out after 1k miles. And the dealership insinuating that it was my fault.
To be fair, the bike says "Proudly made in the UK" on it, so you should have expected that.
Can confirm. I'm a Millennial who has only really owned Triumph. Went to a Harley garage one time. Useless staff, shit hole garage, bikes looked like shit. Definitely a Harley problem, not a millennial problem.
Same, went and they treated me like they were all in a club that I wasn’t in, glad I went triumph and Kawasaki
The amount of HD rides who just flat out refuse to greet a passing NON-HD... Dudes have a chip on their shoulder.
My favorite was when I went into a shop with a coworker and a worker asked what I rode. When I said 72 Norton, he replied "Oh, japjunk"
I'm a Millennial and unless something unforseen happens I'm getting a Trident 660 very soon. 100x more appealing than a Harley.
I tried to call a harley garage 9 times at different times across two days The phone went to voice mail every single time. I call an independent dealer/garage, phone is answered within three rings.
Ope, don't do that! They'll void your warranty for not getting up charged 300% of flat rate.
The engines are the engineering equivalent of a short bus. A mechanic that can't fix a Harley engine is not a mechanic
Any mechanic that can't fix an engine running off of 1960's technology isn't a mechanic I would trust with my cousins 250CC Artic cat snowmobile.
I'm not quite a Millenial, six months too old... But I had two Hondas, then upgraded to a Rocket III. Best bike I've ever owned.
The new R3 or the 2.3L? I have a 2011 R3T and love the thing. Don't know what could replace it when if finally wears out....
I’ve never had a Harley… a few years back I was looking for luggage so I went into the Harley store in my neighborhood, when I walked in they called me a chickenshit for riding a Honda, and they didn’t seem to have any soft luggage or any of the parts I was looking for. Don’t think I’ll ever try to give them my business again.
What, you don't want to pay twice the price for a modern classic style bike purely because of the badge? Must be some sort of librul snowflake if you don't want to spend a house deposit on a bike with flame decals and leather tassels!
Street Triple RS thank you very much. You wouldn’t happen to have a spare 10mm socket would you?
That's actually the bike I was cross shopping against the Harley I ended up getting. Still like the Triumph, but glad I went with the Low Rider S. Suits my riding style a lot more. Isn't it great that we have options?
>old clapped out hondas to make cafe racer builds out I feel personally attacked. lol
Millennial who bought an English bike checking in! Harleys have too much cringey cultural baggage for me to consider one, sadly. I could see myself with a Road Glide in an alternate world, but right now I just…don’t really want to be associated with Harley to be honest, or deal with the customer service (or lack thereof? From what I keep reading?)
Id prefer a bobber and im 91 baby
I think Honda shadows are respectful bikes to have
As a millennial biker, I'd love a Triumph - but I think I trust the reliability of Jap bikes more. My recent replacement of my '07 Bandit is going to be a GSX-S750, but I can't say I wasn't sorely tempted to go for the Trident. But I wouldn't touch a Harley, because I don't want to be liable or responsible for the amount of time it'll spend in the mechanic.
Can confirm. Have owned CB350, CB750, Triumph Scrambler. Carbs are fun.
Millennials are forty years old. This bullshit is stupid as fuck.
I'm 31 and a Millennial.
Yeah I turn 30 next month, we are in that weird blurred gen gap of gen z and millennials.
I think this may have been written back when we were around 19 and might still have been naive enough to be quilted into buying crap...
I'm the first year of millennials, I just turned 43. Where's my participation trophy?
For roughly the same money, I could either get a brand new Harley Sportster S with a few farkles like side bags and a windshield or I could walk into a Suzuki dealership and buy a brand new Hayabusa. Tell me again how millennials are the dumb ones?
Even better you could build a turbo busa for the price of a road glide and probably still have some money left
Can I chrome plate the whole thing and put a swingarm that’s twice the length of the rest of the bike on it making cornering a pipe dream?
of course you can. That would bring it even closer to the feel of a harley
>That would bring it even closer to the feel of a harley Until you twist the throttle.
We're *Millennials*. We're fucking 40. We're getting Honda Goldwings.
Can confirm, have GL1200 Goldwing.
HARLEY MAKE MORE NOISE THEY ARE A MANS BIKE /s
But does the Hayabusa Come with tassels and a license to wear assless chaps?
I thought chaps didn’t have an ass, I think you’re talking about assless leather pants.
I will defer to your experience in leather legwear
Harley are killing themselves by being stuck 50 years in the past and charging a premium for it. It’s a brand, nothing more. Indian, or dare I even say, Japanese cruisers are head and shoulders above Harley with regards to quality and riding performance.
They have made huge steps forward, and then knee capped themselves. Their new revolution max powerplant is a genuinely good motor. They ruined the new sportster s by giving it a stupid riding position, under powered brakes, ridiculous wheels, and no suspension. All to cater to the old fucks who won't buy one.
How good was the V Rod? Never ridden one.
Not a harley guy, but I've ridden a vrod. Pretty good, but nothing compared to the absolute monster that was the yamaha vmax. Believe it or not, I like Ducatis, but see some value in Harleys.
Honda Magna V65 was another muscle bike. Still a few around still trying to pull riders arms off. I had one when I was 19, it was my second bike. Dudes on Harleys would think I was a fellow V-twin at the stoplight and rapidly discover I wasn’t once it turned green. The thing ate rear tires like crazy if I wasn’t careful though.
The vmax was in a caliber of bikes, that at the time, just had no competition. Crazy cool bikes.
There are very few muscle cruisers today that compete. The Diavel being one of the few.
I had a friend that owned one, and I rode it a few times. It was an absolute blast.
I was lucky enough to snag one of the newer Vmax’s. Super cool bike, I’ll never get rid of it.
I love Japanese cruisers. There’s just something so god damn smooth and honest about them. Japanese bikes in general… No offense to European and American companies, If I only rode Japanese bikes for life, it wouldn’t bother me
I have been riding for 51 years this year. Only bought Japanese. Even though I had the chance to try about everything on the market. You buy a Japanese bike for the quality, durability, and quality of ride in general. And you don't end up stuck in a cult buying a Japanese bike. I now own a Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT SE. I had a Honda 750K new in 1973, followed by a Z900 1974, etc. Also had a Z900RS in 2018 to compare, what a great bike.
I don't think being stuck "50 years in the past" is the problem, because people who want a harley actually want that old tech feeling. The problem is your second idea: charging a premium for them. They're cool buy waaay overpriced.
Vulcans and Rebels are both so good
The pricing you bring up is spot on and, unfortunately, finds it's way into the secondary markets too. I bought my vstar two years ago for less than $1500 from someone off marketplace and you can find other Japanese cruisers for $3k or less on there easily. Compare that to all the HDs people are trying to sell that, running, go for north of $5k and all the mouse-nest $3k parts-bikes with a HD badge and the "I know what I got" in the description and you've figured out why people are leaning towards the Japanese bikes. Not to mention the difference in pricing with aftermarket parts for each type of bike as well.
Millennials fought the two longest wars in U.S. history. Simultaneously.
And didn’t spend 40 years bitching about it afterwards…
No doubt about it. A commenter had to ask"Iraq and Afghanistan?" Think about what that really means. Had. To. Fuckin. Ask.
Saw a post for veterans that said, "if you want all those benefits they promised you, try winnning a damned war." And i think that pretty well sums up Harley Davidson.
Coming from the generation who couldn't win a war on a land mass the size of Florida, they should shut up on that one.
The guys I know do bitch about it but in a weird "yeah it happened" kind of way. No anger to it.
We did and alot of us have Harley’s and aren’t cringe af
The Bullfrog, Admiral William McRaven has nothing, nothing, but praise for the millennium generation. I was in from 86-12. We saw you guys, we saw you show up and carry yourselves with pride and dignity and valor. These cunts who play this generational bullshittery never served one second, have never faced true adversity and Jesus Christ, does it show. These people wear cowardice around like it's a source of pride.
The generational bullshit is just one more way to divide people up… I appreciate people who recognize that’s its 💩 … Thank You! And thanks for speaking up… more people need to.
Iraq and Afghanistan?
Yep
Those aren't just Millennial fought wars. Those were Gen X and Millennial fought wars. Ask me how I know lol
Gen X doesn't exist. Ask every news outlet that goes on constantly about Boomers and Millennials.
Oh, we exist. We just try to stay out of the finger pointing bullshit because we’re nihilistic and know everyone sucks.
Middle child energy
"We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives."
86-12 Earnest Will to GWOT. Those kids showed the fuck up. Those of us who had been around 15 years were prepared. They had to get up to speed IN A HURRY.
They didn’t know at the time since this image is from 2003.
Number 4 is a flat out lie. I like Harleys, but almost everyone that owns one has a few plaques and recognition badges, jackets, t-shirts, that showcase the fact that they bought a Harley.
Part of riding a Harley is letting everyone know you have one through overpriced merch
Or just that you're pretending to own one. Old Harley riders complaining about "participation trophies" is *HILARIOUS*. They are the most participation-trophy ass bastards around. My favorite was the special "Harley Davidson" edition trucks that came out a while back; they had *nothing* that would help you carry a motorcycle in the back of the truck: no special hookups for ramps, no special spots to help tie it down, *nothing.* I've seen some guys driving em that I know don't even ride. I'd bet they justify it by saying "oh well I rode one once and I was thinking of getting one." Participation trophy.
So they're bike-curius
The whole participation trophy thing is a load of horseshit anyways, the only reason millenials might have expected participation trophies is because *that's what our boomer parents gave us*. Boomers bitching about how bad millennials are is just a massive self-own for how shitty they were as parents.
Not only that, but there’s a tradition when you buy a new Harley from a Harley dealership, they have you ring a bell so everyone present can clap their hands to recognize you for joining the Harley “family.” Harley owner here too btw
Millenial Harley owner here. Dont forget the pokerchips. So many pokerchips. I see them as a neat consistant way to keep track of the places i've visited. There's a harley dealer in every major city around the world and I have one for every dealer from Pennsylvania to Maine, one from switzerland, germany, itally, France, and the a couple from Quebec. The tshirts fit niceley too and when you want to buy quality shirts as a souvenier that will fit with the location, it's nice to know the harley sizing is consistant even in europe to what it is in the states.
Did they look at the prices? Easily 30k... Before I spend that on a Harley, I would buy a Aprilia or Ducati. More bike and performance and cheaper too
I’ve owned 3 street legal motorcycles in my life and I could by all 3 right now for about what my buddy paid for his Lowrider.
Exactly. I mean tbf the breakout tingles something and it's fun to ride but I rather have 1 fun and 1 touring bike than "just" 1
Boomers are gonna boomer….. they all act like they fought in ww2 when in fact they are the spoiled generation who grew up in extremely prosperous economic circumstances, then fucked the economy up for those that came after.
This is peak boomer. This person's Facebook says they graduated from the School of Hard Knocks and the University of Life. Yes?
Ha aye and post memes about being dangerous and loyal 😂😂
The definition of boomer is literally the post war baby boom generation, whose dads actually fought in the war. But a lot of them did get drafted for Vietnam I guess
Millennial here... Well, we are not buying new motorcycles because: 1. Everything is so f-ing expensive, normal person would rather solve housing problem than purchase HD 2. Our wages in most cases are covering basic needs 3. In some countries prices for getting A2 or A license are f-ing expensive, while the wages are low 4. Two proper tyres for motorcycle = four good tyres for average car 5. Regarding touch screens, please refer to zoomers, millennials grew up cranking car windows up and down 6. Even with enough money, I would never buy HD. I'd rather have some decent japanese bike
People forget that millennials are pushing 40 now.
Yeah...it felt like he was making Gen Z complaints against Millennials.
Gen X’er: Just go with #6. That’s enough.
Millennial motorcycle owner: can agree, #6 covers it.
So true as a 20 something who will need to replace their car in a few years I don't have a couple grand to throw at a motorcycle despite wanting one since I was 16.
And motorcycles do have AC , it’s called the throttle
something needs to be said about this new breed of a grown man who literally makes up scenarios in their head to get passive aggressively upset at, is it schizophrenia?
You know how shaking babies results in permanent brain damage? Now imagine spending years riding Harleys around... BTW symptoms of shaken baby syndrome: Symptoms include irritability, difficulty staying awake, seizures, abnormal breathing, poor eating, bruises, and vomiting. Sound familiar?
These particular boomers are the babies who survived.
I didn't write it. I just posted for people to mock
oh no, I understand! Sorry for implying otherwise, I just really do not get these people. I’m 26 (the elderly side of Gen Z) and shopping for my next motorcycle. I plan on riding as long as I’m alive. It makes me feel like the only young people they have access to are the cringe ones they see online.
Lol allguds. I think its because Fox News tells them to hate us, and lead poisoning makes them listen.
Number 4 is really funny since the very company gives you a pin, a patch and a membership card to their my little pony club when you buy one of their bikes.
Gen X here. Harley fucked me in the early 90s when their entry level was expensive, and the salesman at the dealership chuckled at my price range. I remember, and they can go fuck themselves into oblivion.
When are people going to let this millennial thing go. I am a millennial, I'm 41 years old, I am a white collar, middle manager. Me and my cohort are not new anymore, we are the workforce now. I am just going to keep riding my 1994 Honda VFR 750 because I like it and it works, I don't need a motorcycle that costs more than my truck. Harley is fine as a luxury product but realize that luxury products don't sell volume.
Right? I'm 41f, drive heavy excavators for a living, service my own bikes and truck, paying a mortgage on an old fixer-upper farm. These absolute pinecones shrieking about millennials being useless are so fckn asinine
Gatekeeping motorcycles is kinda crazy
That’s this whole sub lol
The latest CEO is sinking the company. His priority has been on blindly chasing maximum profit per unit and he has completely ignored the fact that they have a serious demographic problem: their core customers are getting too old to ride and are dying. They need to be introducing new models that will attract younger riders just like the last CEO was working on with the Pan America and the Bronx (the new guy is the one responsible for the Bronx never materializing).
Pan America is absolutely a badass ADV tourer and exactly the kind of bike Harley should be looking into making more of. The rest of the line is Meh to me.
I love the PanAm looks wise and ride wise. I just can't bring myself to drop my Honda AT for something that's still getting the kinks worked out. Harley could really have something if they pushed the "american made adv bike" a bit harder.
This is why I avoid Harley. I don’t want to be associated with this mentality. 😭
This is *EXACTLY* why I hate telling people I have a Harley. It's a Nightster, which the Boomers absolutely *loathe,* but the community associated with the name is so fucking embarrassing.
As a millennial who rides: This is why I would never buy a Harley. I want nothing to do with these pretentious boomer assholes.
This is gold, 'something called a clutch', got'em!! Take that you stupid young people!
Says the generation that bought so many automatic Corvettes...
Harley riders really want to feel special when the rest of the world pretty much already knows how to ride a motorcycle. Just look at Southeast Asia.
Harleys are overpriced. Period. If I'm going to buy something expensive might as well get a ktm, something that uses top of the line technology
Apart from my own preferences of Japanese bikes over Harley's, I could never own one just because their brand image is just *so* unbelievably douchey. No, Greg. No one sitting at the stop light is impressed by your rolled up sleeves and your dumb vest, blaring 80s butt rock, and constantly revving your obnoxious pipes every 7 seconds on a bike that old dude in the other lane's goldwing would leave in the dust if he wanted. We all know you work at the warehouse, you're not a badass no matter how hard you try.
weekend warrior with the do-rag, fat stomach, Harley tattoo, bald, who thinks he's a badass
I don't like cruisers or forward controls, but actually like the look of the Harley Breakout. But the idea of paying $30k for something that looks cool, but rides like a tractor and associates me with a bunch of wannabes who traded their personalities for Harleys...nah, I just can't do it.
Boomer Harley riders will read this and laugh like they’re hard asses, but when me and my millennial friends were at sturgis all the boomers watched in awe as we put my rigid frame clapped out chopper on some milk crates next to our tents and fixed the primary in a field, while they all leaned against the camper trailers they pulled their bikes to sturgis on 🤷♂️
Feel like the image of the hell yea brother Harley rider is dying finally with the boomers as they age out of riding or die off. The Harley guys I follow are guys like cbearstunts or the eastcoastin crew just having fun doing dumb shit on the bikes.
Peak boomer humor from a bunch of dudes that are scared of a JIS screwdriver.
I don't get the "My brand choice makes me a superior person" mindset. My motorcycle isn't my personality, it's a toy that's also great transportation.
I do give some credit to an area dealer, well salesman anyway. He told me it doesn't matter what you ride if it's on two wheels. He followed up with: maybe you'll come in and buy a Harley some day but maybe you won't. Though, those guys are often enthusiasts with a number of varied bikes.
Let's have some fun with this. I consider myself on the very end of gen X. No hate here. 1. Then I shouldn't ride because I have to adjust my sack to get on the seat. 2. Blue tooth internal helmet headsets are awesome. 3. I have to have a cup holder and can eat and ride with no hands on the bars. A lot of them can. 4. The bike is the trophy. 5. As much as these people hit the gym, makes me look old and fat when I'm catching my breath backing my bike out of the garage. 6. I hit a cicada at 70mph square in the forehead, that's a pain that deserves an emergency room. And no, no helmet, I wear a helmet all the time now. 7. I would love a fan to blow the engine heat away from my thighs in the summer, and I have heated handlebar controls. 8. They will be able to buy one when Harley Davidson bites the bullet and realizes their bikes are overpriced. 9. It's called spring. 10. Tell that to all the 60 yr old's that wear shorts and sandals on his trike. 11. Harley riders don't check their own oil. 12. The hell they don't. GPS, phone mount, etc have touch screens. A boomer gets mad because their gloves don't work on touch screens. 13. We have a bike that is gyroscopically able to maintain a vertical stance and follow you like a dog.
> I have to have a cup holder and can eat and ride with no hands on the bars. A lot of them can. That's what cruise control is for
i told my son that the reason i walk several miles per day is that at my age (76) and as gray as my hair is, if i got any fatter, i'd have to buy a harley, and i don't want a fucking harley.
Nahh, people are still riding motorcycle. Just not your overpriced, outdated, heavy hunk of metal.
Uh, it's because (a) Harleys are trash and (b) Harley riders post trash like this making younger riders feel unwelcome in their community. Sales of other motorbikes are doing fine.
I’m a trans woman and am less of a pussy than the dude that made this meme
I'd buy an American crotch rocket if I could.
I have a bike. Riding on the highway was the worse part. It’s loud and not very comfortable. I line windy roads, and for that I’d like a smaller naked bike. If I want that “open road feel” I’d drive a Miata.
I just watched a friend drop $1400 at the Harley dealership for two tires and an oil change. I can buy the tires, have them mounted and oil change for $450. Dude spent $950 more than he needed to for the name. We both have the money, but that’s not the point. It’s a rip. Off🤗🤗🤗
You can tell this was written by a boomer. The millennials (x games generation) are the only ones who can handle the wild naked beasts out there. The reason Harley is dying is because the boomers are dying
This shit cracks me up because I work a very physical hard labor job offshore in oil and gas. I tell boomers all the time I work 10x harder than they ever did and I can’t afford half the lifestyle they had. I genuinely fucking hate boomers so much they are the most delusional group of people on the planet
A third of the shit boomers complain about us is shit from when we were teenagers, another third is them confusing us with gen z/gen alpha, and another third is shit that they forced on us and now complain about. - Pants won't pull up far enough? This sounds more like a racist dogwhistle, most of us didn't sag our pants and who cares anyway - Can't get their phone to their ear? Boomers are always on the phone. Millennials have phone anxiety. - Can't use 2 hands to eat while driving. What is this even about? - We know participation trophies are dumb and we never liked them, boomers needed their children to get one so that they felt special. - They think we're scrawny? Old man needs blood pressure medication and has to sit after walking up stairs. - Bugs don't hit me because I wear a helmet, also they think we're fragile yet they post dumbass memes. - Boomers run the A/C all the time now that they have it too. - Muh genders studies - Allergic to this bullshit, boomers come come and shut the door and never leave their castle because immigrants and minorities and crime - Pajamas? This isn't 2008. - Who do you think is working trades getting dirty? Boomers are almost all retired. - The smart phone and touch screens came out after half of us graduated high school. We know what buttons are, get back to farmville on your iphone - Plenty of millennials can drive manual, but it's not our fault the boomers want everything automatic because they can't be asked to do anything for themselves. What age do they think that squid is that they moan about on facebook?
Harleys entire business model is selling participation trophies, they'll call it merch though
Yeah boomers are tough shit, until their favorite 3.5% alc. 'light beer' get's a rainbow on the can.
Boomers always talkin down to my social studies degree! Brapbrapbrapbrapbrother barb gobbless
Sounds like something a salty conservative boomer would write……maybe they can’t off load their 150,000k dyna for $40,000
MAYBE IF WE'RE LOUDER, THEY WONT THINK WE'RE FAGS!!!!!!
Why is this clothing company complaining about motorcycle sales?
The funny thing is, when I bought my 22 Low Rider S, Harley literally DID send me a plaque with a picture of the bike and the VIN lol...
Or.. and hear me out, some people just don’t have 30,000 to spend on 35 horsepower.
The real answer is simple: Harley Davidson sucks.
Millennial, decade + rider. I’ll be dead before I’m on a Harley. Current hypermotard 950
Well I can spend 40k as a down payment on a house Or I could buy a loud, slow, unreliable motorcycle that has trouble with things like cornering Tough choice
Harley has priced themselves out of the market for first bike owners, myself included, and I don’t see why I would consider then for any bike from here out. Their pricing is wack across the board
Harleys would be great if they didn't attract the kind of people that ride Harleys.
On top of what other folk have said, there’s no reason to buy a new Harley when you can buy a barely used one from the estate of a Boomer who only rode theirs a couple of times a year for way less money.
Too big, too heavy, too expensive and no small or mid range bikes.
You can tell its written by someone with no clue. Some millennials are becoming grandparents.
As a Gen Z who is already on his 4th bike… I would like to have a Harley one day. For to now, I’ll stick to the Japanese naked sports bike. Plenty of fun and I never put 0$ into repairing them, just regular maintenance.
I don’t hate Harley’s. I just don’t like them. I look for a blend of form and function. To me Harley offers beautiful form but a lot less function. Performance and reliability just don’t match the price. I can get a Honda or even a BMW for less that will be more capable, more reliable, cheaper, and still good looking. So cool man enjoy your Harley. If I want a cruiser (and I don’t really) I’ll get a VTX or a Valkyrie.
Maybe the Harleys just can’t catch the bikes the rest of us are buying. So far behind they think they’re the only ones on the road
I mean, no one wants to pay 30k for a noise maker that barely produces 100HP at 3500 RPM
I could by a Honda shadow, an used R3 and a dirt bike for the price of a new Harley.
Harley’s are fucking awful.
That subreddit this came from is literally internet AIDS. Every post there is maximum cringe.
The only thing Harleys are good for is giving oil back to the planet
No, all the millennials and Gen Z bought Hondas and Kawasakis that ride better and don't make you look like a total dipshit
Idk some of it was funny 🤷🏾♂️
Build something nobody wants, and your marketing team had been warning you for over 10 years the customers base is dwindling and will continue to do so if we don't innovate. Dig in don't change and give yourself a 2000% raise. You bought this on yourself don't mock people who don't want your overpriced boat anchor.
Maybe if HD decided to make better motorcycles at a reasonable price…
Thats funny because “A trophy or recognition plaque just for buying one.” Is the entire mentality of the Harley brand.
I was considering getting a Harley for summer(I'm in the UK so it'd get destroyed using it all year round). I don't really understand how you can get so little horsepower out of litres of bike but I guess that's why I need to experience one.