All I can say is, All those who are willing and able to cough up $30,000 + just to be Mr. cool with the latest and greatest please pick up your keyboard and start typing now.
I personally think that market is just too small once you remove the fancy Harley boys. So my advise is just bide your time, there will be plenty of leftovers for the rest of us.
That's why I won't go out and buy a new Indian Roadmaster or HD water cooled scoot. 28K-30K. Too rich for my blood! I am thinking of a RK though, they're in the low 20's, so that's tolerable. A new B with real bags in the same price range would attract me as well.Originally Posted by Bob Penn
Mike
I never thought I'd see the day when the Goldwing would remain virtually unchanged for 17 years. Back in the late 60s through the 90s, every few years Honda would stun the motorcycle world with a radical new design. They redefined segments of the market with the CB750, the original naked Wing and then the Interstate, the 6 cylinder CBX, the 650 Turbo, the V-4 Interceptor, and the Valkyrie, just to name a few.
Sadly Honda became a different company after the death of Soichiro Honda in 1991. They still build great bikes. The F6B's incredible balance of performance and comfort prove it was an outstanding design back in 2000. But if you look at the competition it's clear Honda isn't the innovator it once was.
What amazes me is that we have such a large selection of great road bikes to choose from. In addition to the Wing you have excellent choices from BMW and Triumph, not to mention countless V Twins from a long list of companies. This surprises me because we're a pretty old bunch of riders. I read a few years ago that the AVERAGE age of Sturgis attendees was 58! I've been to a few Valkyrie rallies and the youngest rider trophy usually goes to a guy well into his 30s. Those seem like good demographics for trike builders, but not for motorcycle companies. Maybe that's part of the reason Honda is in no hurry to build a new Wing.
Interesting article on the web about how the so-called "Millennials" are really hurting Harley Davidson's sales of big road bikes..Stock is down and sales are off over 20% so far this year..These younger folks don't want to spend money on bigger road bikes and have a fading interest in cars and motorcycles..(Thanks to Uber and such). Many of the older generation retirees, like myself, lost "boat loads of cash" in the last recession and will never recover..As result they too are not wanting to tie up cash in a $25,000 motorcycle and are dropping out of the market for big expensive bikes...Honda is pretty damn good at market research and such, so I will wait and see what they do in the future with the GW and F6B...I, myself, am considering a smaller bike as I am approaching 78 years old and the big heavy bikes are not in the cards for me as I don't tour or ride very far these days...I hope Yamaha, Indian, BMW, etc. made good choices with their new bikes ,but only time will tell....Ride safe
That's mainly because the millenials are a bunch of wusses. All they want is a cell phone and a video game. You have to blame their parents for that.
You don't see parents involved the way they were a few generations ago. My father taught me how to fish, hunt, shoot, play baseball, change a car tire, the value of a good days work, ethics, morals, etc., etc.
Today everybody gets a trophy and can use the bathroom of their choice.
Just hoping America will be Great Again very soon.
I am a millennial. Will be 33 in a month. As I look around at some of my peers I am amazed at how they get by sometimes. Some still living at home without shame even.
On the other hand some are doing very well. Owning businesses or rapidly moving up in their companies. I myself have a great wife three children, a house, a rental property, three vehicles and a stable of bikes that are gathering dust. I can't stop riding this bike. I even sold my Valkyrie with 100k on it this year because I couldn't stand to have it just sit.
I think most of it comes down to the effort we put into whatever it is we are doing. Hard work pays off. I can see how older generations look down on mine, however, don't lump everyone into one basket!
Good points my friend...I had 5 children, lost one in the Military at 29, but the other 4 are doing very well ranging in age from 36 to 47..All were taught that you "reap what you sow" and hard work and strong goals with wise choices are very necessary to a successful life...They all have good jobs, nice homes and the blessings of life...But, I also agree with F6B911, that way to many have lazy parents today, kids that are taught to "bleed the government" sit on your ass and live at home with out any regrets....Hope these trends change one day, but it is doubtful!!!...IMHO without some sense of religion and good principles taught in the home, we are in danger as a society....Regards and ride safe.
I own 5 millennials and they're all doing very well. Why? Because mom and dad made sure they had all the right tools to compete in this world. Parental support and guidance go a long way for any generation, past or present.
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