Is HARLEY DAVIDSON in financial trouble?

[drifter]

Polaris stock went from $158 down to $86 over the last year. I wanted to trade my 2005 victory vegas in on a 2014 Indian chieftain. The dealers where charging more for an indian quick release trunk then they would give me for my victory.Went to test ride a 2013 F6B was hooked when i got to third gear. Got a great deal on the F6B ,kept my Victory and saved$4500. My friend has a 2008 Road King with 58000 miles runs great with the proper maintenance .

[pdxstriper]

My previous 2 bikes were Harleys and didn't have one bit of problems with them. I do agree that Harley needs to come in to the 21 century. Harley needs to put a true water cooled reliable engine in their bikes,an engine that should be virtually maintenance free for 100,000 miles. If they would have had one out when I bought the 6, I would have bought the Harley.

Wow i Really like that tagline:

Harley Davidson
'obsolete products with inferior technology'

Nice ring to it! Truth in advertising too!

[Cool Hand Luke]

At one time several years back. I heard that Harley was working with Porche to develope a water cooled engine, now I don't know if Porche was evolved in the VROD engine development or not.

I do, and yes, Porsche has developed the V Rod engine for HD. In fact, HD has a long history of working with Porsche. Back in the AMF days Porsche developed a V Four engine for HD. Harley management at that time was strongly considering abandoning a V Twin tech for V Four. It was a much more advanced engine at the time, and if you remember the competition was going in the V4 direction as well, such as Honda Magna, Suzuki Madeira, Yamaha Venture etc.

The reason it didn't happen was money. As the HD faithfull bought HD back from AMF, they had no money to to continue to develop and implement a completely new platform. They also didn't want to rock the boat too much. So, they updated the old Shovelhead with a good helping from Porsche (again) and the Evo was born, which in turn saved HD's ass, and the V4 was shelved. Today can be seen on display at HD's Museum.

So, under the guidance of Willie G. Davidson, HD again resorted to Porsche for V Rod engine. People forget that HD had a fully powerful, water cooled and reliable engine for over a decade. The reason is probably HD's corporate mindset of not putting this wonderful powerplant into a touring oriented mount. In my opinion, that was a big mistake.

I owned one of these bikes. It was wonderful to ride, very powerful with little vibration and super reliable. It would have been a perfect choice for a sport touring mount but alas, HD only makes cruisers.

[jm21ddd15]

Yes sir. That engine went in the V-Rod, the Street Rod, The Night Rod, etc. It is/was a great engine! Harley should have put that motor into some of their other bikes. Too bad, a missed opportunity.

[F6Dave]

Yes sir. That engine went in the V-Rod, the Street Rod, The Night Rod, etc. It is/was a great engine! Harley should have put that motor into some of their other bikes. Too bad, a missed opportunity.

I always thought the V-Rod engine would have been great in the Buell. Kind of like an American answer to Ducati.

[Dirtstiff's F6B]

True or untrue, HD has the ability to reinvent itself when the times have affected sales. Trouble sometimes is opportunity.

[shooter]

They have a captive audience. Most HD owners are brainwashed. They think its the only brand worthy of their money. They scoff at the idea of owning a Honda. Out of the blue , wife asks me tonight , "why do people think they have to buy a Harley"? I had to think about it for a minute. I think its peer pressure. And since most people are followers , they do what is expected instead of making a decision based on facts.

[53driver]

They have a captive audience. Most HD owners are brainwashed. They think its the only brand worthy of their money. They scoff at the idea of owning a Honda. Out of the blue , wife asks me tonight , "why do people think they have to buy a Harley"? I had to think about it for a minute. I think its peer pressure. And since most people are followers , they do what is expected instead of making a decision based on facts.

Peer pressure. BINGO!

[wjduke]

They have a captive audience. Most HD owners are brainwashed. They think its the only brand worthy of their money. They scoff at the idea of owning a Honda. Out of the blue , wife asks me tonight , "why do people think they have to buy a Harley"? I had to think about it for a minute. I think its peer pressure. And since most people are followers , they do what is expected instead of making a decision based on facts.

Peer pressure. BINGO!

One thing I'm proud of in my life is that I made my own decisions. (some good, some bad) Never smoked, plenty of peer pressure there. A ton of things along the way. You should have heard my friend on me to get a HD. He's a ball buster on top of it. His cousin runs the HD dealership on the Cape. I looked at them, Indian and the 6. All he talked about was the plastic. Well, he surprised everyone and switched to an Indian. This summer, he will try my bike and I want to hear what he says after the ride.

[Jimmytee]

Harley isn't going anywhere. Just because sales are down, doesn't mean they are in trouble, just means the market has been adjusting and will always adjust. I'd be more worried about the future of Honda's MC lineup with recent year's offerings.

I've said before to many a Harley riding friend that if Harley would manufacture something equivalent to a bike like my F6B ,I could possibly be a Harley customer. I like Honda, but if it were not for the flat 6 engine, I'd be riding something else.