Streetwise: Most American men want a Harley

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Friday, April 23, 2004 | Lauren Rudd

[Willie Green]

What do men want more than anything else? No, not that ... well maybe that also; but that is not the topic of today's column. According to a survey of 1,000 men nationwide, besides wanting more money and keeping their wives happy, six out of 10 men dreamed of owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Steve Piehl, Harley-Davidson communication director, said, "When asked why they had not bought one, there were some interesting answers such as, 'My wife won't let me,' 'I don't have the time' and the one that really drives us crazy, 'Don't they cost at least $20,000?' "

The survey revealed that 75 percent of the respondents thought a Harley was too expensive. Not true, says Harley. "What we're finding out is that people know owning a Harley is cool, but they just do not have the facts. If they did, they'd have one in their garage right now," Piehl said.

[MineralMan]

"This one. "

I knew that.

[IamHD]

"A story that now needs to be told!"

No can do. lol Let's just say that it was so funny that my girlfriend peed her pants. I'm now a more experienced rider, and I don't take chances, oh, and nobody got hurt.

[elbucko]

Well the latest for these fools is to put faux fur on their bikes...Arms and legs flailing out from under what looks like a large animal that has collapsed on them.

LOL. They will eventually receive a Darwin Award.

[IamHD]

and, I didn't tell my husband about it. :)

[-YYZ-]

"I'll put my 63,000 mile 1995 Springer up against any jap bike, BMW or whatever you got.
You don't know what your talking about."

Up against it? In what way? Certainly not in any contest of handling, speed or ride comfort (suspension). Like I said, the paint and chrome are nice, but many of the ancilliary components don't impress me. And of course lots of the parts are Japanese, anyway.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Real bikers would never pay the money they are getting for a new Harley. It's a yuppy thing today, with bikers groups like the "Data Programers MC"

[MineralMan]

"Up against it? In what way?"

Yah, but that Springer has a bigger package, you see. [grinning and ducking]

[AgentEcho]

I report what I see...

[sauropod]

A machine that is in your driveway and that you can't throw all kinds of crap in is useless...

[Range Rover]

I'd like the '67 Triumph Bonneville to go please.

Not that I would offer my '67 Bonnie for sale (bought from the first owner in 1977 and ridden, rebuilt, ridden, rebuilt, ridden since)or my '73 or my '71....if you ever pick one up, feel free to drop me a line for tips on what to do to it reliability and performance-wise. Good luck finding a bargain. My '67 cost me $400.00 and a case of tall boys.

You may get lucky finding one tucked-away at a non-dealer HD shop. My '73 cost me $200.00 when I offered to drag it out from behind a stack of straightleg frames, XA springers (4 of them), a JD, about 25 assorted gas tanks and a 3/4 there UL. Yes, I know where this stuff is and NO, I'm NOT TELLIN (still haggling over the UL).

[xsrdx]

Spoken like a man who knows absolutely nothing about modern Harley-Davidsons.

What? Evo? V Rod? Gimmicks.

Harley has no interest in making real progress, as that would jeopardize the image.

A Harley was a loud, slow V Twin in 1955, and they remain loud, slow V Twins today.

Cool, yes, but hardly the leading edge of motorycle technology.

I will say they don't leak much anymore, fortunately, and the newer bikes do exhibit improved quality and fit/finish.

Still, next to a Honda or BMW, they look tremendously unrefined.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

If that's what you honestly think then read up and get educated because that is a myth.

The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight then the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.

We can each find conflicting references all day long.

No offense meant.

Safe riding to ya.

[joebuck]

That certainly brings back memories. I grew up riding; motorcross, enduro, street bikes large and small. I loved it until my first (and only) large get out doing 65 mph. Some old lady didn't see me and pulled out right in front of me. No time to dodge her or stop; I just had to lay it down. Lucklily I wasn't hurt too bad, (the Harley ended up in multiple pieces.) but I learned my lesson right there. Now I do my cruzin in a 1971 tricked out Dodge Challenger, pace car edition. It suits me just fine.

[JoeGar]

... they're incredibly, unnecessarily LOUD.

Loud pipes annoy.

[MileHi]

Some carry on like chicks in their endless purchase of "accessories", gawdy has no limit.

Yep. Yuppies...

[IamHD]

"I'd like the '67 Triumph Bonneville to go please"

Oh, man, my husband has one of those!

[cyberaxe]

A machine that is in your driveway and that you can't throw all kinds of crap in is useless...

.....i keep plenty of crap in mine.....

.....and even keep crap on the top of it.....

[Range Rover]

Hey, you're not my wife. You have a better attitude. Mine never warmed to the Bonnie. She doesn't know what she's missing.(have a sister?...just kidding)

[Hank Rearden]

The thing I find disturbing about Harleys - and it really isn't HD's fault - is their relative lack of sophistication. But that's what sells.

How can cast iron, steel, pushrods, and 50hp/liter sell for TWICE as much money as titanium, magnesium, DOHC and 180hp/liter?

Why would that be "disturbing"? It's not complicated; the "relative lack of sophistication" is awfully appealing to some.

Like my '97 Fat Boy, for instance. When I ride it, I'm on a very mechanical beast. It handles slow, it vibrates a bit and it's low and heavy. For all those reasons, I love it. It's just damn fun to ride; it's a mechanical beast.

And just so you don't think I'm ignorant of modern machines, I've had my '92 Honda ST1100 clocked at 137 mph by a (friendly) highway patrolman's laser gun. It was his idea to see what I could do with it.

I have a fast, smooth interstate-travel bike and a slow, clunky one that's great on a sunny day to go out and watch the cows go by. I love both for what they are (and guess which one small boys will stand around, waiting for me to light it off?). It's not complicated.

[elbucko]

HD is a clothing company that makes motorcycles as fashion accessories.

Perhaps, but HD is entitled to morph themselves to success. The company earned it. AMF sold the company to the employee's in bankrupt condition. The employee owned company, one of the first and obviously one of the most successful, corrected the mistakes of its once parent co. AMF (American Machine & Foundry) and took on the Japanese. The Japanese were "dumping" large motorcycles on the US market, selling Honda's below the cost to make them. Harley asked the Reagan Admin to put a tariff on bikes above 800cc, which Reagan did. By 1990, Harley asked the tariff to be REMOVED and it was. Now the Japanese bikes are making copies of Harleys.

You can rag on the Harley-Davidson all you want, but in the end, when all the facts are known, it is a the "All American Motorcycle" worthy of the title in all respects.

Marketing? Phooey!