That sounds like expendable income has dropped in the US. I’m not sure what Thailand is going to do about that. Nobody in Asia can afford those bikes, and nobody in the US is going to buy a Harley made in Thailand.
Congress needs to get off it’s tail and enact Trump’s tariffs.
Whether this would help Harley or not, it would at least help ensure that Americans are employed building motorcycles that Americans ride.
Pat Buchanan convinced Reagan to put import barriers on Kawasaki 30 years ago-reciprocity. Now what? Cut their pay in half?
Harley sells too many models, and are quite overpriced. Not to mention that the market is saturated with low mileage used bikes. They should have to adapt to the market or perish, like any other business.
I’d say some of the problem, maybe most of it, for Harley-Davidson is the success of Polaris with Indian. The rest of the industry may be in a slump, but Indian isn’t, they’re gorgeous, they’re stepping on Harley’s stock in trade while being more reliable.
Baby boomers entering old age, and H-D bikes don’t have the same appeal to millennials.
I think HOG water downed their brand in many ways. Throw in a shift in demographics and other complications. Starting to get that Tata motors feeling in the future....Probably a Chinese company this time.
Aren’t motorcycle sales generally half of what they were a decade ago?
Worsening and more dangerous roads, older population and declining standard of living.
HD - proud sponsor of Sturgis... the Yuppie infested circus.
{shrug} I heard Hell’s Angels ride rice-rockets these days.
How did that happen — And, how much laundry can a single batch of Brew do?
The target market for HD is aging out.
Many younger guys want sport bikes. Or none at all. I buried to many friends who rode motorcycles to want one now.
Harley purchased Buell outright in 2003 to capture a greater share of the overseas and changing US market. They discontinued Buell in 2009 to focus on the Harley brand.
Eric Buell Racing started up again in 2009 but is shutting operations this year.
THAILAND !!!!!!!! ?
I wish Harley would make small off ride models. I don’t ride on the streets here (both cyclists and drivers are lousy), but I love off road motorcycling in the woods. Me, I grew up with Honda and I have a 250 Honda for playing in the woods.
Thailand?
Tim Allen out walking his motorcycle
http://lazzara.ch/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/born-to-be-wild.jpg
Part of the problem is that the biggest bike buying demographic group is the Boomers and they are dying off.
Harleys have had high proportions of foreign sourced parts for a long time. They try to keep that fact quiet. And the dentists and lawyers who buy Harleys and put maybe 500 miles a year on one also overlook it. But moving overseas would be disastrous. Harley banks on sales to people who want to appear patriotic without actually having to DO anything or suffer any personal inconvenience over it. Moving to Thailand would defeat that.
I’ve been seeing more on/off road bikes in the past several years..?
I love my 2009 Triumph Bonneville and the best thing about it after three years was having something few Harley Davidson owner’s had with their bikes...the Title!
