The Real Reason Harley-Davidson Is Struggling - And How To Fix It

[@ADSCoachSupportB2112]

I have a Harley Iron 883 2017 evolution I have owned a few sportsters and I think it was a stupid decision to drop the line and the Dyna range. They also dropped the clothing stores at the major shopping malls they weren’t big but they were popular, I could also go and get my jackets repaired and they were pretty handy. A lot of people liked Harley mearch it was well made. Now it’s $15 AUD for a pair of socks. What happened is the great 300-450 revival quality small capacity affordable bikes Royal Enfield with CF Moto may just take the top spot.

[@BikesandBrezeln]

They're all-in on that luxury strategy I guess.

[@dionne8837]

one of the issues with harley is they are pricing themselves out of business

[@jam258420]

Biggest Problem too Expensive priced their way out of the middle and upper lower class. Wich was always their bread and butter customers.

[@mateschitz]

The issue here is havin a german Avocado Toast eating CEO

[@BikesandBrezeln]

Thank you sir. Your comment made me laugh ;-D

[@CODIAK13]

Harley Should hire this guy!

[@dionne8837]

dealerships are not helping the brand via their practices where i live you cannot get one at msrp, the markups and fees are absolutely shocking

[@hobbeeswe7472]

Great video! Being a business economist myself, I find the first part about income/cost and wealth distribution the best summary I have ever seen, perfectly aligned with my own conclusions, also valid for Europe (like our countries, Germany and Sweden). My conclusion is that short term greed/profit maximation erodes away the "bread and butter profits" of capital owners (aka profits earned from the ever poorer middle class) = the increased economic inequality will come back to bite the ass of capital owners (like in the case with HD). Do you agree? YES, I am looking for a Harley, but in any given model I can find a European or Asian replacement model significantly cheaper. I never thought I would find the GS 1250 R priceworthy... x2 price for image only?

[@BikesandBrezeln]

Thanks for the great summary, I fully agree with you.

[@BigAl53750]

I respect your profession as an economist, but here’s the thing; I don’t live my life according to a spreadsheet that I have to balance. Personally, I’ve never bought a brand new vehicle of any kind and I have never paid any more than $7000AUD for a bike. My current bike is a 1997 Sportster which is now a 1275cc and handles much better than any Harley I know of, after judicious suspension improvements I’ve made, as well as the capacity upgrade to 1275cc. Total cost; $11900AUD. I’ve owned the bike for 16 years and ridden it all over Australia. I wouldn’t buy a new bike OR car because they’re all full of rubbish electronics and nonsense that cost far too much. Much of this is driven by companies trying to please the EU clowns and their ‘Net Zero’ religion, which will see old people die from the cold for lack of adequate heating, whilst they congratulate themselves for ‘saving the planet’. All because some child called them nasty names. I don’t care one way or another about what happens to Harley Davidson, since they’ve gone WOKE. I agree that there are too many models of Harleys. I love my Sportster, but not the latter ones that weigh too much and have too much electronic crap on them.

[@jannikjoubert6080]

Simple... no one can afford the crazy high prices

[@BikesandBrezeln]

I agree, in the end that's the reason. But it's not due to a real price increase and also not primarily a generational issue, but primarily due to a real income squeeze and failed model policy.

[@sadletrampsscooby]

Harley until I die

[@johnryan2268]

There was a time I said that too, but after switching to a Pan America and receiving almost no support from corporate, and the the bike losing more than half its value, I will never purchase a new HD motorcycle again. Additionally they are technically not an American company anymore, but they' don't mind selling Asian motorcycles at American prices.

[@BikesandBrezeln]

What do you think about Harley's strategy in recent years?

[@G0oNi.E]

HD board doesn't give a F about HD or the future of the company.

[@poatemaine6200]

Nice comprehensive explanations. IMO Harley lost their way and I am not convinced even they know who they are anymore. The luxury product strategy is going to be the end of the brand as a motorcycle manufacturer. How do they expect to get new riders which are young and without equity to buy such expensive products? Ill get an old evo inb4 price hikes for old real harleys ,)

[@BikesandBrezeln]

I agree. The luxury strategy may fail and they could end up like car manufacturer "Jaguar". If we look back at the twin cam era from 1999 to 2016, you can see that Harley had a comparable revenue. But the production numbers were much higher. A large chunk of that difference is due to the fact, that harley provided a higher value for the customer per dollar. Compare a 2016MY and a MY 2025 Street Bob. The MY 2025 model with vivid black with spoke wheels is almost 50% higher ...

[@Thejoberabbitt]

Very well done video 🤞

[@nevillegreg1]

The way the Revmax engine was introduced was a fail by HD. In the modern era, Harley went through phases of new motors, say from the Evo to the Twin Cam to the M8, and while having redesigned the frames along this journey, the bikes/models, actually looked the same/very similar. However, the Sportster S and Nightser just don't look like the traditional Sportsters. Another problem was the marketing of the Nightster coupled with lack of performance upgrades. If the Dyna Bros actually rode and looked at the Nighster specs, they would see that the bike has many similarities to a Dyna - only with heaps more grunt/power. Unfortunately, Harley didn't market the Nightster as a shredding machine and currently there is no Harley and after-market accessories that allows for a better sounding exhaust, suspension upgrades, nor a tuning module that allows you to turn off the ABS and traction control and tune for performance upgrades so that you can do the Dyna Bros stunts without the engine management system overriding the fun.

[@robbyclark6915]

Now that Harley has moved production of the rev max bikes to Thailand, I wouldn’t be surprised if they introduce another American line along side the softails and baggers. Maybe a new dyna line?

[@HDR20]

Price and cell phones are hurting sales. People on their phones have turned a lot of riders off of riding for fear they will be injured or killed. The culture has changed to greed and money-hungry vultures from parts to rallies.

[@KatsudonArt]

why are their sales are dropping? Easy. TOO EXPENSIVE. They may have dropped the price on some bikes, but the buying power of today's money is not like before. Things may be cheaper, but salaries are also lower. Harley should take a good look at what is Royal Enfield is doing..

[@ΑναστάσιοςΠαπαζαχαρίου]

Cheapest Harley you can buy new in my country: 19990 euros, Royal enfield's top cruising choice: 8090 euros.

[@BikesandBrezeln]

The price policy in Europe really raises some eyebrows. Especially The Street Glide and the Breakout are MUCH MORE expensive in the EU compared to the US.

[@martincvitkovich724]

testosterone deleting chemicals in the water

[@KatsudonArt]

@@BikesandBrezeln I know, right? Here in Asia, if you're in a Harley that means you're rich even with the "cheapest" model

[@ThomasEasy1968]

Harley is toast

[@Harry-i4j2g]

Harley isn't more expensive, the U.S. dollar is worth less. People don't have money for toys with eggs @10 dollars a dozen.

[@ausforce1]

100k salary with a partner also with 100k salary, i can not afford a new Harley! Make no mistake, this company is 💯 dead ☠️

[@wizrom3046]

For an "economist", the only chart you showed of harley bike sales ended in 2013. That is very poor journalism, we can forgive you not having access to last year's data yet, but all years before that should be shown. Better to spend effort on good data than on cheesy (unrelated) film snippets. I see you are a tiny channel with only 300 subscribers so I wont be harsh. I wish you well and hope your channel grows. 👍

[@BikesandBrezeln]

Thanks for the useful and honest feedback!

[@johnkessler9878]

Unless you’re rich, you have to have some mechanical skills and do most of your own work. Modern bikes are far more complicated than a generation ago. No longer simple. Might even require expensive programming equipment. Add to that high prices for both the cost of the bike and high parts costs, and most younger people will shy away from the whole deal. Add to that the changing public impression of motorcycle riders as crotch rocket idiots, and you have even more reason not to be seen on a motorcycle.

[@shmeli]

I am 46yr Is lower middle class american. I have always wanted a Harley and was just able to afford one last year. I bought a 06 road king bagger w 45,000mi. I still cannot afford a new one. When I had all my Japanese bikes before this I always thought Harley was stupid for not fixing the engine vibrations and modernizing. Now that I own one I understand and I wish they would make more stuff like the old stuff. I still have my 09 Honda VTX 1300 And that bike handles like a POS compared to the Harley. The Harley is a dream to lean into turns. and once you get used to the vibrations, they have many advantages. The primary one I think is preventing your limbs from falling asleep while you're riding long distance. Also you can feel the engine RPM better and so you're more in tune with the motor. Your girlfriend will also really like the vibrations ;^)

[@AlexVitoriano]

harleys are just an expensive vibrator

[@BikesandBrezeln]

The 06 Road King is a great choice and a lot of fun in twisty roads. Ride Safe!

[@edwardcold7431]

Go buy a used CVO there not worth a dime and lots are for sale. I would know

[@BikesandBrezeln]

That's true. They offer the most bang for the buck.

[@edwardcold7431]

@BikesandBrezeln 😂

[@sadletrampsscooby]

Harley needs a trump supporting CEO

[@thestevedoughtyshow27]

Compete with Honda in quality and price. A Nightster for 14000, or a Honda Rebel 1100 for 9600. I bought the Honda.

[@BikesandBrezeln]

The Honda Rebel is a serious competitor for Harley. It's basically a Softail Sport Glide, with somewhat less displacement and much cheaper.

[@thestevedoughtyshow27]

@BikesandBrezeln So far, I am very happy with my Honda. It has a good low end and plenty of power. Handling is top shelf, and I have had no problem with the wobble some reviews have talked about.

[@thestevedoughtyshow27]

@BikesandBrezeln The Nightster is 980 cc's the Rebel is 1100 cc's

[@harveycamacho2247]

You nuts no one want a 30.000 dollar bike……. Harley are not complete bike you have dump a lot of money to get it right.

[@ThomasEasy1968]

Poor background of the video

[@BikesandBrezeln]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to improve it.

[@ΑναστάσιοςΠαπαζαχαρίου]

Both Harley and Indian are too expensive.

[@sheldonong7648]

Another motorcycle market analysis that refuses to accept that young people are not interested in riding motorcycle anymore. No matter the price, the image, etc

[@ausforce1]

Ah, yes, boomer economics. Step 1 - Make the price of products so expensive that only the well-off boomers can afford to buy them. Step 2 - Blame young people for not buying the products when the sales tank 😂

[@sheldonong7648]

@ nah it’s not the price. Young people are spending A LOT of money on other things that interest them. For example, I’m old, and I love motorcycles. But it doesn’t matter how cheap and accessible you make horses to be, I’m just not interested or motivated to ride horses. Nothing wrong with horses. I’m just not interested in them. You can’t make people interested in something that they’re not.

[@ausforce1]

@sheldonong7648 Okay, Grandad 🙄. Nothing to do with the fact that for the price of a new bike, you can get a car or truck. It's just because being able to freely move around and save money on fuel costs while you do is not appealing to young people because you know "horses and stuff" 🤣.

[@sheldonong7648]

@ well you can believe what you want. All good. But go to any high school or college and take a poll how many kids are interested in riding motorcycles, without mentioning price, licensing, etc. You’ll be in for a shock.

[@ausforce1]

@sheldonong7648 Yes, charging the same price for 300kg of vehicle as 3000kg of vehicle has a way of killing a culture and hobby. Funny that, hey. I think you are looking at the result and not the cause. If motorcycles had cost the same proportionally in your day for your generation as they do for the current ones, i can be assured that they would not have been popular ether. Cause and effect plain and simple.

[@Markotto09]

Bring back the Dyna and FXR! I agree that this move would bring huge dividends to HD.