Wandell: Harley-Davidson needs to be more agile, seek new customers

[FXDRYDR]

Concur. For what Harley stuff costs - it can be made better and once-again designed to be repairable.

I am rarely inside a dealership and I will not buy anything made in China unless there's no option. However, I refuse to buy anything made cheaply offshore that's priced at a US-made price point. I'm talking about the $450 leather jackets made in China. Dunno, but guessing they cost well south of $100 - maybe closer to $50 - and I just refuse.

Cheap stuff gave us the appetite and got us over Chinese-made. U.S. workers lost their jobs as factories closed and the work was off-shored. Now ever-so-gradually, companies are raising the prices as if the stuff was made here. Uh-uh...

• I don't like that their stuff is dumped here.
• I don't like that our pols listen more to lobbyists than common sense.
• I don't like our lack of a trade policy...
• ...and I don't like getting fukd.

I get it that U.S. stuff costs more and so long as the quality is there, I'll gladly pay. We have a standard of living and expenses that the Chinese don't and I'm happy to pay to keep an American family fed. I'm good with that, but I won't let an American company fuk the entire country and pocket the proceeds while doing it.

So... on a rare trip to the dealer, when I spied a new, loaded Road Glide and asked the price - I was floored to learn it was $32K+. That's damn near what I paid for my car.

Looked at the new BMWs too. Still pricey and still tied to the dealer via technology, but IMO a much better value for the coin.

Guess I was all full of piss and vinegar... Feelin' better now. Thx...

[Bone Stockman]

Originally Posted by FXDRYDR

Looked at the new BMWs too. Still pricey and still tied to the dealer via technology, but IMO a much better value for the coin.

This.

When I test rode the K1600GTL this past summer, aside from being amazed at what a phenomenal bike it was, I felt like an absolute f*cking moron for spending the same amount of money on my Limited. Don't get me wrong, even though it keeps breaking, I love my Limited, but the K1600 is tenfold the bike the Harley will ever be.

Same feeling I had riding the GS. It's a boatload of money, but with the exception of carrying a passenger all day, it does everything better than the Limited.

No fooling, I haven't grinned so much on a motorcycle since I was a kid riding a dirt bike.

[FXDRYDR]

I believe it. I was really impressed with those bikes. Love my Harley, but value for the money between the two is not even close.