Harley is making some big changes

[MichiganBob]

I like menus at the restaurant, there's something for everyone, even my wife most of the time.

[bmwnomad]

Nevermind

[Hosstage]

On 4/29/2023 at 9:25 PM, bmwnomad said:

You buy a Harley for the name, not the motorcycle. 

Sarcasm? Like szurszewski often does?

[fourteenfour]

The inspiration for the Highway Kings is very much their legacy in action

 

[fourteenfour]

 

[Hosstage]

40 minutes ago, fourteenfour said:

 

Nice vid. Where's the motorcycle? Harleys are motorcycles, right? Where is it?

[TEWKS]

1 minute ago, Hosstage said:

Nice vid. Where's the motorcycle? Harleys are motorcycles, right? Where is it?

William’s Friend told me that, strippers don’t come out on stage fully nekid.  

[Lone_RT_rider]

3 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

William’s Friend told me that, strippers don’t come out on stage fully nekid.  

Exactly Pat. In the HD Marketing world that's called a "Teaser". Look at HD's show schedule for Motorcycle shows. Find one that makes sense and my guess is that the full unveil will happen there. 

 

Shawn

[Hosstage]

It does look familiar. Gotta love that trunk.

 

[MikeB60]

2 hours ago, Hosstage said:

It does look familiar. Gotta love that trunk.

 

Love the bike but I'll disagree on the trunk.  That's hideous!

[Hosstage]

2 hours ago, MikeB60 said:

Love the bike but I'll disagree on the trunk.  That's hideous!

That's just hurtful!

Still, looks better than the GS luggage.........

[MikeB60]

1 hour ago, Hosstage said:

That's just hurtful!

Still, looks better than the GS luggage.........

No argument there.  

[fourteenfour]

Apparently there is a Harley authorized side car for the Highway King models.  Hoping for pictures soon

[Hosstage]

That would be cool, they haven't offered a sidecar in about a decade. Previous models were probably the best looking sidecars made.

 

[TEWKS]

Although…. someone here @Lone_RT_rider might take exception to that. He has family history in the sidecar business! 
 

The Rocket Sidecar. 

 

 

[Lone_RT_rider]

Jeeese Pat, you found the ugliest colored Goulding sidecar I think have ever seen! lol.  Although it is also one of the few restorations where they managed to mount the body on the frame/springs correctly. 

 

Some info about the HD sidecar activity. When the new FL platform changed the frame in 2017 it made it impossible to just bolt the old sidecars to those new frames. The police agencies out there still using sidecars contacted HD and raised holy hell that their sidecars wouldn't fit their new 2017 Police bikes. So, HD created a retrofit program to mount those sidecars to the new frames.  Thankfully there was one guy left that was an engineer on the last sidecar program.....ONE!  That was the only experience they had left at HD with sidecars.  He took that program home.  I'm going to guess (no hard evidence) that the work done on that Police program might be carrying into a new sidecar program.  Just hold on to your hats on the price. I'll bet it's not going to be cheap. 

 

Shawn

 

PS.  This is how a Goulding sidecar should look. :) That's one of my cousins piloting the rig.

 

 

 

[lawnchairboy]

On 5/2/2023 at 8:43 AM, John Ranalletta said:

During the Unrally in the Black Hills, as I remember, one of our riders (@Endobob ?) had a shift lever break on a new GS or RT.  The BMW dealer in Sturgis didn't have one in stock and refused to take one from a bike in his large inventory.

that is correct

[Ponch]

[fourteenfour]

The side cars are manufactured by Champion and this is not expected to be cheap as it is even more limited than the models they bolt onto are ,  https://championsidecars.com/ 

[fourteenfour]

 

[RTinNC]

On 5/11/2023 at 1:16 PM, Hosstage said:

That's just hurtful!

Still, looks better than the GS luggage.........

HA!   As they say "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" which is certainly true if you own a GS!  I have owned a GS since 2002 and thought they were all beautiful but that was not always the case.  Seems as I matured so did my taste in motorcycles.  But my old Harley riding buddy would tell you otherwise and that BMW's were the ugliest bikes made but Harley's were true beauty.   It's all in the eyes doing the looking.   But all good ! 

[gmcjetpilot]

On 4/30/2023 at 5:53 AM, Joe Coastie said:

Don't forget that the Harley dealers are all networked together for parts and/or accessories.

Something BMW isn't.

Never had a problem getting parts for My 19 yo 2004 R1150RT. Parts come to dealer in one or two days. 

[gmcjetpilot]

On 4/30/2023 at 5:38 AM, fourteenfour said:

 

Uh no.

 

I am back on one after realizing that BMW no longer makes any motorcycle I want to ride.  I have had far too many BMW motorcycles and while I enjoyed them all for different reasons I am came to realize I wanted something simpler. I had placed a lot of hope on the R18 line when it was announced but it is actually worse than the R1200C line up; of which I had more than one through my BMW ownership.  Seriously the R18 is ridiculously bad, so bad some big motorcycle publications did little if no coverage after the launch because they did not generate interest. 

 

Back to simpler, I really like the R nine T line up and wish they had recreated the RT of old, simple fairing without the electronics and some bags. I would be all over one; give me a classic R100RT from 1980 look with that red... and oh my.

 

hence I just bought a 2023 Harley Davidson Low Rider ST...  see the resemblance?    Fixed fairing, hard bags, and simple.  I am adding a taller windscreen to the Harley and a color matched chopped tour pack. One of the greatest features about Harley is the aftermarket and this is on top of all the optional accessories they sell directly.

 

I don't care for Harley. They have all the electronics, not simple. They are too heavy. The looks of the new fairing is ugly to me.

 

With that said I sat on a R 18 Roctane at dealer yesterday. I threw a leg over and casually tried to stand it up. It barely moved. Ha ha. After making sure stand was not welded to floor, put in more leg and hip. I stood it up.

I looked up it weight of R 18. 825 lbs. That is 275lbs more than my 2004 R1150RT. 

 

Putting the R 18 back on kick stand was iffy.  It has a Harley like flappy loose stand that gives a lot of play out before bike is supported. Price? Recall it was $22K or $24K. Ahaaa yeah. 

 

Clearly a bagger cruiser is not not me. I just don't get bikes that weigh that much. The R 18 may be heavy but HD is another 100lbs or more over the BMW.

 

PS Harley accessories and stuff is how they make money. Harley is a name, aspiration, luxury brand. It's not an all American every man motorcycle. It is more a brand image life style fantasy they sell than the sport of motorcycling. Harley Davidson bikes often have fee miles. They don't offer good resale value... 

[MichiganBob]

Damn ... this thread gave me sticker shock. Did not realize its more than my first house, car, motorcycle, and 9 years of college combined. Scary.

[Pappy35]

On 3/15/2023 at 2:36 PM, Skywagon said:

 

He's not Roug 

 

Noticed the CVO is fairly inexpensive....:)

 

A friend of mine just bought one of these. The bike is utterly stunning but, he paid almost $50k for it...Harley can do paint and they are great to ride (contrary to popular belief). But their cost is absurd.

 

...which is why I'm back here looking at RTs. I want to upgrade from my '22 Road King, but the Ultra's and Limited's end up costing $40k out the door and still lack many of the features on a new RT that can be had for $12k less.

[RTinNC]

On 5/11/2023 at 10:18 AM, MikeB60 said:

Love the bike but I'll disagree on the trunk.  That's hideous!

Yes ...but it is truly retro and looks period correct. 

[Hosstage]

3 hours ago, RTinNC said:

Yes ...but it is truly retro and looks period correct. 

It not only looks period correct, it IS period correct. That is a factory option, that piece is direct from Harley Davidson, made in the late 60's. Highly doubtful anybody is making those aftermarket.

[Pappy35]

On 10/31/2023 at 10:10 PM, gmcjetpilot said:

PS BMW accessories and stuff is how they make money. BMW is a name, aspiration, luxury brand. It's not an all American every man motorcycle. It is more a brand image life style fantasy they sell than the sport of motorcycling. <snip> 

Stereotype much? 

 

[Stiggy]

On 11/14/2023 at 11:15 AM, Pappy35 said:

A friend of mine just bought one of these. The bike is utterly stunning but, he paid almost $50k for it...Harley can do paint and they are great to ride (contrary to popular belief). But their cost is absurd.

 

...which is why I'm back here looking at RTs. I want to upgrade from my '22 Road King, but the Ultra's and Limited's end up costing $40k out the door and still lack many of the features on a new RT that can be had for $12k less.

Harley does do good paint work but the CVO's tins (at least some,) are painted off campus and sent to York, PA for assembly

 

https://www.facebook.com/GunslingerCustomPaint/

 

(My buddy's CVO still has the "Gunslinger" label attached inside his Road Glide's saddlebags.)

[Hosstage]

1 minute ago, Stiggy said:

Harley does do good paint work but the CVO's tins (at least some,) are painted off campus and sent to York, PA for assembly

I'm ok with that. CVO paint should be special.

The paint done at the factory for regular bikes is the best in the business.

[taylor1]

3 hours ago, Hosstage said:

The paint done at the factory for regular bikes is the best in the business

I don't think anyone could argue with that. In fact, they have IMHO the nicest and widest color selection out there. I found a H.D. red metallic that I liked so much that I painted the wife's scooter from silver to it. We complain about taking the fairings off our BMWs for maintenance, try taking it off a Yamaha Majesty with all the push pins and wacko sequence to get things apart.  

[KDeline]

On 5/2/2023 at 8:43 AM, John Ranalletta said:

During the Unrally in the Black Hills, as I remember, one of our riders (@Endobob ?) had a shift lever break on a new GS or RT.  The BMW dealer in Sturgis didn't have one in stock and refused to take one from a bike in his large inventory.

In 2004 while heading to the Cody Unrally I had the dreaded HES failure after a downpour. Towed 240 miles to the Sturgis Dealer that had no idea what is was,  took a week and a half to fix even after I told him from the beginning what was wrong from information by this group. Refused to listen to me until they tried everything else but. Then tried to charge me for the new computer they installed that did not work.

 

Famous MAX BMW would not take out a antenna key reader from one out of SIX GSA they had on the showroom floor for the EWS failure I had. No parts in the country they said. But the salesman offered to take my bike in trade for a new GSA.......

 

I have many story's about dealers all over the country and Alaska that refused to help in a emergency. Just this past September another said a week to get the part and another week to install. Again if not for the people on this site I might have been stranded. So for me anyway I don't see any prioritizing by dealers.

 

[Lowndes]

On 5/11/2023 at 10:18 AM, MikeB60 said:

Love the bike but I'll disagree on the trunk.  That's hideous!

 

Why??  It has a shower and two bunks.

[dreeves]

Nice to see Harley catch up to the new millenium! Just got rid of a 2016 RGU, good bike but 4000.00 to make it comfortable, etc.. and still lacking so many BMW features. 

[dreeves]

On 4/30/2023 at 6:53 AM, Joe Coastie said:

Don't forget that the Harley dealers are all networked together for parts and/or accessories.

Something BMW isn't.

Yeah, if you break down on a Harley, you can coast to the dealer. 🤣🤣BMW, not do much! 

[fourteenfour]

Harley has a CVO Pan America coming soon. Not sure what they will do but the displacement is identical to the existing models.

[Hosstage]

17 minutes ago, fourteenfour said:

Harley has a CVO Pan America coming soon. Not sure what they will do but the displacement is identical to the existing models.

More chrome, neat-o footpegs.

[RTinNC]

26 minutes ago, fourteenfour said:

Harley has a CVO Pan America coming soon. Not sure what they will do but the displacement is identical to the existing models.

Now that’s going to be interesting!

 

[Ponch]

51 minutes ago, fourteenfour said:

Harley has a CVO Pan America coming soon. Not sure what they will do but the displacement is identical to the existing models.

I don't see the point. So they'll dress up a competitor of the GS platform to make it more expensive yet still not as good...I mean, why not by the real thing? :) Yes I have ridden a PA. 

[RTinNC]

2 hours ago, Ponch said:

I don't see the point. So they'll dress up a competitor of the GS platform to make it more expensive yet still not as good...I mean, why not by the real thing? :) Yes I have ridden a PA. 

I guess it’s all about what floats your boat.  I owned a cruiser years back but refused to buy a Harley  i. e. “The real thing”. But I really liked the Yamaha Royal Star.  So I suspect there are Harley faithfuls who won’t buy a BMW.

[Ponch]

8 hours ago, RTinNC said:

I guess it’s all about what floats your boat.  I owned a cruiser years back but refused to buy a Harley  i. e. “The real thing”. But I really liked the Yamaha Royal Star.  So I suspect there are Harley faithfuls who won’t buy a BMW.

I've owned a couple Vulcans in the past.  Here's a funny video. The meme was popular a while back. 

 

 

[TEWKS]

12 hours ago, fourteenfour said:

Harley has a CVO Pan America coming soon. 

I was told HD developed these neat looking “plastic” bolt on “mud splotches” to fit various locations on the bike.   

[RTinNC]

1 hour ago, Ponch said:

I've owned a couple Vulcans in the past.  Here's a funny video. The meme was popular a while back. 

 

 

Yeah that’s made the rounds with various iterations.  All very funny

[Ponch]

2 hours ago, TEWKS said:

I was told HD developed these neat looking “plastic” bolt on “mud splotches” to fit various locations on the bike.   

So, do HD PA riders go to Dutch Brothers instead of Starbucks?

[TEWKS]

 

25 minutes ago, Ponch said:

So, do HD PA riders go to Dutch Brothers instead of Starbucks?

 

With a cup called “REBEL” how could they not!  Good deduction right there! 

 

[fourteenfour]

 

[fourteenfour]

They did a good job modernizing their Street Glide and Road Glide. Their infotainment system supports wireless Apple Carplay which BMW really needs to do. The big deal here is that compare to the base model Glides from 2023 these are only a thousand dollars more and yet they are four thousand dollars less that the Specials. It is tempting enough to have me go look at one. 

 

 

[RTinNC]

There is no one better at marketing than Harley!   They have that down to a science. 

[TEWKS]

They didn’t freshen up the Ultra Limited this year.  They must be waiting one year for the acceptance to take place, I’d guess. 

[Hosstage]

They roll out the changes slowly to the different models, gotta build anticipation!