[37826]

Ooh, rubber mounted engines in the Sportster. I can hardly wait.



I know HD is all about the tradition and all but what about the tradtion of the Sportster's original concept: A big motor in a minimal frame. If HD really wants to scare the big 4 they should build the next Sporster with this new Buell engine in it. That would make a really nice alternative in the 'power cruiser' market. Kinda like a Triumph Thunderbird Sport: it may not be competitive numbers-wise (with the Warrior or the V-Rod) but it is cool in its own right because it looks and sounds very much like a Triumph. The new Sportser with a Buell 1200 would be very Harley in the same way.

 

[longride]

I wouldn't bet against the new Buell motor ending up in the new Sportster. It certainly makes sense.

 

[Buzglyd]

How dare you post Harley news! What's next? An ABATE newsletter?



Go dig up something people want, like a 600 Supersport shootout!

 

[666]

or how about a comparison of the SV650 vs the Monster 750 - at least it doesn't sound like a can full of marbles.

Gee, H-D is doing so bad, heh. Just like everyone predicted.



Show me the new H-Ds.....

 

[seruzawa]

Yep, the rejection of Harleys by the GenXers is certainly hurting their sales.



Everyone knows that Harley is soon to be defunct. It was obvious in the 70's.



They are just living on borrowed time.



As the baby boomers die off Harley will collapse.



People will eventually get sick of these low cost/performance machines.



(Insert worthless prediction of your own choice here)

 

[longride]

Funny guy! Yeah, I posted about 2 news items in about 200 that had ANYTHING to do with ABATE and suddenly I was crowned by KPaul as the "mouthpiece for ABATE". He made as much sense as he usually does.

 

[21684]

Harley does it again and again. Just got back from a 1200 mile 5 day ride on my 97' FLHTCI with my son behind me and my wife on her 89' Yamaha YX600 Radian. Not a drop of rain hit us and the weather was sunny and cool. Omaha to Iowa City to Prairie du Chien to Madison to Devils Lake and then back across the top of Iowa to Omaha. Stayed in Motels and enjoyed the scenery. At Devil's Lake, Wisconsin we stayed at Devil's Head Resort. Beautiful area to say the least. Took a hike and saw Deer, Turkey, ect. Forest everywhere in Wisconsin. Anyway, Harley has done it again and Milwaukee should be a blast.

Sturgis is next then Milwaukee. Lots of riding this summer.

 

[ShawnVegas]

True, but never underestimate the buying power of a well-to-do *******.

 

[fizzchem]

There is no scenery in Iowa.



j/k

 

[Haird]

What, you don't consider hogs and radar ranges scenic?

 

[brickl]

H-D...

The two-wheeled Farmall that could...

 

[13630]

Interesting- almost 25% of their revenue is parts/accessories/clothing. The Japanese companies (with the possible exception of Yamaha) still don't seem to grasp that customers want this stuff and will pay significant amounts of money for it.

 

[13630]

"Harley always begins press releases talking about money issues. It avoids engineering specifics."



Yes, especially when those press releases are about money, and say so in the title. This is a press release on the financial condition of the company, not on a new bike.

 

[13630]

Re: H-D...

What's a Farmall?

 

[13630]

Air cooled engines are unreliable and will soon go the way of the dodo from EPA regulations.



Anything with pushrods is automatically junk.



Anything with pushrods can't make big horsepower (except NASCAR and NHRA cars, of course- they're magically exempt from this otherwise hard law of physics).



Air-cooled, pushrod V-Twins are inferior streetbike engines because they make less horsepower per cc/dollar than inline fours.

 

[Buzglyd]

Although Yamaha must sell a ton of pins!



Ever roll up on a Road Star Club gathering? People wearing hundreds of pins on their vests. You'd think they'd been riding Roadstars for 20 years!

 

[Buzglyd]

It's interesting that H-D continues to increase its supply of bikes yet the nimrods continue to accuse them of artificially keeping the supply low.



When I bought my Low Rider in 96 H-D made 110,000 motorcycles.

 

[seruzawa]

Yup. The customers are sure lining up to buy that woodpecker Honda apparel. I can see it now. Trendy yuppies deserting the HD apparel stores to flock to Honda's!! (sarcasm off)

 

[13630]

I think that if the Japanese could figure out how to make apparel that didn't look like it was designed by a colorblind neo-cubist that rode on an indoor track lined with nerf that people might actually buy it. Right now, they don't seem to want to put any effort into it because their current stuff doesn't sell. They don't realize that their current stuff doesn't sell because they don't put any effort into it. The Harley stuff sells because it's better.

 

[Buzglyd]

Consider this though. Often times, the first thing a Japanese Cruiser rider does is strip all the identifying lables off of his machine. How many Shadows still have decals on them? And how dorky do you look walking around with a jacket that says "Shadow" on the back?



Notice how the Roadstar is in bold and Yamaha is tiny on the motor?