Whoa!, there, Tex.
Here's the thing, though...someone needs to. Because even Harley riders like motorsports (even if it's only NASCAR), and if there are no sponsors, there is no racing. And even if not one single H-D owner gives one whit about MotoGP, they still benefit from the series.
Would the Sporty be rubber-mounted without Buell figuring it out first? Would Buell have even needed to figure it out (or refine it) without ProThunder or Formula XTreme? For that matter, would Buell even exist as we know it (or at all, for that matter) without racing, and the lessons it teaches? What about the new dog-ring tranny on the Sporty, that they borrowed from Buell, that Buell learned from racing (well, and from BMW)? And the new six-speed in the Dyna: could they have done it without the fruits of racing? Sure. WOuld they have?
Someone needs to make sportbikes, because even though I've owned two Harleys, and think they're great for what they are, and wouldn't mind having another, I just can't bring myself to ride something that is, performance-wise, engineered to the lowest common denominator, no matter how good they look.
At a minimum, racing drives development at those companies that compete against Harley. And while I like Harley (even used to own the stock, before i got poor) I do not think that "development cycle" is in their vocabulary. I do not think that they (or any company) would spend too much money on bettering the product without competition. Success in competition has historically been had from the ownership of superior product. Advance in product has come largely from racing.
--Historical digression...from distance racing Indian developed the closed-loop "recirculating" oil system. Harley did not choose to adapt to catch up. Instead, they started an ad campaign to the effect that "Why would anyone want to recirculate the oil? Then dirty oil gets into the engine. Harley's total-loss oiling system is better, for the reason that fresh oil is always suppied to the engine.-- Has their attitude changed substantively? If not, why not? If so, how much of that change is due to evolution of corporate culture, and how much is due merely to the application of outside force, namely competition? Lastly, contrast the entrenched attitude, or "corporate culture", at Harley versus that at Honda, by way of semi-random example, with specific reference to development and advance in product function. (Big Red because the corporate culture there, as built and directed by Soichiro, centered about racing and excellence in product development. Form, usually sadly lacking, if any, followed distantly behind function.)
And by the way, I am also convinced that the reason they made no money building sportbikes (VR1000) was due to lack of will, not lack of ability. Can they build a performance engine, when they apply themselves? Yes. Witness the V-Rod. Can they build a truly sport-quality chassis, with the application of focused intent? Yes. Witness the XB chassis.
So while I do not want to have to try to make money building sportbikes, I sure am glad someone does.