How to save Harley Davidison - Page 2

 

High Plains Thumper wrote:


http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/classic_bikes/1905-harley-davidson.jpg

SQ

 




It'd need a nice shiny electric starter though :-) [1]

[1] Remembers the days of the old Goldie

--
Beav

 



Sounds nice, but just about every roadgoing thumper made in the last
30 years has enjoyed mediocre sales, at best. Dirt thumpers - yup,
they seem to sell brilliantly. Pure road bikes don't.

There have been a few exceptions: Yamaha's SR500[1] was in production
for a quarter of a century, and they still make it as a 400 for the
home market, I think. BMW's 650 Rotax-engined thing, in various
incarnations, has done well.

For decades there have been calls for a nice roadgoing thumper, but my
own feeling is that the thumper addicts make a noise out of all
proportion to their number. People do like riding thumpers, agreed,
but when it comes to putting their own money down, they frequently
choose performance instead. And on a horsepower per £ or $ basis,
thumpers really don't cut it....

[1] I still want another one.

 

TOG wrote:

For a dirt bike at slightly lower speeds, the singles have considerable
torque, which I think has caused them to prosper.


I remember seeing the SR500 back in early '80s.  I could not believe a
thumper could be so large of a displacement at the time.  (My ride was a
venerable '71 Honda CB100 as a poor college student at the time.  The
SR500 could ride the entire island of Oahu comfortably.)  Yes, I wanted
one, if I could have afforded it.


Yes they do:

http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/mc/lineup/sportsbike/sr400/

Reason for downsizing the engine is graduated driver's license
restrictions and bike registration fees.  AFAIK, after 400 cc's is the
big bike license, requires additional testing, registration taxes are
higher.

We're more primitive here in US when it comes to graduated licensing and
registration fees for bikes.


That could be.  However, I never felt like paying the same amount for a
motorcycle as I would a small cage.  Also, if I went sport bike I'd want
it a naked one.

--
HPT

 

sean_q_ wrote:


What percentage of that crowd do you think would be both
skilled enough to do the work, and be able/willing to cover the
costs?  And it has to be for an extended period of time, too -
a work force consisting of people who only show up for two
weeks at a time isn't a very good thing.  You'd spend way too
much time and money keeping everyone trained.

HD is going to make it or not on their own merits, like any
company should.

Bob M.