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So why don't Harley sell a tricked out old school cafe' racer like the one in the top picture ? I'm sure there would be a market.

I snapped this picture out the window at a stoplight. I thought it looked nice.

Sibbo wrote:So why don't Harley sell a tricked out old school cafe' racer like the one in the top picture ? I'm sure there would be a market.

I'm sure there would be, but there's two problems for Harley:

1. They do a LOT of market research, and if there was a market for them making such a bike, I'm sure it would be very small for the price such a bike would have to command.

2. Harley has discovered that the key to their existence lies not just in making bikes their faithful want to buy, but also in NOT making anything that turns off the faithful. So, they have settled pretty exclusively into their "niche." It's the catch-22 of their success: they've found a niche where they reign, but that niche seems destined to end at some point, and all attempts to work outside of the niche tend to anger the customers that keep them successful in the niche.

Major Softie wrote:

Sibbo wrote:So why don't Harley sell a tricked out old school cafe' racer like the one in the top picture ? I'm sure there would be a market.

I'm sure there would be, but there's two problems for Harley:

1. They do a LOT of market research, and if there was a market for them making such a bike, I'm sure it would be very small for the price such a bike would have to command.

2. Harley has discovered that the key to their existence lies not just in making bikes their faithful want to buy, but also in NOT making anything that turns off the faithful. So, they have settled pretty exclusively into their "niche."

Thanks, a little strange as marketing behaviour but I can see your point. It does seem to be a way to add another "market'' to its business and one not as much at odds with the cruiser thing as the Buell .

Sibbo wrote:So why don't Harley sell a tricked out old school cafe' racer like the one in the top picture ? I'm sure there would be a market.

Buell did a "new skool" tricked out cafe racer line. Snubbed by HD officianados and we know what happened there..

Well you can't expect the Harley avocados to want a bike that's fast and handles but it did sell here, not as well as I'd have thought but not badly so a relatively "Unknown in Australia" brand. An old school version would be in a market of it's own really, well with Enfields , Carberry Enfields and maybe V7 Guzzis.

The new upcoming "mini" Hog-500 and 750 cc-will be a new niche. Long ago I was told Harley Davidson is not a motorcycle, it's a religion. Be interesting to see if they get converts for this new niche.
As far as an old school competing with Enfield etc, look at the price. RE just cut the MSRP on new models by $1000. I doubt Harley will sell in the $6000 range even with Indian built bikes in India. Harley was just rated second in the number of defects only better than BMW in that regard, so they certainly aren't marketing quality.
Cuss the "Milwaukee vibrators" all you like, but remember they are successful as a company. They understand marketing.
Bob

I think if you told a Harley stock holder that one day they will fall out of grace, they would just snicker and smile all the way to the bank.

Major Softie wrote:

Rob wrote: I almost dropped one of those in the dealers parking lot. Not good at all.
NOTHING like the low seat height of the XLCR.

Nope, nothing like it. It has a towering 30" seat height. You know, 2" lower than an Airhead.

The one I rode was nowhere as low as my R65. Maybe it had aftermarket shocks and they didn't pay attention?
I don't think the R65 had a 32" seat height.

painter.724 wrote:I think if you told a Harley stock holder that one day they will fall out of grace, they would just snicker and smile all the way to the bank.

Their stock symbol is HOG, that's funny.



They do seem to be doing OK lately. Hell it looks like now might be a good time to buy their stock, the current price is not much above the 50 day moving average.