Harley Davidson Ad....

[craigatcsi]

 

Probably the best HD ad I have seen.

[Chaharly]

Hahahaha!!!!! That was pretty funny I'll give you that!!!

[eagleeye]

I wonder if that is showing at your local HD shop?

 

BTW, I actually have the one that is the most reliable, but it's hanging from the ceiling fan, not on the stand.

[BlueSky]

:rotf:

[wrenchrob]

That was funny. Thanks for posting.

[WildBill1]

Well at least you can go in and still buy a new 2015 Harley. Where can you buy a new 2015 Yamaha Venture? I must say my Indian Chieftian is a lot more comfortable than the Harley FatBob Dyna that I traded this past Wednesday. The 15,000 trade in value for the Harley wasn't bad though.

[WildBill1]

Ok here we go again Moderator!!!!!!! Edited February 14, 2015 by WildBill1

[Eddie]

they could put an RSV in there and do the same commercial, in case you guys dont know it but HD has made huge changes since 1999

[Huggy]

they could put an RSV in there and do the same commercial, in case you guys dont know it but HD has made huge changes since 1999

 

Ya, they raised the prices of their bikes by ten fold!!!!

 

[cowpuc]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]97381[/ATTACH] Ok here we go again Moderator!!!!!!!

 

WOW ZZZZZZZZ WOW WOW WOW!!!! That is GORGEOUS WildBill - congrats!!!

[Oldodge]

I love the new Indians! Nice bike!

[WildBill1]

I love the new Indians! Nice bike!

Thanks guys, waiting for better weather so I can rider her.

[Freebird]

Ya, they raised the prices of their bikes by ten fold!!!!

 

 

First of all, VERY NICE Bill....looks fantastic.

 

But now I have to address this ten fold price increase thing.

 

I did a bit of research and came up with these numbers.

 

1999 Yamaha Royal Star Venture - $15,999.00

2013 Yamaha Royal Star Venture - $20,590.00

Price increase of 28.70%

Changes - Color

1999 Harley Davidson Road Glide - $16,285.00

2013 Harley Davidson Road Glide - $20,509.00

 

To be fair, these prices are for the Road Glide Custom. There was no Road Glide Ultra in 1999 so this was the only way to get a true price increase comparison. The 2013 Road Glide Ultra actually retailed for about $22,250.00

Price increase of 25.94%

Many Changes - Partial List

Engine

Frame

Brakes

Stereo

Security System

Transmission

1999 Honda Goldwing $15.999

2013 Honda Goldwing (non ABS) $23,990.00

Price Increase 49.95%

Many Changes

[cowpuc]

First of all, VERY NICE Bill....looks fantastic.

 

But now I have to address this ten fold price increase thing.

 

I did a bit of research and came up with these numbers.

 

1999 Yamaha Royal Star Venture - $15,999.00

2013 Yamaha Royal Star Venture - $20,590.00

Price increase of 28.70%

Changes - Color

1999 Harley Davidson Road Glide - $16,285.00

2013 Harley Davidson Road Glide - $20,509.00

 

To be fair, these prices are for the Road Glide Custom. There was no Road Glide Ultra in 1999 so this was the only way to get a true price increase comparison. The 2013 Road Glide Ultra actually retailed for about $22,250.00

Price increase of 25.94%

Many Changes - Partial List

Engine

Frame

Brakes

Stereo

Security System

Transmission

1999 Honda Goldwing $15.999

2013 Honda Goldwing (non ABS) $23,990.00

Price Increase 49.95%

Many Changes

 

 

 

Couple other things too.. Back in 78 I won a brand new Low Rider in a raffle on a job site here in Michigan. It was a 78 and 1/2 year model, 1/2 year was when they 1st moved from the 74inch to the 80inch Cone-Shovel. I LOVED the bike, rode it all over out west and it did a good job.. Only problems I really had with it was keeping the rear brake caliper tight, a few wires breaking off and regular maintenance stuff.. I sold it 7 years later with over 100k on it - it was tired BUT - I ended up getting almost what it sold for new on resale. I have come to respect HD for where they stand on resale compared to almost anything else on the market.

 

Also, back during those AMF years and early EVO days, HD parts prices were UNREAL compared to the Metrics, that is one of the reasons I stopped riding HD as a full time rider. Back when I had my Low Rider a Clutch Cable for it was 70 bucks, Honda 750 Cable was 12 - this was NORMAL for HD.. In todays market place that has pretty much balanced out and on some things - even gone the other way. This is another HUGE change!

 

I personally have total respect for HD and how they really do listen to their buying public, they may be slow to listen but at least they do try. Things like the change over to Delphi injectors in 00/01, cam chain tensioner/oil pump upgrades and 6 speed tranny all within the Twin Cam era and pretty much all coming from actually hearing their buying publics squawking voices..

 

One last point,, I find it astounding how that age old HD v-twin tractor motor is still the bench mark that everyone is shooting at - everyone who is anyone is producing a copy cat of them in some way AND they sell!! We can poke fun at HD all we want (it is FUN) but the fact of the matter is, Harley Davidson has probably done more for the sport of motorcycling and motorcycle gear heads like us guys than all the other manufactures combined. Yes, they pulled some stunts with Buell, the import Tax back in the Regan days was crazy and they do tend to over kill with the high price T-Shirts but,, you guys gotta admit, Copy Righting and Patenting that "Potato Potato" sound was brilliant AND HD remains profitable today because of things just like that..

[craigatcsi]

C'mon folks, I didn't post it to start an argument, I thought it was funny. I meant it for a laugh.

 

AND, yes I posted it to my HD friends also.

 

i apologize if I angered someone.

[cowpuc]

Well why didn't ya say so

I am tellin ya, its this cabin fever Craig,, its got us all ready to :stickpoke:and ,, we will get back to our selves when the comes up and the is gone!!

[Yammer Dan]

OK I'll say it again. I tease with the best of them but Hardley is still the best looking best sounding thing out there. That being said my last one was a 56 Pan. Beautiful!! Rigid Frame completely hardtail. 16 " over front. Ride it for a hour and you couldn't walk. If you could get the thing to run for a hour!!! I believe if you left it set running it would have shook itself apart!! But it sure was purty!!! I've had "ladies" fight to see who got to ride on that P-pad. Go back?? NO WAY!!! I know how much better they are but my Yammy just beats it in too many ways. And I can't afford a new one anymore. And I think the ad was funny. I'm sure Freebird was laughing as well. NOW WHERE THE HE** IS SPRING???

[Brenner]

Sad to say but people who make those videos are often jealous, or those who never owned, rode, or tried to afford one. I love Freebirds and Cowpucs fair defense and as a Harley owner and motorcycle lover I just have to say there are some companies that just set the bar that others try to reach but cannot beat. Be it "old technology" that makes them popular which I like to call tried tested and true, or just the lifestyle, or image it creates. They wouldn't keep making them if they weren't selling. Ride what you love and love what you ride, don't tread on others choices as already too many people love to hate on others. Jokes are jokes but at another's expense could cause friction. I am not trying to be biased but rather trying to mellow out and see things from all others perspectives. Live and let live.

[cowpuc]

OK I'll say it again. I tease with the best of them but Hardley is still the best looking :guitarist 2:best sounding :biker:thing out there. That being said my last one was a 56 Pan:178:. Beautiful!! Rigid Frame completely hardtail. 16 " over front. Ride it for a hour and you couldn't walk:amen:. If you could get the thing to run for a hour:headache:!!! I believe if you left it set running it would have shook itself apart:sign67:!! But it sure was purty:hihi:!!! I've had "ladies" fight to see who got to ride on that P-pad:stickpoke:. Go back?? NO WAY:happy34:!!! I know how much better they are but my Yammy just beats it in too many ways:amen:. And I can't afford a new one anymore:beer:. And I think the ad was funny:stirthepot:. I'm sure Freebird was laughing as well:hihi:. NOW WHERE THE HE** IS SPRING:snow:???

 

Wonder what that would sound like if we played it backwards

[Hummingbird]

C'mon folks, I didn't post it to start an argument, I thought it was funny. I meant it for a laugh.

 

AND, yes I posted it to my HD friends also.

 

i apologize if I angered someone.

 

I thought it was funny also - quite a chuckle to an open mind.

I've always wanted a Harley, I just didn't want to buy all the clothing that must be mandatory when you ride a harley

[craigatcsi]

I guess I shouldnt of posted it here.

 

I ride both a Kaw and my Venture. The group I ride with tease me for riding 'a rice grinder' or ' a HD wanna be' or 'an imitation HD', etc.... And I tease the about their HDs with the HD jokes I've heard thru the years. - there are no 'thin skins', we don't get defensive about it. - They are just Machines, not our children.

 

One last time, I apologize for pushing anyone's buttons. Honestly, if I saw one about any other make, I would find it amusing also.

[Freebird]

You have nothing to apologize for. I thought it was hilarious. It just started another discussion also though. I don't think that anybody is upset over anything.

[Eddie]

Ya, they raised the prices of their bikes by ten fold!!!!

 

 

If the Venture would of kept up with technology it would of been the same price as an HD probably .

and I would have one !

[Freebird]

I've never said that the Harley is better than the RSV and am still not saying that. It's different and there are pros and cons to both. I've said it before, if you are sensitive to the heat, you do NOT want a Harley. I've done about all I can to reduce the heat on mine and it's still HOT. That is the biggest negative for me.

 

In my opinion though, price is not the issue. The Road Glide and the Electra Glide are cheaper than the Goldwing, Vision, Indian and some other bikes. In some ways, the V-Twin technology is behind the times when compared to some of those but it's not because Harley is not capable of building something different, it is because they are listening to their customers and giving them what they want. I think that the VRod engine was a perfect start to a fantastic platform for a touring engine but the Harley customers didn't exactly embrace it. In other ways though, Harley has made many improvements over the years. ABS brakes, passive alarm system, Brembo brakes, electronic throttle control, new design forged and welded frames and much more.

 

The RSV is a fantastic bike in it's own right. Even after 15 years of absolutely no improvements, it still holds it's own against most. That V4 engine is just a fantastic bullet proof design. Some disagree but I always felt that for a large and heavy touring bike, it handles fine. Comfort is fantastic and heat, at least for me, was never an issue. The last year that it was made though, the suggested retail was only $2,000.00 less than the Harley Road Glide or Electra Glide. I have to wonder what the price difference would have been had Yamaha chosen to update a few things. ABS, Fuel Injection, Alarm system, etc. Better yet, stick that 1700cc VMax engine in it? WOW...now THAT would be a fantastic improvement. These are things that many here have discussed and wished for over the past few years and I KNOW that Yamaha sees these wishes.

 

Maybe they will do it yet. Motiv talked to some Yamaha people at the bike show in Cleveland a few weeks ago and they told him that there would not be a new touring bike. They said that Yamaha was ceding that market to the companies who were already dominating that segment. Honda, Harley, etc. I personally don't truly believe that as I know from past experiences that Yamaha keeps such things very close and I doubt that some guy at the motorcycle show is privy to what they might be planning. If they truly DO give up on the touring market, that would be a shame because we all know that they have what it takes to be very competitive.

 

If they DO come out with a new tourer, what will it be? Who knows. If they listen to those of us here who have stated what we want then they would still be confused. I think that we are pretty divided between those, like me, who prefer the styling and ergonomics of the RSV and those of you who prefer the sport touring style of the first gen Venture. Now Harley addressed that by giving their riders a choice. How many of you know that the fixed fairing Road Glide is the same bike as the handle bar mounted fairing Electra glide from the fairing back? It's just a matter of which fairing style you prefer.

 

At any rate, I truly hope that Yamaha listens to and answers the call. They have a lot of loyal riders waiting.

[Oldodge]

I bought my 2013 new in September of 2013 at a deeply discounted price, they even traded my 1500 Vulcan at a fair value. I was dealing on it and was about to go on vacation so I offered to put some cash on it to hold it till I returned in a couple weeks. The dealer said don't worry about it I have two more still in the crate. That was on Tuesday. I decided to pick it up later that week on Friday before I left for vacation. When I got there he told me one of the other two was sold and before I left a fellow with an Electra Glide stopped in and test rode the remaining one. When I went back for the initial service I found out he bought that one too, trading his Glide. (As a coincidence, he and I had the same last name.) They sold three RSV's in a week, but at nowhere near MSRP. If I had to pay MSRP I may well have bought the other tourer I was lusting after, a Victory CCT. Maybe I am cheap, but I like to think I got the best value available for my dollar. Someone needs to build an "affordable" tourer, and with a new stereo and EFI Yamaha has a proven platform with no re-tooling necessary. The fact that it didn't change in all those years appeals to me too. I laughed at the video. I once owned a Harley and loved it, but it was a Sportster and to most of the Harley guys I know "that ain't a real Harley". I could not care less what they thought. Then or now. I seldom ride with anyone but when I do it is mostly Harleys and we rib each other pretty hard. Just part of the fun.