The first issue of Thunder Press dropped in April of 1992. As with the magazine’s name, much has changed in our two-wheeled world since then. The 1990s were an ascendant decade for Harley that started the rise to a level of success in the aughts that may not be seen again.
Despite that tremendous growth, Harley-Davidson motorcycles were hardly state-of-the-art. They were relatively slow and featured archaic suspensions and flexible frames. In ’92, I bought a new FLHS. It took nearly a thousand dollars of carb, cam, and head work to give it decent performance.
These issues didn’t seem to matter to buyers (including myself), as sales records were continually set, peaking in 2008 at 344,000 units, up from only 48,000 in 1991. This growth brought significant change to dealerships, with most of the “mom-and-pop” stores being replaced by large, often gaudy edifices mandated to be located near freeway off-ramps.
The sales tide that raised the Harley boat also lifted the entire motorcycle industry. The times were good – until they weren’t. The housing market crash of 2007-2008 put an end to the moto industry’s growth.
Present-day Harleys are certainly state-of-the-art and are the most competent machines that the company has built. Recent redesigns of Harley tourers have brought their look to contemporary levels. Things should be booming. But they are not, nor are they for most of the industry. Harley sold 162,771 motorcycles in 2023, the lowest total since 1999.
See our Harley-Davidson motorcycle reviews here
Indian Motorcycle rejoined the marketplace in 1999 after 46 years of being passed between various entrepreneurs, but it was out of business by 2003. It did not become a viable manufacturer again until the brand was purchased by Polaris Industries in 2011. In 2021, Indian sold a record 36,600 motorcycles; the 2023 total was about 30,000.
See our Indian motorcycle reviews here
Despite the doom and gloom of the current state of the industry, I’m optimistic about Harley’s future. It has the design and engineering talent and the production capability – not sure about marketing. What it seems to lack is direction. Just what do you wanna be when you grow up, Harley?
The easiest route would be to become a boutique manufacturer of high-end motorcycles. The CVOs are an excellent example of this: beautiful and expensive, with large profit margins. That would probably sit well with the stockholders; to me, it’s a cop-out. I want to see the Motor Company build motorcycles for all of us.
This raises the uncomfortable subject of smaller, entry-level motorcycles. Harley has failed at this several times. The MoCo believes its motorcycles will sell as long as they say “Harley-Davidson” on the tank. This belief has been proven false. The most egregious example is the 500cc and 750cc Street models, available from 2014 until 2021. These motorcycles were heavy, slow, and of marginal quality.
The Harley name denotes large, big-motored motorcycles. As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, a small bike line from Harley needs to have a unique brand name. My suggestion remains: “Sprint, by Harley-Davidson.”
Related: Harley Turmoil: DEI and Overseas Production
One bright spot in the current motorcycle market is the adventure-bike segment, particularly the 600-900cc sizes. A couple of years back, Harley hinted at a 975cc version of its 1,250cc Pan America, but we’re still waiting for that to surface. As a fan of ADVs, I’d like to see this happen, but Harley should price it very carefully. The big Pan America has been popular but, according to some of my regional H-D dealers, has suffered from some electronic-related glitches.
As an old curmudgeonly dude, it’s easy for me to criticize, but it’s evident that things are not going all that well in Milwaukee. On the other hand, Harley has weathered similar storms in its 120-year history.
Find more Unrepentant Curmudgeon columns here
What people will have to accept is that a Harley has to be more than an updated Knucklehead. The Sportster was Harley’s interpretation of a British twin, Unit construction and all. Being a boutique brand is a nice idea but now that people can buy another American V-Twin (Indian) for less money will make that hard. It will stick in their craw but importing the Chinese 500 and 350 Harleys and sticking with it can only help. The new riders they’ll attract will neither care or know where they are built only that it says Harley on the gas tank.
The CEO and the board of directors need to go.