Harley also makes mobile homes, they serve all, from the newly wed to the nearly dead. Actually I think its mobile homes (marketed under another name but having simular performance specs) division helped it keep alive during the 80's. They also do specialist farbricating for trucks.
Harley davidson is not a good manufacturer or developer of motorcycles, as a company their core compantancy is there marketing which is largely based on there historical image association with gangs (and wannabe rebels) and being US made.
When applying strategic theory to what the company was going to do to compete in the international market, Harley first realised that at the time they couldnt sell overseas in any sort of volume. Harley recognised they couldnt beat other manufacturers in quality, performance, handling or price (although they were at a considerable advantage tax and tarrif wise to the other makers). They had to sell using the one thing they could offer, that they were USA all the way. (yeah right). They revamped there production processes to install some build quality, (some of there machineing tools were still of the mass overhead belt driven type-running off a single generator in the factory).
Engine tolerances were improved and to help with reliability harley engines were produced understressed. (ie their 1340cc engine put out a little over 60 hp). Japanese components had to be used as Harley was unable to produce these of such a quality to meet the new standard of its own quality control and cost effectiveness. They have also set a policy of underproducing to increase demand and thus percieved value. Sure their resale is more, its because theres a few thousand suckers waiting on the factory to spit them out and that the average harley does relatively low unstressed miles and isnt exposed to the rain much, if at all.
Harley also found that there were alot of older white collars getting back into motorcycles after there kids had left home. These guys did to Harley what they had done to Corvette years earlier, they brought machines based on earlier admiration at a time they didnt have to option to buy one. (The Nissan 300 car failed in the US not because it wasnt as good as the corvette but because guys that brought it had always wanted to have one since they were young).
Harley as a company have never worked hard, there r and d puts more into show than go, they are able to sit back and make backwards bikes and people pay more for them. Like truimph they didnt deserve to survive the early 80's, its only been luck, the Hells Angels and the same mindset that thinks the US should invade everyone and is right in everything that it does that has saved it.
If I was to offer you a car that was the size of a falcon with a 6L v8 engine that produced the same power as a toyota corolla 1.6 and build quality of the same yet cost twice as much, how many harley fans out there would buy it? Or a computer that for $5000 performed like a Amiga 500?
I have nothing against harley riders in the same way I have nothing against women that stay with men that beat them, its not that they arent great people, good riders or not smart, its just there judgement is a little off.
PS Darrens a legend, he has balls like harley airfilter covers, big and made of steel.
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Originally Posted by Motu
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