Why is it Harley makes more money selling foreign fashion accessories than bikes?
Harley Davidson makes more money selling clothing, keychains and "officially licensed merchandise" than they do from selling bikes. Further, 99% of this merchandise is made in china, malaysia, and mexico. Even their bikes contain foreign parts from places like italy and china and are far less reliable or technologically advanced as other bikes. How am I, as a proud American, supposed to get excited about an "American" product, when it is far more inferior, way pricier, and less reliable than most other motorcycles out there and the company that builds it makes most of its money selling foreign fashion garbage? Doesn't spending my hard earned money on something like this just make me stupid?
Motorcycles - 7 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Most Harley riders are homos who only ride down to the local gay bar to pick up dudes, so they don't need a bike that is reliable or fast. The biggest money maker in the Harley apparel line are the leather assless chaps that the homo Harley dudes love so much...
2 :
Well, I would pretty much expect your question to provoke a firestorm of threats against you, along with verbal abuse. Having said that, you are correct. In my experience (30+ yrs on bikes), people who ride Harleys care more about their "image" than they do about motorcycles. It is supposed to signal they are tough, macho, independent, free-spirit bad boys. Big deal. People who really care about comfort, speed, handling, or long distance abilty will ride something else.
3 :
Absolutely - it does make you a fool to waste your money on that. Why do they sell more products than actual bikes? Because people are sheep, and they will buy anything that is a status symbol. The only thing I would buy with a Harley logo is toilet paper (they sell it I swear!) that way, I could wipe my dirty a*s on their logo!!!!!!!! I never understood the point of paying three times as much for a bike that performs half as well... But, if you build it, morons will come!
4 :
Because you wouldn't buy a Harley for performance, speed, comfort, handling, any of the reasons most bikers buy bikes. Harleys are all about the image, not the actuality, of biking. Most Harleys get ridden very little, some just sit at home getting polished. So the only way their owners can tell the world, "Hey, look at me, I'm a big bad biker" is by wearing lots of Harley branded items. However, this doesn't make them bad people. Just gullible.
5 :
"Doesn't spending my hard earned money on something like this just make me stupid?" No, but getting upset about it does... So does blindly accepting "facts" someone else has posted on the Internet with no proof or references to back them up. Yes, Harley-Davidson uses some foreign content parts to build their motorcycles. So what? So does General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, to name a few... Have you tried to buy an American built television set or personal computer? Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi all build cars and light trucks here in the USA, and our big-three auto makers all sell to markets overseas. It's got to the point that about the only thing you can buy any more that's 100% American sourced and made is the milk you get from your local dairy store (And even then, maybe some of the cows came from Canada...) It's a world market out there. Get Over It!
6 :
Well, you have alot of questions. I have a Harley. It's a 2002 lowrider and I have 34000 miles on it. I have had some minor mechanical problems, but the fun I have had on this bike far outweighs the few problems I have had. I feel confident in saying that should I take a notion to sell my bike I would get alot more out of it then I would a similar bike by another company. I have checked the prices of new bikes similar to mine and they aren't that much cheaper, maybe 20%. I have also checked the price of used bikes with the same miles as mine. They lose roughly 66% of their value, where mine has lost about 25%. That doesn't seem too stupid to me. By the way, Harley motorcycles are made in America by Americans. I've been to the plant and I am proud my purchase keeps americans working. I am aware some parts are foreign made, but most are not. I am also aware that Harley Davidson could care less about keeping americans working, but they have to if they want to keep selling their product. Oh, if you don't like Harleys don't buy one. And don't worry about what I ride.
7 :
This questions really pertains to people's impatience. Rather than save up for a new Harley, it's quicker and cheaper to buy a $300 dollar leather jacket or a $30 tshirt and live the lie at your local bar. Women, who buy more motorclothes than men, love the fashion statement without the financial commitment. Also, I bought a new Harley last year and have put 18,000 trouble free miles on in just under 13 months. The new twin cam engines are amazing and the word "inferior" just doesn't apply...anymore.
