Quote:
Originally Posted by rlmesq
Harley-Davidson, as a company, is actually very similar to people who have phony M badges. Both are taking an inferior vehicle and trying to turn it into a status symbol with a nameplate.
Many of the metric cruisers are much better bikes than a Harley. HD is trying to modernize its lineup, but most buyers still want an air-cooled 45 degree V-twin that's been around for a hundred years. The design places many limits on performance, and most of Harley's innovations have been work-around for the inherent inferiority of a 45 degree v-twin. They would be better off starting from the ground up... but people still want the traditional HD sound.
Look at the V-Rod. It had a water-cooled 60 degree twin that was jointly developed with Porsche and based on a superbike development project. It is a much better motor than the old Harley standard, but nobody bought it, so they stopped making it.
Same with the XR1200, which was a flat track style bike. They built a whole US Superbike racing class around it, with only a few parts required to make it race legal. Again, it died from lack of interest.
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You build a product to satisfy your target market, not provide them with what you think they should have. If your customers want a traditional engine, that's what you do. And that's what they did.
The V-Rod didn't sell because it was too niche and too expensive.