Dedicated Harley Clothing Stores?

[GregoXB]

So I was in Wyoming this past week and noticed a Harley store. I thought, "Well let me check that out, maybe something to look at on the showroom floor." I walked in and there was nothing but clothing everywhere. Cheap, ugly and made in China. Clothes that a homeless dude would turn down because he has too much self respect to been seen in such threads.

I understand brand motorcycle gear, but dedicated clothing stores with no motorcycles? Is Harley for real? Is Harley trying to compete with Hot Topic? What is the ultimate goal here?

 

[TPEHAK]

There are some Harley stores with clothes only here in Seattle too.

 

[Cooter]

Branding?

Ask Jesse James or OCC how the money came in. Hint: It wasn't ****ty theme bikes.

 

[user_deleted]

Branding?

Ask Jesse James or OCC how the money came in. Hint: It wasn't ****ty theme bikes.

use caution in your tone there shaughn. the teutuls are a loving, kind, generous family of brilliant fabricators who have not only given the motorcycle world some of the most brilliantly designed and engineered bikes in history.....but their love, dedication, respect and admiration for each other warms the hearts of fathers and sons everywhere.

 

[njloco]

I don't know if it was done for the camera or not, sad to see. The son took that crap for a lot of years, Sr never should have had kids because if he was a tyrant when they became men, I'd hate to think how he was when they were little.

Yes, lots of our crap coming from China, I shoot traditional archery, the forum has about 40,000 members world wide with most of us living in the USA. We pretty much buy made in USA gear and from the sponsors of the forum. Really good quality stuff that lasts a very long time.

I've learned in my years that cheap very rarely is worth it.

 

[djs2k2]

Yeah in Savannah there are two Harley shops one clothing only on River Street, in San Diego there is a Harley shop next to the USS Midway that's clothing only, and Tombstone AZ the Western town is clothing only. I've seen quite a few but I'm a patch and poker chip collector.

 

[wickedchop]

When my union hands out stickers, t shirts, jackets, hoodies, windbreakers, hats, license plate rings, etc they are ALWAYS American made if not union made. My post isn't about unions, I've been on both sides. Harley Davidson should be boycotted for selling Chinese clothing! Pathetic.....

 

[GregoXB]

The shop I went into had no customers even though the neighboring stores were bustling with people.

 

[Cooter]

Just like H-D and others, I would like to get to the point where my business isn't allowed to fail.

I could continue to mis-manage it, mis-appropriate funds, abuse labor, and still the .gov will step in and allow me to make money with my out dated, crappy, business model.


'Sigh' some day....

 

[Chewie]

sadly its not the best bike builders who flourish.

Harley has built a huge brand similarly to Apple.
Harleys are not the smoothest, most comfortable or best performing bikes out there in any of the categories ( which is limited to cruisers)
But still they sell.

If the best bike builders were the most successful... Buell would still be alive and well

 

[BuellyBagger]

sadly its not the best bike builders who flourish.

Harley has built a huge brand similarly to Apple.
Harleys are not the smoothest, most comfortable or best performing bikes out there in any of the categories ( which is limited to cruisers)
But still they sell.

If the best bike builders were the most successful... Buell would still be alive and well

I have to say it also depends on your definition of the"best" when it comes to vehicles. Similar to Harley Davidson ford sells the hell out of f-series pickups. Not because they are the most refined,awesome performing machines on the planet. Because the are mass produced,generally reliable and simple, marginally desirable looking and priced at an attainable level. Just like your run of the mill road king. Being the best at something usually means winning not losing but doing an impressive job! Buell failed as a motorcycle manufacturer period.

 

[Chewie]

I have to say it also depends on your definition of the"best" when it comes to vehicles. Similar to Harley Davidson ford sells the hell out of f-series pickups. Not because they are the most refined,awesome performing machines on the planet. Because the are mass produced,generally reliable and simple, marginally desirable looking and priced at an attainable level. Just like your run of the mill road king. Being the best at something usually means winning not losing but doing an impressive job! Buell failed as a motorcycle manufacturer period.

I think it comes down to marketing. The average guy walking into a Harley shop was not interested in a sporty bike like the Buell. I cant comment on the management of Buell or how they handled finances because i don't know how they did in those areas of business. Im assuming Buell failed because they couldn't sell (correct me if I'm wrong).

And i would agree with you that "best" is hard to quantify. But if you don't agree with me, then why do you own one?

 

[BuellyBagger]

I don't completely disagree with you. But I also own a Ford and a Harley LOL

 

[BuellyBagger]

I agree with you in the sense that Buells are likely the most impressive machine to ever grace a harley showroom and that EBR's are world class awesome, but both companies failed to sell the "desire" to own one. Sure those of us who bought one because we did some research and realized its a damn amazing motorcycle(especially for the money) now have the "desire" to ride one/ own one. Even the looks of buells have been eye catching, but still just not enough. Harley has done such a good job marketing that many people only want a harley, because it is a Harley, now thats brilliant! Many other brands have the same effect on people, but i guess EBR/ buell just can't get er figured out. I've been feeling a bit bitter about it lately again since the newest press release i guess im lashing out

 

[GregoXB]

I thought it was established that Buells were selling well prior to getting the axe.

 

[Chewie]

I thought it was established that Buells were selling well prior to getting the axe.

If that's true (I'm not saying it isn't) then why stop making them?

 

[BuellyBagger]

If that's true (I'm not saying it isn't) then why stop making them?

Copied from Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buell_Motorcycle_Company

By 2008, Harley's credit arm, Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), was struggling, and the lower resale value of Buell motorcycles meant that new bike sales were significantly affected.[10] When Harley CEO Keith Wandell was hired, he immediately questioned why Harley even owned Buell.[10] Wandell, who had never been on a Harley before being hired, was heard talking about "Erik's racing hobby", and questioned "why anyone would even want to ride a sportbike".[10] He organized a team to analyze "the adrenaline market", and concluded that sportbikes would encounter high competition and low profits, while cruisers had high returns.[10]On Thursday, October 15, 2009, Harley-Davidson Inc. announced the end of production of Buell Motorcycles in order to focus more on the Harley-Davidson brand. Selling Buell was not legitimately considered, as Harley didn't want their Harley dealerships to sell an outside brand, and Harley didn't feel Buell had much value without the dealer network.[10] In a news release on the Buell website the same day, company officials thanked customers, employees, and dealers for "an unforgettable ride".[12] Closing the Buell brand was estimated to cost Harley approximately the same as their total investment in Buell over the past 25 years.[10] Erik Buell immediately began looking for outside buyers, finding BRP (who owns the Austrian Rotax engine manufacturer BRP-Powertrain) a good choice, especially since Harley would have to pay Rotax "an eight-figure sum" for the 1,125 cc engine contract.[10]