Are you a woman or man ages 18-34? Do have any interest in riding?

Question

I'm working on a project for school and have to come up with a campaign for Harley Davidson. We are looking to market to all woman and younger men ages 18 - 34. If anyone has any input on why they are not interested in riding, I would love to hear it. Same goes with if you are a rider. What do you ride and what do you enjoy about it? Would you change anything about Harley Davidson?

Also, if you could include your demographic....age & gender would be great.

Answer 1

yes i'm a rider.
i enjoy riding immensely, even when its pissing with rain. I have a '78 kawasaki z1000 for the weekends and a '89 kawasaki gpx250r for weekday commuting.
what would i change about harley davidson? i'd move their designs out from the 19th century.

Answer 2

18-34? Used to be.
Interest in riding? Hell, yes.
I ride an '06 FXD35 (now), and I enjoy everything about it.
There is nothing like it. No two days are the same. No two trips are the same. Coming home from the store is different from going to the store, even though less than an hour has passed on the clock.

As far as what I would change with Harley Davidson, they won't do it. Times have changed. The almighty dollar rules.

I would like to see more of an interest in (or more courtesy extended to) riders instead of their wallets.
When you spend big, they act like you don't know anything.
When you spend small, they don't look at you.

I bought a motorcycle at full price, cash. Got an attitude.
Bought supplies (at the same place) for small money. Got an attitude. Different, but still one I don't like.

For the record, I'm a 44 year old male.
Riding for 18 years, wrenching them all.

Answer 3

I am a rider....29 y/o male and own a 2004 Honda VTX1300c

I will say that 6 years ago was the first time I rode a motorcycle of any kind, when I finally decided to buy a motorcycle the first bike I wanted was a Harley. BUT it was just too darn expensive, I ended up buying a 1300cc motorcycle for about 1/2 of a comparable Harley. They do have a good "intro bike" the 883 sportster but that is a very small bike. To make this short, I would definitely say PRICE is a big thing to consider

Answer 4

Male, 29, 6 years experience. Modified '02 Suzuki GSF1200.

Short answer: Harleys suck.

Long Answer:

First off, forget the women. The overwhelming majority of motorcycle riders are men. The ratio is so disproportionate, all things motorcycle related could be referred to in the masculine sense.

Second, you seem to be under the impression that this demographic to which you refer, 18-34 year olds, have less interest in riding then more senior generations. This impression is completely incorrect, and most likely sourced from Harley Davidson sales data. The young adult demo is extremely passionate about riding, just not that interested in riding Harleys.

Harley has a problem, the same one that affected Cadillac, it's customers are getting older, and it isn't one that can be solved through marketing. The problem Harley's got is one of value and image.

With any piece of machinery, value can be determined as the ratio of price to technology and performance. Younger riders are extremely sophisticated, information savvy, see value in these terms. and want the best for their dollar. Harley Davidson's are obscenely expensive, and technologically obsolete. They charge $25,000+ for the same basic motorcycle that our grandfathers could buy in the 1930's. You only ride a Cruiser now if you're too old and soft to ride fast.

That is not a good value.

the primary sales market has been to baby boomers, and the catalyst for HD growth over the last 10-15 years has been the mid-life crisis. It's no coincidence that HD's sold like crazy during the same period that boomers were hiting their 40's-50's.

Boomers grew up in a different era. The hardest, toughest, baddest dudes for the boomer generation were the scuzzy bikers, and their Harley Davidsons. All the dentists and lawyers and doctors who just spent 20 years sitting at a desk wanted to tap in to something a little dangerous. A little risky. So they all went out and bought Harleys.

During this time period, and entirely new class of motorcycle was developed. The sportbike. It used the latest, most advanced technology, it was faster then any sportscar, and handled as well, if not better. And a whole new generation grew up. This generation didn't grow up on the Beach Boys and Beatles; John Wayne and Marlon Brando. This generation grew up on Pantera and Public Enemy; Arnold Schwarzeneger and Brad Pitt. They had Led Zeppelin and James Bond. We had Nine Inch Nails and Robocop. Theirs was a purely organic culture. Ours includes technology. The young adult demo does not want to be associated with dentists packing AARP cards.

HD (much like GM 30 years ago) was raking in money hand over fist, and they got fat and lazy. There was no reason to innovate, or invest in R&D, or think beyond their limited frame of reference, their product was selling like crazy. Now, they can probably see the writing on the wall.

HD needs some new products that can compete with what's out there now. They bought Buell and have a great sport chassis; and then they go and put a tractor motor in there. Years ago I read about a top secret HD race bike under development using the V-Rod engine. Finish that up, make it competitive, take it racing- establish a real, permanent presence on the international scene, and bring it to market. Believe it or not, there are many people out there who would prefer to buy domestic, if there was an equivalent choice at an equivalent price available.

How about being the first company to mass-produce a standard motorcycle that runs on diesel/bio-diesel? Guess what the young adult demo cares about. That's right, the environment.

If HD wants to be competitive and remain in business longer then 30 years out, they're going to have to follow the basic rules of marketplace capitalism. They need to sell a product of comparable or superior quality, at a comparable or superior price. The ole' Gipper won't be around to save their assses next time around.

There I just wrote your whole paper for you. You're welcome.

Answer 5

+1 to everything above.

i am 24 and male. I own a '97 EX500 because it was cheap.

I like the fact that my $1800 bike out accelerates and out handles cars that cost 20 times as much.

HDs have a reputation as old-man bikes. and the people who ride them used to be jerks. Now it's a mix of hardcore jerks, and 40 yr old businessmen who have no business on a bike that big, but they have money. their riders are either way too hardcore, or so interested in image over performance that it's laughable. embarrassing even.

the whole concept of HD is kinda off to me. The V-rod is the only bike that actually has any kind of technological advancement in it, and if you buy one, other harley riders shun you.

IMO, their tradition is what's killing them. I think they'll be in serious trouble a generation from now.

If i could CHANGE HD, they would be building modern, liquid cooled bikes that offer a range of options. right now everythinhg is a cruiser. it hauls it's fat butt pretty good in a straight line. how about a bike that actually handles? how about one that's small enough for a beginner to ride w/o killing him/herself?

how about one that's more reliable and not a billion dollars?

Buell is a START

Answer 6

Female age 32. I live in Texas, about 45 minutes north of Dallas. There are allot of Harley riders here in my town, and I hope one day to be among those elite. I have an affliction for fatboys. I love me a fatboy, deep throttled, hear me coming from a mile away. Low rumble I feel all the way through my spine to the tips of my hair. Rain or shine. I do not like ***** bars and actually would prefer to never have anyone on a bike with me. I like to ride solo. I am saving to buy one now and would love to own a FatBoy but being 5'4 and weighing 110 lbs. makes it is a bit too much for me to hold up on my own. I do not like most of the women's hog's they remind me too much of early Honda Shadows or sissy bikes. So if anything can change make a women's bike that will make men salivate. Other than that: YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH A HOG!

Answer 7

I'd say that a huge chunk of your target group can't afford Harley Davidson. But lots of people my age (I'm somewhere in your target group there) are interested in it but don't like the risk associated with riding, can't afford it, would rather spend their money on paying for college, paying off student loans, etc...

Answer 8

build the street bob on the springer softail platform like it should have been from the begining.