Harley-Davidson: Why Boomers Love It and Millennials Hate It.

You all must know Harley Davidson, an American icon if I dare to say. It is the embodiment of freedom on a motorcycle, a large V-Twin that is comfortable to ride long distances with big torque, power, or horsepower. This is not something that is pursued here, and enjoyment matters, and it seems that is what they sell.

I have used and tried Harley Davidsons several times, starting from the smaller 883/48 to the Roadglide and (recently) Fatbob, and Harley Davidson delivers what they promise: a comfortable and powerful motorcycle for long trips. It is very comfortable, and it feels really good.

Harley Davidson can be said to be an example of American tenacity. They were born in a garage in the hands of two brothers, and finally they gained popularity when their motorcycles were ordered by the US Army in WWII. Pop culture made them successful, especially in the 1960s, especially when the movie “Easy Riders” was popular. And I get it: Harley Davidson is not just a motorcycle; it is a lifestyle that is sold as a package, starting from how you dress and behave. Clearly, it was something cool in that era.

Basically, they also created “one percenter” riders. Generally, this is an interpretation of William Berry’s statement in the 1960s, a former president of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying the last one percent were outlaws; they didn’t live by the rules, and obviously the young Boomers thought they were cool, and I get that. Who doesn’t think that’s cool? It wasn’t the internet era, and there were barely any options for entertainment, and Harley Davidson took those to the next level. That lifestyle eventually became associated with the brand and has carried over to the present day; at least some people still like those lifestyles.

Harleys are slow but powerful at low revs, so they fit that lifestyle. Obviously, a rev-happy sportbike wouldn’t fit that, especially with the different ergonomics. Thus, Harley Davidson became the main weapon for bikers in that era and was often seen everywhere. Automatically, people ended up associating it with coolness, so many people wanted it. Obviously, we often see things like this in the world. Every era has its own fever, and it seems that in the late 1960s-80s, it was Harley’s time.

Perhaps the peak (and slow decline era) of Harley Davidson was when the bike was used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator II. A Harley Davidson Fat Boy became the star, and it made a jolt in Harley Davidson sales. The bike that was at its peak moment was added with enthusiasm because it was used by someone whose level of machoism was unquestionable; it was a macho bike, period.

But unfortunately, Harley Davidson did not consider and did not pay much attention to the next generation. Boomers get old, and sooner or later they will not be able to ride again, but Harley could not immediately turn to other generations. They were too stuck on the Boomers, who had a lot of money at that time. For a while, their primary consumers were Boomers who were used to Harley Davidson with traditional engines. Innovation was not expected, and they were expected to continue making Harleys that Boomers knew.

Harley Davidson continued to use the OHV V-Twin engine until the 1980s. After that, they innovated with several things, but the basis remained the same: a pair of V engines that provided large and comfortable low torque, not powerful or sophisticated engines, because it seemed that consumers did not like it. Some of the innovations they made, such as the V-Rod (DOHC water-cooled), were not liked by their die-hard fans, and this was the turning point for Harley Davidson.

The world has finally changed, and Millennials born in 1980–1995 did not feel the same aura on Harley Davidson. Most of us who felt our youth in the 90s preferred sportbikes or others that were popular at that time—I mean, in the early 90s, the motorcycle racing event was popular and global—I still remember when Valentino Rossi became a racer along with Mike Doohan in the 2-stroke MotoGP era. That was the definition of cool for millennials, and we started to change our perception about Harley Davidson.

Just look at the posters displayed by 90s kids; most of them were sportbikes and very few cruiser motorcycles. It was made worse by Harley Davidson, which seemed too comfortable with the Boomers, and they didn’t want to diversify the market at that time. Harley uses old technology with expensive prices; most of us didn’t like that and didn’t think it was cool anymore.

Suddenly, millenials don’t like slow and comfortable cruiser bikes; a fast and controllable crotch rocket is preferred, especially because the price is much cheaper. One of Harley Davidson’s shortcomings is that they seem to sell motorcycles at too high a price, so not everyone likes it. Some say that Harley Davidson is “selling yesterday’s motorcycle at tomorrow’s price” because its main consumers (Boomers) don’t like fast motorcycles, and slowly Millenials’ views on Harley Davidson are changing.

Harley-Davidson is expensive and does not have many features. Consumers suddenly do not want a motorcycle like that and expect a faster motorcycle, which unfortunately was taken over by other manufacturers, and maybe that is also the reason why Millennials do not really like Harley Davidson. We have so many choices, and maybe in the Boomers era Harley was their main choice, plus pop culture is heading there, so Harley it is.

Pop culture also seems to be against Harley Davidson; some popular films are increasingly rarely featuring Harley Davidson in their scenes, and Millennials have felt that it was yesterday’s technology. Just look at some popular films from the late 1980s and mid-1990s; they rarely feature Harley Davidson as the main character.

And also, we Millennials have choices. Japanese and European brands suddenly become popular because their companies spend a lot of money and their culture is slowly changing. Maybe a simple example is Kawasaki, which was previously unheard of but became popular when Tom Cruise used it in Top Gun. Everyone knew about it and suddenly wanted it, and I think its fitting for a late 1980s film. Obviously, Tom Cruise could use a Harley Davidson, but the essence of the film would change.

As a Millennial, I can understand why our generation doesn’t like Harley Davidson. It was an old motorcycle to begin with, the design is not attractive to us (who already consider cruisers outdated), and the manufacturer is late in innovating to attract our interest. I mean, who is the young generation who wants to ride a slow and loud V-Twin motorcycle? We are used to fast modern motorcycles, and those cruisers are no longer attractive in our eyes.

Unfortunately, Harley Davidson is also stuck with their core consumers. Boomers don’t like fast motorcycles and prefer slow Harleys that they have known for a long time. The paradigm that fast and modern Harleys are bad or disliked can be seen in the case of the V-Rod a few decades ago. Harley could have made a fast motorcycle, but its consumers didn’t want it. Only in the last few years, when there was a regeneration, did they dare to offer the latest generation of modern Harley Davidson. If the Boomers or their old consumers were still riding, I don’t think they would want that.

Underpowered V-Twin motors that generate high torque at low RPM are no longer popular; we now like fast and powerful engines like those offered by modern motorcycles. Harley-Davidson will obviously not copy or follow this step because it is something they do not like, and their consumers will be very angry if they make such engines.

We also don’t like the “one percenter” or “Easy Riders” view that is displayed; those are outdated and old (in a bad way), so Millennials and the next generation don’t like them. Basically, now we ride motorbikes because we like them, and breaking the rules is no longer considered cool; being outlaws and riding as we please is no longer fun.

And the price is also expensive; we can buy other motorcycles that are way faster and more comfortable at a cheaper price. Besides, who has the money for that? not to mention the quality issues that often plague Harley-Davidson motorcycles. We simply want a reliable motorbike.

But I think there is a brief explanation that is more fitting for that: Harley Davidson is no longer cool and has been abandoned by the next generation; it is not the motorbike we want, and the older generation makes us even more reluctant to have it. Maybe there are some young generations who like it, but not many; mostly it happens because they like the character of the motorbike and not because it is cool or likes their lifestyle; all have been replaced by other things that are more interesting.

The shift in what is considered cool happens everywhere, and this time Harley Davidson is the victim. Millennials don’t like it because it is no longer cool.