Is Harley Davidson a Premium Brand? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Is Harley Davidson a Premium Brand?

Sochi

Sochi

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Good video made me think if I still want Ducati - is it mandatory to buy Dainese to ride a new Duc?

And H-D is definitely NOT a Premium Brand - just an overpriced and mediocre in my books (and I know nothing about this brand, so excuse my ignorance H-D lovers haha)..

BTW this YouTube channel is by one of us in Ontario - give him some support and likes :)

 
you have to define....what is premium? That is the challenging part.
It includes many things...like price...performance...fit and finish...character....exclusivity....etc etc

Harley checks SOME of those boxes, but not all.

the european exotics check many more. Ducati's are expensive, performance oriented, have good fit and finish, character, exclusivity as well.

Harleys are a dime a dozen in the cruiser market. Plus they dont do performance all that well.

To drive the point about exclusivity home:
take ferrari for example, you cant just show up and buy one, even if you ballin. You have to be a previous owner, and have a history with ferrari.
They selective about who they sell to:
 
I was very serious about getting a scrambler when they first came out. Went and sat on one and the first thing I noticed was how very plastic-y the hand controls were. This had me looking at alot of the other finishes and came to the realization that it was not premium (at least from my perspective) About a year later (with a few different less serious bike dreams in between) I had set my eyes on the Street Bob. Everything feels much more solid (example: hand controls are aluminum). Metal parts cost more to make, are less likely to brake and are often easier to repair.

Yes, the performance specs might not be quite as good as others but it's adequate for commenting and weekend rides in Ontario. I have had it for 6 years now and I doubt I will ever sell it. Yes there is some form-over-function but it still gives me a stiffy when I look at it after all this time.

There are plenty of premium 4-wheel vehicles that are not race cars. Pretty sure a Civic could beat an Escalade on a race track.
 
woot said:
I was very serious about getting a scrambler when they first came out. Went and sat on one and the first thing I noticed was how very plastic-y the hand controls were. This had me looking at alot of the other finishes and came to the realization that it was not premium (at least from my perspective) About a year later (with a few different less serious bike dreams in between) I had set my eyes on the Street Bob. Everything feels much more solid (example: hand controls are aluminum). Metal parts cost more to make, are less likely to brake and are often easier to repair.

Yes, the performance specs might not be quite as good as others but it's adequate for commenting and weekend rides in Ontario. I have had it for 6 years now and I doubt I will ever sell it. Yes there is some form-over-function but it still gives me a stiffy when I look at it after all this time.

There are plenty of premium 4-wheel vehicles that are not race cars. Pretty sure a Civic could beat an Escalade on a race track.
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The scramblers were brought in to have a low price point entry bike that people could afford. They are assembled in Thailand.

You are comparing a Streetbob, that starts at 19 grand and a Scrambler that starts at 11 grand.
 
kruzuki said:
You outright admit ignorance of the Harley brand yet you proclaim they are overpriced and mediocre. Make up your mind.
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It does seem rather disingenuous. For the record I'm with Wingboy. At that price - Premium.
 
Premium brands are defined simply by their ability to capture more dollars at sale time than their competitor. Nothing more.


Soulcatcher668 said:
The scramblers were brought in to have a low price point entry bike that people could afford. They are assembled in Thailand.

You are comparing a Streetbob, that starts at 19 grand and a Scrambler that starts at 11 grand.
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That's because a premium brand only sullies itself by making cheap plasticy stuff.

They might dabble, but that almost always fails. Premium brands that bring in el cheapo models to attract people to the brand usually find they bring in wannabees who can't afford the next step. Then they drop the experiment. Lookup Street 500, Cadillac Cimarron, IBM Peanut, Audi FOX.
 
IMHO.
HARLEY bringing a $52k pushrod twin to the market is just dumb. It's not new other than a cool sound system and a bunch of add on performance stuff and chrome.
When Ducati offered the Desmosedici to the public, it was a true "premium".
 
Harley does certain things right. Paint and chrome are two of them...
Edit Marketing, I nearly forgot marketing!
Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
There is nobody doing better paint work and chrome on production level bikes than HD , and the CVO offerings are pretty cool .

Gal we hang out with bought a road glide 3yrs ago , has put 40k on in mileage and has been offered $2.800 more than she paid as trade. Thats an unusual value in a motorbike.

15 yrs ago a Ducati SportClassic 1000 was 9K off the dealer floor, and they had trouble selling. Now they are 18K used.

what makes premium? Shell 93 is premium......
 
bitzz said:
OP: Read Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance"
Your answer is in that book.
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thanks, I've heard about this book on numerous occasions, maybe it's time to get it finally :)
 
Premium is IMO about the price you can get, the art of the design and the brand image.... not always about out and out performance.

Prada is a premium brand, but Levis last longer.
Rolex is a premium brand, but a quartz Timex actually keeps better time.
etc.

In this context Harley produces a design many people like. The brand commands a premium price. They have a premium brand image. Performance need not apply.... Hell like a mechanical watch, old technology like pushrods is a retro cool art of the machine for many.
 
bigpoppa said:
To drive the point about exclusivity home:
take ferrari for example, you cant just show up and buy one, even if you ballin. You have to be a previous owner, and have a history with ferrari.
They selective about who they sell to:
Click to expand...

you can actually just show up and buy one, it's only the limited edition models that they offer to their vip clientele
but no other car maker can pull that off I think, maybe Ford with the GT
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