They've tried. And failed. The Buell. The V-rod. The Dyna line. All were innovative, but just didn't sell. So Harley scrapped them.
They just keep trying to sell higher and higher priced bikes to the geriatric crowd which is riding less and less. CVO Limited for $43000? Seriously?
800 pound bikes with maybe 60 HP? My Triumph '15 Tiger Explorer is 600 pounds with 140 HP.
Some lighter sport bikes are even more HP.
Nostalgia just isn't going to cut it. Son's of Anarchy sold a lot of bikes for HD, but I don't think millennials watch rerun tv.
It’s that $27,000 median price tag that’s killing sales of many brands. Even BMW is having a harder time selling their bikes at $27,000.
In Canada, a Road King goes for CDN$23,000, and a Street Glide for $26,199.
For that kind of money I could buy a BMW K1600 GT or GTL, respectively, or a new Gold Wing. To me those are a lot more bike for the money. Also more money than I’m going to spend for a bike. My last new bike, a leftover 2013 Yamaha Fazer 8, cost me CDN$8,300.
I might actually like a Street Glide or Road Glide for touring, but that’s a bit rich for my blood. That’s the kind of money I spend to buy 2 or 3 year old used cars, which is what I drive. I probably wouldn’t be satisfied with the amount of ground clearance on one of those, anyway.