Harley-Davidson goes woke

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Who gives a fuck what these people say? Look at what the policy they pursue actually achieves. They are professional liars.
It doesn't matter what the product is that HD makes, you can say that if they just made motorcycles like the old days they'd make money, that's a bunch of horseshit you made up. These people have tons of experts that know where the money is, they know what they should be making, if they are or not doesn't really matter to the current plan or agenda. There is no money for shit like motorcycles. The economy is fucked. No one is going to go out and buy some loud fart machine when a pound of beef is 9 dollars.
 
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watson503 said:
"As of June 10, 2024, Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.18% of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG) stock, which is 13,690,804 shares. This makes Vanguard the largest shareholder of Harley-Davidson.
Other major shareholders of Harley-Davidson include:
BlackRock, Inc.
Beutel Goodman & Company Ltd.
Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc.
State Street Global Advisors, Inc.
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.
D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P.
Institutional investors own about 50.77% of Harley-Davidson stock, while retail investors own about 15.51%."
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And there in lies the TRUTH................................................
 
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Laputan Machine said:
Who gives a fuck what these people say? Look at what the policy they pursue actually achieves. They are professional liars.
It doesn't matter what the product is that HD makes, you can say that if they just made motorcycles like the old days they'd make money, that's a bunch of horseshit you made up. These people have tons of experts that know where the money is, they know what they should be making, if they are or not doesn't really matter to the current plan or agenda. There is no money for shit like motorcycles. The economy is fucked. No one is going to go out and buy some loud fart machine when a pound of beef is 9 dollars.
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let-it-go-elsa.gif
 
rsm said:
they don't even ride. funny seeing them in HD clothing.

No Willie G. to buy it back and save it.
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I haven’t done the research but thought Willie G and employees of HD bought the company and saved it from bankruptcy. The question in my mind is what are these “owners” doing during this destruction of the brands reputation? Isn’t the higher echelon of management hired and fired by these “owners”? And will the current trend continue, or can ownership step up, fire the woke bastids and get things back on track?
I can only hope.
I tried not to think of all this on my Sunday Softtail ride yesterday, still a great experience….even if I did get caught in the rain.
 
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Well, with all this HD talk, and having been awhile since I had a v-twin cruiser....

I decided to get v-twin bike, I'm sure I will regret it, but came across one that checks all the boxes. Trying to get all my toys for retirement, and choppers are not in high demand; had the dealer to a walk around, everything looks good; waiting for payment to clear, and getting a delivery date. If I can find the parts, I can do most work on it, except an engine/transmission rebuild, and changing tires.

2004, S&S 107 CI (1,750 cc), V-twin, Big Dog Ridgeback, basic gloss black, straight-leg, stretch 8" up, 4" back, rake 37 degrees, total length 107" - and it's a hardtail.

Only thing missing is a kick start, but with 107 CI, that compression would probably throw me in the air! Straight drag pipes are in it's future, if I can find them for this model. Got some miles on it, but it's well cared for, and it runs great given the mileage. Given its' age, rubber looks good, need to check the belts, all fluids and filters were changed by the dealer...

Best of all, no HD parts.


20240809130400_831437324.jpg
 
84superchamp said:
I haven’t done the research but thought Willie G and employees of HD bought the company and saved it from bankruptcy. The question in my mind is what are these “owners” doing during this destruction of the brands reputation? Isn’t the higher echelon of management hired and fired by these “owners”? And will the current trend continue, or can ownership step up, fire the woke bastids and get things back on track?
I can only hope.
I tried not to think of all this on my Sunday Softtail ride yesterday, still a great experience….even if I did get caught in the rain.
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they probably sold some or got out
 
rsm said:
Well, with all this HD talk, and having been awhile since I had a v-twin cruiser....

I decided to get v-twin bike, I'm sure I will regret it, but came across one that checks all the boxes. Trying to get all my toys for retirement, and choppers are not in high demand; had the dealer to a walk around, everything looks good; waiting for payment to clear, and getting a delivery date. If I can find the parts, I can do most work on it, except an engine/transmission rebuild, and changing tires.

2004, S&S 107 CI (1,750 cc), V-twin, Big Dog Ridgeback, basic gloss black, straight-leg, stretch 8" up, 4" back, rake 37 degrees, total length 107" - and it's a hardtail.

Only thing missing is a kick start, but with 107 CI, that compression would probably throw me in the air! Straight drag pipes are in it's future, if I can find them for this model. Got some miles on it, but it's well cared for, and it runs great given the mileage. Given its' age, rubber looks good, need to check the belts, all fluids and filters were changed by the dealer...

Best of all, no HD parts.


View attachment 333378
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A beauty! And my undying admiration for riding a hard tail. Did the S&S include a non-HD tranny?
 
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84superchamp said:
A beauty! And my undying admiration for riding a hard tail. Did the S&S include a non-HD tranny?
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yes, the transmission is Baker 6-speed.

not planning any cross-country trips on it; mostly a boulevard cruiser, but downtown historic area roads have many cobblestones, and drainage channels...it's gonna be bumpy
 
rsm said:
Well, with all this HD talk, and having been awhile since I had a v-twin cruiser....

I decided to get v-twin bike, I'm sure I will regret it, but came across one that checks all the boxes. Trying to get all my toys for retirement, and choppers are not in high demand; had the dealer to a walk around, everything looks good; waiting for payment to clear, and getting a delivery date. If I can find the parts, I can do most work on it, except an engine/transmission rebuild, and changing tires.

2004, S&S 107 CI (1,750 cc), V-twin, Big Dog Ridgeback, basic gloss black, straight-leg, stretch 8" up, 4" back, rake 37 degrees, total length 107" - and it's a hardtail.

Only thing missing is a kick start, but with 107 CI, that compression would probably throw me in the air! Straight drag pipes are in it's future, if I can find them for this model. Got some miles on it, but it's well cared for, and it runs great given the mileage. Given its' age, rubber looks good, need to check the belts, all fluids and filters were changed by the dealer...

Best of all, no HD parts.


View attachment 333378
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Make sure you ride before you buy, choppers are a bitch to steer and twitchy at slower speeds and you probably won't like the hardtail for longer rides, just sayin.......... :yes:

The longest forks and rake that I liked and was comfortable with was the Mastiff which has a softtail rear suspension. You can buy these Big Dogs for a song now. My Mastiff cost me $26,000 new in 2003, I sold it for not much less before the chopper market crash since it was mint and low mileage, I just saw a Mastiff the other day with like 3,000 miles on it for $9500.00 even with this inflation, that's how much people don't want prostreet or choppers.:shocked: I don't even remember what my Buell cost when it was new,:unsure: I was going to start riding it to work but the ride in was fine it was the ride home after 12 hours that got sketchy so I just decided to sell it about a year later. Baggers and Street Glides have been the hot bikes for about the last 10-15 years. If I were to get another bike I'd get a streetglide. That being said I still love the 240 rear fat tire look....................................:2thumbsup:

FWIW the Baker 6 spd tranmission always shifted great and I neve had any issues with the bike whatsoever and I haven't heard any horror stories about Big Dog bikes, the company was owner byt the Coleman camping products familt so they had capital where they started the company.

One of the bass players that I still jam with from time to time when we can find our drummer still has a Big Dog Chopper, he said he has had some electrical issues but he seems to have fixed them. I also thought I remembered the Big Dog chopper frames were cracking up by the fork neck tubes so do some research, maybe that was Orange County Choppers cracking?????? The S&S ran great and the two in to one factory exhaust has a nice rap to it without being open drag pipes loud.
 
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harddriver said:
Make sure you ride before you buy, choppers are a bitch to steer and twitchy at slower speeds and you probably won't like the hardtail for longer rides, just sayin.......... :yes:

The longest forks and rake that I liked and was comfortable with was the Mastiff which has a softtail rear suspension. You can buy these Big Dogs for a song now. My Mastiff cost me $26,000 new in 2003, I sold it for not much less before the chopper market crash since it was mint and low mileage, I just saw a Mastiff the other day with like 3,000 miles on it for $9500.00 even with this inflation, that's how much people don't want prostreet or choppers.:shocked: I don't even remember what my Buell cost when it was new,:unsure: I was going to start riding it to work but the ride in was fine it was the ride home after 12 hours that got sketchy so I just decided to sell it about a year later. Baggers and Street Glides have been the hot bikes for about the last 10-15 years. If I were to get another bike I'd get a streetglide. That being said I still love the 240 rear fat tire look....................................:2thumbsup:

FWIW the Baker 6 spd tranmission always shifted great and I neve had any issues with the bike whatsoever and I haven't heard any horror stories about Big Dog bikes, the company was owner byt the Coleman camping products familt so they had capital where they started the company.

One of the bass players that I still jam with from time to time when we can find our drummer still has a Big Dog Chopper, he said he has had some electrical issues but he seems to have fixed them. I also thought I remembered the Big Dog chopper frames were cracking up by the fork neck tubes so do some research, maybe that was Orange County Choppers cracking?????? The S&S ran great and the two in to one factory exhaust has a nice rap to it without being open drag pipes loud.
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Thanks for the info!

The prices are low for choppers for what you get; a new S&S engine alone costs almost as much as the bike! Shipping insured to my house added to my cost. Still surprised the hard tails aren't cheaper though.

I always liked drag pipes for the sound and better backpressure due to the small diameter, and following along the bottom frame rail, less chance of getting burned. Not many options for exhaust pipes; no swap meets coming this year...looks like the v-twin world has changed significantly since I was part of it 20 or so years ago.

I think it was OCC that was having quality issues; Big Dog looks like it's still in business, not sure if OCC is.

I was converting my AMF low rider to a hard tail when a guy in my band asked to buy the low rider as is, I had nearly taken the whole thing apart by then to fit it before getting the frame painted, but he was willing to pay what it would sell for assembled, so gone; I sold the Santee hardtail frame, flat fender, and mount at a swap meet.

Always wanted a hardtail, I like the clean look, and can lift my butt up for a few seconds if I see a bump coming.

I saw some of the newer models move the final drive to the right side of the bike, which makes a future transmission with a kick impossible; 2004 has left side drive; primary is still chain according to the specs I found. https://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/2004-big-dog-ridgeback-16126.html


There's a black 2006 chopper nearby, that is the same as the ridgeback except for the softail swingarm and the right-side final drive that I considered, it was at the same price with lower miles, but that right side final drive is a deal breaker for me, even if I never do the kickstart, I know I can with the ridgeback...but not with the stock exhaust. I remember getting aftermarket chrome drag pipes for under $200 new, now I can't find any that would fit.
 
rsm said:
Thanks for the info!

The prices are low for choppers for what you get; a new S&S engine alone costs almost as much as the bike! Shipping insured to my house added to my cost. Still surprised the hard tails aren't cheaper though.

I always liked drag pipes for the sound and better backpressure due to the small diameter, and following along the bottom frame rail, less chance of getting burned. Not many options for exhaust pipes; no swap meets coming this year...looks like the v-twin world has changed significantly since I was part of it 20 or so years ago.

I think it was OCC that was having quality issues; Big Dog looks like it's still in business, not sure if OCC is.

I was converting my AMF low rider to a hard tail when a guy in my band asked to buy the low rider as is, I had nearly taken the whole thing apart by then to fit it before getting the frame painted, but he was willing to pay what it would sell for assembled, so gone; I sold the Santee hardtail frame, flat fender, and mount at a swap meet.

Always wanted a hardtail, I like the clean look, and can lift my butt up for a few seconds if I see a bump coming.

I saw some of the newer models move the final drive to the right side of the bike, which makes a future transmission with a kick impossible; 2004 has left side drive; primary is still chain according to the specs I found. https://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/2004-big-dog-ridgeback-16126.html


There's a black 2006 chopper nearby, that is the same as the ridgeback except for the softail swingarm and the right-side final drive that I considered, it was at the same price with lower miles, but that right side final drive is a deal breaker for me, even if I never do the kickstart, I know I can with the ridgeback...but not with the stock exhaust. I remember getting aftermarket chrome drag pipes for under $200 new, now I can't find any that would fit.
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The Big Dog exhaust was made by Suppertrapp. I know Big Dog closed in 2011 during the recession but it looks like someone opened them back up in 2016( I didn't know that) so hopefully you can get parts if you need them.

'Big Dog has sold over 30,000 bikes to-date, and now they're back to designing, building, and producing custom cruisers and choppers. In 2011, as a result of the economic downturn, Big Dog closed its doors. Now, five-years later, the company has opened back up with new management and ownership.Nov 5, 2016'

I loved my Mastiff, it was a great bike. I know my 30 year old back couldn't handle a hardtail for long so I definitely know my 50 year old back would be worse.....LOL! Maybe check out a Mastiff they still have alot of rake, steer easier and have the softtail and ride better for about the same money.:2thumbsup:

They made a Pitbull hardtail which was the hardtail version of the Mastiff and it's raked hard but not full on chopper.
1724092595037.jpeg
 
harddriver said:
The Big Dog exhaust was made by Suppertrapp. I know Big Dog closed in 2011 during the recession but it looks like someone opened them back up in 2016( I didn't know that) so hopefully you can get parts if you need them.

'Big Dog has sold over 30,000 bikes to-date, and now they're back to designing, building, and producing custom cruisers and choppers. In 2011, as a result of the economic downturn, Big Dog closed its doors. Now, five-years later, the company has opened back up with new management and ownership.Nov 5, 2016'

I loved my Mastiff, it was a great bike. I know my 30 year old back couldn't handle a hardtail for long so I definitely know my 50 year old back would be worse.....LOL! Maybe check out a Mastiff they still have alot of rake, steer easier and have the softtail and ride better for about the same money.:2thumbsup:
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Already have the ridgeback; dealer has to wait for the payment to clear before they release the bike to the shipper. so will be around 2 weeks. The softail bike I was looking at and considering is still available, 2006 Big Dog K-9; basically the same as the ridgeback with a softail swingarm, and the rightside final drive - :bleh: I do prefer the dual pipe look, but the pipes are too thick IMO

I almost purchased this, but decided to see what hardtail choppers were for sale, and found the 2004 ridgeback I purchased.


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Give those stock pipes a chance before you throw drag pipes on it, the Supertrapp pipes that were on mine were still damn loud. I had full on Drag Pipes on a Kawasaki VN800 before I got my Big Dog and I had to wear earplugs riding it.

As long as you know what to expect with the hardtail, it's a great looking bike.....CONGRATS on the the purchase!:2thumbsup:
 
harddriver said:
The Big Dog exhaust was made by Suppertrapp. I know Big Dog closed in 2011 during the recession but it looks like someone opened them back up in 2016( I didn't know that) so hopefully you can get parts if you need them.

'Big Dog has sold over 30,000 bikes to-date, and now they're back to designing, building, and producing custom cruisers and choppers. In 2011, as a result of the economic downturn, Big Dog closed its doors. Now, five-years later, the company has opened back up with new management and ownership.Nov 5, 2016'

I loved my Mastiff, it was a great bike. I know my 30 year old back couldn't handle a hardtail for long so I definitely know my 50 year old back would be worse.....LOL! Maybe check out a Mastiff they still have alot of rake, steer easier and have the softtail and ride better for about the same money.:2thumbsup:

They made a Pitbull hardtail which was the hardtail version of the Mastiff and it's raked hard but not full on chopper.
View attachment 333423
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the Pitbull is low, long and thick, reminds me of a fat boy / fat bobber / sled vs ridgeback and k-9 which are long, high and slim choppers. different kind of style.
 
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