Harley Closing KC plant

[Dennis M]

Just saw on local news that HD is closing their Kansas City plant and consolidating production at their York PA. plant due to reduced sales.

 

[dduelin]

Sorry to hear of that.

Plant closures hurt people, families, communities.

 

[Brillot2000]

The hard fact is that companies do not care how they affect people or the communities surrounding them. Its all about protecting the company and its interest.

Either closing or moving a facility offshore is a shortsighted cost-saving measure. CEOs that do these things get million dollar bonuses while the people they affected get the shaft and are unemployed. I've been there several years ago.

 

[Moto-Kafe]

Good article on MotorcycleDaily about the closing. They site the reason as lack of sales: baby boomers are getting older.......60's and early 70's in age, which made up much of their past decades' sales. The new kids (Milliniums, or whatever they are called) don't really care about riding......too busy texting and staring at their cell phones 7 days a week......and they are not making the big $$$ some of the baby boomers made at their age. How many 20-30 year olds want an old Muscle Car........??? Most want a tricked-out Civic instead with all kinds of electronic gizmo's inside.

 

[Moto-Kafe]

Hmmm, not finding it on motorcycledaily.com; you have a link to the article?

Oh boogers..........my mistake all............. The Kneeslider – Doers Builders and Positive People

 

[ChuteTheMall]

Maybe they will increase their production in India in case their little 500 & 750 cc street twins start selling to youngsters.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

Good article on MotorcycleDaily about the closing. They site the reason as lack of sales: baby boomers are getting older.......60's and early 70's in age, which made up much of their past decades' sales. The new kids (Milliniums, or whatever they are called) don't really care about riding......too busy texting and staring at their cell phones 7 days a week......and they are not making the big $$$ some of the baby boomers made at their age. How many 20-30 year olds want an old Muscle Car........??? Most want a tricked-out Civic instead with all kinds of electronic gizmo's inside.

Same happening over this side. I think all the other manufacturers are also feeling the pinch and also now focussing more on smaller capacity bikes. I visit a local motorcycling coffee/breakfast place on sunday mornings and there is always a huge attendance of bikers through the morning. However it is rare to see any under the age of 35 and most are in their 50's or my age group (66).

I think most modern young folk are conditioned to a softer lifestyle than motorcycling would afford them.

 

[DirtFlier]

Both the 500 & 750 were made for the overseas market - not the USA - and the 500 was only produced in tiny numbers in Kansas City as a replacement for the aging Buell Blasts that H-D dealers used in their riding classes. I doubt if there was any intention of selling 500s to normal customers. Bringing those bikes here from India in great numbers wouldn't work with Harley's claim of MADE IN AMERICA which they've trumpeted for many decades.

Moto-kafe: a Civic R is probably faster than a lot of the muscle cars of the 60s plus it handles and stops 300% better.

 

[Hank]

There is an article on Revzilla’s blog with more comments than I have ever seen.
It turned into a generational shouting match.
I will spare you reading it. Here is a summary (not my point of view)

1. Millennials are girly boys who let their moms tell them not to ride.
2. Harley is for rich old men who ride terrible bikes for the lifestyle.
3. Wages are too low and debt is too high.

 

[b_rubenstein]

H-D has an ever shrinking customer base in the US, and no real expanding export market either. I know someone that works for a Japanese company that makes motorcycles. The North American & European market are stagnant. Motorcycles there are more for entertainment and not transportation. Based on my boys (33 & 25), they are more interested in going places and doing new things than buying expensive toys. The hot market is SE Asia where the countries are becoming more affluent and lots of people can now afford motorcycles.