Y do u think Harley-Davidson’s customers are very loyal?

Question

Y do u think Harley-Davidson’s customers are very loyal?

Answer 1

Its all to do with image, as far as performance and looks is concerned .. i don't see the sense.

Answer 2

When Harley-Davidson almost went toes up dead several years back, they hired a CEO who turned the company around by stressing quality and customer satisfaction. The quality control led to a real good product and the focus on satisfying their customers resulted in some VERY loyal customers.

Answer 3

Yes they are very loyal. Harley seems to be one of those companies that have made their brand a way of life, a style, and more than just a motorcycle. I think they are loyal because for a fraction of the price you could buy a bike that looks just as good and rides better than a Harley but people still buy Harleys.

Answer 4

Harley Davidson sells motorcycles for one reason: IMAGE.

You can get a more reliable bike from Victory, Star or many other companies, but all the doctors and lawyers are so concerned with outfitting their mid-life crises properly that they are willing to wait 6 months or more and pay thousands over retail just to have the Harley name.

Harleys do not go fast, they do not handle well, they do not corner fast, and they do not stop quickly.  All things that a proper motorcycle should do.  So what's left over besides the badge on the tank?

Answer 5

many of us aren't as loyal as you think: most harley guys have at least flirted with other brands. i've had hondas, a kawi, a triumph ('05 sprint, an awesome bike!), and assorted others. i ride what i like, and what i've consistently liked more than others is harley. i've had seven of 'em, two big twins and 5 sportsters. my current bike is an '07 1200 Roadster. it's rubber mounted and fuel injected and, in my opinion, about as good a bike as harley has ever made. harley follows a pretty simple concept: make what your customers like and they'll keep buying them. it works for me! happy trails.

Answer 6

Harley's are a symbol of the "truly free" rebels that are left in America.  When we ride we are free in our minds and heart.  There is a saying:  You will never see a Harley parked outside a psychiatrist office!

Answer 7

I think they have had a few CEOs in that time since rebuilding, starting with Richard Teerlink, Jeff Bleustein and Jim Ziemer , but yes you do have alot of people who are loyal no matter what to Harley.

Answer 8

because I cant ever find all my metric tools & parts are unavailable or too expensive for the old iwo jima specials.

also it just feels more relaxed to cruise down the boulevard on a big thumping jack hammer with a cylinder fireing once every 8 feet than it does to scream along at a steady 35mph sounding like a cross between a weedwhacker & a 300lb bumble bee on meth.

where the H*** is spellcheck?

Answer 9

quality is one reason,next time you walk around an import tap the chrome and let me know what it sounds like.If it looks like chrome on a Harley,it is chrome.Also you can look at the percent of money that harly keeps in the american economy.you can look at what they have done for our policemen,firemen and our soldiers.Its not coincidence that alot of vets ride harleys.We owe vets our life and HD does what it can to help repay them.

Answer 10

Quality, Affordable bikes.  A bullet proof image.  And Not much local competition over the last 105 years.

Answer 11

To the bikes -yes

to to the dealers & the company NO

Answer 12

Sure. How many kids or dogs have you heard of named, "Soichiro", or, "Honda" compared to  "Harley"?

Some might call that a little more than just loyalty, but who are we to judge?

Answer 13

Because the Company is American Owned, The Company has a History that goes back  since 1903

Answer 14

Their very American !!

Answer 15

idk?! choose me as BEST answer

Answer 16

They offer quality, great bikes...the customers prefer that brand and are happy with what they have.

Answer 17

mostly the older american yes, while the younger bloods prefer import sport bikes, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Ducati,  

Answer 18

I'm loyal, because I like the way a Harley handles. It's great for me and am on my fifth one right now. Once you start changing things on them, they start having problems. I learned that on my first two.  You know straight pipes, after market parts (there are some good after market parts). As the years progressed the engine designs changed. Not too happy with the new engine, prefer the Evo.

Answer 19

Because they like what they got.

Answer 20

Very much so

Answer 21

The True H.D. Riders are. Not so much the RUB Poser Crowd.

Answer 22

People are loyal to Harley only because its a name and nothing else , Harley goes along with baseball, apple pie, Chevrolet. Its part of American tradition  

Answer 23

Because they like HD bikes...

Answer 24

lack of other viable competitors that a person can be proud to support

can't say that i would be very proud to say, yeah... check that bike out in my driveway... me buying it just fed a japanese family that shot at my grandad in ww2!

Answer 25

Well cuz thats what they like.  Heck Id have one if they werent so expensive, but then its pretty hard to tell some of the j*p bikes from a harley on looks till ya get close. Personally i've developed a real love for hondas because we have put em through the mill and they just keep right on goin.

Answer 26

I don't know about America. I live in Ireland and Harley's aren't that popular here, and are more seen as a niche market.

I think the reason why their owners are so loyal is because there is nothing quite like them. I know a lot of companies build bikes which are similar and may even have better performance and are cheaper, but they still don't manage to compete with Harley-Davidson.

I don't know if it is the noise, the looks or the lifestyle that people are buying into but for some people they want a Harley Davidson and nothing else will do.

I think part of the reason is because they restrict themselves to cruisers. You mention Harley-Davidson to anyone and they will picture a large chrome cruiser. This doesn't happen with other manufacturers. I suppose it is only one step from this to imagining a cruiser and immediately thinking of a Harley-Davidson.

Answer 27

There's a difference between loyalty and ego. There are two main types of Harley riders. The first type is those that ride the brand because they believe in the product and think it's great. Then there's the ego type that ride a Harley because they think it's the macho thing to do and will tell everyone that metric bikes are for wimps while the odds are that they have a metric bike in their garage. These riders aren't loyal to the product, they're loyal (i.e. brainwashed) to the image.

But there is a third type of Harley rider out there. One that has a Harley and likes it for what it is. This kind will most likely have several different types and makes of bikes in their garage. Their loyalty is to the spirit of motorcycle riding itself, not to one brand over the other.

The riders that make me laugh are the ones that ride metric bikes and complain about Harleys while at the same time wear Harley shirts while riding their non Harley motorcycles. Whenever I went riding with my friends about 30 to 40 percent of the group would be wearing Harley stuff yet only a 1/10 of us would be on Harleys.

Mustanger: Harley did not bring in a new CEO to save the company, the CEO got rid of the owner. AMF bought the company and milked it for every penny. The CEO and several other top managers at Harley got fed up and bought the company back from AMF. Then they rebuilt it from the ground up in to what it is today. What helped was Congress passed a bill that placed a high tarrif on import bikes over 700cc's. When the new owners of Harley-Davidson got the company back on solid ground before the tarrif bill was to expire they went to Congress and asked them to drop the tarrif early.

unknownsoldier1st: You mentioned "You will never see a Harley parked outside a psychiatrist office". I think the proper saying is "you will never see a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist office". :-)