So long and thanks for all the fish | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

So long and thanks for all the fish

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Trials said:
Strange, I never noticed Harley-Davidson doing much racing in this century or the last one
and when they do they are only racing Harley class races, everything else races in a different class.
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HD has always shunned racing because they felt it was bad for the image of motorcycling in general. You can go back and find that everywhere in their history. The criticism in the 1920s and 30s that HD was building "murdercycles" that should be banned had them withdrawing from the board track and all forms of racing with the exception of flat track where casualties were much lower.

HD cultivated flat track racing for decades and there were other marques that joined in including Indian, Honda, Yamaha, Polaris et al. HD dominated on and off, but it's obvious that the people running the Moco today aren't interested in that sort of thing. Development stopped and they started losing. Their game now is big, expensive baggers. The factory customs like the Dyna and Sportsters are being erased. It's going to be interesting to see where that leads them.
 
TK4 said:
Factory custom - oxymoron ?
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That term eventually morphed into 'cruiser' over the years. Basically they were bikes that mirrored the choppers that kids in the 1960s and 70s were building in their garages. Those choppers were called custom bikes. When HD started factory-building them the glossy mags started calling them factory-customs. Factory customs wiped out the standard motorcycle (like the Norton, Bonneville, 1970s CBs etc.) until the standards moved to a more sport bike look.
 
ToSlow said:
Nah, but you made a statement, I thought you could post something to back it up.

i got the financial part but the statement about promoting something they flog is a little unclear
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Flog as in to sell.
As a manufacturer you put support money and product into the sport in visible places to promote interest in buying the product,
that is the entire basis for a manufacturer to support amateur or semi-professional racing, even if it is as simple and cheap like caution tape with your brand name on it, still greatly appreciated.
 
ToSlow said:
Harley has been the steeple of every bike race in America ...
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the steeple :/ you know steeple is a church tower right?
and if you meant to say staple, as in important element of every bike race in America like the Ghost says that is absurd, H-D don't build 1 single production race bike. and nobody was racing them unless it was for a flat track photo op, or to burn one down a quarter mile dragstrip somewhere they do that kinda stuff. H-D don't offer a dirt bike, not even a crap one, how can you be the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the USA and not build a dirt bike.

They build electrics, How come they are not racing them? are the bikes useless?

Bagger racing lol there you go the ultimate NASCAR of racing,
how many of you bagger riders see that and want to make it your hobby? :LOL:
 
Trials said:
Flog as in to sell.
As a manufacturer you put support money and product into the sport in visible places to promote interest in buying the product,
that is the entire basis for a manufacturer to support amateur or semi-professional racing, even if it is as simple and cheap like caution tape with your brand name on it, still greatly appreciated.
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Not necessarily. Factories use racing to test technology and to force internal innovation through competition. If you are winning, sales and marketing folks step in to exploit success.

I think racing is no longer driving any design or developpment direction at HD so there is no longer a development benefit - just an expense. If your factory team is losing, you get no love from the factory S&M teams either. Bye bye race team.
 
Mad Mike said:
Not necessarily. Factories use racing to test technology and to force internal innovation through competition. ...
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:unsure: like Trials bikes.


Harley doesn't make one.
 
Mad Mike said:
Yet.

They are waiting for the twin class.
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Mad Mike said:
Yet.

They are waiting for the twin class.
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Show up with 3 bikes and riders and we will make a class for you (y) we'll call it the lead weight class.
 
This thread made me curious enough to dig out my copy of Harley Racers by Alan Girdler.

Harley DID have an interesting and varied racing history, with success AND innovation in flat track, road racing and off road. the trouble is - it was a very long time ago.

In partnership with Aermacchi they even made 250 & 500cc liquid cooled 2 stroke GP bikes and long travel motocross bikes to compete on US style man made tracks. The XR based (and earlier) flat track and road racers are well known.

Then they quit.

I agree with the posters who say that racing is R&D and the fact that HD quit so many different forms of racing so early shows in the nature of the current and recent product.

I've always thought they missed marketing opportunity by not using the images of riders like Mert Lawwill celebrating their wins and pictures of Jay Springsteen crossed up at 100+miles an hour. Those images are gearhead porn, and if they made a bike that even remotely nodded to that ethos they would have cultivated a different/additional customer that may have served them well over the years.

It think they would have been a very different company today if they had continued developing their racing programs and bikes.
 
Round d'round racing; a spectator sport designed for overly sedate lazy *** people that want to sit in the bleachers and have all the race action come to them while they drink Bud.
 
Trials said:
Round d'round racing; a spectator sport designed for overly sedate lazy *** people that want to sit in the bleachers and have all the race action come to them while they drink Bud.
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Try it doing 200mph with 41 others 4” to a foot apart

sure no skills involved
 
ToSlow said:
Try it doing 200mph with 41 others 4” to a foot apart

sure no skills involved
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on an oval circuit :/ wow
Why would you want to, might as well take up flying and join the Blue Angles.
 
ToSlow said:
Why? For the thrill of it and bragging rights
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What do you do for thrills and bragging rights?
dude, I don't hate any motorcycle but H-D has been run stupid. They have been coasting for most of their existence. If they have a good product they do nothing with it.
 
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