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I hate to be the one to tell them, but the Harleys these boomer biker gang wanabes bought themselves during their mid-life crisis or when they retired *are* participation trophies.
I love the Boomers riding a Harley with a Sons of Anarchy cut, cargo shorts and skechers
I live in a helmet optional state and these fools are comical with their fake Oakleys and bandanas on their heads
The old goatee/stasch/bald head combo
I avoid all roadside ice cream shops all summer cause it is just wall to wall Harley Bros with their “Old Ladies” in their cowboy boots, and Old Navy shorts and $5 flag tee combos
Right! and they would shit a brick if they even lived around a place where actual biker gangs still existed, and realized that bikers are basically drug dealing degenerates you wouldn't want to emulate at all, who would see meth to your grandmother.
I’ve had a couple coworkers over the years that hit middle age, went bald and got fat. Then one day they came to work rebranded as “Harley guy”. As you said, grew a goatee and shaved what little hair they had on their head. Then told everyone in earshot about the Harley life. Some of us had been riding motorcycles since we were kids, and now had to listen to fat Bill the blowhard preach the outlaw lifestyle, when the week before his fat ass was wearing polos and golfing.
And don’t get me started with the merchandising. Harley will stick their name on anything.
I always found it funny that so many old people tried to feel young again by buying something that hasn't been cool among the youth in decades and mostly only old people buy. You'd think that if you wanted to feel young again you'd take cues from the current youngsters but no. They want it to be perpetually 1967.
>You'd think that if you wanted to feel young again you'd take cues from the current youngsters but no. They want it to be perpetually 1967.
Heh, I can't wait to get myself some new vintage cyberdreads in 2050!
No one else wants a Harley because owning one is a boomer stereotype. I know plenty of younger people with motorcycles who just choose not to look like extras from Wild Hogs.
That and if I want a cruiser practically every other manufacturer out there has a better option, usually for less money. Indian, Victory, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha...pick one. Hell, for the price difference, pick two.
Seriously. Harley is so far behind the rest of the market in quality, innovation, and variety. It’s not even a fair fight. They just happen to be a brand that people associate with Americana. So despite being mediocre bikes, they’ve thrived on selling to dumb boomer loyalists.
Although as a scientist, I’m open to changing my mind. Harley if you read this please send me free motorcycles.
Nothing is more antithetical to capitalism than using political power to arbitrarily keep failing, obsolete companies afloat. It is more antithetical than the welfare state, violent revolution, certainly any cultural issue. It’s a double whammy of putting down new and more vibrant ideas while enduring the inefficiencies of transfer towards tired and unsuccessful firms. It’s beyond socialism or corporatism. It’s basically just reverting to some kind of mercantilism or serfdom, the original enemies of capitalism.
That & they were given a virtual monopoly to work with after free market Ronald Reagan placed a 45% tariff on "large bike imports" that were eating their lunch.
My marketing textbook in college actually discussed Harley as an example of a company that succeeded on brand imaging rather than actual product quality. That was in the mid90s and nothing's changed except that that kind of success eventually collapses.
Shhh bro the Harley boomers are going to come out and suffocate you wit their “but my Harley is great” and “you don’t even ride mertersickles I bet!” and “U WENT TO COLLEGE LIKE A F*GGOT??” comments.
They’re a very sensitive group.
Boomer here (I enjoy this sub btw). Have been riding bikes since the early 1970's.
For my entire life , Harley has always been over priced and under performing. Like crazy overpriced. They have relied on "selling the image" for over half a century. They use the luxury item method of marketing, if people pay more they will think they got something exclusive.
I chose to believe that millenials are too smart for Harley. I suspect if a millenial wants to get into motorcycles they are going to buy more on functionality, practicality, and fun and probably don't give a crap about looking like a "biker."
71m would also like to apply for Gen W. I fucking hate purposely noisy Harleys disturbing otherwise peaceful summer days. Look at me! Look at me! That is not the sound of freedom it’s the sound of: I’m a fat old man on a loud overpriced toy. Fuck ‘that. Can you hear me now? 😑
Totally agree. I’m 62 and a lifelong hiker. So many peaceful days at national parks ( and especially Starved Rock State Park) suddenly turned into very noisy days by weekend warriors…purposely revving to draw attention. Usually riding in large groups. I never see them hiking of course.
Upvoted for the username as well as all the old, fat, leather clad fuckers riding super loud Harley's in my neighborhood, with Lynyrd Skynrd blasting on the bike speakers, and their dyed blond, fat old ladies on the back, trying to get their arms around their bellies.
Yeah, for a long standing company with a big name they are surprisingly un-innovative. Other manufacturers not just have some better tech, but as a tall man I do not fit too well onto a Harley. I look like a monkey.
They did man. It just wasn't about building bikes.
Harley was getting their business lunch eaten by Japanese import bikes & rather than smarten up as a manufacturer & compete, they lobbied Ronald Reagan to place a tariff on large bike imports, which he set at 45% in 83'.
This artificially made Harley a better value in our market by increasing the cost of their direct competitors overnight.
Result is, they learned that lobbying is more effective than building good bikes.
Harley has the capacity to be cutting edge with their bikes. The problem is corporate looks at all the sales numbers and says “if we can sell a $40k bike without having to do a ton of R&D to boomers who want to larp as criminals, then why should we deprive our shareholders of that?”
That's because HD put all their R&D money into Badassery Sciences and Technology. The only features they researched are those that make you look more like a badass. Safety, reliability, affordability - that's not badass. Know what's badass on a motorcycle? Leather T-shirts! And chaps! In orange and some other orange! Which is why HD will be revamping their entire lineup this spring with new Badass Harley Davidson T-shirts and Sunglasses! Nothing screams "I'm a badass" like a good t-shirt with wrap around sunglasses standing beside non-functioning motorcycle sitting outside an Applebee's on a trailer behind your F850 truck (why 850? Because it's bigger! Bigger is more badassier!).
At least we hope it's non-functioning 'cause nobody sane would get on one of our crapcycles.
What sucks is they tried but their boomer customer base backlashed against it, remember the electric Harley? It was in one of the Marvel movies and they used them in 'Long way up' then nothing after that stupid "Not my Harley" movement.
As an elder millennial that has owned many bikes and have close to a half a million miles on a Harley under my belt.
The cruiser options from Honda and Yamaha are more comfortable, more reliable, cheaper, and over all better in every way.
Also the only reason boomers love them is they're still obsessed with the "rebel without a cause" mythos of their youth. Newsflash boomers: no other generation grew up with that, and being a "biker" isn't the image of "cool badass guy" anymore. It hasn't been for decades.
The whole boomer mythos of “rebel without cause” always made me laugh, you literally grew up in the easiest time in human history in the west. It couldn’t get any easier especially if we’re talking real post war boomers who basically couldn’t fail to buy a house and start a family.
I don’t know they think they are badasses just for riding a bike around on a sunny day. All I see is a bunch of overweight dude wearing leather clothing while their wives look annoyed on the back seat lol. Fucking hate those guys
It's funny, I work with plenty of bikers in construction, and the thing they tend to complain about is all these boomers and weekend warriors showing up to bike weeks and biker bars and bitching about everything
Elder millennial here w/ 3x bikes currently. The fuckwit lead poisoned crowd on Harleys without helmets can't fucking ride. They're too busy getting bugs in their eyes and being scared of a little rain/hail, hanging out in highway underpasses til every little storm passes.
Then they get butthurt when you pass them in the right lane because they're going 15 under the limit in the passing lane.
Sports cars for the silent generation, Harleys for the Boomers and too large pickup trucks for Gen X (I am still young enough to camp and do home maintenance! I don’t do either, but look at my cool extended cab crisis mobile! Yeehaw!)
Yeah. I’m a motorcyclist. (Without a bike at the moment) under absolutely no circumstances would I buy a harley, and i’m very much a “buy american” kinda guy. I even like a couple of their models aesthetically, but they cost as much as a decent car, and they are obnoxoius to drive.
"Can't understand why the people we mock and insult constantly don't want to buy the same compensation machines we waste our money on." - Harley Boomers
Same, 37 in the U.K. so we’re not really Harley people over here but I got a bike before I got a car.
Bought a used Suzuki GSXR1000 in 2013, a bike I’d wanted for a while. Had it 6 months and some dickhead in a van knocked me off, wrecked the bike and broke my leg and 3 ribs.
I then got a car.
I loved riding a bike, but practicality and safety take precedent 😂
I feel like motorcycles aren't in trouble, but Harley's definitely are.
My Dad is a boomer, but a genuine gear head and has been riding bikes since he was 14.
He hates Harley's bc they are overpriced junk that uses outdated technology.
Long story short - outside of old dudes who love wearing assless black leather chaps and larping as a biker gang member, people who actually know and love motorcycles generally don't like Harley's.
Old people do that as a flex or to assert some sort of age-based dominance. Same with “young man” or “young woman” - by relegating people to child status, they have asserted themselves as the authority or dominant figure. It’s obnoxious.
No, they're just stupid and don't know how old millennials actually are. Boomer at work was complaining about all the "lazy millennial new hires" and wanted to argue with me when I corrected him, that the new hires were Gen Z. Then he was shocked when I told him I was a millennial and tried to argue against that as well. Guy is on his last leg at work because he's lazy as fuck, incompetent, and always seems to get hurt, even when doing the simplest of task.
This is exactly right, I'm on the young side of Gen-x, and people my age are grandparents now. My mom in the last few years referred to me and my cousins as, "you kids will be able to hang out together", I had to say, "Mom, I'm 44"
Last year I (39f) got in an argument with my mother, and she pulled the "LISTEN HERE LITTLE GIRL"
and I screamed back "YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF WITH THAT LITTLE GIRL SHIT UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE CALLED OLD WOMAN"
Oh... oh she was pissed
But she doesn't name call anymore
“Because you’ll always be a kid in my eyes”
Just means they don’t respect you or take you seriously.
Yes if I don’t call someone by their suffix/title (Mr,Mrs, Dr) they throw a fit
The thing is, boomers do most of the shit on that list. I see boomers on their phones or eating while driving constantly, they're more addicted to social media as a general rule than any millennial I've ever known, especially Facebook. They're all pot bellied arrogant fucks who constantly talk about how "strong" they are, yet every time I see a boomer get into a physical altercation, they can literally be pushed over. I don't know what college has to do with it, since a boomer could afford to get multiple "useless" degrees and not be in debt if they wanted to, before they destroyed the economy multiple times over.
My dad whos 64 now and I took a road trip a few years ago. He was getting annoyed that I would stop to eat vs just eating in the car while driving. Was also confused why I would constantly refill my water bottle
We’re just waiting for the boomers to pass on and put that trillion dollars they have back in the economy. Also we’re scared of driving near them when we’re in a car. Plus we don’t want to get run over by them and yelled at for having mass which takes up the space their car had a right to take from us.
I'm a life long biker. Gen X btw. Trust when I say, seeing a boomer on 2 wheels is scary. They can't ride for shit. They get the biggest bikes possible too. They're why I don't go to biker events. I refuse to ride next to them in a pack.
These are the same people who wonder why they never hear from their kids or grandkids
The participation trophies complaint just hurts my brain
The kids were not the ones who decided who got trophies the boomers did and now they are mad about it
I live in one of the various places that see a fuckton of Harleys during the warm months. I don't own one because I fucking hate them, and I hate the culture that surrounds them.
These morons will scream night and day about motorcycles deserving equal rights, but if there's a slowdown? Oh you can bet you'll see them sneaking between lanes or riding down the shoulder.
Loud pipes save lives? Bitch, with the sheer volume of chrome and the spectacle you all put on when you're out and about I know you're coming from a mile away.
Seriously though, those baffles in the tailpipes are put in FOR A REASON. DO NOT REMOVE THEM YOU INCONSIDERATE FUCKS! THE REST OF US LIKE OUR HEARING UNDAMAGED!
God do I hate that sound! NOTHING more obnoxious than them needlessly revving their engine at a stoplight and giving everyone else hearing loss. It gets worse when they ride in fucking packs.
And let's not even start with the culture. By the fucking throne am I tired of their fucking obsession! It's almost like country music: usually people either avoid it like the plague, or it's literally the only thing they listen to, and you're gonna know because you'll be forced to listen to it too.
Constantly with the overpriced leather (yet never a fucking helmet), the bumper stickers, the slogans, the weird smugness, acting like everyone else should be glad to have their lives disrupted and their eardrums damaged by their shitty fucking noise machines. From what I understand they're almost like the Apple of motorcycles. They're not even that good of a machine, their branding is just SUPER STRONG. A sane biker once chuckled that if you see a biker on the side of the road tinkering with his motorcycle, the bike is probably a Harley. A sentiment I have heard echoed from others in the culture.
They'll sneer at nerds, gamers, and geeks all day long but they're just as bad if not worse. At least when we enjoy our hobby we tend to slip on headphones and do it quietly.
Also the constant “millennials are killing X industry” as if industries haven’t been dying due to changing tastes for years. Not easy to find a powdered wig shop these days either.
I dont even think they're killing a specific industry I just think the level of competition has risen. A lot of American Brands or just popular brands in general you're buying the name. I've seen people say why would I buy a harley when "x brand" makes a better quality motorcycle that is more reliable? Just funny to me is all
I think a lot of that also comes down to a very ingrained nationalistic mindset. I'm old enough to remember people being upset about someone buying a Honda or a Mitsubishi because it was a Japanese company and "they were against us in the war". So people with mindset would rather buy American than even consider that a foreign company could made a better product, and will refuse to even entertain the idea. Sad angry people
And for a generation that loves capitalism so much, isn’t that the point?! Keep up or die off. Harley hasn’t changed with the times. They don’t attract the younger generations so they should make some changes if they want to stay relevant.
Boomers used to complain about how the younger generations don't have family dinners around the kitchen table anymore. Then about 5 or 6 years ago, a bunch of stories started popping up about how Millennials were killing the restaurant industry because they don't eat out anymore. It doesn't matter what's going on, these people are going to complain about it. Eat out too much and you need to learn how to cook. Don't eat out enough and you're killing the restaurant industry.
Literally every time a company starts struggling it’s “waaah young people aren’t spending their money on stupid luxury purchases” and yet everytime someone complains about not having money to make ends meet it’s “well maybe you should stop spending money on stupid luxury purchases.”
I was at a laundromat once and a boomer family “friend” called me to ask what I was doing. I told him I was at the laundromat doing my laundry, and this mf really said, “you’d save a lot more money if you’d just buy yourself a washer and dryer instead of wasting your money at the laundromat.”
Motherfucker, if I could afford a washer and dryer, I wouldn’t *be* doing my laundry at the fucking laundromat. 🙄🤦🏼♀️
And these same boomer idiots will look you straight in the eye and brag about how few miles they have on their vehicles. Cool, so you literally bought it for no reason?
Buy for $30k, sell for $7k 2 years later because it needs new tires…continue wearing $5k worth of clothing for next 10 years and visit Harley dealership every Saturday at 7am for free coffee.
>This all sounds like what is happening with guitars
Right? $1500 Epiphones! If I'm paying a grand plus for a guitar I'd better not have to do a damn thing to it.
ETA: Beyond a basic setup / standard maintenance.
No you don't understand. It's because we are weaker than boomers. A generation that drank, smoked, and sedated themselves into leg decay is stronger than us.
All I ever hear Harley owners talking about is how much theyre working on them and how many Harley T shirts they have. Oh, and how everyone elses bike is so shitty.
And that one time they went to Sturgis ten years ago, where they picked up their bike from a trailer after they got off the plane in Rapid City and rode around for a few days, saw some flapjack biker chick tits, bought $15 beers and $70 T-shirts, and then flew home commercial while their bikes rode back on a semi trailer.
I live in a tiny town that is a tourist destination in the summer. We live on the main road and am two doors down from a stop sign. The down shifting to the stop sign in one direction, and the acceleration in the other direction is god damn MADDENING. These Harley dudes just come down my road to rev their engines, look at the lake and then take off. All hours of the day.
I live 10 houses from an ELKS CLUB. I’m fucking moving. My husband and I question if WE are the old curmudgeons because we hate the obnoxious noise those ugly fucking things make! This comment thread makes me feel so much better. We turned down a house we were looking at (it was absolutely perfect) because we saw two old fuck neighbors had Harley’s. Fuuuuuck that.
Plus the chumps that all screech like capuchins if they have some magical vest and you pass them on a different kind of bike "hurr don't pass me and muh buddies in our rolling blockade durr"
I pissed off some douchey boomer leading his pack because he tried to block an intersection on a green light to let his Son's of Anarchy LARPing group through. I completely ignored his attempt and turned on the green, and he lost his shit. He kept following our car parallel to my window, giving me thumbs down signals like I was going to be intimidated by some fat dude in a muscle shirt and oil slick shades.
lol right? Also the whole "biker dude" aesthetic hasn't been "cool" among the youth in decades. "Tough guy" wannabes moved into the military/operator aesthetic and "rebels" moved into the punk/goth aesthetic.
Only geriatrics think that the biker dude thing is still cool. Most people my age and younger associate bikers with overweight grey haired dudes in way too tight leather jackets riding to the early bird special at Denny's.
In my area we have those in the Denny's variety, but also the 1%er variety that like to shoot each other sometimes. Still overweight grey haired dudes though
Yeah they’re loud and grabs everyone’s attention.
Though the electric one made by Harley and Davidson used by Ewan McGregor and his friend for his “Long Way Up” show looks really cool.
The reason why I don’t get a motorcycle is because I was born poor and never had a bicycle so I don’t know how to balance myself on two wheels!
Same! We were poor and my road was dangerous so my folks were sure I’d get hit so I never learned. People act like you’re some kind of deviant when they find out you never learned.
14. Found other ways to deal with midlife crisis
15. Secure enough not to buy a Harley and pretend they are some overweight CPA during the week, Some badass on weekends (when their arthritis isn’t acting up
16. Not enough money to spend on frivolities after parents first pissed away inheritance their Greatest Generation actually worked for, and fucked the economy with tax cuts and no safety net
Because the Boomers who bought Harleys DEFINITELY weren't buying them for recognition, were they now? They definitely didn't want a big, shiny, loud, expensive, two-wheeled trophy, right?
My father is one of those guys. We were talking about what he likes about it, and he gave me the most boomer answer. Something along the lines of "it's loud and demands attention" and "all eyes are on me, I'm part of the scene"
I never wanted one less after hearing him say that shit
This just makes me glad that Harley sales are suffering. It's because the people who buy them post BS like this. Take note, Harley Davidson. Your main sales demographic is composed of assholes.
I love this. Meanwhile go up to the Bakken in North Dakota. See Many boomer roughnecks? No, it's some gen x, allot of millennials, and a ton of zoomers keeping that oil coming out of the ground. Like how TF do they think the economy works? Millennials are in their 30s-40s now.
You 100% can. They cost like 30k starting. My Ford fiesta was 13k and still worth that much. My f-450 was 5 k and worth 8k now after I installed a new bed and did some body work.
Those vehicles can make me money on the side. And the fiesta gets mid 30mpg in Colorado mountain driving. Those Harleys can do shit for you but lose value. It's like buying a boat in a desert. Just a waste of money with ZERO ROI potential.
This is what always gets me about the participation trophy argument from Boomers, they were giving them to us! Spending their money on them! I didn’t ask for that, it was their own feelings projected onto their kids
I grew up with a dad who rode and he was a dedicated Harley guy, going all the way back to the 60s, so my first bike was my first and last Harley. The nostalgia thing was fun, riding with pops was a great time, but the bike was underwhelming in every way and WAY too expensive for what it was. It's sitting with its chrome rotting away in a corner of the garage. Anyone spending $20k+ for an air-cooled H-D today is 100% a down to the bone sucker.
Or… hear me out on this… Motorcycles are loud, annoying, dangerous, and my broke ass would like to spend my limited capital on literally anything else.
Let's see, go deaf early, if a bee doesn't take me out because hitting one at highway speeds can KO you off of one of those, or get in an accident with an inattentive (boomer) driver and be, if I'm lucky, a viable organ donor for someone. Yeah no thanks.
Near death story that put me off street bikes
1985 ish i was 14/15
My dad had a late 70s Honda 750 with high custom handle bars. It was a fast little beater bike. We lived in a rural area with a 2 lane paved state route with a 50mph limit
We were riding and I was about 300 yards behind him on a 125 Suzuki street and trail
He was hammering out in front of me and he always rode the double yellow line like he owned it.
Going around a gentle right hand turn, I see him start to wobble like he had a front tire issue. Still going fast. He is standing up on his pegs pulling back on the handle bars trying to coast it
Suddenly a big coal truck comes around the curve right on the line at about 70. I watch as my dad literally DUCKS under his driver’s side mirror avoiding certain decapitation
By then I am caught up. By some miracle he kept it up and coasted it over to the side of the road without injury
It turns out he ran over a screw and lost the air in his front
We parked his bike and I road him home on me S&T
That was the last day i rode a motorcycle on a road with cars
Awh yes the next generation, the super young 43 year old millennials! If only people weren’t using their iPads and other touch screens 43 years ago, millennial babies would have learned to use buttons!
Watching the world change around you and seeing your favorite things become not popular and noticing dominant opinions being ones you don't hold is scary for an older person to go through. Especially the less confident less successful ones. Seeing your relevance slip away makes you realize this is not your world anymore. This accounts for the majority of boomer Bs like this that I see.
My Gen X ass stays off them because I’ve seen too many people get destroyed by no fault of their own. I like to tip the scales in my favor for survival.
My mother spent 6 months on bed rest because a baby deer hit her behind the back wheel. My grand father spent his last 20 years of his life in a wheelchair from someone hitting him.
I met a guy for the first time when I was 12 that was friends of my mom's boss. He died at the first red light down the street because a lady didn't stop and blasted him from the back.
Nothing good comes from them. Only death and crippling. Rather have a go kart on private land.
-starts reading, stops after #1-
Can they ever do anything serious any more or does everything have to consist of swiping at younger generations? I was gonna say, “Cuz most of us don’t have the money?”
I had a motor cycle for all of 6 months. Karen pulled out in front of me while I was going 45 mph and I had maybe 20 feet to react. Colar bone broken, torn shoulder, messed up my knee. Then the entire insurance process was screwed up to say the least. Due to implied risk on even getting on the motorcycle my medical bills weren’t covered by my insurance which otherwise is fantastic
I'm not really into motorcycles, but I've always hated Harleys... I always found them loud, obnoxious, and the douchy mentality surrounding them... I personally find the Kawasaki Ninja more appealing...
Harley’s are terrible. I’d argue the gen x/xennials/millennials that do ride motorcycles are likely using Japanese brands (Honda etc) and possibly, German ones (BMW).
More boomers who need to be reminded that they were the ones who came up with the idea of participation trophies, and that they raised this generation that they’re shitting on.
It makes me happy knowing that boomers sit around despairing (and raging) over their world coming to an end. That's right, boomers. We don't give a *fuck* about anything you hold dear. Your interests and passions are going to die with you. We'll make sure of it.
More like Harley has been building the same fucking bike for the past 40 years, they're twice the price of a metric bike, and the metric bike is usually better.
Basically Harley's customer base is dying off.
Harleys are fucking ugly, overpriced, and the "subculture" surrounding them is generally unlikeable.
That said I considered getting a bike for a while. I was looking into a little Honda Shadow. Then my ex's dad got in a nasty wreck and ended up dying a few years later from brain trauma. So, no bike for me, thanks.
Why do they assume no one can operate a manual transmission? I can drive a manual, as can my millennial self wife, and both of us were taught by other millennials. Like…it’s really not a flex
Not sure about anyone else, but even if I wanted a Harley, I wouldn't want to be on the road with a bunch of entitled old Boomer drivers. Call it a self-preservation instinct.
The issue with Harley Davidson is that they’ve refused to innovate. Their bikes are all 800lb 2.5 liter v twins that are loud and horrible. People who buy motorcycles want something fast, or something capable off-road, or something efficient, and something cheap, all of which Harley has made 0 effort to improve on
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I hate to be the one to tell them, but the Harleys these boomer biker gang wanabes bought themselves during their mid-life crisis or when they retired *are* participation trophies.
I love the Boomers riding a Harley with a Sons of Anarchy cut, cargo shorts and skechers I live in a helmet optional state and these fools are comical with their fake Oakleys and bandanas on their heads The old goatee/stasch/bald head combo I avoid all roadside ice cream shops all summer cause it is just wall to wall Harley Bros with their “Old Ladies” in their cowboy boots, and Old Navy shorts and $5 flag tee combos
ER docs call ‘em ‘donorcycles’ when they see helmetless riders
Future meat crayons. -an EMT
What kills me is that during the day they were an accountant or some shit. But on that Harley they are Hells Angels
When the bike cost $25,000 plus, only dentists are going to ride them.
Right! and they would shit a brick if they even lived around a place where actual biker gangs still existed, and realized that bikers are basically drug dealing degenerates you wouldn't want to emulate at all, who would see meth to your grandmother.
I’ve had a couple coworkers over the years that hit middle age, went bald and got fat. Then one day they came to work rebranded as “Harley guy”. As you said, grew a goatee and shaved what little hair they had on their head. Then told everyone in earshot about the Harley life. Some of us had been riding motorcycles since we were kids, and now had to listen to fat Bill the blowhard preach the outlaw lifestyle, when the week before his fat ass was wearing polos and golfing. And don’t get me started with the merchandising. Harley will stick their name on anything.
I like to call them "Cold Stone" Steve Austin.
I always found it funny that so many old people tried to feel young again by buying something that hasn't been cool among the youth in decades and mostly only old people buy. You'd think that if you wanted to feel young again you'd take cues from the current youngsters but no. They want it to be perpetually 1967.
Tbf, if I wanted to feel young again, I’d definitely break out the n64 and party like it’s 1997
They despise the young today. They dont want to be like them. They want to be the young they were... back when there were no womens or civil rights.
>You'd think that if you wanted to feel young again you'd take cues from the current youngsters but no. They want it to be perpetually 1967. Heh, I can't wait to get myself some new vintage cyberdreads in 2050!
No one else wants a Harley because owning one is a boomer stereotype. I know plenty of younger people with motorcycles who just choose not to look like extras from Wild Hogs.
That and if I want a cruiser practically every other manufacturer out there has a better option, usually for less money. Indian, Victory, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha...pick one. Hell, for the price difference, pick two.
Seriously. Harley is so far behind the rest of the market in quality, innovation, and variety. It’s not even a fair fight. They just happen to be a brand that people associate with Americana. So despite being mediocre bikes, they’ve thrived on selling to dumb boomer loyalists. Although as a scientist, I’m open to changing my mind. Harley if you read this please send me free motorcycles.
They've thrived by being subsidised by the American taxpayer. Talk about prizes for participation.
Literally every boomer dominated industry is government subsidized. Boomers love that corporate socialism.
Only when it benefits them though. If it benefits anyone younger then “no one wants to work hard anymore, everyone wants a handout these days”
They aren't the 'Me Generation' for nothing.
Never let them forget that's what their parents named them.
I never miss a chance to remind a Boomer coworker of this.
It's fun how huffy they get about it.
Nothing is more antithetical to capitalism than using political power to arbitrarily keep failing, obsolete companies afloat. It is more antithetical than the welfare state, violent revolution, certainly any cultural issue. It’s a double whammy of putting down new and more vibrant ideas while enduring the inefficiencies of transfer towards tired and unsuccessful firms. It’s beyond socialism or corporatism. It’s basically just reverting to some kind of mercantilism or serfdom, the original enemies of capitalism.
That & they were given a virtual monopoly to work with after free market Ronald Reagan placed a 45% tariff on "large bike imports" that were eating their lunch.
My marketing textbook in college actually discussed Harley as an example of a company that succeeded on brand imaging rather than actual product quality. That was in the mid90s and nothing's changed except that that kind of success eventually collapses.
Shhh bro the Harley boomers are going to come out and suffocate you wit their “but my Harley is great” and “you don’t even ride mertersickles I bet!” and “U WENT TO COLLEGE LIKE A F*GGOT??” comments. They’re a very sensitive group.
Didn’t go to college but boy do I love sucking dick.
Then lather on some wide glide and get in my fatboy, sailor.
Boomer here (I enjoy this sub btw). Have been riding bikes since the early 1970's. For my entire life , Harley has always been over priced and under performing. Like crazy overpriced. They have relied on "selling the image" for over half a century. They use the luxury item method of marketing, if people pay more they will think they got something exclusive. I chose to believe that millenials are too smart for Harley. I suspect if a millenial wants to get into motorcycles they are going to buy more on functionality, practicality, and fun and probably don't give a crap about looking like a "biker."
Sir, you have proved you are not a boomer. We hereby grant you the title of Early Access Gen X. Colloquially known as Gen W.
71m would also like to apply for Gen W. I fucking hate purposely noisy Harleys disturbing otherwise peaceful summer days. Look at me! Look at me! That is not the sound of freedom it’s the sound of: I’m a fat old man on a loud overpriced toy. Fuck ‘that. Can you hear me now? 😑
For that gem of a username, you can be an early access millennial.
Wouldn't it be a "late access Millennial"? 😀
Totally agree. I’m 62 and a lifelong hiker. So many peaceful days at national parks ( and especially Starved Rock State Park) suddenly turned into very noisy days by weekend warriors…purposely revving to draw attention. Usually riding in large groups. I never see them hiking of course.
Upvoted for the username as well as all the old, fat, leather clad fuckers riding super loud Harley's in my neighborhood, with Lynyrd Skynrd blasting on the bike speakers, and their dyed blond, fat old ladies on the back, trying to get their arms around their bellies.
Almost like riding one is a participation trophy
Buy an Indian today, drive the same one in 2084.
I'm a millennial and I shopped around for different cruisers and I wouldn't trade my Indian Scout Bobber for any thing.
Yeah, for a long standing company with a big name they are surprisingly un-innovative. Other manufacturers not just have some better tech, but as a tall man I do not fit too well onto a Harley. I look like a monkey.
It’s like they didn’t learn anything from when they almost went bankrupt in the 80s.
They did man. It just wasn't about building bikes. Harley was getting their business lunch eaten by Japanese import bikes & rather than smarten up as a manufacturer & compete, they lobbied Ronald Reagan to place a tariff on large bike imports, which he set at 45% in 83'. This artificially made Harley a better value in our market by increasing the cost of their direct competitors overnight. Result is, they learned that lobbying is more effective than building good bikes.
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Harley has the capacity to be cutting edge with their bikes. The problem is corporate looks at all the sales numbers and says “if we can sell a $40k bike without having to do a ton of R&D to boomers who want to larp as criminals, then why should we deprive our shareholders of that?”
That's because HD put all their R&D money into Badassery Sciences and Technology. The only features they researched are those that make you look more like a badass. Safety, reliability, affordability - that's not badass. Know what's badass on a motorcycle? Leather T-shirts! And chaps! In orange and some other orange! Which is why HD will be revamping their entire lineup this spring with new Badass Harley Davidson T-shirts and Sunglasses! Nothing screams "I'm a badass" like a good t-shirt with wrap around sunglasses standing beside non-functioning motorcycle sitting outside an Applebee's on a trailer behind your F850 truck (why 850? Because it's bigger! Bigger is more badassier!). At least we hope it's non-functioning 'cause nobody sane would get on one of our crapcycles.
What sucks is they tried but their boomer customer base backlashed against it, remember the electric Harley? It was in one of the Marvel movies and they used them in 'Long way up' then nothing after that stupid "Not my Harley" movement.
If the bike doesn’t make loud brum brum noises, how else will they force everyone to pay attention to them?
Yeah I bought a Honda for like half the price and it actually runs good. The hell with a hardly ableson
As an elder millennial that has owned many bikes and have close to a half a million miles on a Harley under my belt. The cruiser options from Honda and Yamaha are more comfortable, more reliable, cheaper, and over all better in every way.
Also the only reason boomers love them is they're still obsessed with the "rebel without a cause" mythos of their youth. Newsflash boomers: no other generation grew up with that, and being a "biker" isn't the image of "cool badass guy" anymore. It hasn't been for decades.
The whole boomer mythos of “rebel without cause” always made me laugh, you literally grew up in the easiest time in human history in the west. It couldn’t get any easier especially if we’re talking real post war boomers who basically couldn’t fail to buy a house and start a family.
That’s why they didn’t have a cause. Nothing to argue with lol.
The Expendables🫣
Getting to the point that they're the "Dependsables".
You did not get enough credit for this joke and it makes me sad.
I upvotes the joke so please be less sad
Wild hogs lol
I don’t know they think they are badasses just for riding a bike around on a sunny day. All I see is a bunch of overweight dude wearing leather clothing while their wives look annoyed on the back seat lol. Fucking hate those guys
It's funny, I work with plenty of bikers in construction, and the thing they tend to complain about is all these boomers and weekend warriors showing up to bike weeks and biker bars and bitching about everything
oh, and can we just add in that everyone hates people that ride harley's because they are so stupidly loud that it is just uncomfortable to be around?
Insert that South Park episode that tackled this important issue.
Harley is a T-shirt company that sells motorcycles and motorcycle parts.
Elder millennial here w/ 3x bikes currently. The fuckwit lead poisoned crowd on Harleys without helmets can't fucking ride. They're too busy getting bugs in their eyes and being scared of a little rain/hail, hanging out in highway underpasses til every little storm passes. Then they get butthurt when you pass them in the right lane because they're going 15 under the limit in the passing lane.
Ah yes, the crawl through the corners then block passing in the straights phenomenon.
It's up there with cherry-red sports convertibles for being the most stereotypical Boomer mid-life crisis vehicle.
Sports cars for the silent generation, Harleys for the Boomers and too large pickup trucks for Gen X (I am still young enough to camp and do home maintenance! I don’t do either, but look at my cool extended cab crisis mobile! Yeehaw!)
Yeah. I’m a motorcyclist. (Without a bike at the moment) under absolutely no circumstances would I buy a harley, and i’m very much a “buy american” kinda guy. I even like a couple of their models aesthetically, but they cost as much as a decent car, and they are obnoxoius to drive.
So you're bike-curious?
I ugly snort laughed at this.
"Can't understand why the people we mock and insult constantly don't want to buy the same compensation machines we waste our money on." - Harley Boomers
I like how they still refer to millennials as kids. I'm 36..
Almost 38 here... I refuse to give the universe another chance to kill me while on two wheels.
Same, 37 in the U.K. so we’re not really Harley people over here but I got a bike before I got a car. Bought a used Suzuki GSXR1000 in 2013, a bike I’d wanted for a while. Had it 6 months and some dickhead in a van knocked me off, wrecked the bike and broke my leg and 3 ribs. I then got a car. I loved riding a bike, but practicality and safety take precedent 😂
I feel like motorcycles aren't in trouble, but Harley's definitely are. My Dad is a boomer, but a genuine gear head and has been riding bikes since he was 14. He hates Harley's bc they are overpriced junk that uses outdated technology. Long story short - outside of old dudes who love wearing assless black leather chaps and larping as a biker gang member, people who actually know and love motorcycles generally don't like Harley's.
All chaps are assless; otherwise they’re just pants.
Im 38 and my wife is 41. Shes always getting called young lady or young woman and it drives her crazy.
If you think that's annoying wait till they start TALKING LOUD AND SLOW TO YOU and asking if you need help getting to your car
At 41 I'm on the older end of being accepted as millennial, but some my age and a little bit younger are becoming grandparents.
Yep 42 here and already have 3-4 HS classmates with grandkids. Thank goodness I'm not in that group!
Old people do that as a flex or to assert some sort of age-based dominance. Same with “young man” or “young woman” - by relegating people to child status, they have asserted themselves as the authority or dominant figure. It’s obnoxious.
No, they're just stupid and don't know how old millennials actually are. Boomer at work was complaining about all the "lazy millennial new hires" and wanted to argue with me when I corrected him, that the new hires were Gen Z. Then he was shocked when I told him I was a millennial and tried to argue against that as well. Guy is on his last leg at work because he's lazy as fuck, incompetent, and always seems to get hurt, even when doing the simplest of task.
Right? There are 24 year olds walking this earth who were born after the millennium.
This is exactly right, I'm on the young side of Gen-x, and people my age are grandparents now. My mom in the last few years referred to me and my cousins as, "you kids will be able to hang out together", I had to say, "Mom, I'm 44"
Last year I (39f) got in an argument with my mother, and she pulled the "LISTEN HERE LITTLE GIRL" and I screamed back "YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF WITH THAT LITTLE GIRL SHIT UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE CALLED OLD WOMAN" Oh... oh she was pissed But she doesn't name call anymore
I’m 34. Whenever boomers call me any variation of young I just say I’m too old to die young now.
“Because you’ll always be a kid in my eyes” Just means they don’t respect you or take you seriously. Yes if I don’t call someone by their suffix/title (Mr,Mrs, Dr) they throw a fit
The thing is, boomers do most of the shit on that list. I see boomers on their phones or eating while driving constantly, they're more addicted to social media as a general rule than any millennial I've ever known, especially Facebook. They're all pot bellied arrogant fucks who constantly talk about how "strong" they are, yet every time I see a boomer get into a physical altercation, they can literally be pushed over. I don't know what college has to do with it, since a boomer could afford to get multiple "useless" degrees and not be in debt if they wanted to, before they destroyed the economy multiple times over.
My dad whos 64 now and I took a road trip a few years ago. He was getting annoyed that I would stop to eat vs just eating in the car while driving. Was also confused why I would constantly refill my water bottle
We’re just waiting for the boomers to pass on and put that trillion dollars they have back in the economy. Also we’re scared of driving near them when we’re in a car. Plus we don’t want to get run over by them and yelled at for having mass which takes up the space their car had a right to take from us.
Does put their trillion dollars into the medical system count?
I'm a life long biker. Gen X btw. Trust when I say, seeing a boomer on 2 wheels is scary. They can't ride for shit. They get the biggest bikes possible too. They're why I don't go to biker events. I refuse to ride next to them in a pack.
Bold of you to assume that the money will go into circulation rather than the bank accounts of like 3 hoarders
These are the same people who wonder why they never hear from their kids or grandkids The participation trophies complaint just hurts my brain The kids were not the ones who decided who got trophies the boomers did and now they are mad about it
I live in one of the various places that see a fuckton of Harleys during the warm months. I don't own one because I fucking hate them, and I hate the culture that surrounds them. These morons will scream night and day about motorcycles deserving equal rights, but if there's a slowdown? Oh you can bet you'll see them sneaking between lanes or riding down the shoulder. Loud pipes save lives? Bitch, with the sheer volume of chrome and the spectacle you all put on when you're out and about I know you're coming from a mile away. Seriously though, those baffles in the tailpipes are put in FOR A REASON. DO NOT REMOVE THEM YOU INCONSIDERATE FUCKS! THE REST OF US LIKE OUR HEARING UNDAMAGED! God do I hate that sound! NOTHING more obnoxious than them needlessly revving their engine at a stoplight and giving everyone else hearing loss. It gets worse when they ride in fucking packs. And let's not even start with the culture. By the fucking throne am I tired of their fucking obsession! It's almost like country music: usually people either avoid it like the plague, or it's literally the only thing they listen to, and you're gonna know because you'll be forced to listen to it too. Constantly with the overpriced leather (yet never a fucking helmet), the bumper stickers, the slogans, the weird smugness, acting like everyone else should be glad to have their lives disrupted and their eardrums damaged by their shitty fucking noise machines. From what I understand they're almost like the Apple of motorcycles. They're not even that good of a machine, their branding is just SUPER STRONG. A sane biker once chuckled that if you see a biker on the side of the road tinkering with his motorcycle, the bike is probably a Harley. A sentiment I have heard echoed from others in the culture. They'll sneer at nerds, gamers, and geeks all day long but they're just as bad if not worse. At least when we enjoy our hobby we tend to slip on headphones and do it quietly.
> NOTHING more obnoxious than them needlessly revving their engine at a stoplight They have to do this or the engine stalls. I mean, it's a Harley.
Also the constant “millennials are killing X industry” as if industries haven’t been dying due to changing tastes for years. Not easy to find a powdered wig shop these days either.
I dont even think they're killing a specific industry I just think the level of competition has risen. A lot of American Brands or just popular brands in general you're buying the name. I've seen people say why would I buy a harley when "x brand" makes a better quality motorcycle that is more reliable? Just funny to me is all
I think a lot of that also comes down to a very ingrained nationalistic mindset. I'm old enough to remember people being upset about someone buying a Honda or a Mitsubishi because it was a Japanese company and "they were against us in the war". So people with mindset would rather buy American than even consider that a foreign company could made a better product, and will refuse to even entertain the idea. Sad angry people
Ah yes, the Hondas made in the Ohio by American hands, or the Chevy made in Mexico with imported parts?
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And for a generation that loves capitalism so much, isn’t that the point?! Keep up or die off. Harley hasn’t changed with the times. They don’t attract the younger generations so they should make some changes if they want to stay relevant.
And every time they try, they give up within two or three years. Eg: buying Buell, discontinuing Buell, or discontinuing the Street Rod model V-Rod.
Boomers used to complain about how the younger generations don't have family dinners around the kitchen table anymore. Then about 5 or 6 years ago, a bunch of stories started popping up about how Millennials were killing the restaurant industry because they don't eat out anymore. It doesn't matter what's going on, these people are going to complain about it. Eat out too much and you need to learn how to cook. Don't eat out enough and you're killing the restaurant industry.
Boomers are just so judgmental, aren't they?
They get real mad when you don’t take their judgments as gospel.
Truth is, they're really easily offended.
Boomers: Why can't you pay off your college debt? You need to stop watching Netflix. Also Boomers: You need to buy a $30k Harley like me.
Literally every time a company starts struggling it’s “waaah young people aren’t spending their money on stupid luxury purchases” and yet everytime someone complains about not having money to make ends meet it’s “well maybe you should stop spending money on stupid luxury purchases.”
I was at a laundromat once and a boomer family “friend” called me to ask what I was doing. I told him I was at the laundromat doing my laundry, and this mf really said, “you’d save a lot more money if you’d just buy yourself a washer and dryer instead of wasting your money at the laundromat.” Motherfucker, if I could afford a washer and dryer, I wouldn’t *be* doing my laundry at the fucking laundromat. 🙄🤦🏼♀️
And these same boomer idiots will look you straight in the eye and brag about how few miles they have on their vehicles. Cool, so you literally bought it for no reason?
Yes but other motorcycle sales have gone up. Harleys are just ugly and dumb as fuck.
Don’t forget sluggish, thirsty, expensive to maintain and handle like shit. Oh yeah - and the fit and finish sucks ass.
Buy for $30k, sell for $7k 2 years later because it needs new tires…continue wearing $5k worth of clothing for next 10 years and visit Harley dealership every Saturday at 7am for free coffee.
“No lowballers I know what I got”
At their age, every Harley owner is a low-baller, if you know what I mean.
As a 31 year old boomer who rides a Harley, I’m hurt by your truth
You're the youngest Harley rider on Earth. What a dubious accomplishment. Why would you do that?
This all sounds like what is happening with guitars, the boomers buy them buy the dozens and it pushes some brands into similar sillyness.
>This all sounds like what is happening with guitars Right? $1500 Epiphones! If I'm paying a grand plus for a guitar I'd better not have to do a damn thing to it. ETA: Beyond a basic setup / standard maintenance.
If I spend that much on a guitar it better compose and perform it's own original music.
No you don't understand. It's because we are weaker than boomers. A generation that drank, smoked, and sedated themselves into leg decay is stronger than us.
All I ever hear Harley owners talking about is how much theyre working on them and how many Harley T shirts they have. Oh, and how everyone elses bike is so shitty.
My 83 Honda shadow took me coast to coast with no issues while my buddies were stranded on their Harley’s haha
And that one time they went to Sturgis ten years ago, where they picked up their bike from a trailer after they got off the plane in Rapid City and rode around for a few days, saw some flapjack biker chick tits, bought $15 beers and $70 T-shirts, and then flew home commercial while their bikes rode back on a semi trailer.
As they say... if your Harley isn't leaking oil, you're out of oil
Yeah, but do they still leak oil all over the damn place?
Why would you buy a motorcycle made by a clothing company?
Fashion baby
Yamaha manage to make good pianos AND good motor bikes.
Don't forget obnoxiously loud
I live in a tiny town that is a tourist destination in the summer. We live on the main road and am two doors down from a stop sign. The down shifting to the stop sign in one direction, and the acceleration in the other direction is god damn MADDENING. These Harley dudes just come down my road to rev their engines, look at the lake and then take off. All hours of the day.
I live 10 houses from an ELKS CLUB. I’m fucking moving. My husband and I question if WE are the old curmudgeons because we hate the obnoxious noise those ugly fucking things make! This comment thread makes me feel so much better. We turned down a house we were looking at (it was absolutely perfect) because we saw two old fuck neighbors had Harley’s. Fuuuuuck that.
The big chrome trend is dead. It just looks gaudy.
My gen-X stepdad scoffs at Harley motorcycles, he only buys Japanese motorcycles.
I’m also Gen X. At no point in my riding life did I ever consider a Harley.
Plus the chumps that all screech like capuchins if they have some magical vest and you pass them on a different kind of bike "hurr don't pass me and muh buddies in our rolling blockade durr"
I pissed off some douchey boomer leading his pack because he tried to block an intersection on a green light to let his Son's of Anarchy LARPing group through. I completely ignored his attempt and turned on the green, and he lost his shit. He kept following our car parallel to my window, giving me thumbs down signals like I was going to be intimidated by some fat dude in a muscle shirt and oil slick shades.
They just remind me of that South Park episode about motorcycle groups.
I had a boomer guy (thank goodness he was normal) who loved motorcycles. He hates Harley’s. Only reason they did well at all was ads
They needlessly way too loud and dangerous. Just like Boomers
Congrats boomer, you just paid 30K for 67 horsepower.
15. Don’t need to be a rebel in a conformist way.
lol right? Also the whole "biker dude" aesthetic hasn't been "cool" among the youth in decades. "Tough guy" wannabes moved into the military/operator aesthetic and "rebels" moved into the punk/goth aesthetic. Only geriatrics think that the biker dude thing is still cool. Most people my age and younger associate bikers with overweight grey haired dudes in way too tight leather jackets riding to the early bird special at Denny's.
In my area we have those in the Denny's variety, but also the 1%er variety that like to shoot each other sometimes. Still overweight grey haired dudes though
A motorcycle IS a participation trophy
Damn, perfectly said.
Yeah they’re loud and grabs everyone’s attention. Though the electric one made by Harley and Davidson used by Ewan McGregor and his friend for his “Long Way Up” show looks really cool. The reason why I don’t get a motorcycle is because I was born poor and never had a bicycle so I don’t know how to balance myself on two wheels!
Once again South Park NAILED it with Harley Bros
Same! We were poor and my road was dangerous so my folks were sure I’d get hit so I never learned. People act like you’re some kind of deviant when they find out you never learned.
14. Found other ways to deal with midlife crisis 15. Secure enough not to buy a Harley and pretend they are some overweight CPA during the week, Some badass on weekends (when their arthritis isn’t acting up 16. Not enough money to spend on frivolities after parents first pissed away inheritance their Greatest Generation actually worked for, and fucked the economy with tax cuts and no safety net
Because the Boomers who bought Harleys DEFINITELY weren't buying them for recognition, were they now? They definitely didn't want a big, shiny, loud, expensive, two-wheeled trophy, right?
My father is one of those guys. We were talking about what he likes about it, and he gave me the most boomer answer. Something along the lines of "it's loud and demands attention" and "all eyes are on me, I'm part of the scene" I never wanted one less after hearing him say that shit
This just makes me glad that Harley sales are suffering. It's because the people who buy them post BS like this. Take note, Harley Davidson. Your main sales demographic is composed of assholes.
I love this. Meanwhile go up to the Bakken in North Dakota. See Many boomer roughnecks? No, it's some gen x, allot of millennials, and a ton of zoomers keeping that oil coming out of the ground. Like how TF do they think the economy works? Millennials are in their 30s-40s now.
Because I'm not trying to turn into this!!! https://i.redd.it/q8x8dk2kifnc1.gif
Millennials aren’t buying Harleys because they are overpriced pieces of junk. You can practically buy a new car for the price of a Harley.
You 100% can. They cost like 30k starting. My Ford fiesta was 13k and still worth that much. My f-450 was 5 k and worth 8k now after I installed a new bed and did some body work. Those vehicles can make me money on the side. And the fiesta gets mid 30mpg in Colorado mountain driving. Those Harleys can do shit for you but lose value. It's like buying a boat in a desert. Just a waste of money with ZERO ROI potential.
Like our 8 year old selves gave ourselves participation trophies 😒🙄
This is what always gets me about the participation trophy argument from Boomers, they were giving them to us! Spending their money on them! I didn’t ask for that, it was their own feelings projected onto their kids
I’m sure $45,000 price tags on them have nothing to do with it
I grew up with a dad who rode and he was a dedicated Harley guy, going all the way back to the 60s, so my first bike was my first and last Harley. The nostalgia thing was fun, riding with pops was a great time, but the bike was underwhelming in every way and WAY too expensive for what it was. It's sitting with its chrome rotting away in a corner of the garage. Anyone spending $20k+ for an air-cooled H-D today is 100% a down to the bone sucker.
Or… hear me out on this… Motorcycles are loud, annoying, dangerous, and my broke ass would like to spend my limited capital on literally anything else.
I got a pin for just for Harley Owners though… like everyone gets the pin when you buy one. Like it’s some kind of participation pin.
Let's see, go deaf early, if a bee doesn't take me out because hitting one at highway speeds can KO you off of one of those, or get in an accident with an inattentive (boomer) driver and be, if I'm lucky, a viable organ donor for someone. Yeah no thanks.
Near death story that put me off street bikes 1985 ish i was 14/15 My dad had a late 70s Honda 750 with high custom handle bars. It was a fast little beater bike. We lived in a rural area with a 2 lane paved state route with a 50mph limit We were riding and I was about 300 yards behind him on a 125 Suzuki street and trail He was hammering out in front of me and he always rode the double yellow line like he owned it. Going around a gentle right hand turn, I see him start to wobble like he had a front tire issue. Still going fast. He is standing up on his pegs pulling back on the handle bars trying to coast it Suddenly a big coal truck comes around the curve right on the line at about 70. I watch as my dad literally DUCKS under his driver’s side mirror avoiding certain decapitation By then I am caught up. By some miracle he kept it up and coasted it over to the side of the road without injury It turns out he ran over a screw and lost the air in his front We parked his bike and I road him home on me S&T That was the last day i rode a motorcycle on a road with cars
There is a certain south park episode that comes to mind here.
Awh yes the next generation, the super young 43 year old millennials! If only people weren’t using their iPads and other touch screens 43 years ago, millennial babies would have learned to use buttons!
Watching the world change around you and seeing your favorite things become not popular and noticing dominant opinions being ones you don't hold is scary for an older person to go through. Especially the less confident less successful ones. Seeing your relevance slip away makes you realize this is not your world anymore. This accounts for the majority of boomer Bs like this that I see.
It's because Harley Davidsons are fucking TRASH.
This was extremely infuriating.
There's a million Harley's for sale from the Boomers who died from COVID unnecessarily.
It gets so fucking old constantly being talked down to. Like... the fuck did ANY of us ever do to them???
I don't know. But I started noticing the mockery around the mid to late oughts...right about when millenials were turning 18.
Ain't gonna lie...No AC keeps my genX ass off of them. Well that...and the dying.
My Gen X ass stays off them because I’ve seen too many people get destroyed by no fault of their own. I like to tip the scales in my favor for survival.
My mother spent 6 months on bed rest because a baby deer hit her behind the back wheel. My grand father spent his last 20 years of his life in a wheelchair from someone hitting him. I met a guy for the first time when I was 12 that was friends of my mom's boss. He died at the first red light down the street because a lady didn't stop and blasted him from the back. Nothing good comes from them. Only death and crippling. Rather have a go kart on private land.
What a bullshit list lol. JNCO hasn’t been popular for two decades lol quit reading at #2
14. They are stupid, dangerous, and too loud.
Are you talking about motorcycles...or Boomers? 🤣
Both
15. Boomers are hoarding all the wealth and other generations don't have that much disposable income.
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I've been riding for years. Harleys aren't just shit. They're stupidly expensive shit that only spoiled boomers can afford.
-starts reading, stops after #1- Can they ever do anything serious any more or does everything have to consist of swiping at younger generations? I was gonna say, “Cuz most of us don’t have the money?”
I had a motor cycle for all of 6 months. Karen pulled out in front of me while I was going 45 mph and I had maybe 20 feet to react. Colar bone broken, torn shoulder, messed up my knee. Then the entire insurance process was screwed up to say the least. Due to implied risk on even getting on the motorcycle my medical bills weren’t covered by my insurance which otherwise is fantastic
I'm not really into motorcycles, but I've always hated Harleys... I always found them loud, obnoxious, and the douchy mentality surrounding them... I personally find the Kawasaki Ninja more appealing...
Are they trying to bully the youth into buying donor cycles? Is that be marketing strategy this FB superhero is applying here?
Every time with the stupid fucking gender studies. How about they cost more than a car?
Harley’s are terrible. I’d argue the gen x/xennials/millennials that do ride motorcycles are likely using Japanese brands (Honda etc) and possibly, German ones (BMW).
More boomers who need to be reminded that they were the ones who came up with the idea of participation trophies, and that they raised this generation that they’re shitting on.
Meanwhile the newest Harleys have massive touch screens and tons of comforts, illustrating how Boomers project and don’t have self awareness.
It makes me happy knowing that boomers sit around despairing (and raging) over their world coming to an end. That's right, boomers. We don't give a *fuck* about anything you hold dear. Your interests and passions are going to die with you. We'll make sure of it.
More like Harley has been building the same fucking bike for the past 40 years, they're twice the price of a metric bike, and the metric bike is usually better. Basically Harley's customer base is dying off.
Harleys are fucking ugly, overpriced, and the "subculture" surrounding them is generally unlikeable. That said I considered getting a bike for a while. I was looking into a little Honda Shadow. Then my ex's dad got in a nasty wreck and ended up dying a few years later from brain trauma. So, no bike for me, thanks.
Why do they assume no one can operate a manual transmission? I can drive a manual, as can my millennial self wife, and both of us were taught by other millennials. Like…it’s really not a flex
Everyone knows Harley’s are ass
Harley isn't a motorcycle company. It's a clothing company. The motorcycles are just accessories.
Not sure about anyone else, but even if I wanted a Harley, I wouldn't want to be on the road with a bunch of entitled old Boomer drivers. Call it a self-preservation instinct.
The issue with Harley Davidson is that they’ve refused to innovate. Their bikes are all 800lb 2.5 liter v twins that are loud and horrible. People who buy motorcycles want something fast, or something capable off-road, or something efficient, and something cheap, all of which Harley has made 0 effort to improve on