[MagnusMaximus]

There's a few things going on I think. The baby boomers who saved Harley in the 80s and have supported them ever since, buying bigger and more expensive bikes and leather jackets and t-shirts, are starting to age out of buying new bikes, and younger generations just don't have the money, or the time and inclination, or the attachment to the brand and image, to spend a lot of money on a big H-D.

For those who didn't grow up in the 60s and 70s, I think it's harder to appreciate what might be cool about the H-D lifestyle and image, which to an outsider, mostly looks like a bunch of grey haired, scruffy looking guys showing off how many chrome skulls or crosses they can put on their "unique" dime-a-dozen, obnoxiously loud bikes. The bikes may be well built and a lot of fun to ride, for what they are (much like a RE.) but I do think the image doesn't help them in the American market today, especially when a new motorcyclist is likely to cross shop them with lots of other bikes, many of which perform better and cost less.

It also doesn't help that H-D bread and butter is huge touring bikes, which they do very well from what I have heard, but it limits their profit market almost totally to affluent older riders.