Harley Axed the Dyna.

[Murgatroy]

If you aren't an H-D devout, you can just skip this.

 

So today the new 2018 line-up was announced. The big hype was on the new Softails. I scrolled through them. A Softail Street Bob. Oh that is neat, they have a Dyna and a Softail now. Next, the Softail Fat Bob, oh, that is neat they have a... Next The Softail Low Rider... Oh snap... What about the Dyna?

Sure enough the Dyna and the VRod are gone from the lineup.

It seems that the Motor Company has put enough effort into the Street line that it is intended to replace the Sportster as the 'girls bike' and the Sporty moves uptown to be the mid-line bike the Dyna used to be. Being a Sporty enthusiast I always thought of the Dyna as a heavier more powerful Sporty, but the heritage was still there. To be honest I never cared much for the Softails.

 

 

 

I guess the goal is to focus on the Street (the Street Rod would interest me a lot more with rearsets, just saying...) and the Touring bikes. With the Sportster and the Softail being the stop-gaps to get there.

 

I do find it funny, my Sportster (which is highly modified) will outhandle any other HD I have encountered, even if it isn't as comfortable as a Geezer Glide. So with it being the de facto Dyna replacement, how will that change popular opinion?

[Garufa]

I am prepared to offer my '98 Wide Glide for about one million dollars!

[Ugly]

Interesting. I haven't seen the release yet but hav learned this over the years. The sportster is a fantastic sporty bike. I had a 1990 883 and I rode it like a road bike, didn't get the most out of it. It also had a design flaw with the 4 speed gearbox/clutch basket/ alternator setup. Got rid of that and picked up a 1981 fxs, still have it, great bike. 

I also have a geezer glide and it is superior on the long haul and is quite easy to ride slow as well. 

I am currently considering adding a sportster to the line up. One reason is that he MoCo has fine tuned the engine to be the best engine they have ever made. 

The dynas and that class were the foot in the door to the big twin engine. I'm suprised they got rid of em. 

The softails look good but didn't ride as good as something with conventional shocks. 

I wish them success, but do think they should've kept Buell and the  VROD. 

Edited August 24, 2017 by Ugly

[Murgatroy]

I have a `16 883 Iron, and it was in my opinion the best base for a build. The aftermarket is abundant and the ability to turn it into anything was much easier than anything else offered, regardless of the line. There are a lot of obvious changes from factory, and a lot of little ones too that you have to know the bike to spot. But on the street, it is very different than most of what you see. And I ride it like I stole it. 

[xsubsailor]

1 hour ago, Garufa said:

I am prepared to offer my '98 Wide Glide for about one million dollars!

 That's somewhere in the neighborhood of what I would ask for my '96 STC 

[DaveTN]

I have a TourGlide Ultra. But it’s a beast to ride around town. I like the new Heritage Classic; it would be my choice today.

[E4 No More]

I almost bought a V-rod a few years back but momma threw a fit at the last minute.

In all fairness, she did watch me nearly kill myself in a GT500 on the track at Beach Bend.

[No_0ne]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-05/can-millennials-save-the-motorcycle-industry

An article that does a pretty good summary of what's going on in the motorcycle industry, sales are at 1/2 of the pre-recession peak, the riders themselves are aging rapidly, and the demographic with the most upside in the future isn't very interested nor can they currently afford the types of bikes that have been marketed over the last 20 years or so ...

[jgradyc]

It's too bad that motorcycle manufacturers took so long to wake up the the fact that not all riders want an 800 pound, chrome laden behemoth that costs as much as a compact car.

[aknifemaker]

Never cared for the Dyna platform, they did not handle well at all. Should have never gotten rid of the fxr one of the best frames they ever made.

[Murgatroy]

When the H-D Street first came out, I was highly impressed, not with the bike (my kness sit well above the tank) but with the path H-D was willing to take. It was a low CC (for H-D) water cooled bike. You know, the same thing Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki had made for decades. I hoped it would be a hit, because it and it's brethren are the future of motorcycling. The Street Rod makes more power than anything in the Sportster line, and is lower priced than most as well. If it had rearsets, I truly would be interested in one.

 

I went today to a dealer and they escorted me into the back where the new bikes were being uncrated. I saw a Fat Bob, a Fat Boy and a Heritage. The Street Bob is the one I am interested in. I am not comfortable on a Big Twin. I broke my hip twenty years ago, and as open as I am making myself here... something as big as the BT gas tanks between my legs is uncomfortable. I am hoping that the Street Bob with it's new smaller tank is narrower. I really want a Dyna Low Rider S, but it is uncomfortable for me with it's width. Honestly I am totally satisfied with my Sporty and I doubt I will get a new bike, but it is always good to shop the field.

[Murgatroy]

15 hours ago, aknifemaker said:

Never cared for the Dyna platform, they did not handle well at all. Should have never gotten rid of the fxr one of the best frames they ever made.

The FXR was a great bike. I have been avidly searching for one.

 

However, the Dyna will outhandle a Softail any day of the week.

[gregintenn]

Never rode one, but I really liked the looks of the V-Rod. Since it's gone, I'm betting a nice one would be a solid investment.

[Capbyrd]

A dyna was my first bike.  It hurts a little that they killed it.  But this is a big move for harley.   They are finally trying to modernize and update and make their lineup more modern.  My concern is that they are going to push people away based on price alone.  Harley has always been expensive, or at least more so than the competition (Indian excluded).  But an average working man could still afford to get into the dyna line without spending a fortune.  I fear that is changing.  The new bikes add a couple thousand to the purchase price.   I fear they are pricing out people that really want in.  

[Murgatroy]

Not really, the Street Bob as a Dyna started at around $13,200. As a Softail the Street Bob starts at $13,999. Prices are off the top of my head since I am too lazy to open a tab and go to H-Ds website and see the prices on `17 and `18 models, which are listed. That is not a big price difference, if the changes are really as good as they are claiming.

 

The Sportster line-up starts around the $7,900 mark, which makes them more affordable. The problem is that the Streets start at something silly like $6,900, for a 500cc bike. Meaning that the Japanese bikes of larger displacement, for a lower MSRP, are more appealing to someone that doesn't have to have the H-D name on the tank.

[Capbyrd]

1 hour ago, Murgatroy said:

Not really, the Street Bob as a Dyna started at around $13,200. As a Softail the Street Bob starts at $13,999. Prices are off the top of my head since I am too lazy to open a tab and go to H-Ds website and see the prices on `17 and `18 models, which are listed. That is not a big price difference, if the changes are really as good as they are claiming.

 

The Sportster line-up starts around the $7,900 mark, which makes them more affordable. The problem is that the Streets start at something silly like $6,900, for a 500cc bike. Meaning that the Japanese bikes of larger displacement, for a lower MSRP, are more appealing to someone that doesn't have to have the H-D name on the tank.

 

 

Sportsters are way overpriced and only really appeal to a certain crowd anymore.  They should be around 5000.  The Street Bob has been the entry level big twin for as long as its been out.  And its also overpriced.  It should be around 10, maybe 11.  

[Ugly]

Concur, Harley's are overpriced as are so many other vehicles. 

If HD could be more competitive with sales price it would help sales tremendously. 

The plus is their simplistic designs used to keep maintenance costs down. I've never had to do a valve adjustment on a harley, except for installing pushrods but it is so simple a caveman could do it. 

Try To adjust valves on a Ducati, or even worse, have the dealer do it. 

Went to look at the new models yesterday and they only had a few on the floor. Didn't ride one yet as I know that's where the difference is. 

[Murgatroy]

My local dealership treats me well. I am waiting on a call when the Street Bob hits the floor for a test ride.

 

I am honestly a huge a Sportster fan. My `16 Iron is an awesome bike. I understand that for some, there is prestige to owning something bigger and more powerful, but man, that little 883cc has some heart.

 

It is a double edged sword for manufacturer and consumer as well. Lets be honest, if you are in the cruiser market, you want a Harley. Sure the Yamaha might be better engineered, or the Honda have a better service schedule, but they are all based on the bones of a Harley. The problem is that a Harley, new, is easily a 25% premium for older, more outdated technology. BUT, it comes with the name and prestige of being a H-D.

 

 

I for one am watching with great interest in what Indian does in the next few years. Polaris made a shrewd decision killing off the Victory brand to focus on Indian, and I am among those that thing it was a very good decision. Even if I did think the Victory Bagger line was one of the most innovative looking bikes of the last ten years.

[Capbyrd]

On 8/31/2017 at 10:10 PM, Murgatroy said:

I for one am watching with great interest in what Indian does in the next few years. Polaris made a shrewd decision killing off the Victory brand to focus on Indian, and I am among those that thing it was a very good decision. Even if I did think the Victory Bagger line was one of the most innovative looking bikes of the last ten years.

 

Killing Victory pretty much guaranteed that I wouldn't be buying a new bike for a long time.  I'm not interested in paying Harley money, and Indian is even worse. I'll be either stuck on metrics like my current Yamaha or buying a used Victory.