Briggs and Stratton...

Not enough cushy for their soft supple tushies...that, or can't text and ride...

 

No safe space when you are in the open air with 100 + hp between your legs. I call that freedom, they call it too scary.

 

Work/worked at a used sportbike shop for a while. These young folk can't afford the daggum insurance rates companies try to charge. We've heard of insane quotes.

 

Heck, I had a high school friend that was buying a V-Max...until he got the insurance quote...was over $3000/yr!
And this was in the mid 80's!
He did have a bad driving record though too...

 

I remember being 19 and buying a GSXR 750. They scared me but I sucked it up and paid it. Back then it was over $1000 for the season, basically 6 months with a good weather clause and storage insurance.

 

There's been a lack of smaller bikes. That gap is narrowing though. A 600 Supersport costs 11-12k. A literbike is 15k +. That's a lot of $$. Now there are a lot of options that are way less than that. Harley dug themselves into a giant hole with 30k bikes that looked just like 30 year old bikes. Then there was the ridicule that Harley owners and dealers gave to riders on the inexpensive sportsters and the street series.

 

Honda started putting the hurt on B&S about 35 years ago. Just so much more user-friendly

 

They have been sucking hind teat for a long time.

 

30?
40-50....

Hd has been making motorcycles for 118 years, they all look the same (except for the v-rod) and after all those years can only muster up 120 horse power?
They're still air/oil cooled, still sound like crap, still slow, and...WAY overpriced!!
And its a good thing they're slow, because they don't handle good or stop well...
Did i mention hd's need twice as much maintenance?...
The only thing hd is good at is marketing!

 

Sad to hear about B&S. Have one on my 35 ton splitter purchased in 2009. Gets covered most of the time, but still starts on the first pull, warm or cold, unless you get a crappy pull. Love the motor myself.

 

millenials aren't into the HD thing, they like the crotchrockets. HD has been selling to the older clients for quite some time now, but they are dieing off and getting too old to ride...
Billb3 you got that right, at least not this week..

 

Same here. I've had very good luck with my Briggs and Stratton!

 

I have B&S on three pieces of equipment (18hp twin on the chipper, 12hp on the riding mower, and something smaller on the lawn mower), and they are all dependable engines.

 

Thinking more on the lines of the man bun coming undone at 60. Spent hours making that thing this morning!

 

It is all brands not just Harley. Actually Harley is probably doing better than others in total sales. People under the age of 35 don’t ride bikes as a rule these days. Look at any dealership and see what is moving. Road bikes least popular, dirt bikes have little interest but still sell, ATVs, PWC, Snowmobiles sell and money is no object to them.

 

Of course. I bought stock in them a couple years ago. Kiss of death.

 

Yeah, there added 10-20k over the last 10-20 years. For no reason apparently either.

 

Millennials are not really into sportbikes either. They are into retro looking standards, and smaller displacement bikes.

 

Some bike brands are doing well. Ducati and BMW were, at least pre March of this year. Then.....

 

I think you mean hipsters lol, either way HD lost contact with the market and has been hanging onto the coattails of the name brand anymore.