No Fixed Abode: Learning From Willie G.

Jack Baruth
by Jack Baruth

The appeal of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle was once as much of a mystery to me as was the appeal of country music. As a teenager, I’d walk five miles in each direction just to sit briefly on a yellow RZ350 before the salesman shooed me out of the showroom. I was captivated by the names and the numbers of Japanese sportbikes: Ninja. GSX-R750. Interceptor. FZR1000. I bought my first sportbike (a 600 Ninja) in 1993 and what probably will not be my last sportbike (a VFR800 in the anniversary colors, which I insist on calling an “Interceptor” in conversation) in 2015.

I always had contempt for the Motor Company and its products. Next to these warp-speed machines, with their aerodynamic fairings and outrageous power and lamentable graphics, the V-Twins from Milwaukee seemed old. Stodgy. Slow. Demographically undesirable, the choice of white trash with factory jobs and Boomers with transparent orange bottles full of blue pills. The company itself was on welfare; it survived thanks to a tariff. Pathetic. It never occurred to me that I’d ever do so much as swing a leg over one.

Time, of course, has a way of reducing the most fervent youthful convictions to dimly remembered aversion, and then to nothing at all.

When I started dating a girl who had learned to ride on a 1200 Sportster, I groaned inwardly at the whole NOKD aspect of it. Out of respect and affection, however, I visited a few H-D stores in her company. I learned a bit about the company, its history and its traditions. We even went so far as to visit the Milwaukee mothership and tour its very upscale and impressive museum.

At the same time, the cumulative effect of my 90-plus broken bones were starting to catch up with me. I started thinking about motorcycling as something that might be relaxing, low-effort, in approximate harmony with the flow of traffic around me. We rented a massive six-cylinder BMW tourer for a trip up the California coast and I managed to get used to the idea of a motorcycle that was longer than my prone form and more than three times as heavy. Oh yeah, and we binge-watched “Sons of Anarchy.”

And so it comes to pass that I am finally seeing the light about Harley-Davidson. It is no longer an utterly unthinkable idea that one might wind up next to my four Hondas. I’ve even come up with a favorite bike, the one I’d probably buy. It’s not the V-Rod, although said V-Rod is quite impressive. There’s a fellow in my office who rides his V-Rod “Night Rod” to work at the same time every day that I ride my CB1100 to work and to be honest my big Honda retro-bike just flat smokes the impressive-sounding but slack-steering V-Rod.

No, the Harley I want is something that doesn’t pretend to cater to the import crowd or the sportbike crowd or the retro-racer crowd. It’s called the “Breakout” and it’s this aesthetically wonderful statement of pure cruising lassitude, the zero-fucks-given mindset translated into metal. In stock “103” form, it’s about as fast as a V-6 Accord. What I need is the “CVO Screaming Eagle” one, which might possibly keep a distant eye on my CB1100 or Interceptor in urban traffic. I don’t require that it be fast. I don’t own any fast bikes, although that new ZX-14 in the same color scheme as my ’86 Ninja is tempting. I just can’t spend $25,000 on a bike and have it be slow.

The Breakout has many wonderful qualities, most of which actively work against its utility as a motorcycle. It has wide, flat drag bars that probably aren’t as comfortable as the Heli-Bars on my Interceptor. The seat is low and flat and wide and it will probably make my knees hurt. The shifting, amazingly enough to someone with my background, is done by stomping two different pedals instead of flicking a tiny level with the vamp of one’s shoe. The rear tire is slightly wider than the front tire on my 911.

It’s not a true chopper or an authentic custom motorcycle. It’s a factory-produced bike that sells in the tens of thousands. Yet it isn’t that far away from being a custom bike. It’s also remarkably close to the Harleys of the ’50s or ’60s, particularly once they received a thorough working-over on the part of their owners. The switchgear is modern, but the aesthetic is old-school. If I showed someone who was not a Harley enthusiast a picture of a Breakout, I don’t think they would have a way to tell me what decade it was from.

Yet the Breakout is perhaps the most modern-looking Harley on offer, with the exception of the aforementioned V-Rod. When I visit a H-D dealer I see nothing but motorcycles that deliberately hearken to the distant, dimly imagined past. They all look like old bikes. The defiant modernity of a KTM RC8 or Ducati Panigale simply doesn’t apply.

That’s the way the customers want it. They don’t want modern fairings, as evidenced by their preference for the Electra Glide over the Road Glide. They don’t care for the latest engine tweaks or high-rev performance. What they want is a bike that looks classic but operates in a fuss-free, modern manner. The wealthiest and most successful of them think nothing of spending $45,000 on a bike that looks like it could have been ridden by some Oakland pimp in 1971, but which boasts Bluetooth and 100 pound-feet of fuel-injected, zero-stumble torque.

None of these customers are blind. They know what a modern motorcycle looks like. They see Gold Wings and Gixxer Thous and Beemer LTs and Ducati Diavels everywhere they look. They know that Harley could build such a thing. Heck, for a while Buell would sell you what amounted to a Harley sportbike with some features that were more radical than what the Japanese could offer. But Buell didn’t stay in business, because the Harley buyer is not looking for the latest and greatest. He is looking for something else entirely. A link to his childhood. A sense of belonging to a tradition, even if that tradition is as much a product of the media as it is of history. An identity that has a little bit of Brando and a little bit of Peter Fonda and a little bit of Ron Perlman or Charlie Hunnam.

It’s been a long time since Willie G. Davidson and his partners told President Reagan they didn’t need protectionist tariffs any more. Today, it’s the Japanese who are on the run; Honda closed its Gold Wing production line years ago and turned into warehouse space. The big-bore “space” in the market is owned by Harley-Davidson and I wouldn’t guess they’re going to give it back any time soon. They do it by offering a comprehensive ownership experience that is based on style and retro appeal but which is backed by a fundamentally reliable and satisfying product.

So. If Harley can make new bikes that look old, why can’t Chevrolet make a Corvette that looks like a ’63? Why are even the “retro” Mustangs so far away from their ancestors as to be utterly different propositions altogether? Why is Cadillac afraid to make a car as big and impressive as the Escalade? Why is all the design mojo and momentum on the other sides of the oceans?

Don’t tell me it’s all down to crash regulations. The power of CAD to meet those challenges has long since been demonstrated in the remarkable grace and comportment of three-ton SUVs. Moreover, the desire for classic styling and attitude is so strong that even when a company half-asses it (see: current Challenger) the public still eats it up. Think of how many people bought a Chrysler LX car because of the way it looked, even though they knew it wouldn’t match a Camry for reliability or resale value. Think of how important that look and experience truly is.

I like the new Continental, and I think people will buy it, but I think they’d rather have one that looked just like a ’63. I like the new Corvette, but I think people would spring for the option of bodywork that was reminiscent of older Vettes. There’s a market for a vehicle that looks more like itself than everything around it.

There are plenty of reasons why the automakers almost never do such a thing. I think it boils down to this: Harley-Davidson respects their customers a lot more than any automaker respects their customers. (And you can take the word “customer” to mean “dealer” or “end user” in this case.) Harley builds what people want. Automakers build what they want to build. That’s unlikely to change. But if it did, even in the case of a few niche vehicles … what’s the worst that could happen if you didn’t force your product to conform to every passing fad? You’d wind up like the Jeep Wrangler?

Jack Baruth
Jack Baruth

More by Jack Baruth

Comments
Join the conversation
7 of 116 comments
  • 46and2 46and2 on Dec 04, 2015

    Clubs vs Gangs...I'm a motorcyclist, not a biker. My bad...clubs like thugs...got it. TheTruthAboutMotorcycles...brilliant idea. The truth is, the odds of getting creamed are supper high. Odds of getting disabled are even higher, no matter what you ride. Dude up the road just recently died when he lost control of his behemoth Electraglide. Who knew that an 800+ pound motorcycle wouldn't want to go around a corner with finesse. He was a nice guy too. Dude shoulda bought a bike with adequate brakes, modern suspension, made with modern, light weight alloys and a riding position that puts the rider in control...not ready to give birth. RIP.

    • See 4 previous
    • VolandoBajo VolandoBajo on Dec 06, 2015

      @42nd2 Your closed mind is easy to see for all but apparently you. And while I am would not classify myself as a Creationist, I find it interesting that there is a Creation museum in TX that has evidence of fossils that not only show the existence if dinosaurs (which they don't deny) but there is a human footprint inside of a dinosaur footprint in a rock hard surface fossil. If dinosaurs lived and died millions of years before man, how do explain both of those footprints in what geologists admit is hardened lava? That is not enough evidence to make a me a Creationist but it is enough to make me understand that evolution, as it is presently presented, is a theory, not a scientific fact. And it has NO intermediate fossil forms to show the continuum of evolving life forms, and it has no explanation for both human and dinosaur footprints in the same hardened lava, in more than one place. And unlike so many of the "great evolutionary discoveries" that have since been exposed as either outright errors or frauds, no one has been able to show that the human/dinosaur foot fossil is anything other than a supposedly ancient contemporaneous set of prints, if you believe the dating methods that are used to "prove" the age of earth and its inhabitants. A lot of so-called received wisdom, that is wisdom that is taught by supposed experts rather than acquired by actual experimentation, is either wrong or at least self-contradictory. And when you accept that sort of thing at face value, whether it is about Harleys or Creationists' position on dinosaurs, you are just showing that you take your "knowledge" from what you have heard or read, and not from what you have seen proven. Some of Harley's engineering and design philosophies can be annoying, but the do have some really good engineers who have done some pretty innovative things to be able to come up with things like new springer front ends, soft tails, etc. To say that their quality and/or design are proven as inferior due to the use of 20/50 weight oil, is just a blind stab at something you completely fail to fully understand. If you are pushing a heavy air-cooled motorcycle in all kinds of weather, including perhaps deserts in midday, that kind of oil weight sounds like a pretty sound compromise to avoid excessive engine wear and breakdowns. I do wish that they were lighter, had a bit more torque and ponies, and a bit better styling (plus a lot less boutique fashion in their shops, but hey, it keeps the doors open), but that doesn't mean that they aren't solid bikes, well-suited to the purposes that they are designed for. It always saddens and annoys me to see a grown man look at the world with blinders on, blinders so hard that entire factual areas remain invisible to them. If you don't like Harleys, or are put off by some of the owners Harley attracts, that is one thing. But to slander the bike and all of its riders because of the shallowness of some of them is just as shallow and ignorant. Try listening carefully to what Syke is saying. The man has paid his dues and has learned things the hard way: by testing their truth, and by keeping an open mind. Such an attitude from you would make you appear to be, and to also actually be, a much more wise and intelligent human being. Really. It's obvious you aren't an uneducated person by the way you can write. Don't waste it by approaching things with a closed mind and a lot of prejudices based on what "some people" are like. It's a big world, with a lot of bikes out there. And there are no membership requirements or personality tests for brand ownership. So yes, there is some truth to some of what you say, as long as it is qualified with "some". But to write off an entire brand of motorcycle and its entire ridership is just the mark of a narrow-minded person. Or as Son Won said "sounds personal". Did a Harley run over your cat or something? That might make your attitude understandable. Otherwise, it is just blind rejection of something, based on irrational judgments. 'Nuf said. It's up to you what kind of person you want to appear to be to the world, and what kind of people you seek to impress. Personally, I am entirely unimpressed by your assessment of both Harley engineering and your viewpoint of the entire population of Harley owners. You can take almost any criteria for defining a group, and there is a good chance you will find both some good and some bad in that group. Unless perhaps you are talking about terrorists or a few automotive lemons and/or their enthusiasts. Ricers, perhaps...but I wouldn't even go that far, as those who are classified as ricers, those who like zippy Japanese cars, may have some dumb members, but I am sure that there are some fine mechanics and drivers in the group too. "There is so much good in the worst of us, And so much bad in the best of us, That it hardly becomes any of us, To put down the rest of us." -- Inscription on an antique dinner plate And that would include Harley riders, whether you care to admit it or not. The motorcycle scene is much more like how Syke describes it. Noobs and Rubes on one side, irritating to many, and often either reckless or arrogant, or both. And experienced riders and sincere beginners who are in it for the enjoyment it brings, and not as a way to pose and seek to impress others. Take a closer look and perhaps you will be able to see that too. As Yogi Berra said "you can see a lot just by looking".

  • WildcatMatt WildcatMatt on Dec 28, 2015

    Electra Glide was my all-time favorite game on the C=64!

  • GregLocock That's a bodge, not a solution. Your diff now has bits of broken off metal floating around in it.
  • The Oracle Well, we’re 3-4 years in with the Telluride and right around the time the long term durability issues start to really take hold. This is sad.
  • CoastieLenn No idea why, but nothing about a 4Runner excites me post-2004. To me, they're peak "try-hard", even above the Wrangler and Gladiator.
  • AZFelix A well earned anniversary.Can they also attend to the Mach-E?
  • Jalop1991 The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier. Over time, partial engagement can cause damage to the intermediate shaft splines. Damaged shaft splines may result in unintended vehicle movement while in Park if the parking brake is not engagedGee, my Chrysler van automatically engages the parking brake when we put it in Park. Do you mean to tell me that the idjits at Kia, and the idjit buyers, couldn't figure out wanting this in THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLE????
Next