Yeah, I guess it depends on the market, if doctors and lawyers only earned $80K-$100K here they'd be very disappointed, that's about what I earn, and I left school at 15!
Over here a lot of 60(+) year old guys buy new Harleys, because their kids have finally moved out of home, they've paid for the kids university fees, they've paid for the kids weddings, they've paid off their mortgages, and they've been able to access their retirement funds. One insurance statistic here in Oz reflected the "Born again Biker" demographic, stating that the most dangerous age for motorcyclists is now "Over 50", and not "18-25" like it's been for as long as I can remember.
But we've got plenty of much younger Harley buyers too, most tradesmen here earn well over $100K, so we've got plenty of tradesmen, truck drivers, military guys, miners, Oil Rig workers and small business owners who ride Harley's too. With an "entry level" Harley that young guys (and girls) can access for not a lot of money is a great way for Harley to recruit them into the Harley Owners fold.
I heard an interesting catch phrase recently, when a motorcycle magazine journalist referred to this point in time as the "Post Performance Era". What he was saying is that while we have sportsbikes capable of speeds up to 200 MPH, our laws are such that we can no longer get away with riding them at their upper limits, and as they're largely horrible to ride at sane speeds, people are turning back to bikes like Harleys, bikes that can be enjoyed at legal speeds.
Harley's might be big and heavy and low on performance compared to a modern sportsbike, but they're way more enjoyable to ride in everyday situations, and great for long distance touring, so many riders are happy to sacrifice unusable performance bragging rights, for long distance comfort. I know I am. Cheers, Terry.
