Hope this doesn't turn into a MOCO bashing thread. There's enough of those on most every motorcycle forum not directly associated with Harleys. Like it or not, they make a big contribution to the sport/hobby of riding. In US new bike sales, over the past years, better than one out of two sold had a Harley vin#, over doubling our presence on the road.
The majority of those buyers would probably not have bought had it not been their desire for a Harley. We wouldn't have the Star, Shadow, Vulcan, or Boulavard lines from Japan manufacturers, in their attempts to compete for the cruiser market share either.
Name recognition is MOCO's winningest attribute. Any time some learns that I am a rider, the first question to me is, "Do you ride a Harley?" Not a Kawi, BMW, Honda, Yamaha, Moto Guzzi, etc, but a Harley, as that is what the public thinks of when they think of motorcycles.
Kinda like the NY Yankees. They're not my team, but they were the team that made baseball as popular as it became. Everyone spoke of the Yankee's as God's gift to baseball for decades, not so much today, but they drew millions to stadiums to watch guys hit a small white ball. Just morning mental wanderings on my part. tp
