You've all seen Harley-Davidson Beef Jerky.
Has anyone out there introduced this material into their blood streams?
I did a review of this product a couple of years ago on Biker News Online...
http://www.bikernewsonline.com/ 2007/03/harley-beef-jerky-reviewed.htm
It sucks, in case you don't care to read about it.
H-D continues to extend itself into every nook & cranny of our society, which is a good thing for "brand marketing", but I think it's part of what alienates them from many people.
People get annoyed at seeing some company's logo everywhere they turn their eyes. It used to be that computer geeks loved Google, but now that Google has gotten their greedy little hands on every aspect of the Internet world, they're now the gorilla that everyone likes to hate.
The same is true with Microsoft. It so successfully dominated the computer and software business, that Apple loyalists, and Linux loyalists hated anything associated with it.
As motorcyclists, we know about a similar hatred. If Harley-Davidson was just a small company, producing about as many motorcycles as Big Dog, there wouldn't be any disdain for the company, the motorcycle, and the people who ride them. It's not that people hate the Motor Company for its motorcycles, it's that they hate them for their marketing success. They hate them for all the RUBs and posers they drew into the motorcycle society.
So when these Honda riders, BMW riders, and sport bike riders, start seeing "Harley-Davidson Beef Jerky" in grocery stores, it reinforces this negativity. And that negativity is further reinforced by the Harley-Davidson shower curtains, and the Harley-Davidson Lip Balm.
The same can be said of Orange County Choppers.
Americans love a success story, but they hate it when that story creeps into every aspect of their lives.
The negativity goes both ways too. There are Harley loyalists who bash metric bikes both verbally and physically. Have you ever been to a Honda bash? I know some Harley loyalists who like to poke fun at metric riders, even though they themselves started out on a metric bike.
As for the quality of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the database of recall notices seems to suggest that Honda and Yamaha are of equal quality. I continue to read blogs about Ducatis and BMWs having problems. Motorcycle manufacturers these days can't afford to build a bike that doesn't require repair work.
So what's the strangest H-D logoed product you've seen?
I guess I'm still surprised that they haven't come out with Harley-Davidson personal lubricant. Seems like it goes right along with the whole "Glide" thing.
A vagabond who hauls a motorcycle around the country in a toy hauler, earning a living as a website developer. Can often be found where there's free Wi-Fi, craft beer, and/or public nudity. 
Point, TX - TT
2 hours ago
LOL! Be careful what you ask for - you may get it! Yes, I agree that the Motor Company has gone over the top with all the fringe stuff they put their logo to. Your beef jerky is a great example.
ReplyDeleteThe stupidest HD item I've seen (up until that jerky) would be this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Harley-Davidson-Official-Rectangular-Case-6-x-3-x1-3-8_W0QQitemZ320243892520QQihZ011QQcategoryZ10960QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
An H-D "official" rectangular case! LOL...for what? The jerky may suck, but at least it has a purpose. What's the idea of having an official 6 x 3 inch box?
Hey, I love my Harley-Davidson motorcycle, I really do. Unless they suffer an AMF style relapse in quality, I don't think I'd ever own any other bike. But, I like most of us, began on a Honda. I don't forget where I started, or look down on those who chose other brands.
One last point though. If all the silliness in merchandising brings in enough $$ so a few guys out in Milwaukee can keep going to a job every day and feeding their families, instead of getting laid off, then it's ok by me. Silly, but ok.
Oh man, can't you see it now. "for an electrifying experience, try our new electra glide personal lubrican't" "and for those big boys, lets not forget our new wide glide lube." for those prone to doing it on the side of the road somewhere we have our standard Road Glide lubricant, and, for that once in a lifetime experience, try our ULTRA glide, works everywhere a lube should work.
ReplyDeleteComes in both natural and synthetic.
Lady just won a bag of that at one of our poker runs last weekend, opened it and was passing it around. Man, you would have thought she was handing out crap sandwiches from the looks on peoples faces.
This ain't a little Sportster, it's a SUPER glide
ReplyDeletejust ask yourself if Harley Davidson made an airplane would you fly in it?
ReplyDeleteI currently fly in a Harley chopper. Why not?
ReplyDeleteActually there is a plane with a harley motor in it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ultralightnews.ca/sun-n-fun04/harleydavidsonengine.htm
And yes I would fly in one, the last 3 Harley's I have owned have been trouble free and that is after about 200k. This crap about Harley's breaking down is so 1980, this is 2009! That is like saying you can only do graphics with a MAc because PC's only run DOS
i am a motorcyclist...thought about a harley puchase...but anything that comes out the factory is junk. i would have to pay extra for after market upgrades to make the cycle be what it should be. over priced motorcycles over priced beef jerky....same thing just a bigger loss to the consumer for the USA built cycle
ReplyDeleteI use the names of Harleys to describe my shit. Fat Boy, Wide Glide, Soft Tail, etc... In the 60's and 70's guys who rode Harleys were actually rebels. Now the Harley image is ignorant old Republican hicks who are too fat to fit on any other bike. They have lost any appeal that they once had for me. I would love to support an American manufacturer, unfortunately looks seem to count more than performance and handling. Cruisers are for old fat fucks who want to spend all their time riding on the freeway. It's the equivalent of buying a Buick. No one buys the whole rebel image with your Harley branding from head to toe. They should be paying you to wear all that advertising. People keep buying the same snake oil over and over. You look ridiculous. You might as well dress up like a clown while you ride. I think the South Park Fag episode summed it up pretty well. At a truck stop in eastern Nevada I saw a couple of weekend tough guys acting like bad asses but when two REAL Bikers on old rat Harleys showed up they were scared shitless. I think the Hell's Angels, Bandidos and the Gypsy Jokers should ride something other than Harleys if they want to be taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteHarley Davidson is a great American motorcycle, my only wish is that it was 100 percent American made.
ReplyDeleteThey would sell less of them because of the cost but it would mean jobs for more Americans and some genuine pride of ownership.
The people who own stock in the company would not be happy
My ex-husband has lost his marbles and just had himself tatto'd with the Harley Davidson logo! I hope they sue him for trade mark infringement; but at this rate, I bet the company would love to tatto everyone with their logo...lol
ReplyDeleteThe comment posted on August 2, 2010 5:32 PM is one of the best I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI ride sportbikes and I personally don't have a problem with Harley or their bikes. I hate the people. Not all of them, just most of them. The ones that will walk around and tell me my bike is jap crap. I don't care about ride, I care about performance, and let me tell you, Harley doesn't perform. My bike makes 2x the power with 1/2 the weight, stops faster, and is more nimble, if you want to ride a lead sled, be my guest, lets go ride. But don't run around telling everyone about how badass your bike is and how crappy all the other bikes are. Seriously, sportbike riders are like muscle car owners and Harleys are mini-vans.
When Harley makes a bike that can finish in the AMA top 3, I'll consider changing my tune.
If Mr Harley and Mr Davidson say there motorcycle today they would be in prison. (PS)Picture them walking into a (HD) dealer and seeing a giant couch with an engine and there name on it. Then they would see a Buell in the corner and wonder way there name is not on that.
ReplyDeleteHD riders are a contradiction onto themselves often times. They spout rhetoric about buying American, without recognizing that many HD parts are produced in foreign countries, while at the same time tooling away in their toyotas, hondas, or audi's. They suggest that simply owning or riding an HD is somehow an act of patriotism, and all the while flying flags and symbols from their bikes, while insisting that their brand is superior to all others. Many are quick to point to the pilots of "rice rockets" and scoff at how irresponsible they are for driving fast and taking risks. At the same time, countless HD riders are without protective gear in the name of style and fashion. They try to discredit some for for focusing on horsepower, speed, and performance, while saturating the chatrooms and HD publications with information and questions about how to get more speed and performance out of a bike that doesn't break 100 hp stock at the crank. It makes no difference to them about the truth of HD reliability, nor the actual flaws of engineering that exist in their "All American" product. It is a reality they choose not to know. Blinded by by an ego-laden status and belief in a lifestyle they wish they were part of, or at least, to appear to be part of. Certainly this description does not fit all that own or ride HD riders, but can't we expect more from so called American engineering?
ReplyDeleteseriously ? in regards to all the comments regarding HD, you all need to lighten up! yes there are bikers who let marketing get in their heads, so what!, i got my first speeding ticket on a honda before i had a license,i've owned and rode every major manufacturer and enjoyed for the most part,all. I will defend HD in the respect that I love the way they feel,that's what really matters.So all u brainiacs and great articulators who say but dont know,go back to your computer blogs. first and last time,ttynvr
ReplyDeleteFor me, riding a motorcycle is about the exhilarating feeling of flying down the road sitting on top of a large engine... and Harleys give you that, more than more refined bikes. Yes, some of these people covered from head to toe in HD logos are are quite silly, however I have tried japanese and Harleys and I have stuck with my Harley. Wearing normal clothes though.
ReplyDeleteI'm an honorably discharged veteran of the Gulf War. When I stopped at a HD dealership 1,400 miles from home needing a tire change on my Suzuki DR650, I was denied service. Why? "They don't have the tools to change a tire". If HD wants to earn my respect or my business, they'd better realize that kicking military veterans out of their shops isn't the way to go about it.
ReplyDeleteDo you wear a sign on your head that says " I'm a veteran of the gulf war "?because your a veteran they should bow down and fix your Suzuki? I honor your service but business don't have to cater to you. If I'm a veteran of truck driving should Walmart change the tires on my rig? Lol @ your ego and ignorance. P.s. i own american, Japanese and European motor cycles. It seems to me the non Harley riders are the haters here. I love my R1 and i also love my ultra classic and my ktm is sick in the dirt. The point of a Harley is having such a simple piece of machinery under you, it's a primal feeling. No one is stopping anyone from getting their technology fix. Yeah you'll meet the occasional snob on a Harley, find a brand that doesn't have these people. Don't be a hater, if you don't understand the magic of riding a hd don't bash those that do! P.s.s. I love DR thumpers!
ReplyDeleteYep. I'm an old dog ,been riding 44 years. Actually started as a 16 year old kid in Tokyo. cut the sleeves off a green fatigue and drew my own "patch" of some crazy stuff on the back. The Japaneese tended to think we (I) was a total nut or perhaps just an a-hole and left me alone. Didn't matter what I rode; it was the image. As for tody's branding by corporate types. Why not? It is American to the bone. Everything, and I mean everything right down to the bacon we eat and how we eat pussy is engrained in us by the corporate. So people get their jollies wearing a label they pay for and feel "free" for a few hours before going back to the modern day version of a salt mine owned and run by Ceasar. Let it go. WE are ALL and I do mean ALL.--POSERS.
ReplyDelete