Never been to a HOG rally...I suppose I'll check one out sooner or later. I can understand where some of the older, long time riders are coming from. Feel sort of the same way when I see 18 year old kids looking under the hood of a 60's musclecar and not really knowing what the hell they are looking at. They don't understand, and they can't because they haven't lived in that era. That part is mostly a generational thing... I'm not young nor old, but a "late bloomer"...43 years old and my first H-D will been in in a matter of weeks. And it is true that the ownership base has changed dramatically in the last 10-15 years, and I can see why long-time loyal owners feel betrayed and deserted by the MOCO when the old timers were the ones that kept the company alive in the first place back when. You'll never be able to change the generational thing, because time marches on. But I would like to see less animosity between the older riders and the MOCO. One of the most surprising things to me in getting this new bike was how betrayed a lot of you older riders feel. I see a LOT of it on this board, others too. But I look at it this way. New riders need the old guys for the insight and bike and riding knowledge they can give. H-D needs both old and new riders to sell bikes. I propose that the MOCO should give SERIOUS discounts on parts and bikes at MSRP to the old guys no questions asked. And not no 10% HOG discount bullshit. How you set the criteria, I have no idea, and it probably won't happen anyway. But the point of all this is, the new guys like me need you older guys around to learn from...and it seems like the MOCO is just pissing the old guys off left and right...nobody wins. Or maybe I'm just too idealistic in today's money grubbing world. My .03 cents...
Tom
XL1200S on the way...