Wait, was that it?

The 2026 "Chapter 2" Reveal was a Flop

Well, Harley-Davidson's "Chapter 2" reveal of the 2026 models has come, and gone. But for those of us who have been waiting for something new... something truly new... it's safe to say that we are more than a little disappointed. 

For example, we've been waiting for the return of the Road King in models other than the Special, such as the Classic, Standard and maybe even a new take on the Custom, or maybe an actual Softail Standard (instead of a rebadged Street Bob). We've also been hoping to see some new models, like a sub $15k Pan America... or... oh yeah... the all-new $6k entry level cruiser they keep teasing us with. Yeah, we didn't forget about that one. But, after all the buildup over the past few months, all we got was more CVO models that most of us can't afford (or just don't want).

Let's look at todays numbers, shall we? 

Look, I love my Road King Special... and I have absolutely no plans to replace it, but it looks like the MoCo is still riding Jochen Zeitz's "premium brand" train and I'm here to tell you... it's a bad idea.

I bought my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a 2009 Road King Classic in my mid 30's. I bought it new, right off the showroom floor. It was expensive, sure... but by comparison to its Japanese competitors, it was reasonably priced for a "premium motorcycle." I don't remember exactly, but it was right around $19k for the upgraded "Classic" model. A base model was going for around $1500 less, I believe. An Ultra Classic Electra Glide in 2009 was just under $23k back then. By comparison, a 2009 Yamaha Stratoliner "S", which would be a fair comparison to the Road King Classic, had a price tag, just under $17k and the 2009 Honda Goldwing, similarly equipped as the Ultra Classic, was going for just under $24k. Since Polaris had not yet resurrected the Indian name in 2009... the only competing American machine was Polaris' Victory Vision Tour, which entered the conversation with an MSRP of just under $23k for the "Tour Premium" model. Opinions vary, but in my very humble one, the only motorcycle of these three big tourers that didn't look like it was beamed down from an alien mothership was the Harley.

The Ultra Classic name has obviously been sent to the archives, but the bike itself returns for 2026 as the Street Glide Limited. The MSRP of this machine sits awkwardly at $32,999. Meanwhile, the Goldwing Tour comes in at a smooth $29,500. Since Polaris has brought back (and recently sold) Indian since the '09 model year... their current competitor to the, fork-mounted fairing equipped, Street Glide, is the Roadmaster. The Roadmaster is offered with two, yes TWO engine options and five different models, with the MSRP ranging from $32k to $42k for the "Elite" model. Compare that to the Street Glide Limited, which only gives you two choices- $33k for the Limited, or a whopping $52k for the CVO.

Bad Business

I don't know what demographic the MoCo's sales and financial analysts are looking at to decide the new motorcycle pricing, but they are obviously confused, or simply overlooking, the core demographic of motorcycle riders in the United States (and abroad). Apparently, they had lunch with Indian's analysts at some country club full of old rich folks and came up with the misconceived idea that most motorcycle riding Americans are making over $200k a year. The reality is, the median income of American households is just shy of $90k a year. in 2009, that number was around $50k a year. I know what you might be thinking... the 2009 motorcycle prices reflect around 40% of the median household income, which is about the same for today. The problem with that math, is that it doesn't figure for everything else. Things like mortgage rates, the price of gasoline and the cost of groceries has nearly doubled since 2009. That means that most American households have, significantly, less "disposable" income. From the simplest perspective- making a product less attainable for the majority demographic, is just bad business. 

Harley-Davidson has been teasing us with promises to lower prices on current models, bring back some of our favorites, and even offer new, entry-level motorcycles. From what I've seen so far, the curse of Jochen lives on. I really want the MoCo to be successful, but they aren't listening to me (and by me, I mean us, the working class folks that make up the bulk of their annual sales). They continue to try to appeal to the "McMillionaires" who are living off their daddy's money or earning a living by degrading themselves in front of a camera, but the reality is, those folks aren't buying motorcycles. The people buying and riding motorcycles and immersing themselves into the motorcycle culture are who they've always been- the blue collar, working class people. 

Mr. Starrs... can I call you Artie? Great. 

Artie... let's talk, my man. I know you did some great things for Top Golf, but you have your work cut out for you with H-D. Harley-Davidson isn't a fad. It isn't a passing cultural trend. It's a legendary American Company, built on the blood, sweat and tears of the very men and women that it is ignoring now. The founders would, no doubt, be impressed with the technology and designs, but I don't think they'd approve of the, apparently ongoing, plan to price this iconic machine out of reach of the working man. Your true core demographic is still out here. The bullshit idea that we are getting older and starting to die off is imbecilic. Those so-called "market analysts" are wrong. Most of us are getting older, sure... but guess what? Our kids are adults now, making their own money, and they grew up watching their super cool parents ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles... and now they are riding them, too. They are, and will be, the future buyers of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.... as long as the eggheads don't price them out.

Final Thoughts

I still believe that Harley-Davidson is the best motorcycle on the market. The tech is getting a bit ridiculous, but they have to change with the times and I get that. The reality is there are other options, though. The Japanese motorcycle makers have withdrawn a few of their big cruisers from the market, but the ones in showrooms are big, powerful, dependable and relatively inexpensive. With Indian being under new ownership, we'll have to wait and see what their future is, but for now... they have some competitive offerings. Let's not forget about the Brits, Germans or Italians, either. All of the Europeans are eyeing the, actual, middle class motorcycle demographic that the fancy pants executives in Milwaukee have been (and apparently still are) forsaking. 

I really hope that we see some new, mid-year releases of new models for 2026. I really, really, hope that if they ever do release the "entry level, $6k motorcyle" that has been leaked as being named the (new) "Sprint"... that it is not that re-branded Chinese atrocity that they're using for the Rider's Edge classes. 

For now though, while we're all waiting for the next page in Harley-Davidson's book to turn, I'm going to go log some miles while the sun is up and the gas prices are down.

Until next time, MotoReaders...

Ride safe, and make good choices (this goes for you, too Artie).