MotoReview- SENA Outrush 2 Helmet

MotoReview- Sena Outrush 2 Modular Helmet

Hello my loyal MotoReaders! I'm back from Daytona and today I'm bringing you a fresh new MotoReview- the new Sena Outrush 2 Modular communication helmet! Grab a snack, settle in and get comfortable... because this is going to be a comprehensive review!

Full disclosure

For starters- as you all know by now, I believe in full disclosure when I review any products. I want you to know how I decide to do a review on a particular product, or products. It's pretty simple, really. I'm not a spontaneous buyer- I have to work for my money, so I'm pretty discerning with how I spend it. With that said, most of the products I review are products that I've already done a fair level of research on before I bought them, so I'm naturally predisposed to give a good review of them. Typically, I end up reviewing overall quality and will make a recommendation based on that, but today's review is a little different- I didn't buy this one.

When I connected with Sena Communication as a brand ambassador, I thought it was going to be like the others- a simple agreement and a discount code with a small percentage of each sale kicked back to me as an incentive to advertise their product on my website. I was more than a little surprised to see that this collab actually required some formal documentation, but in return, they sent me a helmet for free. 

The terms of agreement were pretty simple, really- use the product, review the product, don't bash the company or any of it's representatives. That's about it. Pretty straightforward and some parameters that I can definitely work within. So, notwithstanding the fact that I got a new helmet out of the deal, I'm going to give my MotoReaders a full and honest review of this helmet. While the helmet was free initially, I look at it like this: the helmet was pre-payment on a product that I'm offering- my full and honest review for all of my MotoReaders worldwide to read. That's a fair trade, in my opinion, so I can assure you that I'm not being influenced by Sena or any representative of Sena (or anyone else, for that matter). 

What is the Outrush 2?

Sena has been making communication helmets for several years and the "Outrush" name is not unfamiliar to most folks that have been in the market for a new comms helmet. A lot of you may recognize it as a Harley-Davidson helmet, which you can check out here. Here's a newsflash for all of you MoCo brand fanatics though- Harley-Davidson Motor Company doesn't actually produce their own helmets. If they did... they would probably call themselves the Harley-Davidson Motor and Other Products Company... which doesn't really roll off the tongue as easily, or sound as cool for that matter. Common suppliers of helmets to H-D is Sena, HJC, Bell, LS2 and maybe a couple of others. That means that when you go into your local H-D dealer and buy that Harley-Davidson Outrush R Helmet... you are actually buying a Sena Outrush R with a H-D logo. The same goes for their helmet comms- they simply rebrand Sena and Cardo products as their own. Rebranding is a very common practice for many companies- including the company that claims to have been around for a few more years than H-D.

So, what is the Outrush 2, well... according to my rep at Sena:

"The Outrush 2 is a mid-price-point modular helmet." Sena wanted to create something that was accessible but also has some of their staple features. A couple things to note are: 

- The Outrush 2 does not have bluetooth intercom, it only has bluetooth connectivity. You should be able to pair it to your phone to listen to music, take direct calls, and listen to your turn-by-turn navigation.

- The Outrush 2 only has Mesh intercom. 

- This helmet is "backwards" compatible, but only with other devices that run the Sena mesh network, 2.0 or 3.0.

- The Outrush 2 also has Wave Intercom which requires each user to use their own phone/app and comm device. Each comm device must be bluetooth paired to the corresponding phone and, when opening the Wave Intercom app, the user should see their bluetooth device paired on the screen. This technology uses the phones to connect, instead of the mesh network created by Sena. 

Now, again, full disclosure here... I made a video review of the Outrush 2 helmet before I knew any of this. That was a little foolish on my part, but I reached out to my rep at Sena before writing this and have decided not to post the video review... at least not until I have a chance to revise it.

What does all of the aforementioned tech stuff mean? Simple- in order to use the Outrush 2 helmet- make sure that your riding buddies are running comms with more modern tech than the ole MotoWriter was using (a 20S EVO). 

The Test(s)

When I first received the helmet, I was eager to try it out. The day before, I had taken a pretty decent ride on the MotoWriter Road King Special, wearing my Nolan N100-5 modular helmet outfitted with my 20S EVO, so I decided to do a back-to-back comparison of the same trip, same roads, same distance (just over 200 miles with speeds ranging from 30-65mph), same length of time using the Outrush 2. After that, I decided to put the Outrush 2 to the test on a few more rides... one being a big one. My judging criteria for each ride was simple:

• how comfortable is the helmet? 
• how heavy is the helmet? 
• how noisy is the helmet? 
• how are the comms? 
• how is the audio quality for music?
• how long can I comfortably wear this helmet?

The next ride was a bit longer- just over 230 miles, again, on the Road King; after that, a 3rd, much shorter ride (less than 25 miles) on the Janus Halcyon 250. The next, and final (for this initial review) test for the Outrush 2 helmet was a trip from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to Daytona, FL for a visit to Bike Week and, more importantly, the Daytona 200 and King of the Baggers races. The last ride was over 1,450 miles in 4 days and consisted of a variety of rides, roads and speeds. Overall testing miles for the Sena Outrush 2 Modular helmet so far, is just under 2,000 ridden miles. So, how did it do? 

Comfort Level

I've worn a few different helmet brands- HJC, Nolan, Shoei, Super Seer, "Harley-Davidson", Fulmer, Thor and probably a few others that I'm forgetting. The Sena is just as comfortable to wear as the most comfortable I've ever worn. If you're confused by the wording- simply put- it's a comfortable helmet to wear. It's relatively lightweight, has an appropriate amount of wind noise as any modular helmet that I've ever worn (more on that later, though) and I can wear it all day without any fatigue. The shield is wide and offers a clear view and the flip down sun visor is easy to use and offers just enough tint to take the edge off the sun, without being so dark that you go blind in the shadows or when the sun starts going down. Ventilation on the helmet is good... no, better than good. You can actually feel the air moving in the helmet when you open the vents, which has not been all that common in most of the full face or modular helmets I've worn. The Sena Outrush 2 has several vents- 2 adjustable and 5 non-adjustable. The two adjustable are located on the chin bar and on the top and both control the flow of air into the helmet to cool your dome while you're riding. The 5 non-adjustable are laid out as such- 2 on the chin bar that act as defrosters for the face shield, and 3 on the back of the helmet to act as exhaust vents for your hot breath. All of the vents work, better than expected, but the two adjustable vents are especially nice. When open, even behind a small windshield, I can actually feel the air flowing through them. The only problem that I've noticed with the top vent, is that it does tend to increase the noise level a good bit. But... if given the opportunity to choose between trading out the wind noise of the open vent for airflow- I'll take the airflow all day long. I can tolerate the noise, but as many of you can attest- riding with an itchy, sweaty head just plain sucks, so I'd rather have a cool head and turn up the volume a little higher. Speaking of sound quality...

Sound Quality

While I will have to update my wife's comms to a mesh compatible device, and get my buddies to update theirs (which they can do AND save 10% off their order, by clicking my affiliate link here- hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge), I mostly use my helmet comms for listening to music or answering calls while I'm out riding solo. My 20S EVO is a good device and has great sound quality on phone calls. The sound quality for listening to music is just okay,  though, and it gets noticeably worse as speeds increase. The Outrush 2, however, offers a vast improvement. The highs, midrange and bass are significantly better and I've noticed that I actually need to turn it down some while I ride, as the music sounds great anywhere from slower city riding, all the way up to much higher interstate speeds. The trip to Daytona consisted of a good mix of city riding, beach road speeds and jamming on the interstate. On each ride, the Sena Outrush 2 speakers did a fine job of keeping the beats. My music tastes are pretty diverse... I'll listen to everything from heavy metal or Indie folk music, instrumentals to '80's Pop and Rock. The Outrush 2's design, or maybe the speakers themselves, offer a great overall sound quality. I was able to go from having some music playing in the background while cruising down Main Street Daytona, to having a full-on concert going down the highway. Adjusting the volume is easy- simply push a button. Compared to the toggle dial on the 20S EVO, it did take a little getting used to, especially with gloved hands. Since the Outrush uses the volume controls of the paired phone, instead of a separate volume control on the device, though, I mainly used the phone controls since I use a Quad Lock and my phone is easily accessible, right in front of me, near my hand.

Answering calls is simple and easy, too. A simple push of the button on the helmet controls, or as I mentioned before, pressing the "button" on my phone. The sound quality for calls is exceptional, too. My wife said my voice was nice and clear, even though I was on I-95 keeping up with the Florida traffic. That tells me that the microphone on the Outrush 2 is obviously a high quality, noise filtering device. The only issue that I found with the mic, though... is that it's a boom mic. It's not adjustable (that I could tell, anyway), so it does tend to rest on my face. It should be noted that I'm currently sporting the thickest beard I've ever had though, so I'm sure that some of that could be me. Maybe if I shaved it would be less noticable. 

Fit, Finish, Color and other Features

Not everything in this world is black and white- but this helmet is. Gloss White or matte black to be precise. Those are your only two color options, for now, at least. I went with the gloss white because, well, truthfully I don't have (and can't remember a time when I did have) a white helmet. It was different and I liked the "gloss" part of it, too since my last several helmets have all been black or mostly black with a matte finish. The mattes are nice, but for this one (especially since I wasn't buying it), I wanted to do something a little different, and I'm so glad I did. The finish on the Outrush 2 is really nice- it's gloss white with some very tastefully designed silver-gray stripes. The Sena logos are simple, and not obnoxious, on the front and back, and since the only criteria that I was given for adding my own decals was that I couldn't cover their logo, I was able to throw in a couple of nice, reflective "The MotoWriter" decals on the side and back that I think compliments the design of the helmet very nicely. The gloss finish makes the Outrush 2 very easy to clean, too.

The fit is right on the money. I normally wear a medium so I ordered a medium and it fits very well- not too tight and not too loose. I do get a little vertical line on my forehead after a few hours of wearing the helmet though, due to the way the front padding is designed. That's nothing more than a minor inconvenience, however, and fortunately, it goes away pretty quickly after taking the helmet off. The flip-up chin bar is easy and simple to operate, with a quick lift of the button. The chin bar lifts up high, and out of the way. It locks quickly and securely when brought back down, but you do have to make sure the boom mic is inside though, which is such a minor detail that I wouldn't even call it an annoyance or inconvenience, but rather a barely noteworthy detail.

The Outrush 2 is pretty light for a modular helmet. It's about the same weight as some of the more expensive modulars that I've worn, and a good bit lighter than some of the less expensive ones. The weight of a helmet will make a big impact on comfort, especially the longer that you wear it and the Outrush 2 isn't bad, at all. Even though I could have (legally) removed my helmet once I entered the "Free State of Florida", Mrs. MotoWriter has a strict rule that I don't die, so I always opt to wear my helmet to protect this ole noggin of mine as much as possible. My son and I took our time getting down to Daytona, so it took us about 11 hours on the road, with several stops and a few helmet removal breaks. On the way back, however, we pushed pretty hard and only stopped for fuel, shaving off a few hours on the return. My head and neck never got fatigued from the weight of the helmet, going to, or coming back from, the East Coast.

I'm not sure if replacement shields or sun visors are available for the Outrush 2, yet... as I haven't been able to find them and I haven't contacted Sena about them. The shield comes Pinlock ready, although, the helmet does not come with a Pinlock insert and, again, I haven't found one specifically for the Outrush 2 helmet yet (and I'm not sure if the insert is interchangeable with other Sena helmets like the Outrush R). I do recommend that, once available, you get one though... as the Pinlock inserts work incredibly well to keep your hot breath from affecting your visibility, especially during adverse weather conditions. 

The fastener is the easy to use, modern, ratcheting buckle with a quick-release pull tab. I can tell you that if you've never worn a helmet with one of these- they are a game changer. No more fumbling with the D-rings or side-push "buttons". The mechanism is well made and features metal-on-metal components for a secure fit and solid retention if, God forbid, things go bad. 

The liner on the Outrush 2 is soft and comfortable, but, like I said previously, there is a relief gap between the forehead pads that will make a weird, vertical indentation on your forehead after a few hours. 

The battery on the device is incredible. As in... surprisingly so. I left the house for Daytona with a less than full battery and, 11 hours later, when I finally turned it off for the night, it was still saying "battery level medium." I charged it that night, then rode the rest of the weekend without plugging it in again, using it for several hours each day, and over 8 hours the last day, and when I got back home and turned it off, it gave me the "battery level high" notification. That was constant on, several hours of playing music and several phone calls worth of use on a single charge. As a matter of fact, as I write this today, I still haven't charged it and the battery level is still "high."

Pros and Cons Summary

Pros: 

• Finish is nice, looks awesome and is easy to clean
• Chinbar and sun visor controls work as expected... better actually
• Nicely designed shell that looks stylish and is comfortable
• Comfortable inner liner
• Airflow is fantastic
• Awesome sound quality
• Battery life is outstanding
• Background noise filtering (not sure if this is in the electronics or the helmet design, but it works and works well)
• Intuitive controls- only 3 buttons
• Overall fit and weight of helmet
• Pinlock ready
• Ratchet buckle 

Cons:

• Wind noise (but only when top vent is open)
• Limited selection of colors and finishes (which I'm hesitant to even call this a con, but I know that some of you like to be more colorful than me)
• Limited connectivity to older, non-mesh, devices and NOT backward compatible with all Sena products- ONLY Sena Mesh products. It can connect to other non-Sena products via open mesh or wave mesh, but will not connect to bluetooth comms like the Sena 20s and other Bluetooth-only communication devices.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really like this helmet. While I initially just quickly threw my decals on the Outrush 2 for the trip to Daytona, since I was planning on taking them off after I got back anyway, I've since decided to reposition them and leave them on. Mainly because the Outrush 2 looks as good as it does, and the color and graphics design lends itself nicely to the task of representing my little corner of the interwebs. I think I'm going to use the Outrush 2 whenever I'm out doing MotoWriter stuff and keep my other helmets for when I'm just doing me stuff.

The Outrush 2 has a retail price on the Sena website for $379, but you can get it for $341.10 by clicking this link and using my discount code. As for my thoughts on the price- most modular helmets sell between $150 for the lower end of quality, up to $950, according to the current offerings from Revzilla, with the majority of them fitting in the range of $300 and $400 USD. Keep in mind that those prices reflect the helmets only and no comms. Comms typically range from $98 for the old stuff, to well over $400 for the newer stuff. The mid-range mesh comms sit right in the middle, around the $200-$300 range. So, with consideration to the fact that this helmet has the mesh comms already installed, you could easily make the argument that the package deal is well worth it, especially since it's ready to go, right out of the box (especially when you buy it through the MotoWriter link).

Look, I know that some of you don't like to wear helmets, and I know that some of you don't care about listening to music and that you don't want to answer the phone while you're out riding... I get it. This helmet (or any helmet, for that matter) isn't for you. But I've seen first-hand what happens to the human head when it hits a solid object like the side of a car or the pavement and I'll tell you this- your old pal, the MotoWriter, will always wear a helmet. I'm also a husband, father, son, brother and uncle and I have a family that loves me, and that I love... so if they call, I want to be able to answer. Lastly, I've tried it, and I personally don't like my motorcycles to have big fairings with dashboard-mounted stereos, but I do like to listen to music sometimes, especially on long trips. Having a good set of speakers to listen to my favorite singers and bands, belting out their best music is pretty dang nice. 

You might be asking, though...would I buy it? Before seeing it and trying it out myself, I can honestly say that I would have been hesitant- after all, a comms company making a helmet? But after seeing how well this helmet is made- it has a good quality shell, a nice design, good aerodynamics, good quality materials and hardware and has a really nice finish... I can honestly say that I would be willing to pay up to $250 for the helmet itself, and for the comms- I'd easily pay another $200. That's a total of $450+ and would require me to install the comms, so for the asking price of $379 (or $341 with the MotoWriter discount), I think this helmet is a bargain, and I'd absolutely buy it, without hesitation.

Until next time, MotoReaders... 

Ride safe and make good choices!

 

  

  

 

 

  

 

   

Old Skool Cool

2026 Indian Chief Vintage

A bold and badass move by the company formerly owned by Polaris, or a makeshift attempt at a new bike by scrounging through the parts bin? To each their own, but in my humble opinion, the new 2026 Chief Vintage is a win. In a cultural climate that has been focusing on "do all" types of bikes and reducing the equipment offerings by platform (I'm looking at you Harley-Davidson for killing off the Electra Glides and Road Kings... among many others), the guys over at Indian doubled down and said, 'let's take one of our most popular models and make it a true vintage-inspired time machine'. Personally, I think they hit the "old skool cool" mark beautifully. 

What they did

What they did, essentially, was take a current model that has been in production for 12 years- one that has amassed an almost cult-like following, and stripped it down to the basics of what made it so desirable in its original heyday of the 1940's. But obviously, large motorcycle manufacturers can't go back to 1940's tech, and the mass buyers don't want that, so it is a modern iteration of the classic. Ok, I'll be honest enough to say that the biggest changes are wire spoke wheels, a solo seat and some trimmed down bodywork from the 2014 and up Chief Vintage models. This new Vintage is basically just a hybrid of the first generation Vintages, the later model Chiefs and some Scouts. BUT IT WORKS. 

Lookit, Indian just took a page out of Harley-Davidson's playbook, here. Back in the 1970's when the MoCo was in desperate need of some new machines, Willie G. went to the parts bin and started building some new bikes out of what they already had. Mix in two parts big twin, with one part Sportster model and.. "bam!" you've got yourself a new bike! H-D learned that sometimes, a bike can be worth more in the sum of its parts, so they started building on that idea. Make the fairing permanent on the Electra Glide... then put the windshield back on and call it a "Highway King", then later... a "Road King" as a new model. Put a variety of different parts on the Dyna, Sportster and Softail frames, and you have three new families of motorcycles! It made for great business, and they sold a bunch of motorcycles and were able to offer a motorcycle for just about anyone looking to get on two wheels, or upgrade their current scooter. The problem was, that having different factories, machines and tooling for all those different models, became too expensive for the MoCo to maintain when sales started to decline. But, this post isn't about that... this post is about this "new" bike from Indian... so let's talk about what you get for the $19,999 price tag.

What you see, is what you get

Basically, this is the bike. What makes it so cool looking- the solo saddle- goes away if you start adding passenger pillions or other two-up features. The tech is the same as previous model Chiefs and the engine, aside from a super cool retro two-tone paint and finish, is the same mill that Indian has been counting their money from. The other feature that adds to its retro styling is the spoke wheels and, well, spokes are spokes... so there really isn't anything to talk about. But, it's the overall package that makes this bike so cool. It's the retro-inspired machine that has modern day technology like ABS brakes, three different ride modes and fuel injection. Sure, you can add saddlebags, a two-up seat, windshield and a laundry list of other features to this bike to make it more like it's Polaris predecessors, but why would you want to? At $20k, it's not the cheapest Chief you can get (that can be had for $15k), but it's definitely one of the coolest. 

Final Thoughts

Personally, I'm still a die-hard Road King guy, but if there has been any bike that has gotten my attention in this most recent iteration of Indian Motorcycles, this is it. I love that while other companies are consolidating models, Indian took a bold move to expand on one. Not to mention the fact that it is a damn good looking motorcycle. For the kind of riding I do, it wouldn't work for me, but for the guy or gal that wants to go for a ride after work, or meet up with some buddies on the weekend for lunch, then this bike is a top-notch head turner and one that will, inevitably, elicit the question of how old it is.

Till next time MotoReaders...

Ride safe and make cool choices!

*All images in this post are property of Indian Motorcycles

2026 New Model Lineups

It’s that time of year again and, while I’ve been super busy at my payin’ gig… I didn’t want to miss my chance to weigh in on the new model lineups from our favorite motorcycle purveyors. So, without further ado… let’s get into it, shall we?

First up… Harley-Davidson

The MoCo has teased us for months with the return of a name that many of us know from the past- the Sprint. The rumors of this “new” model being offered in the $6,000 price point has whet many of our appetites to see just what’s been going on in the R&D offices. Well, in their “Chapter One” release (well played, guys… well played), they dropped the first of what they are promising is going to be a whole new lineup. While I appreciate that they have some new colors and some slightly larger displacement engines, in my humble opinion- the first drop was a flop. No new models… yet, just some different versions of what we’ve already seen for the last couple of years. Don’t get me wrong, I like the new Street Glide and Road Glide designs, for the most part, anyway. I’m not crazy about the new hand controls or the digital screen as the only option for gauges, but I suppose this is what the market demands, so I understand that they have to keep up with the demands in order to stay relevant. 

I really, REALLY hope that the new Sprint isn’t the Chinese “X” bike that has just been re-badged for US markets. With everything going on in the world right now, and all of the tensions in the political communities, I’m afraid that a Chinese Harley-Davidson could drive many MoCo loyalists away… and that could be devastating for our new top guy, Artie Starrs. If you look on the H-D website… they are teasing us with the “chapter two” bikes, but none of the black cloth draped bikes are in the “Sport” category and the names of those that are teased, are more CVO models. I really hope this is just some tricky marketing, because unless H-D is planning to drop the prices (significantly), the vast majority of their customer base can’t afford to drop $50k on a motorcycle. I for one, wouldn’t (even if I could), because let’s be honest… while the Custom Vehicle Operations division does make some decent performance parts, most of the CVO bikes are gaudy looking. You know who buys CVOs? Guys like Jochen and Artie… and that rich old guy that lives down the road from you who wears a pastel colored polo shirt that is tucked into his khaki shorts (complete with belt) and loafers, who drives a Corvette to go golfing. The rest of us- the jeans and t-shirt guys that make up the majority of Harley-Davidson riders- would rather get higher performance parts at a fraction of the cost from aftermarket companies and are more concerned about buying affordable maintenance parts over… one more chrome cover that serves no real purpose other than reflecting the side of the ‘Vette as they sit in the garage. 

The marketing gurus in Milwaukee are dangling that proverbial carrot in front of our noses though, for the “next chapter” which is supposed to be revealed on January 14th of the new year, so we’ll have to bide our time and be patient to see what’s next. 

Next we have- Indian 

In an interesting turn of events (but one that I saw coming several years ago), Polaris has sold off Indian Motorcycles to a private investment company, Carolwood LP. This is really the biggest news out of Springfield with our beloved rival company. Look folks, I make no bones about it- I like ALL motorcycles, but I DO favor Harley-Davidson. I’ve been to Milwaukee several times, I drink Miller beer, Wisconsin cheese is delicious and while the Cheeseheads of the Midwest may not have invented the Bloody Mary, they sure did perfect it. With that said, I have loved those long, sweeping fenders of the Indians of old since I was a kid. I loved how Indian and Harley-Davidson always kept pressure on each other to advance and become better and better. But the last real Indian motorcycles were built in 1953. There were several attempts to resurrect the brand over the decades that followed, a couple of which were very promising, but the best chance they’ve had has been with Polaris as their adopted mother. To see Polaris file the Indian name in their 86 file, alongside Victory, just plain sucks. While I really hope that the Carolwood folks can breathe continued life into the company, my more realistic self suspects that Carolwood will join the ranks of IMCA (aka, Gilroy) and Stellican as failed resuscitators.

With all that said, there’s not a lot in the “new for 2026” lineup in the Indian camp, either. They, like H-D, have increased displacements a bit and are offering some new colors, but with the sell off… is any of that even going to matter? I suspect that most new buyers are going to stay away from their loan officers until the dust of Carolwood settles. Who can blame them, either? Nobody in their right mind would want to buy a $15-$30k motorcycle that might not have continued support for parts, warranties, repairs, etc. 

What about the other major brands?

I usually keep my eyes on the “other brand” horizon to see if anything really stands out. If anything really “popped” then I’d absolutely detail it here and give my thoughts, but in reality, no one has really broken any new ground for 2026, so until someone releases something new, it looks like this is the end of this post. 

What about this past 3 month hiatus, you may be asking…

As many of my loyal MotoReaders know, the last few months has been the second busy “season” of the year for my payin’ gig. But, as I’ve spoken about and eluded to in some recent posts and ponderings… that may be changing soon. I won’t get into that here, but I’ll keep you posted on any changes that may be taking place for your humble MotoWriter, over the next few months. If everything works out, you should be seeing a lot more activity on my little corner of the interweb. Maybe when H-D drops the curtain on their “chapter 2” reveal, I’ll be able to cover it in real time, instead of a week (or more) later. 

Regardless of what may come for 2026… I just want to take a moment today to say that I see how much my loyal readers check in, even when I’m not here, and I am truly humbled by the fact that you guys have checked in to my site to read my words, over 180,000 times, with over 21,000 site visits last month alone! When I started this blog over five years ago, I never imagined that it would have a worldwide audience.  So, from the bottom of my heart, I say “THANK YOU!” 

Until next time, MotoReaders… ride safe and make good choices!

120th Anniversary Lineup… my thoughts

 

Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary lineup… Boom or Bust?

Well MotoReaders… there it is, your “new” bikes for what could arguably be one of the most significant anniversaries in Harley-Davidson’s history. So, the question is, did they knock it out of the park, or did they strike out? If there are any H-D execs reading this (which I hope so, but sorta doubt) this next part is directed to you- if this is all you have in your trick bag, I’ll be honest- I’m sorely disappointed. 

The bikes

The paint is gorgeous, the bikes are boring. Sorry, but they are. You guys had a great opportunity to introduce some really cool machines, but it feels like you just phoned it in. The only “new” model is the Road Glide trike and, as a younger old guy, or an older young guy (depending on how you want to look at it), I’m still young enough to handle a two wheeler, but “established” enough to afford a bigger touring bike, so for me… another trike is just plain boring. I’ll keep my 2017 Road King Special (especially now that I have fixed all the things you guys fell short on with that one). You “brought back” the Breakout? Ugh. The only bike that has even garnered a second look from me is the Nightster Special, but that one isn’t even a new model for ‘23. To make matters worse- the “Special” still sports the 975cc mill for 2023. Why not put the 1250 RevMax engine from the Sportster S in the Nightster Special? What exactly is “special” about the Special, anyway? Black paint and a quarter fairing (that was on the previous year model)? Come on… we, your customers, deserve better.

Jochen, are you listening?

Jochen, buddy… listen to me for a minute, I know you want the best for the MoCo, so do I. That’s why I’m offering this advice for free- bring back a twin shock, big twin powered line- yes, I’m talking about the Dyna, for 2023. Do you want to get some loyal H-D customers back? Give them a ground-pounding, M-8 powered bruiser. Something loud, powerful and highly customizable. Something that is raw, fast, classic and true to the H-D spirit. The Softail line is great, but we all know that the LowRider, the Fat Bob and the Street Bob are supposed to be Dynas. They were born as Dynas and they died as Dynas in 2017. These new Softail versions are best described as "Dyna tribute" bikes, for no reason other that to just keep the names alive and we all know it. 

Do you want me to buy a new bike? Offer me an M-8 powered Wide Glide. A true, twin shock frame with mini-ape handlebars and a tall sissy bar. Build it with an old-school ducktail rear fender, and offer a sick, diamond stitched king and queen seat in the P&A catalog. Bring back the Super Glide and spin some variants off of that like Willie G did back in the day. THAT would be an exciting lineup. While we’re talking about "come back" bikes… let’s talk about the Breakout for a second. When you wanted to bring back a discontinued Softail model, your best idea was to bring back... the Breakout? Not the Deluxe? What? Really? There is so much you could do with the Deluxe in terms of trim and customization. While I’m at it… what idiot said it would be a good idea to kill off the Road King? Has it ever crossed your minds that, not everyone is into the blacked out Specials? Personally, I happen to love my FLHRXS, but I know that not everyone does. There is a significant amount of people in the H-D market that want the classic, chromed out, do-it-all machine that is the Road King. A bike that has Touring DNA mixed with cruiser styling at a, somewhat, reasonable price tag. Enough of that… y’all probably aren’t reading this anyway. If you want to hear more, have your people call my people. 

Am I being too critical?

What do you, my MotoReaders, think? Am I off base here? Am I being too harsh with the Milwaukee Crew? Look, I’m not trying to be an ass… it’s just frustrating to see wasted opportunities. I’m usually the first to admit that I’m no expert. Hell, I’m just some random guy that pays a few bucks a year for a web address so that I can share my thoughts with whoever is out there that might want to read them. I’m not making any money from my blog and I’m not making any money on my YouTube channel. Nobody is compensating me for mentioning their products or creating an occasional video. No, this blog and those videos on my YT channel are a labor of love and it’s from that love where this post is coming from. 

By the numbers

I have always been a huge fan of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. Even before I bought my first one in 2009, I always loved them. As a kid, I can remember sitting in the back seat of my parent’s car, looking out the window and seeing them running down the highways. Those loud, raucous machines usually had some bearded, leather clad dudes riding them and I remember thinking how cool the bikes looked, blazing down the asphalt. When I talk about missed opportunities, I’m talking about this company that has such a rich heritage emblazoned on so many of our memories, slowing killing itself off by not staying true to itself. Harley-Davidson was never intended to be a “luxury” brand. It was never intended to be a brand that only the rich could afford. H-D was a brand that anyone could afford. Blue collar guys could go to their local dealership and buy a brand new motorcycle. Jochen and his boys need to return to that ethos. I’m not saying they need to build cheap, junky bikes just to stay competitive in the market, far from it. I’m saying that $20 grand for a basic, cruiser motorcycle is a bit ridiculous. For example, check out these numbers:

120th Anniversary (2023) prices, versus the 110th Anniversary (2013) prices.

• Nightster- $13,500 (Iron 883- $8,000)
• Nightster Special- $15,000 (Forty Eight- $10,600)
• Softail Street Bob- $16,600 (Dyna Street Bob-$13,000)
• Fat Boy- $20,200 ($17,000)
• Heritage Classic- $21,200 ($17,600)
• Street Glide- $22,000 ($19,800)
• Road King Special- $24,000 ($19,900 for a Road King Classic)
• Ultra Limited- $29,800 ($24,200)

I won’t even list the obscene prices of the CVOs or the Trikes. Don’t get me wrong, I understand how inflation works and I also recognize that I chose a ten year gap to compare my prices, but let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment- the entry level Harley price increased by over $5,000 in only ten years! Want a more recent comparison? Fine, I can play that game, too. The Iron 883 in 2017 only had a price tag of $8,950 that’s less than a one thousand dollar increase. The 2017 Street Bob (the last year of the Dyna) only saw an increase of a paltry $850 bucks, for a MSRP of $13,850 and the Ultra Limited sat on the showroom floor for $27,000. Those are 2017 price tags and even then, they were astronomical for a lot of blue collar folks, but at least they were somewhat attainable with the right credit score and a bit of financial planning. 

You get what you pay for... or, do you?

Look, I’d probably be a little less critical of the prices if I hadn’t seen, first hand, questionable quality in my own $22k (2017 price) Road King Special. Parts falling off, rust on fasteners and mirror stems and so on. It might have been a different story if my bike was a yard bird (you know, a bike that is parked outside all the time), but it’s been garage kept since I rode it off the showroom floor. Yeah, I’ve ridden in rain on it, but that definitely isn’t a common occurrence and it gets washed and waxed regularly, so there’s really no explanation for those issues other than sub-par finishing or just piss-poor design. Only time will tell if the finishes and designs of the new  bikes hold up better than my 2017 has. For Jochen’s sake, I really hope they do, too because his idea of making Harley-Davidson a “luxury” brand might just be the death blow if they don’t. I’ll tell you something else, too- if the design team doesn’t come up with something fresh, and do it soon, then H-D might just be losing a few more customers to its competitors. The MoCo needs to remember that they are no longer the only kids on the block and they're also just barely, if at all, still the most popular. Now that the family from Springfield has come back and bought the house next door- those kids are starting to get more and more attention. Then there are the kids from the United Kingdom, those other kids from Germany and let’s not forget about the kids from Britain (the ones that moved to India)… and then there are all the kids from Japan that have been there for decades, building high quality, extremely dependable and very affordable machines. The toughest part for H-D here is, they used to have one thing that all the others didn’t- a high quality product that was attainable by the very people that designed, engineered and built them, right here in the good old U S of A. Over the years though, quality has gone down, while prices have gone up. I don't care what business you're in... that combination is always a recipe for disaster.

Final thoughts

It's still only the beginning of the year and Jochen has already teased that more new models are on the way for this 120th anniversary year. I'm hopeful that there will actually be something new, cool and fresh that I can get excited about because, honestly, I haven't stepped foot in an H-D dealership in quite a long time. That is a far cry from just a few years ago when I was able to come up with some reason or another to go see what was new on the showroom floor at least a few times a year. Hell, my local dealership knew me so well that they were trying to recruit me for their team because not only did I give them a lot of my business, I also brought them a lot of business through my referrals. While I'm disappointed on the 120th Anniversary's launch, I'm still hopeful that the MoCo can pull a few rabbits out of their hats and make me want to come in and take a test ride. After all, one really fun part of being a motorcycle enthusiast is the process of buying a new bike, and I still have enough room in my garage for one or two more. I'm not saying that I'm in the market for another new motorcycle, but if a real, twin shock, big twin Wide Glide was to make a come back, I might be inclined to run over to the dealership on my way to the bank. 

Ride safe and make good choices, MotoReaders!