As opposed to just being a pile of shit....

http://motorcycledaily.com/17july09_redzone.htm

The initial kneejerk reaction is - good riddance. But on a bit of reflection you have to start to consider the effects of HD's downturn.
I'd hate to see yet another American manufacturer disappear. In reading the piece it looks like they are considering closing the York, PA facility and that is about the last thing that shithole needs. We really do not need to lose any more manufacturing jobs either there or in Milwaukie. They were trying to drum up a couple of thousand riders to come out for an upcoming "save our plant" ride in York yesterday at the Carlisle show.
I'm one that will most likely never own an HD or a Buell, just not my thing. Performance matters to most of us here and that keeps us away from their product lines. The typical HD rider could care less if they are riding on technology which harkens back to the Jurassic age. They don't care that their bikes can't turn, stop or accelerate. These are "image" riders, much in the same was as a typical sport bike squid who has no idea how to tap the potential of a sport bike but rides one for the "image" it portrays. It's their niche and it had been a very profitable one for some time.
Motorcycles in this part of the world are discretionary purchases and as such are likely to suffer disproportionally in an economic downturn. And it takes all types to keep motorcycling alive and well. In a perverted sense we need HD to survive if not only to preserve the livelihoods of thousands of workers but in order to continue to provide the rest of us an alter ego to our obsession, not to metion all the fun HD punchlines as well as rolling slalom courses to dice through on back roads.

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I suspect that HD's problems are somewhat self-generated. They have been raping people of the last 5 years with too high prices and a high and mighty attitude. While I agree that we do not need to lose any manufacturing jobs in the US it is hard to feel too sorry for them. When you can buy a Jap cruiser bike for $8,000 to $12,000 and a comparable HD bike for $20,000 plus, the hand writing has been on the wall for some time.

Not to start a arguement but you can blame alot of what's going on at HD and GM on the unions...plain and simple...not to mention alot of the trucking companies that are close to closing their doors because of the unions.

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03' Yamaha R1 - Track Bike - In bits and pieces across the united states - Rest in Pieces
09' Suzuki GSX-R 750 - Street Bike
Nesba #22

Many will agree that unions did US based manufacturing in a as whole. It's also not just the exuberant wages for basically unskilled labor but their general intransigents to change.
Management deserves at least an equal amount of blame as well. Like GM, HD makes crap. Unlike GM their crap is way overpriced as Paul said. It's a bad combo all around.
The really scary part is that with the idiocy played out by the current administration the unions now have an even greater stake in the auto industry than before.

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www.WickedRacing.com - Go Fast Parts & Gear for Riders and Their Motorcycles
PM me for "TrackWhore" special discounts