I saw this on another forum:

Why Harley Davidson Sales Are Down
Harley Davidson is closing many of its plants due to declining sales. Apparently, the Baby-Boomers all have motorcycles and Generation X is only buying a very few. The next generation, the Millennials, aren’t buying any at all. A recent study was conducted to find out why. Here are a few reasons why Millennials don't ride motorcycles and why sales are probably down:

1. Pants won't pull up far enough for them to straddle the seat.

2. Can't get their phone to their ear with a helmet on.

3. Can't use two hands to eat while driving.

4. Don't get a trophy and a recognition plaque just for buying one.

5. Don't have enough muscle to hold the bike up when stopped.

6. Might have a bug hit them in the face and then they would need emergency care.

7. Motorcycles don't have air conditioning.

8. Can't afford one because they spent 12 years in college trying to get a degree in Humanities, Social Studies or Gender Studies, for which no jobs are available.

9. Allergic to fresh air.

10. Pajamas get caught on the exhaust pipes.

11. Might get their hands dirty checking the oil.

12. Handle bars have buttons and levers and cannot be controlled by touch-screen.

13. Have to shift manually and use something called a clutch.

14. Too hard to take selfies while riding.

15. They don't come with training wheels like their bicycles did.

16. Motorcycles don't have power steering or power brakes.

17. Nose ring interferes with the face shield.

18. Would have to use leg muscle to backup.

19. When they stop, a light breeze might blow exhaust in their face.

20. It could rain on them and expose them to non-soft water.

21. It might scare their therapy dog and then the dog would need therapy.

22. Parents won't allow them to keep motorcycle in their "space" in the basement.

I know the above comments were written for humor - but I have noticed the Millennials are wearing their "hoodies" all year long.

It has been really hot this summer and I am sweating in a T-shirt......and I see the local kids with their longs sleeve Hoodies....and they have the hoods up over their heads!

They are waiting for the electric hardly ridensome.

There waiting for an electric HD three wheeler, no balancing, no shifting, and a it will power there cell phone -GPS ,so they don't get lost.

Neighbors down the beach called up their Berkeley grad from their basement....
The mother asked him to go get some chicken stock, tossed him the car keys, she needed it for a recipe.
5 days later he called from Wall Street, asking which broker?

Our local Harley StealerShip had a program in August :

Every Friday in August between 10:00 and 16:00 hrs. you get a FREE "T-Shirt" with every test ride .    

So , me and my buddy Charles (looking for something to do)(retired folks) deside to go Check-out the new Harleys and enjoy a 120 mile round trip in the process.    The Free "T-shirt" only sweetened the day.  

So , we walk in and the receptionist ask how can I help ya ?    Well , I'm right up front with her and tell her "I'm here to get a free "T-shirt" and get a Harley Experience to think back on ! "     So she gets us a salesperson.

The salesman ask "You really want a test ride ?"  or " Just the shirt" .   Come to find out there's a bunch of paper work to taking a test ride , so he just gave us free shirt.    

But while I was there I looked at all their bikes  …   … There wasn't a one of them I wanted to test-out anyway !  

The 500 & 750 Street got my attention but they are built for Folks who have to get "tippy toed" to make 5 foot tall.   They might make it big in the Asian market ?

Sadly but true they sold what they sold.
We have smaller families (or no families)  so the traditions are not handed down.
Today fathers seem to treat their kids like dirt so why would the youth want to be like dad?

Also

Harley shot them self in the foot when they fired Erik Buell.

Motorcycle sales are down across the board.  Partly because they have spent the last 30 years pushing technology forward which has resulted in an increase in prices.  Entry level bikes are limited. Small displacement bikes are limited.  Value options are limited.  The sweet spot for beginners is the small DS bike market, but not everyone wants to ride a "dirt bike".  

Another factor is that people don't see motorcycles as a practical means of transportation and the motorcycle industry hasn't sold it as one either.   They just market to dreamers who want to get away from life's daily grind.  Greybeards, go-tees, and leather??  Who does that appeal to?

Harley is taking it hard because they have a limited product (4 basic models) and most of it is expensive.  Their lineup is almost entirely made of touring bikes and cruisers.  No off-road bikes, no race bikes, no mini bikes, no four-wheels or utility vehicles.  I think their street lineup is the right idea, but they are still basically $8k - $10k.  Not exactly cheap.  

Millennials are doers that want to live life, not get away from it, and they don't do leather. Young people would rather spend that money on a travel adventure or put it into a sprinter van build and spend a year driving it around the country.

They only way I see the motorcycle industry prying money out of their hands it to sell the motorcycle as a viable means of transportation.

Hate to break the news to you guys, these kids aren't a stupid as we thought.  Well, that is until they realize that they might not have a good job waiting for them at the end of the rainbow.  They'll be alright though.