Basically, the world seems to be divided into three kinds of people.
- Those with no interest or knowldge of motorcycles
- Harley-Davidson fanatics
- Oher motorctcle owners/riders
For someone in group (1) like myself, it's hard to understand the significance. (Then again, most people can't understand
Star Wars battles over whether Han shot first. At least, everyone who watched
Die Hard agrees Hans shot first.)
I don't think there are any other products that have their titles reflected in two different, unrelated movies. A really bad movie,
Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man that's so bad I don't even remember it except it had nothing to do with either motorcycles or cigarettes, and
Electra Glide in Blue with, ironically, Robert Blake as an Arizona Highway Patrol motorcycle policeman.
So perhaps some people can tell me why people fawn over Harleys. Let me throw a few tidbits I do know.
The 1970s TV show,
Chips about California Highway Patrol officers, had them riding Kawasaki motorcycles. This is correct. At that time, the CHP were using Kawasaki. The CHP now uses BMW motorcycles.
The reason for the above back then might have been quality. During the conglomerate acquisition craze of the 1960s and 1970s, H-D was acquired by AMF (yes, the bowling alley manufacturer). Run by beancounters, the quality took a nosedive (some say "turned to shit"), damaging the brand's reputation. Eventually, some managers of H-D managed to buy the company from AMF and take it private in a leveraged buyout, then rebuilt the company's products back into something people would want to own.
H-D tried to register the distinctive sound the exhaust of its motorcycles make as a trademark (the way MGM's "lion roar" sound is.) The Patent and Trademark Office was not convinced it was valid (and making other manufacturers make sure their mufflers avoid making a specific sound was a bit much).
So, let me hear your thoughts about H-D vs. different motorcycles and/or their manufacturers.
Oh, and what do you think about the attempt to revive the Indian name?
Basically, the world seems to be divided into three kinds of people.[list=1][*]Those with no interest or knowldge of motorcycles
[*]Harley-Davidson fanatics
[*]Oher motorctcle owners/riders[/list]
For someone in group (1) like myself, it's hard to understand the significance. (Then again, most people can't understand [i]Star Wars[/i] battles over whether Han shot first. At least, everyone who watched [i]Die Hard[/i] agrees Hans shot first.)
I don't think there are any other products that have their titles reflected in two different, unrelated movies. A really bad movie, [i]Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man[/i] that's so bad I don't even remember it except it had nothing to do with either motorcycles or cigarettes, and [i]Electra Glide in Blue[/i] with, ironically, Robert Blake as an Arizona Highway Patrol motorcycle policeman.
So perhaps some people can tell me why people fawn over Harleys. Let me throw a few tidbits I do know.
The 1970s TV show, [i]Chips[/i] about California Highway Patrol officers, had them riding Kawasaki motorcycles. This is correct. At that time, the CHP were using Kawasaki. The CHP now uses BMW motorcycles.
The reason for the above back then might have been quality. During the conglomerate acquisition craze of the 1960s and 1970s, H-D was acquired by AMF (yes, the bowling alley manufacturer). Run by beancounters, the quality took a nosedive (some say "turned to shit"), damaging the brand's reputation. Eventually, some managers of H-D managed to buy the company from AMF and take it private in a leveraged buyout, then rebuilt the company's products back into something people would want to own.
H-D tried to register the distinctive sound the exhaust of its motorcycles make as a trademark (the way MGM's "lion roar" sound is.) The Patent and Trademark Office was not convinced it was valid (and making other manufacturers make sure their mufflers avoid making a specific sound was a bit much).
So, let me hear your thoughts about H-D vs. different motorcycles and/or their manufacturers.
Oh, and what do you think about the attempt to revive the Indian name?