Harley-Davidson just launched its own Craigslist

It shouldn’t be that hard to find a used bike, especially if it’s a used bike from one of the biggest motorcycle brands in the world. While it hasn’t been impossible to search Craigslist or eBay to find the Harley of your dreams (mine is an XR1200), the Bar and Shield has now made things even easier with the launch of its new H-D1 Marketplace. This site is a national registry of all used Harleys in the country, not just certified pre-owned vehicles, but all used HDs currently installed in an HD showroom. And they offer funding. It could become dangerous.

Eric noted this morning that Harley is determined to focus on selling their more expensive models to the new market, ditching the cheap models that might have launched a lifelong fan of the brand in the mind of a young new rider who cannot afford a five-digit chrome work. You could argue that The Motor Company pushes young drivers to buy used models in order to gain their lifelong attention. That might not be a terrible strategy, as the company has a ton of great bikes in its history that were new overpriced, but fetched a great price on second hand.

“The launch of the H-D1 Marketplace is the first step in our ambitious transformation of HD.com into the leading online destination for all things Harley-Davidson,” said Jochen Zeitz, President, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson. “We want our online presence to connect and support our HD network – enhanced online experiences, unique community engagement with exclusive content and learning. The H-D1 Marketplace platform will connect our customers, our community and our strong dealer network, with the goal of becoming the largest market for used Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the United States.

While the program was launched with the inventory of all Harley dealers across the country, there is also a ‘Sell My Bike’ feature, giving sellers direct access to a nationwide audience. This democratization of used Harley sales is going to be a godsend for bike enthusiasts like me. I spend most of my day cruising CL for a well-priced used bike, but now I have a huge database of 18,239 bikes to go through when I’m feeling a little too rich.

It’s too early to say how the H-D1 Marketplace will affect the used Harleys market, but there are two effects that I see as potentially coming. The first effect is that buyers across the country can now see used bikes in all markets, potentially increasing the number of buyers interested in a specific bike. The second effect, however, is somewhat the opposite in that dealers and sellers across the country now have an obligation to compete on price with their used bikes.

I can already see this playing out in the used LiveWire market. There are currently 36 Harley all-electric trails on the market right now., priced at $ 19,999 to $ 30,149 (LMAO, getting fucked). Resellers who price their used LiveWires above the MSRP will soon have a rude wake-up call when they see how more likely I am to call the guys who actually have their straight heads.

Either way, easier access to bicycles for sale is surely a good thing for everyone involved. I look forward to spending many hours on H-D1 Marketplace for the foreseeable future. It will be absolutely fine.