The Harley Dilemma: How Adventure Bikes Stole the Cruiser Crowd

In this eighteenth installment of The Best-in-Class Showdown, we discuss a massive pivot point in the global superbike market. Harley-Davidson has historically built an incredibly powerful brand perception around cruisers—when you walked into their showroom, you knew exactly what you were after, whether it was a Forty-Eight or a Fat Boy. However, the industry witnessed a fascinating shift when cruiser riders suddenly started diverting toward adventure touring. We break down the era when almost every passionate cruiser rider began eye-ing flagship adventure icons like the BMW R 1250 GS or GSA, and how brands had to innovate to keep up.