Well Jason, I'm not so sure one could say H-D's "Trade-Up" program was the driving force behind them selling so well. I'd venture to say that that program probably only marginally contributed to their overall sales.
I think their impressive sales figures over these past few decades could probably be attributed to the fact that once they introduced the much more reliable Evo powered motorcycle in 1984, American motorcycle buyers started taking them seriously as an alternative to offshore brands.
And then throw in the "Patriotic Factor" of them being built in the good ol' U.S. of A., the booming economy during this time frame, and then of course the whole "Instant Bad Boy Image" crap that comes with the purchase of each and every Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and VOILA...you've got yourself one hell of a marketing strategy that you can hang your doo-rag on, already!!!!!
(...I mean what does Triumph really have, huh?!...that they're well-engineered motorcycles and a good value?...now THAT'S a tough sell to the public, ya know!!!)
