Tigress Financial analyst Ivan Feinseth kept his Buy rating on Harley-Davidson, saying he expects its "new initiatives" such as the development of a "more expansive line of models" and target marketing toward younger customers to overcome the recent sales headwinds. The analyst the company's continued increase in U.S. and international dealerships while still searching for a manufacturing partner in Asia to produce lightweight motorcycles for customers in China. Feinseth contends that Harley-Davidson's "iconic brand equity and new growth initiatives will drive acceleration in business Performance". He is also positive on the company's "above-average" dividend yield and the ongoing capital return to shareholders.

Goldman Sachs analyst David Tamberrino lowered his price target for Harley-Davidson to $45 from $47, while reiterating a Neutral rating on the shares. The analyst says that his channel checks for the Q3 Harley-Davidson motorcycle retail selling environment point to continued softness in new bike sales as dealers he spoke with reported flat to modestly up sales. However, this was coupled with a mix-shift toward used bikes that he believes remained an overhang on new bike sales.

RBC Capital analyst Joseph Spak nudged his price target on Harley Davidson lower to $43 from $45 and kept his Sector Perform rating ahead of its Q3 results. The analyst says that the company's U.S. retail trends likely remained "soft" based on his dealer checks, anticipating declines of as high as -7% on comps of -8.1%, which he says would mark the 7th consecutive quarter of declining retail trends. Spak adds that the Street will look for added color from the management regarding the company's newly launched More Roads initiative.