Harley question...

[Maximumbob54]

I can only assume that if I had plunked down more money up front then maybe a Dyna or a Softtail would have been a better bike. But I bought mine from a buddy a year after he owned it. So now twelve years later I only have a few thousand miles on it and it has been in the shop or waiting on me to save money for repairs. The original buckhorn bars cage me something that felt like carpal tunnel after an hour of riding, I replaced the seat with the thickest padding and the boys still go numb, and the thing acts like it is close to red line on the interstate. I dropped a 29 tooth sprocket in place of the 27 so it would have a little bit more at the top end at the loss of off the line power. It's an 883 so it isn't a power house anyways. That helped on the highway at least. Either the second or third year I owned it, the belt came apart. It was rated for ten years but whatever. That required a shop visit and labor rate charges. I was dumb enough to try riding it to and in Bike Week and cooked my engine oil from the heat of the day and sitting in the middle of about a thousand bikes. That was a some seals replaced but I was told the engine is fine. It was running a little rich so I knew it was time to start saving up for the latest shop visit and then it spit all its oil out the side. It's setting in the garage for now since I'm changing out the handle bars for a third time since the second one was some custom junk that never fit right. The grips wouldn't stop coming off periodically and that just wasn't going to keep happening. So I'm saving up yet again and changing out junk parts yet again. I can't believe the thing didn't even come with passenger foot pegs. I'm still worried that some day the single piston front brake will give out on me while I'm on the road. If I can ever get it back together and running again I plan to sell it for what ever I can get. I had a chance to buy a Honda Nighthawk 750 around the same time that I bought this hunk of junk from my friend. Guess what I wish I had done??? Someday I may tow this thing to a swamp and watch it slowly sink into the earth. I'm guessing some local gator would like it as a nest item. Sorry fellow Harley owners but I'm jumping ship as soon as I can. I won't be sinking even more money into an even bigger money pit.

An unglorious pic among garage junk:

 

[cal50]

I will buy a case of beer to the guy that can kick start it........

 

[RDY2GO!]

It's an age thing. The younger generation likes the sport bikes. Older guys like Harleys.

How many of us felt invincible when we were younger? And there are many more sport bikes out there. So it's really not a fair comparison.

No, that ain't it either...

I'm 52 years old, after years of riding and racing off road I bought my first street bike, a metric V-twin. Great bike, a little heavy, a lot underpowered, not real good in the twisties, even after spending over a grand on suspension upgrades. Traded for a Yamaha FJR sport tourer, gawd, whata bike. Power, handling, comfort, fuel mileage, just an all around great bike.

For us a typical day ride in the mountains is at least 350 miles and we do a lot of overnight week-end trips too. Last year my son and I became members of the Iron Butt Association, which is an organization that certifies long distance rides. We've done a Saddle Sore 1000 (At least 1000 miles in less than 24 hours, we did 1108 in just over 18 hrs) and a Bun Burner Gold (1500 miles in less than 24 hours, our ride was 1560 miles in 23 hours and 4 mins).

To each their own, all that matters is that we ride!

 

[cal50]

Well the age thing is an interesting thought. You own brain does not age and at 48 I still ride wheelies on my latest toy. I could never get my Harley wheels off the ground by twisting the throttle. I have owned over a dozen road bikes through the years. All have been a blast but the Harley slowed me down. My 650L is not crazy fast like the crotch rockets but its no slouch either stop sign to stop sign.

Blast from the past-

The amazing thing is Evil Knievel (?) made his jumps on an Harley XR750 which is one HEAVY bike with **** suspension by today's standards. That's similar to the space shuttle for drag and weight!

 

[mkk41]

Ahhh , talk about a torque-monster , the good ol' air-cooled FJ-1200 was one of my favorite Jap bikes , and I'd be happy to find another one for a good price. Powerful , comfortable , great brakes and handling. And ya could get soft luggage to make a decent tourer out of it.

 

[ridewv]

Here's why I like my 2009 Harley Electra Glide; Harleys are the best current example of what a classic American designed motorcycle is. They're heavy, with steel used where other bikes utilize plastic. Most current Harley engines are low revving, moderate power, high torque, air-cooled, with pushrods, that are quite reliable and durable. They really work well in their touring and cruiser chassis.
But Harley's are modern in many ways too. They utilize throttle-by-wire Delphi fuel injection, Brembo brakes, Showa suspension, and many other premium components. As far as safety the front turn signals burn steady until called to blink (like Honda), ABS is standard or optional on many models. Harley Davidson puts out the best paint and chrome in the motorcycle industry, it's right up there with Mercedes. They are respected throughout the world in fact HD exports a pretty high percentage. And foreign buyers pay a *lot* for them. Like double what a BMW may sell for.
In my case I had a Gold Wing 1800 as my previous touring motorcycle. My current HD Electra Glide is more comfortable and cruises at a much lower rpm which is relaxing. It stops at least as well and handles almost as well (yes you read that right) as the Wing. While perfectly adequate it does not have as much power as the liquid cooled, 6 cyl, Gold wing though.
Harley Davidson offers a huge array of accessories for all their bikes. For example on my Electra Glide Standard I can attach or remove a back rest and or a rear rack in seconds. I can also add the rear trunk (tour-Pak) color matched or remove it in seconds. There's also different windshields, seats, lighting, instruments, on and on. The accessory catalog is over 300 pages! The parts to do this are factory designed and available at the dealer. And there are HD dealers almost everywhere, which is another benefit.
If you like this kind of motorcycle and appreciate the attention to finish detail Harley does you'll enjoy your Harley Davidson. If your riding emphasis is on something else like high performance, dual sport, budget model, multi-cylinder motor, etc. look elsewhere. Understandably these riders will ask "why do people buy Harley Davidson's"? Doesn't matter though, just go out and ride!


2009 FLHT Medicine Bow, WY

 

[mkk41]

If you like this kind of motorcycle and appreciate the attention to finish detail Harley does you'll enjoy your Harley Davidson. If your riding emphasis is on something else like high performance, dual sport, budget model, multi-cylinder motor, etc. look elsewhere. Understandably these riders will ask "why do people buy Harley Davidson's"?

Why would anybody buy a Ford or GM when they could buy a Honda or Toyota or Subaru, or a Hyundai or Kia?

Why does anyone buy a Corvette when they could buy a Lexus?

Why doesn't everyone wear a white shirt with black pants and ride a bicycle?

Why be different when we could all be the same?

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we were all the same?

And the same as ME , not YOU!

G'nite kids!

 

[gamedic]

How many sport bike vs Harley accidents have I seen? I really believe there have been more Harleys and other cruisers involved in accidents in the last few years. It seems to me that cruisers are much more popular these days than the sportbikes around here. This is why I have seen more cruisers in accidents. Almost none of the accidents have been from foolishness. Most accidents involve automobile drivers who don't see the bikes or loose gravel or as I had the bad luck to experience firsthand a few years ago deer in the road.

 

[Bob R]

Life is good when the hardest decision of the day is which motorcycle to ride.

I hope to live life that hard some day!

To each their own, all that matters is that we ride!

And that my friends is really what matters in this discussion.

bob

 

[gamedic]

A friend of mine, who rides a Harley StreetGlide tells me the HD stands for hundred dollars because that is what you spend every time you enter a Harley dealership.

 

[scooter123]

It's a visceral thing. My brother bought is wife a Harley Softail classic and I've taken it for a spin a time or two. That big old thudding V twin is something that you feel in the bones and the torque off idle is quite different than with most bikes.

As for the windy twisty stuff, back around 2005 or 6, Harley had a version of the Street Rod that featured mid mount controls, BIG upside down forks, and Brembo rim brakes. I test rode one and it was quite capable in the windy stuff, not up to what a Ducati or one of hot crotch rockets but capable enough that a good rider on the Street Rod could embarass an average rider on a crotch rocket. In addition it had enough power to go toe to toe with an older street great like Honda's V65 Sabre. About the only fault I could find was the instruments were mounted so low that trying to see the tach had me feeling I was looking for my naval. Sadly, it didn't sell well enough to stay in the catalog, if it had I might have one parked in my garage. Geared up right, it would have made for a superb Sport Touring bike.

 

[2fingers]

If you have to ask, You probably will not understand !

 

[amazingflapjack]

To adress the question, my experience with new or potential future riders is "The Harley Mistique", because when I ask them what kind of bike they are going to have, and their eyes glaze over as they stare off to the horizon and say, "a Harley" I ask them if they have ever ridden a Harley, and if the answer is a rare yes, I ask if they have ridden anything else, and almost always, the answer is "no." I have also talked to riders who, after riding Harleys for years, and never riding anything else, happened into the saddle of, usually a Japanese bike, and were mystfied by all of the things non harley riders take for granted. But there is a separate group of Harley riders that I think are really meant to ride them and live the Harley life style, which is different from the generic motorcycle lifestyle, in my view. These folks can wrench on them, no the parts going back decades, and just are where they are alive. But I don't think even many of these folks could put up with a Sportster! I have been riding for 46 years now, so I am not describing the huge mass of posers that fill the ranks of Harley owenership. But, just as some have already implied, to each his own; one brand does not have to be bad in order for the other one to be good. My desire would be that everyone would ride what they wanted, and shut up about everybody else, but that's just not the natural man. Oh, and I wave at everybody out there. If it has 2 or 3 wheels, or even these rigs you see now with "training wheels" and there is a motor on it, I wave. Some of the scooter and moped folks are a little surprised when I wave, but that makes it more fun! I usually get a friendly wave back, even from crotch rockets, but not so much from Harley riders. See, I don't ride a Harley; it's a single crank pin air cooled V-twin, but not a harley. It does kind of look like a harley, as it has had some custom work done. Maybe that's why I get the Harley waves I get? Flapjack.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Ok, maybe age has something to do with it. Maybe not.

Around here, Harleys seem to be a status symbol. Mainly with older guys who long for thier younger days. Or simply, just maybe now they can finally afford one. Midlife crisis maybe?

I couldn't say for sure. But again, around here you see very few guys over 40 on a crotch rocket and very few younger than that on a Harley.

But the same could be said for cars, guns, motorhomes......And in some cases, women.

 

[mkk41]

He's right. Although the reason for that saying is that there is no logical reason anybody would want one. Well, there is one. Chicks!

I've owned my '78 Shovelhead since 1980. As a means of getting from point A to point B...ummm... let's say there are better tools for the job.
But they're fun to ride. They have class. They have history. They're bad***! There is a brotherhood of the old school.

My beef is with the RUB (Rich Urban Bikers) that found out the Evo Harleys didn't leak oil & were actually pretty reliable. They wouldn't get their precious manicured hands dirty turning a wrench. So they cashed in on the "Bad Boy Biker" image of the '60's & 70's. Bolt on a couple grand of useless billet & plastic chrome garbage & call me "bro." I don't think so, "bro."

I worked as a Harley wrench for a few years & got to ride all the new stuff in the 90's. The rubber mount engines are the absolute chiznit!

Try 'em. Ya might like 'em. As for all the imports, they might fool a high school girl for a minute.

This is me in another life...

Yep , for some of us the Harley craze of the 90s was as gut-wrenching as disco. Dealers were charging as much as $5000 over MSRP , making people wait on a list for up to 2 years , and they were falling for it. Local dealers were selling their first years V-Rods for sealed bid! Harley made their dealers build fat and overpriced 'biker boutiques'. And the first thing these newfound 'bros' wanted to tell you when they saw your 'old relic' is how much they spent on their new bike.
When I started riding , the local Harley dealer gave his good customers a T-shirt if ya spent $50-100 or so. It was free advertising. Now , T-shirts are $50. Nowadays , dealerships won't work on older , or non-current models. Till recently , ya couldn't get parts for older bikes , yet they preach the timelessness and heritage and adorn clothes with Knucks , Pans and Shovels. For awhile , they were suing every other independant shop and aftermarket manufacturer for bogus trademark and use of the name.

But those whom the gods would soon destroy , they first make proud!

Harley stocks are in the tank. They can't seem to give bikes away. They axed the Buell line of Harley-motored sportbikes. Showrooms have 2-3yr old leftovers. Prices for used bikes are a joke compared to 10-15 years ago. Dealerships are closing up like they did in the 70s. Yups who bought these overpriced Harleys as 'investments' can't sell them for half of what they paid.

 

[Smith357]

I never understood the HD religion either, Ive ridden my whole life and had just bout every brand of bike between my legs at one point or another. Folks say if "If you have to ask, You can't understand." I say if you can't explain it you don't under stand it either. I can explain in detail why I loved my old Airhead with 220k on it.

 

[ladder13]

Big, slow and can't get out of their own way(alot like the riders themselves, too ). I wouldn't want it any other way myself.

 

[ridewv]

Whoa! I've never seen a motorcycle packed like that. I don't believe I'd follow behind it very close.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Well... If you're trying to figure out why people buy things for the way they look and feel in their hands... you came to the right place.

For some reason I just can't picture Dennis Hopper buzzing around on a Yamaha RD350 with Born to be Wild playing in the background. Just sayin...

 

[vrichard]

H.D.

I had 13 H.D.motor cycles,so I guess I like them,my current H.D.
is a 04 Heritage (won`t have any thing newer then 06)
Dick