OK mkk, now we're starting to get somewhere.
First the points we disagree on: I reject your assertion that I don't get the American infatuation with motor vehicles. I worked my way through high school dismantling 40'd and 50's v8 engines. I've raced off road motorcycles a bit (hare and hound woods races), SCCA road races and autocross. I've flown recreational aerobatics and ran snow mobiles through the High Cascades for years. I had a 65 GTO Tri power as a young man and have seat time in such exotics as a Porsche 930 and a Ferrari Testarossa (the mid engined one) and most of the lesser sporty cars. While I doubt I have your mechanical skills I've put in my time keeping a Bonneville running and have rebuilt 2 stroke moto X engines.
I contend that just because its old, it doesn't mean it's good. It just means its still around. Several years ago some of my buddies, who were overcome with nostalgia, obtained the dream rides of their youth. They came home with 60's vintage 409's, 421's and 389's. You can guess the names that go with the numbers. We all "oohed and aahed" for a while and drove them a few time times and then confessed that they were really awful by current standards. A Chevrolet 409 might cool, but there's any number of dull current crop cars that will run off and hide from it on a mountain road.
Now for the good part: My wife read your post and kept saying "you know, he's right" and indeed you are. If you consider Harleys a focal point of tuning, restoration, modification, history and socialization I actually get that. You are exactly right on about Japanese bikes. Like Peter Eagan, I consider them essentially "sealed units". A few years ago I decided to reset the TPI on my Yamaha FZ1. The instructions read like they came from Microsoft. "Raise tank, locate a certain connector, turn on key, disconnect connector, reconnect it, your tachometer is now a TPI indicator, adjust tach needle to 7000 by turning TPI adjustment screw, turn off key....." You get the drift. It was a lot more fun to grind 3 angle valve jobs in small block heads. Still, you have to admit. These Japanese bikes do run and ride great and the first scheduled valve check (and probably no adjustment will be needed) comes at about the same time that a 60's vintage Bonnie would be due for its second major overhaul.
So, yeah, I do get it. You and I are into bikes for different reasons, but now I understand why you like Harleys.
All the best,
Ed