"Harley" guys..
I really want help in understanding and do not want to sound judgemental so hear me out and give me your take..
When I approach the motorcyle on its merits and you look around the market..How can you say that Harley's are best??
What merits? Some people want more than speed. Some people want a bike that they can work on - it's part of the lifestyle and allure.
It feels (to me) that the Harley guys are SO blindly loyal (Incredible score for Harley Marketing) that no matter how good (OR BAD) the product is you'll buy it.
Have you EVER tried to have a conversation about bikes with a Goldwing owner? Some people just get hooked on brand loyalty. I'm not one of them. I've owned 2 Hondas a Kawi and currently own a Yamer and a Harley. Bar none the Harley is the best riding experience I've ever had.
I mean some of the Harley's vibrate your eyeballs off, are air cooled, have poor brakes, performance is terrible, have this BIG 1450 CC motor that Harley guys are just so proud of that puts a WHOPPING what 75 horsepower?!..The motors redline at 5K..starts to break up like the space shuttle at around 95mph...and the bonus for all that technology is they are WAY MORE EXPENSIVE for (technically) less bike than what is offered by the Japanese (or Victory) manufacturers..
This is where we get ugly - you are flat out wrong. Harleys are WAY better than people want to believe - the image most people hold is of those AMF days when parts were made on old machines with poor tolerances. Those days are over. My Harley came from the factory with dual front disk brakes. Red line is NOT 5000 rpm (ha!) and tracks straight as an arrow at 100+. All for 5000 dollars (used 1200 Sporty).
a new RK goes for 18 G and sells used for...15 gs how much are you gonna get back for your Honda? 2, 3 g's? Not that that matters to me as I never sell my bikes - they're for life.
Are other machines better made? Yes - Honda nad BMW make great bikes from an engineering standpoint. But there ain't much soul in 'em. The Shadow I owned sucked, but never broke down. It was boring.
where you have a point is in the air cooled engine - because of that they have to seriously "De-tune" the bikes to pass emission standards. This is a wink wink thing between people who want the character of an aircooled twin and are willing to pay the cost to have the engine brought to life after the purchase. It's rediculous on the face of it (buy a bike that gets 80 ponies and then pay money to make it run?!?!) but we all know it going in.
And then the other 'Harley' thing is customizing and 'making it your own' (I though that was called paying for it). I went to Laconia Bike week once and I have to be honest..All these "custom" Harley's ALL LOOKED THE SAME!!?? triple trees...seats..rims....etc...all of it..
And 3/4 of these guys pull them on trailers, ride a mile down the street to STARE At them..WTF????
Those aren't Harley guys. Those are "enthusiasts" who want their toys. And more power to them. They know what they want and they get it. who are we to judge them? And lets face it - Bikes are toys whether you want to admit it or not. They mean a whole lot more to me than that, but it doesn't change the fact that 99 percent of ALL motorcycles are bought as recreational vehicals.
Have you ever painted your house, decorated the walls or bought new furniture? Or did you just leave it as is? My bike is as important as my house and it is MINE. I want it to reflect that. I bobbed my Magna too and replaced those stupid fugly turn signals on my Yamaha with aftermarket lights. I like what I like
I mean honestly WHAT GIVES???
I really want some insight. Please help me understand.
Don't take my post as Harley Vs. "X" or Harley bashing. That is not what it is intended at all.
none taken, but your post IS a little harsh and biased.
I want to know what makes a Harley guy buy a Harley without hearing the reasoning that 'hey its a Harley' because to me that is no reason..
I buy it because Bikes are more than a conveyance. They are more than a mode of transportation, and they are more than the sum of their parts. And no other bike in the world has the character and soul of a Harley. The experience of riding my Harley is better than the following bikes I've been on:
Honda:
Shadow
84 Magna
Triumph:
72 tiger (close second place!)
Norton (can't remember the year - late 70's)
Kawi:
Ninja EX500
Ninja 600
Ninja 100
440 LTD
Yamaha:
VFW
78 SR500 (currently my other ride)
BMW:
650
R1100
ducati:
916SS (what a machine!)
EDIT: Forgot that I rode one of those monster Hyabusas! Damn that thing is scary!
Thanks all and I agree with what someone else said. Ride what you love and the bottom line is 2 wheels are better than 4 no matter what the name on the tank is.
That was me...
you too.
I like that I'm riding somthing that my father, uncles and grandfather rode and that even though it's the same 45 degree v-twin design engine it's done nothing but improve the last 70 years or so. I had some British engineers working for Lilly ask me once what it was about Harley that make them so great when technically they are so antiquated. They told the truth about how the best changes Harleys had seen since the 70's were all upgrades stolen from Honda and Yamaha. So why are they so awesome?
The Big Beemer is also quite a bit sportier than she looks, though not as sporty as a sport bike. Much sportier than a Wing, though.
