Road a Harley today-whipee

Not the first Harley I've riden, but the first brand new one. It was a 2004 softail I was delivering for someone. What a snore. I don't know what the facination is about the Harley's. I suppose if you cock your head sidways, squint your eyes, and ignore the total absense of functionality; they don't look bad. What I don't understand is why Harley owners are willing to spend so much money on something that looks ok and rides like poo. I'll take something that you can lean 'till you hit the pegs not the case; something I can stop in less distance than an SUV; and something that can get out of it's own way. I can testify that strait out of the box Harley is none of these things.

Nope my dad used to have a harley and omg it sucks. He admits to not likeing the stiff ride as much as he did when he was younger but yes harleys are not made to really do ANYTHING except cruise in straight line and that is IT. I personally would never want one its just not me. But yeah dont buy a harley expecting a nice ride.

IMO, Harleys are the Ford of motorcycles.... that or Tri(ch)umph.

guess its hard to comprihend that some people have different priorities huh? harleys are cruisers, they werent made to drag the pegs in a turn, same deal as drivin a dusenburg, you ride it for the image, not the performance. cuz its fun to drive. dont get me wrong, i myself am a speed freak, but still, i think once you look at the bike, as far as the target buyer, it is a tremendous success, it is fullfilling the role it was designed to fill, exactly the same way a turbo hybusa must make you happy in pants. just cuz it aint what you want, dont make it wrong. I myself have driven honda S2000s and personally LOATH them, for many reasons, but im sure there are people who love em. just not my cup of tea. its one thing to say you dont like it, its another to bash the bikes as a whole, theyve been around quite a while, perhaps theres a reason for that ;)

oh yeah, did i mention im a harley fan??? :)

Whos bashing? I just said it isnt something I like AT ALL. Not bashing anyone for having them but I MYSELF would never ride one thats all I said. Jeez.

Yeah, I'm not bashing the bike, it's the "bikers" I question. Harley makes their products (yeah products - plural, go to a Harley dealer and see all the "Harley" trademark products they have) based on market analysis, just like every other company now days. What I'm wondering is how many of these "bikers" ride Harleys because they actually like the bikes attributes? My guess is they like 'em and buy 'em because of the image, and the truth is they've been sold that image. In my opinion Harley is cashing in on America's "trend awareness" just like Swatch, Cabbage Patch Kids, Beenie Babies, Tommy Heilfiger, etc. There's nothing wrong with these products, but they make their money because of image, not their function or quality. Americans are easy to manipulate, no doubt about it.

Of course its the "image" man. In NO WAY, SHAPE, or FORM are these bikes FUN to ride as stated above.

Although i'm a sportbiker myself.... i'd definetley own a fatboy if i had the chance!

I shouldnt ever ride a harley, I am a big enough asshole already, having a harley would make it even worse.

I shouldnt ever ride a harley, I am a big enough asshole already, having a harley would make it even worse.
You're right... any more "asshole" in you would leave you with negative mass. ;)

Negative mass that's great..You should write Sci-Fi

I have both a GSXR 1000 and a 97 Superglide in my garage. Each bike has its own function. If I want to go out and rip it up, the Zuk is the right tool. For distance riding and just cruising, the Harley does the job.

The other thing is that the Suzuki is a cop magnet. I have been pulled over countless times for bull$hit reasons. I have yet to get pulled over on the Harley.

Honestly, sometimes it is fun to push the Harley to its limits. It is kind of like pushing a Chevette to its limits.

BUT, I cant stand the yuppie scum that pretend to be in the 1%. Its kind of tough to pull off the badass image when they are wearing the t-shirt that the dealer gave them when they bought the bike, and the stick on tatoos aren't fooling anyone.

Harleys have their purpose. It used to be the hardcore outkast that wanted nothing to do with no one except for themselves rode them and worked on them and loved them. The were always breaking down so they were able to drink beer, work on the motorcyles and have parties. That is drifted into the past. Since the big comeback there are more doctors, lawyers, and big business owners that let there beard grow out on vacation and go out to play hardcore biker. In all honest it is really not there fault. Harley has been able to get their prices to a point where those are the people that can afford them. So yes, Harley is now a trend and not a cult following. But like everything else the aura will fade and it will go back to the way it was sooner or later. The one thing positive about this is that the bikes are ALOT better bikes than their predecessors. I had an 2002 softail with an air ride suspension, big bore kit, jetted, piped among other things and I liked that motorcycle for what it was for. Cruising around. If you get on a Harley to drag the peg then you might as well just low side it and get something else.

Sincerely, your local District Attorney =)

ThE CoRrUpTeD OnE

In years past (when Hogs were all cast-iron) it was more of a pride issue. Support your fellow "brother", defend the red,white and blue, and buy products that were "made in U.S.A". The old hard core Harley owners looked down on anything that was Jap, it was like another invasion- but in a different form.

The Evolution brought on more performance, lighter weight and better reliability. In recent years some Harleys have optional Delphi e.f.i. and the bigger road bikes come fuel injection as standard equipment. Better designs, timeless intentions. Get on the thing and cruise across town or cross-country.

The Revolution started as a clean sheet and became a Harley like no other Harley. Liquid cooling,hydro-forming, 115hp,quad cams,4-valve heads and e.f.i. The latest cruiser can rip it up too. Sounds pretty high-tec for a producer of dinosaurs.

It's like another Corvette phenomenon-Those who wished and dreamed of one when they were young have the ability (and money) to afford one later in life. I guess it is something that comes w/age too. I have looked at Ducati and Aprillia, both are amazing machines. The 999 is sweet and tasteful but out of the quesion (I am 6'3", it would kill my back to ride it). I have done my homework and will soon be the owner of a black VRSCB (V-Rod).

It's not that Harleys have become more affordable, the other manufacturers have become more expensive. I feel more comfortable laying my money down on something that will hold it's value, and possibly gain interest in the long run (what's the averege deperciation rate of your typical ricer?). Something else that has gained attention recently is all the old cars that are coming out of hibernation. Seems like something old is now new again. Harleys look old, and that in tern looks "cool". Looking at the new "naked" bikes is proof of that.
I guess if it wasn't for Harley Davidson, there wouldn't be any Vulcans, VTRs, Shadows, V-Stars,etc... coming from the offices of Japan.

Which odds are better? Picking up a hot chick off the street corner on a Springer Softail-or on a "want-a-be" Intruder,Vulcan,Shadow,etc...?


---TEX---

Texas HotRod, that last statement is stupid. We now alll know why you own a bike. POSER! You bought your bike to pick up chicks, you must be one fat ugly SOB as most are. Anyways, JAP bikes are soooooooooooooooooo much more well made and more reliable than harleys. Any jap HARLEY type bike will last longer and will cost dramatically less but like you said you need harleys to boost your self esteem and quote PICK UP CHICKS! So there now everyone knows what harleys are good for. Besides most of the chicks I seen on the back of harleys, well I dont think I have to even finish that sentence. Lets just say I wouldnt be proud of myself.

It's not that Harleys have become more affordable, the other manufacturers have become more expensive. I feel more comfortable laying my money down on something that will hold it's value, and possibly gain interest in the long run (what's the averege deperciation rate of your typical ricer?). Something else that has gained attention recently is all the old cars that are coming out of hibernation. Seems like something old is now new again. Harleys look old, and that in tern looks "cool". Looking at the new "naked" bikes is proof of that.
I guess if it wasn't for Harley Davidson, there wouldn't be any Vulcans, VTRs, Shadows, V-Stars,etc... coming from the offices of Japan.

Which odds are better? Picking up a hot chick off the street corner on a Springer Softail-or on a "want-a-be" Intruder,Vulcan,Shadow,etc...?

Harley's don't hold their value, go look at a cycletrader magazine, half of it is harleys, and alot of them have mechanical problems.

The new V-rod isn't even considered a harley in most peoples books, considering most of it is from japan, and engineering from germany. It is laughed at by many classic harley riders.

Saying "without harley there wouldnt be any other cruisers" is quite ignorant, that is like saying if the chinese didn't invent the wheel, nobody else would have. A motor on two wheels, and a comfortable riding position, that wouldn't be too hard to design a cruiser looking motorcycle.

It may be easier to pick up a girl on harley then a jap cruiser, however a sportbike is even easier.

Well I am bored so I think I will put in my 2 cents... Harleys are extremly over priced... sure it is for the name and all... but beyond that I myself find them to be nice bikes. And yes they do need a lot of tinkering with but that is a lot of the joy of having a harley... I mean if you are not one of the "poser"s that is. And sure other cruisers would have been made even with the lack of Harleys but Harleys did come first and they are original. That is one of the greatest things I like about it. If Harley were Japanese even I would still find them to be just the same merely of their originality. The steriotypical ass holes that ride Harleys, well they are a bunch of bitches but just because they are doesnt mean that every one that rides a Harley is. Don't get me wrong i prefer a good Ninja myself for the most part, but Harleys are just as good(in my opinion) but on a different scale...

Like I said though that is just my 2 cents...

Later dudes

I remember when this forum used to be a good place to visit, when did the name calling come into effect? Your mamma didn't teach you any manners, EGcivic? You must be mistaken 'cause when I look in the mirror I don't see fat or ugly. Maybe you have an image problem, but I surely don't.
Why don't you just come out and say it. I made you mad by referring to the metric bikes as "ricers". It's obvious that since you also own a Civic, you took a double offense to it. Well, no apologies (to you) from me, that's from my years of owning real (Chevy) muscle cars. I guess to me everything Japanese (and metric) is considered a ricer.

I raced MX,ran hill climbs,owned a Ninja and had a CBX when that was the bike to have. I've turned wrenches for several different dealers and now do the work for my own business. Look how many old Hogs are on the roads in masses compared to old metrics that you see every day. Oh!, but wait. I can't remember the last time I saw an old CB750-4,a KZ100,a Yamaha Seca, an H-1 or any old Metric iron. Too old, something newer? When was the last time you saw a single GPZ750, GPZTurbo, Interceptor, an early Ninja900, an FZR1000, a GSXR (Kevin Schwanz era), etc,...on the highway. The fact is that old sport bikes lose their coolness but old Harleys (any Harley) don't. I can see where a Z1-R or an Eddie Lawson Special whould have a good cool factor, or a 79 CBX (for the massiveness), those bikes were unique and have certain value.

All the old big dudes w/the poney tails are proud of what they have and they ride the wheels off of em. When you rack up bookoos of miles, mechanicals do wear out. If you use your sport bike to spurt around town or rip out some country highway for the afternoon, the harsh elements don't take their toll. Harleys eventually wear out because they are used excessively.
How many Metric bikes can you find for salvage that ARE complete? Bikes that were left for dead or that suddenly self-destructed? Harleys are sold and traded between friends for good value. The ones in the Cycle Traders are usually peeps that are trying to dump them off for a quick buck. A good friend of mine sold some old Harley for almost what he paid for it. Pretty cool to ride a bike for 10yrs and get almost what you paid for it. Seems like I lost my a$$ when I sold my (clean) 3yr old Ninja. I saw some auction on TV where this dude paid 300K for an old Harley. Looks like good appreciation to me.

I just came here to defend Harley's name, the same I would do for certain friends. I didn't come here looking for a fight, but that doesn't mean I won't back down from one.
I don't need a Harley to inflate my image, I want one just to enjoy (and add to my personal collection). If my image needs inflating, I can do that by jumping in my Vette or driving my blown Chevy down the street.

Good one Dark-One, that was well said (my mon would be proud).


---TEX---

btw, wtf does "poser" mean anyway. I haven't heard of that code word before.

Hey TEXAS-HOTROD, thanks for the compliment... and a "poser" is somebody who pretends to be something they're not particularly for an image... such as it was originaly used in this thread to describe somebody who buys a Harley merely for the attention of chicks in particular. A better scenario(in my opinion) would be some dude who owns a civic(no offence to anyone... civics are just very common in Lufkin) and they turn it into a what i refer to as a ricer**, and then the person talks a bunch of shit about being able to kick another dudes ass in a drag or something and when it comes down to it they pussy out of it.

Hope that helps you out dude... take it easy... later.

Note
**My definition of a ricer--A car is not a ricer because of where it is from but by things like having stickers to make people think you have parts you don't and cars that have NOS and nothing more and thinking that is all you need to make their car a bad ass machine.

I raced MX,ran hill climbs,owned a Ninja and had a CBX when that was the bike to have. I've turned wrenches for several different dealers and now do the work for my own business. Look how many old Hogs are on the roads in masses compared to old metrics that you see every day. Oh!, but wait. I can't remember the last time I saw an old CB750-4,a KZ100,a Yamaha Seca, an H-1 or any old Metric iron. Too old, something newer? When was the last time you saw a single GPZ750, GPZTurbo, Interceptor, an early Ninja900, an FZR1000, a GSXR (Kevin Schwanz era), etc,...on the highway. The fact is that old sport bikes lose their coolness but old Harleys (any Harley) don't. I can see where a Z1-R or an Eddie Lawson Special whould have a good cool factor, or a 79 CBX (for the massiveness), those bikes were unique and have certain value.

All the old big dudes w/the poney tails are proud of what they have and they ride the wheels off of em. When you rack up bookoos of miles, mechanicals do wear out. If you use your sport bike to spurt around town or rip out some country highway for the afternoon, the harsh elements don't take their toll. Harleys eventually wear out because they are used excessively.
How many Metric bikes can you find for salvage that ARE complete? Bikes that were left for dead or that suddenly self-destructed? Harleys are sold and traded between friends for good value. The ones in the Cycle Traders are usually peeps that are trying to dump them off for a quick buck. A good friend of mine sold some old Harley for almost what he paid for it. Pretty cool to ride a bike for 10yrs and get almost what you paid for it. Seems like I lost my a$$ when I sold my (clean) 3yr old Ninja. I saw some auction on TV where this dude paid 300K for an old Harley. Looks like good appreciation to me.


btw, wtf does "poser" mean anyway. I haven't heard of that code word before.

Since you do ride a harley, I will go out on a wing and say you naturally want to ride with other harley riders. Now given that situation ofcourse you are a hell of a lot less likely to see old metric bikes on the road or anywhere else. I see old FZ1000s, Secas, Seca Turbos, and plenty of older sportsbikes as well (infact there are many many people who own a new jap bike, but still have a old one that they won't sell). Granted I don't see as much as old harleys though. But truthfully look at the difference, while harley has stayed at the same mechanical level for almost 45 years, all the foriegn bikes keep getting better. So there is a reason most people are riding newer metric bikes, because the technological advancements of these companies keep getting farther and farther ahead.

Wow maybe I will buy a harley now and take it to an auction and make 10x the amount i paid for it, no doubt every harley appreciates.

Pople who are called "posers" when riding harleys are tipically referring to yuppie lawyers or crap who have the money to afford a harley, and grow their beard out for the weekend ride just to try and look badass before going back to the office on monday.

I'll admit it, I take offense to those close-minded comments of yours.

In my riding crew of 72 people, there is a 1990 CBR100f, a 1982 Seca Turbo, a Seca II (mine), an Interceptor (my family's), and a whole bunch of other older sportbikes. Hell, the CBR100f, it has over 93,000 miles, it does track days, 500+ mile sunday rides... you name it, Mark has ridden it. He has done the Hog thing, the Goldwing thing, and he always comes back to the sportbike. He loves the fact that he can ride the bike instead of fix it every day. Not to mention that most of my co-riders put on several thousand miles a year... some as many as 20k+ each and every year. So whose bikes are wearing out from use?

The only reason why most Hog riders even look at me is b/c I'm a girl on a bike. They don't wave to other sportbike riders b/c they don't want to shatter their "I'm made of American Steel" image... well, next time you order a part, I'd check to see from whence it came. Any more, those parts are saying Japan, China, etc. I have not lost more than $200 from selling a bike I bought. Had I not sold it in the off season, I would have made a $300 profit if I had waited. Depreciation/Appreciation is in the eye of the beholder. It doesn't matter whose name is emblazoned on the gear/bike. It matters whether the bike was well-maintained and ridden instead of beaten.

The only thing I like about Harley Davidson is their baseball caps.

Other than that, overall, they suck and they're dangerous because of the lack of performance, especially the brakes.

Not to mention, if you look close, many of the items that make these bikes look so pretty, such as the chrome, foot boards, and other nick-nacks are made in Taiwan R.O.C.. So much for buying an American bike. I'll take a wild guess and say that the only thing manufactured in the U.S. is the engine, frame, and brakes. Try walking into a Harley dealership and look at all the aftermarket parts hanging on the wall......made in Taiwan. All I know is that the Japs got it going on with their bikes, even some of their premier cruises would put a Harley to shame, looks & performance.

If you're looking to buy into a name (Harley Davidson) go ahead, it's all image, all show no go.

If I wanted a real luxurious cruiser I would get that big ass BMW, I forget what it's called, put it'll make even the best Road Master burry it's head in the dirt.

I ride a Yamaha R1 & a Yamaha WR400. I've been riding since I was six years old way back in 1980.
I'm now looking into getting a good Enduro to travel the Baja peninsula with.

I ain't bashing nobody, I'm just expressing my opinion.

I guess it depends on geographic location on which bikes are more popular. Living on highway frontage and placed centrally between the Gulf coast and the Texas hills, I see a crap load of bikes come (and fly) by daily. I can honestly say that the big 30-50 bike biker clubs that go by are all Harleys. There are sport bike packs that whiz by (noting like an R-1 at speed--or 10 of them) and the Gold Wingers, but the majority here are Harleys. With the crappy weather we have this weekend, I could hear several packs of Hogs that went by. I was in bed watching the tube and heard dozens of Lone Rangers thunder by, I didn't have to run to the door to tell what they were. Different bikes make different sounds(you can tell the difference between a Honda and a Kawa.4cyl.), no mistaking a Harley. That means a lot to a certain group of people.

I didn't mean anything bad about pickin up some chick off the street. Coming from past experience, most woemen like the glitter of gold, the sparkle of real diamonds and the quality in name brands (pants,shoes,purses,etc...). What could they expect from some dude on a look-a-like Hog. Sport bikes are a different catagory, they too are bad ass.

When I worked at the dealers, the owners would push the generic parts as much as possible. I know how expensive bike parts are to buy when you are an average consumer, but the parts are really inexpensive to the shop owners. Back in the early 90s when I quit working for the dealers and went off to turn the wrenches for myself, the average mark-up on factory parts was at 300 percent. It's probably much higher now. No matter what brand you own, the screwing is still the same--all the shops do it--.My boss at Yamaha pushed the Taiwanese and Chinese parts because he could really put the screws to people and still make it look like a cheaper deal compared to the factory parts.
When I order parts for my customers rides, I know that they will be quality factort parts (from a cheaper private supplier) and they know it too. If you go into a dealer and pick a generic part off the hanger and take it home it is not any fault of the dealer. You do have a choice.
When your buddy in the parts department hands you an Emco oil filter because it is $1 cheaper than the factory part, you need to question the reasoning behind his decision and see what kind of line he is giving.---It is a proven fact that parts resale businesses (cars, bikes, tractors,etc...) profit more by selling inported parts because they can slap on a higher mark-up %. It doesn't matter if it's a Yamaha,Honda,Suzuki, or a Harley dealer--if you pick up a Chinese part, they are going to sell it to you.--I don't come here just to throw the crap, I do have facts behind my figures--

When a customer supplies his own "Auto Zone" parts (80% of my work is autos) when I service or repair his car, I give no guarantees. Those parts are the rejucts of the rejects. 90% of the service parts that I use are of reputable brands and most from the USA. In certain areas of different vehicles I will only use a dealer part. If you work out of your back yard and don't mind changing that "lifetime warrantied" starter (or alternator) several times before they finally give you one that's durable, it's cool. I just don't like to do a job twice.

I too could see a K1200RS Bimmer in my garage, but the V-Rod will have to come first.

This whole time I thought the Egyptians were the first to invent the wheel. Oh well.

---TEX---

To me sport bikes remind me far to much of rice rockets

Okay, after riding bikes for 29 years, here are my 2 cents.....
Harley, (the company) did a magnificnet job for the last 25 years at making a technically inferior product more desireable than the superior imports. If they had not traded on and developed their product image, there would be no Harley today.
I find it very amusing how the Japanese companies developed new cruiser bikes that were inferior in function to their earlier models. Case in point. My 1975 CB550 is a marvelous machine. Comfortable, good handling, reasonably quick, very smooth, easy to handle.....and has about as much soul as a toaster.
My '83 Maxim has an excellent engine ruined by the foul handling and awful riding position brough about by ham fisted early Jap cruiser styling.
My buddy has a 2001 Yamaha 750 V-twin cruiser thing, that doesn't even have a decent engine.....its slower, less comfortable, has worse handling, lousy brakes and much worse than my CB550, in every functional way. This is progress??
So whats my point?
Since bikes are, for most people, a recreational/entertainment product, people buy them for fun, and to make themselves feel good. Actual function is beside the point, especially in the cruiser market. Harley has by far the best combination of image, fun, appeal and marketing of any cruiser, and arguably, any motorcycle. To expect a Harley to actually function better than other bikes misses the point.