Who Hates Harley Davidson?

I'm with you on this. They are selling 1930's tech and design of the engine, trans and frame for 2016 prices. Just unbelievable.
Their motors are large CC (ci) and make no power to speak of. They do make some decent torque but that's the way under square engines are.

It's also the misinformation of how great the Harley's are and it's an American bike, that sets the tone for the culture Harley is selling. That's all that Harley has to sell is the culture. I have some good friends the own Classic Road Kings and they do ride them,20,000 miles a year, on long trips. They have had their problems though. They do not act like the bad asses like the majority does. The big shame is most of them don't really know how to ride vs knowing how to operate. I feel sorry for some of them because they are ignorant of safety vs image. There have been a few of them around my area that have crashed and died or have been seriously injured because of no protection on their bodies and head. The biggest negative I've hear from Harley riders is there is no power for passing at higher speeds (60-80mph). Torque can only take you so far, then you need horsepower and the Harleys don't have it.

Plus a lot of them sound like an old Chevy truck with a broken exhaust manifold. Ask me that story..................

 

You mean some of the 30's tech like springer forks that they charge EXTRA for? lol I have a few friends that ride them and have done a few trips with them. They have crap for power trying to pass and often scare themselves with high speed wobbles. I look at my friends Ultra and I see a brand new VFR, new CBR and throw in a new CRF 250........ and have enough money left over to mod all 3 to the way I want them. And have enough money left over for a years worth of track days. Both road and dirt. lol

 

I have always wondered something about the cruiser market in general. The government is all about safety and has reg for just about everything and yet they continue to build motorcycle that are so low and with such ponderous exhaust and foot boards that they have no cornering clearance. I would think that being able to turn a corner is a safety factor.

 

Harleys are not bad bikes for what they are. What ruins the brand for me is the "have to drink the kool aid" mentality that seems to come with most owners. I will not say all as some of my best riding friends are harley advocates. They are very cool. And they have a complete understanding that the word harley on the tank does not offer any superiority. I myself have ridden a few, never owned though. There is one model that belongs in my stable, the XR1200. It was only made for a few years, and when I find the right deal at the right time I'll snatch one up. The bikes are actually pretty quiet from the factory. They also don't come with a bunch of stupid crap attached to them. Thats all "kool aid" avaialble for purchase and installation before you ever take it home. Most buyers aimply gotta have it because it's a harley. I have a neighbor who is dying to get into riding. We talked about it one day. He says he just cant afford it. When I explained that I sold my wife on an 84 cb700sc a few years with the fact that picking up a cheap project, making it road worthy, and just using it to commute 11 months out of the year over the truck, saved in fuel more than triple the cost of purchase, registration, insurance, repairs, new riding gear, and fuel IN THE FIRST YEAR, around $3000 or so, he was impressed. Then he came back with "But I need like $10000 for the harley I want." I asked what makes him want a harley over any other bike, mind you he has never been on two wheels ever, he responds "I don't even know. They're just fuckin' awesome." I just shake my head to another lost soul who doesn't understand what it's really all about.

 

That a good sturdy bike you got your wife, i used to have one in high school, very easy to ride and dependable

 

Sadly, she supports my addiction, but doesn't share my passion for riding. The nighthawk was my ticket back into the two wheeled world after an eight year hiatus. I had to let go of my last bike in 01 when kids started happening. Picked up this bike for $500 in "it's all there" condition, and joined an incredibly helpful forum much like this one. A few cold weeks in the garage that winter and I was back in. I sold it last year to a buddy who was getting back into riding after a bad wreck 5 years prior. You can see it in my avatar pic with the vfr at an old covered bridge we found the other day.

 

The Harley store was the only game in town for rentals, when I had a couple of days off from work in SD last summer.

Rather than miss a chance at riding in the Black Hills, Street Glide it was!
No real complaints, other than the basic fact that the H-D did not match up with my idea of a proper mount for the ride through the twisties, and getting a view of absolutely spectacular scenery.

I nearly dropped the bike once, when the engine hiccuped as I was starting from a stop, and turning left over a crown in the road. Took every ounce of strength I had to not scuff the shiny!
The reality was that the bike had many exceptional features, like electronic cruise control (not a throttle lock) and a decent stereo, both with handlebar mounted controls.

It was capable, if not wonderful, but my primary goal, of riding the Black Hills of SD "in the wind" was well accomplished.
I'd never buy a Harley. Not my cup of tea.
But I'd sure as hell rent another one, if no other more palatable options were available for a 24 hour ride through heaven on earth!

 

If you're ever bored and in a pesky mood, go in a Harley dealership and play with the salespeople, if one even blesses you with a greeting. Get them to get off on how the Japanese bikes are such "throw away junk". Then tell the what you ride and why. It can be entertaining. Ask them why they're junk then why a VFR will easily go over 100K miles with little maintenance then how much maintenance a Hardley requires in that time period, if they live that long.

 

Their selling point has always been that Harleys are built to be cherished and rebuilt and customized. I guess they are but Japanese bikes are meant to give their owners thousands of trouble free miles. At the 100,000 mile mark you can throw it away and buy something new with the money you have saved of 12,000 mile engine rebuilds.

 

You all make some true but very good points, no argument there. My Honda's ran longer and with less trouble than any of my other bikes.

 

DA that sounds like fun, just may do that next time I go to Ti County Honda since they moved right next door to Harley.


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I don't hate Harleys. I hate the stupid marketing rhetoric. Years ago, when i worked at the BMW shop, a customer came in looking at bikes. He said he was looking at BMWs and Harleys because he wanted the best. My boss, who worked in Harley dealers for years, almost choked. He used to go on and on about Harley's engineering stupidity from built up cranks, crazy breather systems, iffy valve train and generator flying opens. He loved his BMW RT because he liked to ride more then he like to look at his bike. But you still hear that "Harley is the best bike made" kind of crap.

 

Ask em why you have to tack on a lot of Screaming Eagle crap to get decent performance? Ask em if that voids to warranty? For a real laugh as the sales guys if Harley stands behind their products with excellent warranty service?

 

Years back when i bought my V-rod, they started to talk crap until i told them what I rode, then they straightened right up and were polite.

 

That was a fun bike but it still didn't compare to my intercepter.

 

One thing Harley does very well is marketing. The ignorant buyer is led to believe through marketing that Harley's are THE motorcycle to have and your life will be transformed to a lifestyle that's implied to be better than just being a good citizen. Then when you go to buy one, it's implied that you need more power and that a Screaming Eagle at a MUCH higher price will get you the power you NEED and you'll be a REAL badass. Then the smart people get them home and realize the mortgage payment on it is as big as their home mortgage and it ends up in the front yard with a for sale sign on it. Hardly sells on emotion only.

 

Oh don't forget after all the add ons for more power (what a laugh)
They then walk ya over to the clothing section to sell you T-shirts , boots,chaps and the rest of the bullshit that these guys wear, and don't forget those long leather things that they put on the end of there grip so they can whip the shit out of there arms, but at least there cool right?
Have a guy (kid) at work, Im getting all geared up at my bike and the only gear he's concerned about is his white t-shirt and his bitchen leather hardley vest along with tennis shoes and no gloves
Just SMH...always get a good laugh


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^^^^^^Don't forget those stupid bells they have hanging on their bike somewhere. I had a guy tell me it was a longtime tradition. I told him I've been riding for 50 years and this is the first I've ever heard about it. That was about 3 years ago.

 

They keep the bad mojo away.... But you have to get tattoos to hang the bell......ha


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"They keep the bad mojo away...."

I hate to tell 'em, it ain't workin'. layful: