Who Hates Harley Davidson?

The pictures of the NJ bikes on the trailer reminds me of every day this week on I-95 travelling for my job. Harleys on trailers everywhere you looked.

I rode my 1974 Suzuki GT750 down to Daytona from Charleston, SC a couple of years ago for bike week. It was quite amusing to me when I passed a trailer full of new Harleys and even Gold Wings, from Orlando, while I was riding a 32 year-old bike 400 miles to get there.

One of my friends wears a t-shirt that says, "I rode my bike to trailer week". He also rides a 1974 GT750, and did 48K miles on it last year.

Lane

 

Harley's

Have/had Hondas and other metric bikes all my life. 16 in all. I used to badmouth HD's all thru the 80's and 90's. Quality and reliabilty they were cetainly not the standard then. Always marking their teritory and breaking down. They stepped it up from about 1999 on. I finally bought a 03 aniversary FXDL so I could verbally abuse them first hand. The twin cam motor is a good one. I flog the sh-- out of it every time I ride it....which isn't that often. 2100 miles. Seems Honda does have performance and quality fit and finish above all. My pic is that for the price of the machine, they put substandard brakes, suspension etc. parts on a expensive machine. My 2 pennies.

 

Bla... bla... bla...

Got a Harley, I love it. Currently I am pulling about 62 MPG on it (City.) and basically if I'm doing a long haul IMO there is not anything better, its like driving a big comfy couch. I can pack it down like a Bedouin nomad, and do 800 - 1000 miles a day and for an old fart like me that's no small feat.

Got a VFR, Nice go fast machine, very comfortable as sport bikes go. In fact I've had more of these than any HOG. Handles like a dream, goes from zero to too damn fast, only gives me 37 MPG. (City.) and after about 200 miles I'm done.

Which bikes my favorite, Depends on what I plan to do that day. Each one has a purpose, and when used within that purpose does what each is meant and designed to do and do extremely well. Would I consider Riding my VFR from Philadelphia to Montreal, in one day in one go with only stops to take on fuel. Not just no but hell no. Would I take my Harley to carve up some mountain roads, Not just no but hell no.

As for attitude, I made the toy run this year. Rode with a coupe of Angels and had no attitude, however got much attitude from the squids, on the twinked crotch rockets, Pulling wheelies in the middle of everyone in formation. It all depends on the rider, I've gotten as much attitude riding my VFR from Harley riders, as I have seen when riding my Harley from the Sport bike crowd.

Everyone regardless of what they ride gets a wave and in my unscientific testing I get the same lack of responses from both crowds.

And just a little food for thought, back in the day, when my CB 350 was new... and broken down, and I was trying to cram it in the trunk of my brothers land yacht (early 70's cars had big trunks.) the only guy who stopped to lend a hand was a Harley rider. The Guys on the CB750F's just rode on past.

and Just a little more food for thought... I had a bad attitude long before I owned a Harley. ;-)

 

Nothing confusing, if you don't seperate one line text from the whole statements.


As to the 6th gen comment in my signiture, thats just fact my friend, anybody that had all gens or are familier of them would tell you that

That & I was tired of the new gen 6th militia attitude that sound like piss ant Harley hardcorest's towards rice rockets.
Reason why I pointed out the defense of all riders groups/makes have bad apples.

Whats even funnier is I run across all the time non-HD cruiser riders that act like the bad ass 1% & scuff @ sport bike riders & are just want to be's & are just RUBS:baby:

 

I am kinda gettin the feeling that, overall, this thread is tiring out. KC eariler mentioned that he felt it had little or no merit. I almost agree, but in its early stages I did find some good entertainment value in it. Even now sometimes I do I guess. I refuse to soapbox, but it's Friday night and after a few beers I guess I'm getting a little chatty.
As far as a HD goes, sitting still or rumbling down the road, they do nothing for me. They do not 'move' me - so to speak. That being said, I am certain that there are many out there, who look at a VFR and feel the same way. I know why I bought my VFR, I can tell you all that I was 'moved' as it sat still, I was sold on the reliability, and I could not wait to discover its performance potential. (And I am not disappointed) Why would my counterpart buy a HD? I ask myself this and I think I understand it a little. A couple guesses although I am sure there is more -
1. The absolute belief that this is a fully true American made machine and the history associated with it.
2. #1 and or the perceived stature that is associated with ownership.
3. The alternative is that the rest of us are just adding to the Japonese GNP and are contributing to the eventual demise of our own country by doing so.
I don't know, but whatever it is I know I really dont care. Within this forum I believe is a group of real good people, with exceptional senses of humor. If a young person just went out and bought a sportster for their first bike and stumbled upon this thread, I am forced to consider what impact that might have. Not sure why, but I think of it. I am sure there are Harley sites out there that beat the hell out of everyone else. Again, I really dont care - they can fricken eat my sh*t.
I better give up here soon but the reason I came back to this thread is that a conversation I had today made me think. Everytime I tell someone that I bought a motorcycle, that I havent seen in a while, they inevitably ask me - Is it a Harley? I mean it, every single time!! These are most often people that do not ride and know very little about it. I gotta give HD credit where credit is due, they have got the general non-riding public, at least here, thinking about their product.
Is it just me, here, seeing that the general public perception of motorcycles falls into one of two categories, harleys and crotch-rockets? When I tell them I did not, in fact, buy a harley, the say "you have a crotch rocket?" I guess that is when you just have to walk away; as I probably should now. Thanks for your time - EVvy

 

his twin brother lives near me does the same thing. they dont idle right thats y they rev them. they want them to lope until the almost stall but i return the favor early in the morning or late at night got leos on mine took out the tubes in them str8 baffle it loud too.............

 

his twin brother lives near me does the same thing. they dont idle right thats y they rev them. they want them to lope until the almost stall but i return the favor early in the morning or late at night got leos on mine took out the tubes in them str8 baffle it loud too.............i know harley owners at work get the rice burner crap from them then i know guys want to ride with me and meet the troups comming home at the airport. i think the harley just enhances the asshole personalities and then the gernerousity just being thankful it didnt break down or leak out all the oil. had a hurricane 600 100k no problems regular maintance y i bought another honda. h8 to say it but the corrvette guys same thing got one but they do look cool when all tricked out ill give them that.. wonder if i get my engine in there frame? ill loosen the case covers 4 that oil leak then ill pull 2 plug wires of set idle at 50rpm

 

lol love the trailer boys. ok harley not in supercross outdoor enduro baja fim worldsuperbike gp roadracing ama they tryed scoot russel picotte could never finish a race top 10 huh..not at x games not back flipping then where are they???????????? at the shop or at a bar w8ing 4 their owners get drunk enough to feel good about buying that piece of junk.... american made well they sure should be cheaper and the americans building them did they graduate high school just wondering??

 

First my vote – No, I don’t hate HD.

And now for my rambling thoughts on the issue.

Until last August, when she hit a deer in Hells Canyon and her Dyna Low-rider burnt to the ground, my fiancé, Julia rode a Harley. She had modified the bike to fit her long legs and her taste and she did run, among other things, an aftermarket carb and fairly loud pipes. The first time I sat on her bike, adjusted the choke(!) and started it up it reminded me of my first hot rod. There’s something very, “American V8” about that sound and feel and in that moment I understood something about the whole Harley thing. It is visceral and primitive.

Until last year I had never ridden a motorcycle – not one, not once. I knew my propensity for speed mixed with my risk-taking nature would have been the end of me if I had gotten on any motorcycle in my youth. At the age of 40, when I finally decided I’d mellowed out enough and I wanted to challenge myself and learn something new (and ride with my girl) I started looking at bikes. Keep in mind that I knew nothing of motorcycles and Julia rode a Harley at the time.

I considered the type of riding we were planning on doing together and went and looked at motorcycles. Julia was accustomed to touring, riding upwards of 20,000 miles a year so I started reading the expert opinions regarding different motorcycles and began focusing on Cruisers and Sport Touring bikes.

During that quest I began to observe the different cultures. I didn’t like the Squid culture, with its immature tendencies, but I certainly was even more turned off by the whole Poser mentality that seemed to ooze off many within the Harley community. Interestingly, I ran into several people I knew at the Harley dealerships I went to. I had an in-depth conversation with one of them, a Psychiatrist, about my reluctance to ride Harley because I didn’t like the image many of the owners seemed to be striving for. I explained that I’d been a bad boy in my youth so I didn’t need to re-live any of those times (my hands and nose have been broken enough and jail is smelly and uncomfortable and the company is rather deficient). And here was my doctor friend, a mild mannered professional held in high esteem within the medical community admitting to me that he and his two attorney friends definitely copped a bad-ass attitude whenever donning their doo-rags and skull caps and revving up their Hogs. (By the way, the only reason I can think of for not wearing a full-face helmet is to be seen – luckily Julia was wearing a full-face when her chin struck pavement after hitting that deer . . .) I decided right there that I wasn’t going to buy HD. As to the topic of drinking and riding: I condemn any such activity as completely asinine and any motorcycle culture that promotes it as even more so.

Before buying my VFR I was also seriously considering a Ducati, and I may someday still do that, but I was turned off by some of the same issues. One Ducati owner laughed at the fact that I would even consider a Honda . BMW people can have similar attitudes (and I’ve been a driving instructor with the BMW car club in the past), and I guess we VFR riders can too.


I bought my VFR before learning to ride and Julia rode it home where is sat in the garage and parked it next to her (leaking) Dyna for a month. I went to a beginner riding course, got on a little 250 and learned to ride, got my endorsement and started riding. The dichotomy was interesting. Julia on her Harley and me on the VFR. One comment Julia made sticks with me. She had just gotten off of my VFR when she said, “When I ride my bike I can day-dream about anything, my grocery list, whatever, when I ride your bike I have to pay attention.” And that gets to the heart of why I ride – I want to focus on the riding, not on everything else that’s spinning around my head. But that may also get to the heart of why HD people ride HD’s . . .

When I’m riding I certainly don’t want to be thinking about my image – I want to be thinking about form and fluidity. Several times when people made silly comments about the girl riding a real bike I simply explained that my skills were so rudimentary that I needed an Interceptor just to keep up with her. I’ve heard a lot of ignorant comments over the year. The fact is, most people are simply uneducated about motorcycles, and that includes many riders.

And as to, “The Wave.” Last weekend was beautiful here and I went on a 100 mile ride. I wave at every biker. Of the two dozen bikes I passed, four riders didn’t wave back – all on Harleys. (One, a prissy little dude on a stock Sportster!) I shouldn’t let those types of things bother me but they do and I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to continue improving my skills so I can pass any rude biker I like. And I go to the track later this month to improve those skills. Am I without attitude, no. Am I without sin, no. And, like a sport bike rider friend of mine says, “Sooner or later we all will end up on cruisers.” I continue to try to have an open mind but it’s not easy when certain HD situations continue to repeat themselves but I'm going to keep working on it. Realise what turns you off and try not to do the same to others.

I say, idle quietly and ride a fast line . . .

Derek

 

“Sooner or later we all will end up on cruisers.”

I wouldn't give in to this necessarily Derek. I just turned 60 and gave up my cruiser to ride a Veefer.

 

I was thinking more like 90. Haven't you heard - 60 is the new 40!

 

An Excellent post

Commuting, touring or fanging I just concentrate on all aspects of riding and nothing else, not work not kids not ugly mortgage just the road, the corners, the traffic, the sounds, the tactile feedback and the machine....

Rain or shine motorcycling is a therapy thats more fun and cheaper than that Psychiatrist chappy, riding is the one place I've always felt happy. :smile:

 

Oh, I intend to ride the veefer until at least 90 then I might think about something more plush. Like an ST1300 or whatever it's called in 2038.

 

Very true! A bad day and a day riding never occur on the same day.

 

Okay - so here's my real beef with the whole Harley mentality. First, I'll step up and admit that I do not Hate Harley Davidson motorcycles. I've seen a few of them I'd love to take out for a ride. I certainly would never spend twice the money for product that is based mostly on 40 or 50 year-old technology…
So here’s the story as I remember it.
Many years ago, after the HD employee buyout, someone I know very well, who shall remain nameless, worked for an American company that produced robotics. HD was in the process of outfitting their new manufacturing facilities with, you guessed it, robotics. This person, who directed the companies BizDev organization, was involved in the HD RFP process, and provided HD with a very aggressive quote.
But they did not get the contract; it was ultimately awarded to another company who actually bid the job at a higher price point…
Honda of Japan. And the stated reason for choosing Honda’s machinery was – their historic reputation for reliability.
Probably the same robotics that our venerable V4s were produced on.
So whenever someone gives me that “buy American” crap, I tell them to :censored: off. Hypocrisy at it’s most egregious.

 

My attitude is better any bike than any car. Come on guys we are all on two wheels here. I just don't get into that my ride is better than your ride stuff. I love my bike, love riding it, and wave at any other two wheeler on the road. Harley, sportbike or scooter, its all good.

 

Do you all know why this Thread has gone on so long? Because it is an example of one of the most basic human instincts: to HATE somebody that is SO CLOSE to you but SLIGHTLY different. I went through this already here but the more recent large doses of people saying things like "we are all on two wheels...lets band together and show some solidarity," etc. bring it all back to mind. Here is the dope: when you are passionate about something, really passionate, something slightly different is an affront and can easily make you "hate" that slightly different group. If you just look with an objective mind, you'll see that we really are so much more alike than different and that hate is a stupid thing. STUPID. Hate them if they kill someone...maybe even hate them if they ruin your hearing...but I don't hate them because they wear a silly costume or spend too much on their scoot, or don't wave back to me. Be an adult. Be a peace maker. Start today and have a little understanding. This is not about bikes...this is about HUMAN NATURE.

If we applied this to every area of human activity, we wouldn't have wars. The Golden Rule...it is in every culture, every religion. USE IT!
(Blah, blah, blah.)
(Rant done...)

 

Huh, Where do I start? First off I should note that I used to own one for a coupla years, just like having a boat, two best days are when you buy it and when you sell it.
i admit it looked sweet, but that's where the fun stopped,uncomfortable, underpowered, didn't brake worth a damn, warranty issues and did I mention ,WAYYYYY overpriced!
You can talk about buying American all you want but 90% of the bling bling they put on 'em is made in China or Taiwan, kinda funny, you gotta put more money into 'em after the fact than the price of a new Viffer and the Viffer will still walk all over 'em. Guess I'm just into performance more than posturing.
Second is the bullsh-t attitude, people who I considered friends that I've known for years won't talk to you if you pull up on your bike and they're with their"biker bros" , heaven forbid. They just puff up their chest, scowl and turn their black dealerhip T-shirt to ya. Piss off! Bunch of cloned , brainwashed morons,"me harley , you Jap" . Grow up.

 

There is only one group of folks that are worse than Harley riders. Velocette riders! I hate them. I don't know why, I just do.

 

you know, a lot of folks have made a lot of really interesting points in the course of this thread. i dont know what anybody else is gathering from this thread, but thus far, here's what im getting out of it....

1) HD makes piece of crap bikes. they cost 3x what a bike should, they have NO mechanical longevity, are underpower, underbraked, idle like a 10 second mustang, handle like a buick on 2 wheels, and are easily the most efficient means of turning a $3 gallon of gas into ear piercingly irritating noise without that nasty biproduct we like to call horsepower.

2) HD's are made for wannabe bikers with more money than they have true love for the road. these people buy a $25,000 bike, knowing its not the bike they even want, and then spend another 10 grand (which would not only BUY our beloved viffers, but also allow us to mod the crap out of them) in the process of making these crappy HD's into the bikes they actually want.

3) the attitude. oh my GOD that attitude. only on a harley can some yuppie lawyer or doctor have the ability to dress up in a leather vest and some crappy beanie helmet and be looked at like some road warrior or a 2 wheeled badass, when the REAL motorcycling community knows far better than that.

4) wait, didnt we already cover the attitude? no, cause the attitude goes both ways. they way that HD owners tend to look DOWN on other riders is just unacceptable, and nothing pisses me off more than to have some idiot who cant put 5000 miles on his bike in a year talk shit about my honda that gets 2000+ miles a MONTH avg put on it (id love to see a 20 yr old harley do that!).....how dare they.

5) as stated earlier in this thread, the armchair patriot attitude. so what harleys are ASSEMBLED in milwakee? 90% of the parts that are on that harley come from someplace in asia. i dont mind an asian bike, god knows i love mine. but dont give me shit about having an asian bike when you have one yourself. man up and deal with it.

6) lets go back to the riders now. these mental midgets know SO little about bikes, that they dont care that their 25,000 dollar turd idles like a 10 second drag car. but to my total amazement, they keep telling harley they want it to STAY that way....this only PROVES that they have no idea what the hell theyre doing, and that they dont seem to care that their crappy bike idles so roughly, that harleys have a long standing tendency to literally vibrate screws and other hardware loose, and the bikes are always trying to fall apart (WTF?!?!?!??!?)

7) acceptance. this one REALLY throws me for a loop. it takes me back to the days of being 15 years old when some thug wants you to join his gang cause they wont "oppress" you like your parents allegedly would. brotherhood my ass. if elitism is what the so called harley "brotherhood" teaches, i want nothing to do with it. besides, ive learned from experience on my own crappy little 20 year old bike, REAL riders have an unspoken, undying respect for each other, without having to go through all the crap that puts you on a harley.

now im sure ive missed a few points here and there that a lot of yall could help me fill in, but this is just the stuff that pisses ME off about harleys and the people who ride them. deep down, i still have a certain level of respect for harley riders, cause hell, theyre still up on 2 wheels just like i am, and they still have to deal with the idiot cagers around here just like i do. ill STILL pull over and help when i see a harley down, and i can only hope theyd do the same for me (although i know they wouldnt...but hell, i can still be the bigger man).