Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 4:46 am
I owned nothing but Hondas for much of my life (and loved them) but why a Harley?
Image? Hardly. I have had a wonderful life and have nothing to prove to anyone. My choice was deliberate. I have no need to buy into an image or a lifestyle. And you know what? I found out that most of the riders are exactly the same way. There may be a few HD snobs out there, but most are about as "live and let live" as you can get. There is a sense of freedom on a Harley. The sound cannot be beat! It is a comfortable scoot that fits me to a "T." I can do just about anything to it to make it even better.
Price? H-D's bikes are NOT prohibitively expensive like, say, the MV Agustas. Harleys cost no more than an equally equipped Beamer (another great bike), and a Dyna Class is only about a grand more than a similarly sized (1500-2000) metric. If that. We are not talking about Ferraris or Porsche Turbos here. The average Harley is quite affordable, particularly to the clientele it attracts. Metrics need to be lower priced to compete in the cruiser market. Metrics tend to attract the younger crowd, whose finances are more limited, as mine certainly was when I was younger.
Performance? Sure, you get more bang for the buck on a metric. But if I want raw performance, I'd buy a Hayabusa or a Ninja. I have a cruiser because I want to RELAX and smell the flowers (or the cow manure). I rarely push my bike over 65 MPH. The great torque still puts me off the line faster than most other vehicles. That's all the power I need.
Styling? I think the H-D are the most beautiful cruisers out there. Subjective? Of course! But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Besides, I have short legs. Not many Beamers out there appeal to the short guys.
Touring? I am sure BMWs make better cruiser/tourers, but do they, or even the Japanese metrics, have as comprehensive a dealer network as Harley Davidson? HD's are ubiquitous, and the standards of their repair shops are uiformly great (at least in my experience). I always feel at home at a H-D dealership. How many Victory dealers are out there if you break down?
Intangibles? If I am broken down on the side of the road, chances are better that another H-D rider will stop to assist, as I have a few times. There seems to be a camaraderie among HD riders. I joined the local HOG chapter, and it already seems akin to a family. I never felt that with Honda.
I've had my Street Bob for nearly a year now, and believe me, I LOVE IT! It is not a zero-sum game. I love all bikes, and respect them.
Image? Hardly. I have had a wonderful life and have nothing to prove to anyone. My choice was deliberate. I have no need to buy into an image or a lifestyle. And you know what? I found out that most of the riders are exactly the same way. There may be a few HD snobs out there, but most are about as "live and let live" as you can get. There is a sense of freedom on a Harley. The sound cannot be beat! It is a comfortable scoot that fits me to a "T." I can do just about anything to it to make it even better.
Price? H-D's bikes are NOT prohibitively expensive like, say, the MV Agustas. Harleys cost no more than an equally equipped Beamer (another great bike), and a Dyna Class is only about a grand more than a similarly sized (1500-2000) metric. If that. We are not talking about Ferraris or Porsche Turbos here. The average Harley is quite affordable, particularly to the clientele it attracts. Metrics need to be lower priced to compete in the cruiser market. Metrics tend to attract the younger crowd, whose finances are more limited, as mine certainly was when I was younger.
Performance? Sure, you get more bang for the buck on a metric. But if I want raw performance, I'd buy a Hayabusa or a Ninja. I have a cruiser because I want to RELAX and smell the flowers (or the cow manure). I rarely push my bike over 65 MPH. The great torque still puts me off the line faster than most other vehicles. That's all the power I need.
Styling? I think the H-D are the most beautiful cruisers out there. Subjective? Of course! But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Besides, I have short legs. Not many Beamers out there appeal to the short guys.
Touring? I am sure BMWs make better cruiser/tourers, but do they, or even the Japanese metrics, have as comprehensive a dealer network as Harley Davidson? HD's are ubiquitous, and the standards of their repair shops are uiformly great (at least in my experience). I always feel at home at a H-D dealership. How many Victory dealers are out there if you break down?
Intangibles? If I am broken down on the side of the road, chances are better that another H-D rider will stop to assist, as I have a few times. There seems to be a camaraderie among HD riders. I joined the local HOG chapter, and it already seems akin to a family. I never felt that with Honda.
I've had my Street Bob for nearly a year now, and believe me, I LOVE IT! It is not a zero-sum game. I love all bikes, and respect them.
