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BRUMBEAR wrote:To be honest DOC I really do but as a Buell guy I have a moral imperative to scootch Harley whenever possible. I have owned them in the past I will own them again XR1200 is a great bike but I will always remember

Many years ago, I don't really remember exactly when, but it was at the height of Harley's immense popularity; I went to my local Harley Dealer with the intention of buying a Buell. The showroom was a beautiful brand new brick building fit for a luxury car dealership. It was my day off and I walked in wearing shorts and tee shirt. I really felt out of place there; I felt as I should be wearing a suit and a tie. The Buells were shoved in the corner like lepers. Once they saw me checking out the Buells, they had no interest in me. I felt uncomfortable with the whole place and walked out shortly thereafter. I'm not quite sure which of my bike I ended up buying that time, it might've been the 1998 Honda VFR800FI...but I definitely bought something as I've bought a lot of bikes.

The whole Harley Deal for awhile was about a look not the machine so I just kinda laugh at them guys but there are still old timers out there and ya know em when ya see em or meet em. Evel Keneval was Harley to me not some pirate with leather so new it aint got bugs in it and boots that aint greasey
This is Harley to me

Bunch of long haired, dope smoking, avatar reading, living in a commune, unwashed hippie, Marxist, pinko, jazzfreaks.
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My kind of people.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Harley wins hands down, in North America anyway. Decade after decade, you can't fling a cat across a competitor's showroom without it bouncing off of a half a dozen or more v-twin wannabes. Which, as fine of motorcycles as they may be, there's one thing they will never be and that's a Harley. History is what it is. And if to own a part of that history, you've gotta fit yourself to the bike here and there instead of having a bike refined to fit you in every detail, well, that's a big part of the history of motorcycling too...

...and besides, dentists need the work!

I began to love motorcycles when I was about 10 or so . Dirt bikes (Yamaha GT80 , oh yea! 1977 or so) first then street bikes. My father had a beautiful '76 CB750F Super Sport that he would give us rides on . He got a really nice AMF owned Harley ..... remember it looked great . What a complete POS. Sold it quickly. As I began riding street bikes at around 15 (73 CB350 twin, lots of fun) , as I got better I was intrigued with performance. LOVED my dads CB750F and began to ride friends bikes as I got older . EVERY Harley I rode then, 60's models through early 80's models were TERRIBLE. The Japanese bikes were were sooo far ahead in every way. Then HD got bailed out in the 80's they were soooo bad.

They turned things around and slowly made better bikes. The late 80's models with the EVO motor were a huge improvement but they still were not even close to the competition. LOW power , horrible brakes and suspensions, still not exactly reliable. Into the 90's and they picked up steam .....by the late 90's they were just about on top again . The difference was they werent really good bikes , they were merely good bikes BUT HD Marketed and Sold people a lifestyle . Their bikes improved....today they are reliable and offer decent performance for their intended category but again they generally offer style not substance.

Buell took the poor ole sportster HD motor and built a sport bike around it with character that was a blast.....HD didnt appreciate in the end unfortunately . Buell DESERVES better than HD can provide and EBR will hopefully continue to grow and prosper in the future.

As for HD , the are past their marketing peek though they still have a strong presence and still sell a coolness factor. The bottom line is , that ANYONE who is truly a MOTORCYCLE enthusiast of any sort is not really a Harley person. Sure you may enjoy them on occassion or even own one in the stable , but your RIDING lust is not totally satisfied by one. There are plenty of folks that will argue otherwise, but most if not all of these have NEVER ridden any thing else or at least nothing but a cruiser.

Just my honest opinion of course......

Yes, Harley's are everything they are cracked up to be.

Shriker has hit the nail(partially) on the head. The part he missed out is that for many people the HD's have satisfied their particular need. In that respect they are successful.

Shriker wrote:The bottom line is , that ANYONE who is truly a MOTORCYCLE enthusiast of any sort is not really a Harley person. Sure you may enjoy them on occassion or even own one in the stable , but your RIDING lust is not totally satisfied by one. There are plenty of folks that will argue otherwise, but most if not all of these have NEVER ridden any thing else or at least nothing but a cruiser.

After 31 years of riding on 13 different bikes from six different manufacturers, I call bullshit on your opinion. A true motorcycle enthusiast acknowledges ALL motorcycles and considers ALL riders as friends until proved otherwise. WHAT you ride is not important, THAT you ride is. Until you understand that basic concept, you are not really a motorcycle enthusiast.

Just my honest opinion, of course.

Nope, things haven't changed a bit... LOL

Just look on ebay at all the used Harleys that are not selling. I've had 2 and could not sell either one for anywhere near the purchase price. What turned me off more than anything was the air cooled engine, in the south in the summer your engine can cook.