Why are Harleys cool?

[Mintbread]

Haha, he should try doing that with 60kg's of mail on board. It brings new meaning to the term "frame flex".

There always seems to be a bunch of them for sale on eBay but the prices can be a bit rich. I wouldn't mind owning one myself because I know from experience that they can do just about anything and they last forever.

[Gummiente]

And that is where you have read me completely wrong Gummi. In my years of riding I have learnt many things and one of them is that I don't care what I am riding as long as I am, in fact, riding.

If that's the case, you sure seem to camouflage it well here on the forum. You never miss an opportunity to fire a shot whenever there's been a Harley thread and it's a little hard to give you the benefit of the doubt because of that.

I have been made to feel rather inferior on several occasions because I "only" ride a (insert Japanese bike insult here). I have no doubt that the bikes are great to ride but my opinion of them has been coloured by their owners to the point of not wanting to be associated with that type of persona.

And just how do you think a Harley owner like me feels whenever another one of these pointless threads flare up? You only have to deal with Harley and Ducati owners; I get crap from BMW, Honda, Kawi, Suzi, Yama, Duc, etc, etc, owners. I even get the same old cliches from URAL riders - wtf is up with that?! The difference is, though, that I don't let the actions of a few cloud my judgement against the rest of the people on this forum or of those I meet out on the road. And that has allowed me to meet some really great people over the years, people who share the same attitude and passion about riding as I.

So if I have misjudged you, then I truly apologise. And if you really do believe that as long as it has two wheels and an engine then it doesn't matter where it was built, well, I apologise for the bozone layer comment. But up until this post you really haven't given me much of an impression otherwise.

[Mintbread]

I must admit that HD's are a soft target here, partly because of the abundance of threads and partly because their owners are so feisty!
I do the same sort of things with my mates at work regarding their bikes (Kawasaki's mainly). I will rubbish them all week but then go riding with them on the weekend and enjoy every minute of it. It is just how I am.

[Bubba]

Thats it.

I think the biggest downfall of the Harley is the dealers. They inflate the prices. Just go to the factory Harley site and check out the base price of the bikes there, Then go to any Harley dealer and compare.

Bubba, that's interesting. I haven't done that comparison, but I've read the 2005 Harley Annual Report, which gave the impression they'd stamped out that kind of abusive dealer markup.

Check out Mike's Famous Harley-Davidson. People flock there to get ripped off.

Is that the one just over the Delaware Memorial?

[hound]

not all dealers are like that I bought my harley for msrp there are still some dealers who do this you just have to look around

[Bubba]

When I was in the market fo a bike

How long ago was that? Becuase what you said was a valid point up until about three years ago; but things have changed since then as jstark has already pointed out. I'm sure there are still a few dealers that charge over msrp, but they are few and far between now.

Sorry if I insulted you.

Bubba, you'll have to try a lot harder than that to insult me. No offense was taken.

Last time was about 5 years ago. I gave up on Harley after that.
I hope you are right. I'd still like to try a Harley.
Went to the factory in York a few years back. I was impressed.
They still are a bit high in price though.

[bok]

They still are a bit high in price though.

but still not as bad as those rip-you-off Honda guys

06 Shadow Spirit - black, no extras MSRP = 8649
06 Sportster 883 - black, no extras MSRP = 8479

[Chip Beazley]

I have had great fun reading this thread...a lot of swipes have been given back and forth on the subject of Harley vs the Japanese bikes vs BMW vs Triumph. I have been fortunate to have been riding for 49 years now and I have owned at least one of every brand name mentioned in the thread and some that haven't (Matchless, BSA , Aerial, Zundapp, DKW and the like) and have enjoyed every one of them. Why? Because I was riding, feeling the wind in my face and feeling the cares of the world melt away. I wave at all riders I meet regardless of the machine they are riding just as an acknowledgement of belonging to the brotherhood (sisterhood) of bikers.

I'll put my 2 cents worth into the discussion. I traded my Honda 750 Nighthawk for a 2003 Harley Sportster 883 Custom because I liked the way it looked, felt, handled and sounded. The Honda would out accelerate and outrun the Sportster, but that isn't why I traded. To me the Sportster represents a bike in its rawest form...2 wheels a brash motor and little more. When I ride it, it puts a big grin on my face that won't wipe off. I guess the reason is that it represents my subliminal concept of what a bike should be. It makes me feel good and that is all that matters. I hope that the bikes that each of you ride make you feel that way. Ride on!

[bok]

darn you and your logic Chip, take that somewhere other than the internet, we don't cotton to that round here

[Loonette]

I like what Chip had to say, and I think it's an excellent point to lock up this thread. Lord knows we won't be short of these types of threads around here - which is unfortunate. It would be so easy for people to just lightly make opinion and then dismiss the whole argument part.

So... until next time... LOCK "EM UP!!

Cheers,
Loonette