Harley truth

[Semper Gumby]

Common Harley.  Shave some weight off that Mother and have at it!  You can do it. I know you can!  

[nhmaf]

I think that the AMF years really (and deservedly) gave H-D a black eye (and broken jaw, bruises, and other injuries) as those bikes often would literally come apart, or so have the couple that I've seen.
Now I wouldn't mind an Evo engined machine, provided that that it was with a carb (I've seen alot of their bikes with Fuel injection issues on the side of the road) AND that it was a bike with what I'd consider reasonable ergonomics, like a Fatboy or a RoadKing - no DynaSuperUltraWideSporterGlides for me, thanks.

[DeeG]

Smart man.  He wants to live the 'lifestyle' but knows enough to ride a dependable bike.  

The windscreen of my Honda Rebel has both a Moto Guzzi National Owners Club sticker and a BMW MOA sticker on it.  We were headed to WI and were at a rest stop on the north side of Beartooth Pass and some guy was looking at the Rebel and says, "This is a Honda, right?"  "Yes".  "Then how come you have a BMW and a Guzzi sticker on it?" "Because I own Guzzi's and BMW's and am a member of both clubs".  "But this is a Honda, why would you put a Guzzi and a BMW sticker on a Honda?"    He just couldn't understand why i would do that.  

[Altritter]

We R65 folks might feel good about this, but I'm not sure riders of modern BMWs should feel too superior to "inferior" brands. Consider this:

A fellow member of my local Mac [computer] user group is a long-time rider, owned an independent auto repair garage for ~30 years, was part-owner of a Mac retail store, and now works in the service department of a local cycle dealer that sells BMW, H-D, Ducati, and Yamaha. He stated about two years ago that he the most reliable bikes of the four brands were Yammies, with Ducs being second. He placed recent-model Beemers a distant third and H-D at the bottom. (He was especially critical of H-D's factory quality control.)

BTW, he stated that he once owned an R75. He liked the bike, but he felt that (like our R65s) the R75 was light for serious Interstate riding. He compared the R75 with a Norton Commando regarding its weight and handling in wind and heavy truck traffic. I've never ridden a Norton, so I can't say from my own experience. YMMV.

[trips]

I have a 94 Dyna-glide, it's not the best at anything, but it's a nice comfortable, all around bike, I like it. With the exception of one or two, my buddies are all hard core Harley guys, relegated to only riding two or three months a year, due to the costume restraints. I ride all winter, as long as the roads are dry. My buddies told me I needed to get chaps ( I was riding in Carhart overalls in cold weather, LOL), wore them a couple times and gave them away, got some leather pants. When I pulled up at my club in a full face helmet, one guy told me that I needed to get a half helmet, as I "didn't look like a biker", LMAO. Mostly good guys, they were supportive of my first bike, a CB750, and are in awe of my Triumph Rocket III.

[balibeemer]

I'd rather push a BMW, than ride a Harley Davidson.

[Altritter]

I'd rather push a BMW, than ride a Harley Davidson.

Having read (and kept a copy of) your rant regarding H-D riders where you are, I can understand your attitude!  

BTW, it has been quite a while since you posted that piece. It might provide amusement to our newer members if you posted it again sometime in the future.

John

[balibeemer]

I will do so right now! However as I went independent in the security consulting biz at the beginning of the year, I've only ridden the boxer twice - bloody customers won't leave me alone!

[Semper Gumby]

Over the weekend I saw and heard an XR1200.  It looked good and had a pleasent sound.  It got me thinking.  If you put a 21inch front wheel on and a set of dualsport tires and some panniers, and a bigger tank it would make a interesting dualsport bike.

Just thinkin'

[Ed Miller]

I will do so right now! However as I went independent in the security consulting biz at the beginning of the year, I've only ridden the boxer twice - bloody customers won't leave me alone!

If you can't keep them out, are you sure you're in the right line of work?
  

[balibeemer]

To use an old military expression, they are acting like 'pathetic civilians'!

[Mjolinar]

Interesting read guys. I've owned a couple of Harley's over the years. About 10 years ago I worked with a hard core HD rider and got seduced into buying his 1962 FL (panhead) custom. It was a hardtail with ape hangers and it was kickstart only. I loved that bike even though I had to tighten bolts periodically. It was just the right fit for my 6'3" frame and was a blast to ride. However, I wanted a bike I could feel secure riding interstate. So i sold that bike and bought a '06 VStrom 650.

VStrom: fantastic bike. I rode this from Montana (Malmstrom AFB) to California (Vandenberg AFB), 1500 miles each way. Stock seat kind of burned but I had a custom one made by Rick Mayer and it was a dream to ride on. I got 45mpg and could cruise at 75mph easily. On top of that I could handle any road that I came to. Brought that bike to Germany and it was the perfect bike to ride the secondary roads in my area. Comfortable one or two up but a bit underpowered with two. Sold that bike two years ago so I could take a vacation to Australia.

Realizing I couldn't be without a bike I found a great deal on a 2007 HD Softtail Std. Nice bike, loads of power and great for posing. I had to change the seat and extend the forward controls out another 3" to make it comfortable though. I found the bike heavy to steer compared to my VStrom (no surprise) but it was fun to ride and always got attention. However, my wife didn't like riding on it and the loud pipes started to get annoying. I eventually put the stock pipes back on for my own comfort and to get less negative attention from the Germans. I took a 1-1/2 hour ride to Ramstein and realized how uncomfortable it was for long trips. For me it was great around town but did not offer the practicality I was looking for in a bike. Sold.

I test drove a brand new R1200GS and R1200R after the HD sold. R1200R - great fun and incredibly stable bike. A bit too small for me though. I actually like the older R1150R better. R1200GS - WOW. What fun, stable, fast, powerful. Everything I want in a bike. I could have swallowed the price tag but the insurance over here was unacceptable. If I wasn't about to retire from the AF and had a new job lined up I might have bought it.

So, brings me to my current rides. Yeah, rides. For half the price of my HD I bought a R100GS and a R65. Allowed me to exercise my passion for old bikes and am enjoying both like I did my old Panhead. I would readily ride either of these bikes across europe. They are fun to ride, cheap (insurance and operation) and give me something to tinker with while I'm enjoying a cold Belgian beer. My mistake with the R100GS is that it's too new and I can't take it back to the states with me (see the trading post). Took my wife for a ride on both this last weekend and she was happy with both rides.

I too ride daily as long as there is no ice on the road. I probably get more attention on my old (unique) BMW's. People don't just look because the heard my go by, they come up and ask me about the bike. I don't think I'll ever buy another HD unless I'm planing on flipping it for profit. I've never ridden a full dress HD tour bike but all the others are just not practical enough for me.

Sorry for the long post but wanted to get my two cents in.  

[nhmaf]

In the US anyway, I think that the days of flipping Harleys for a profit (or at least, no net loss after riding them for a couple years) are definitely gone/passed.    The MOST commonly advertised bikes for sale in my region are all H-Ds, and the prices, sink lower and lower each week, until eventually some of them do sell for a more realistic price..    In Europe, H-Ds are still probably rare enough that they might be holding their value better?

[Mjolinar]

No, I think the truth for HD is the same over here. There are several HD dealerships in Germany and the Germans are more likely to purchase there vs. buying from an American. Too much hassle with converting to euro spec and paying duty when they buy from Americans unless they are buying a custom bike. I just happened on a good deal as you described. The seller wasn't getting any traction on his sale and i worked him down to a good price. I made a custom sissy bar and did a couple of other upgrades but mostly I marketed the bike better than PO. I rode it for a year and broke even.

There are lots of Sportsters that are great candidates for customization. Guy buys his first bike (Sportster) then realizes he wants a bigger bike or just gets tired of his buddies razzing him for riding a little girl bike so he puts it up for sale. Nobody wants to buy a used Sportster when he can buy one new through military car sales at a great price anyway with warranty. I've seen some 3-5 year old 883 Sportsters selling for about $4K. If you know what you're doing you can build a cool custom and sell it for double. You know those HD guys are all about the look. Most of the HD guys I know won't or can't work on their own bikes so if they see what they want they'll pay for it.  

[balibeemer]

"In Europe, H-Ds are still probably rare enough that they might be holding their value better?:

What value?