if you like paying alot of money for a name then buy one. If you can think for yourself then buy the bike that you like. Even if the bike u find is a Harley. Just be prepared to overpay for an “AMERICAN” motorcycle. It is no different than buying nike shoes. It is just an over advertised name. And when you can get away with suckering people into paying that much for a name you can do alot of advertising!!!

I love a Harley Davidson so I will tell you they are great. Having said that, they are the only motorcycle sold with a wrench attached to the key chain. It is there to tighten all the nuts and bolts that get loose on them from normal use. A Friend of mine once said he was going to haul a trailer with a magnet to pick up the parts that fall off. I however happen to love the look feel and sound of a powerful machine like that.

Those ricers can jump it off a cliff as far as I am concerned

People that bad mouth Harleys, for the most part, don’t really know all the facts. Thirty years ago when AMF ran Harley they were not a good bike. They had lots of problems back then. Those memories are what some continue today to equate with Harleys. The Harleys of today are nothing like that. Sure there may be an exception, after all every company makes a lemon once in a while. For the most part, they are solid dependable bikes and, in my opinion, worth every nickel. I rode Jap bikes for close to 30 years, always wanting a Harley but never being able to afford one. Finally I just did it and got a 2002 Dyna Super Glide. It doesn’t drip oil, use oil, break down or any of those things some people would like you to believe. Nothing has ever vibrated loose or fallen off. They’re comfortable, sound great, look great and there is every kind of accessory available for them to make it your one of a kind bike. The only thing I do to my bike is the standard maintenance, like changing fluids at regular intervals. It’s the best bike I’ve ever owned. From now on I plan to always have at least one Harley in my garage. If you’re looking at getting a bike, do yourself a favor, don’t write off a Harley.

When I was in grade school, my friends and I would argue over which was the better tractor, John Deere, International, Allis Chalmers or Oliver. When we tired of that, we’d argue over which was the better truck, Dodge, Chevy or Ford. When we got that settled, we’d argue over which was the best engine for a grain truck, a small V8 or a big straight 6.

The most vocal Harley haters are those that haven’t grown up yet and still have grade school mentality.

Harley bashers are those that ride around on pretend race bikes and use magazine’s to get a top speed to claim as their own as if it meant anything. Harley’s are well built machines and are made for those that will enjoy them. Not every one has to ride around pretending they are some great GP racer.

I think Biker Bob and Dirty tricks have gotten it the best so far.
I myself rode Hondas with a Yamaha and a Suzuki mixed in.
The Harley is the only cycle I ever had that came without a toolkit.
Some of the critics just plain don’t like the fact that even people who don’t know motorcycles think they’re the best.
The bowling ball years were bad, creating the reputation of oil leaks and breakdowns. That all changed years ago. Mine doesn’t leak anything, and it doesn’t burn anything but gas (and a tire or two).
The only thing I’m a little disappointed about is that they aren’t designed for extreme cold.

Biker Bob just gave one of the best testimonials I’ve ever seen. Yes, when HD was owned by AMF, quality took a nosedive. Now after people that care bought the Motor Co back, there’s just no badmouthing the superior product lines HD has now…. And all that talk about “just buying the name” ?? That’s bullsh*t and you know it; the reality is the people that think that are not able to understand the legacy and history that HD means to the fabric of American motorcycling. -what, you think a Victory is American? think again. every single fastener is metric and every part is imported. every single one… the Yamaha I rode in 1986 was assembled out in California, that doesn’t make it American…Just like BB’s, my bike bike is extremely reliable, comfortable and has NEVER lost a part, dripped, or used any oil, looks and sounds like no other motorcycle on the planet, and is instantly recognizable….(and very attractive to the fairer sex)….and will run HARD all day long, EVERY DAY and come back for more… what other motorcycle can you say that about? Why is it do you think EVERY SINGLE MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER WORLDWIDE has made a huge effort to copy the HD V-Twin engine?? -and bike styling designs?? What other bike has been around for over 105 years?? -And to those that say HD bikes are slow?? are you aware that HD is kickin azz in NHRA drag racing beating everything?? You won’t be seeing any Victory’s, or Suzuki’s, or Kawasaki’s taking the trophy home in the foreseeable future… Out here on the street, when you ride a bike with this much class, you don’t have to go fast. It’s a maturity thing; some people simply cannot grasp that concept.. get it? My HD will still be running when your Jap bike is in the crusher getting recycled….how many 1941 Honda’s have you seen? THATS why Harley’s are worth every freaking nickel.
….and yes, they are brass, and clank when I walk…

(edit) Bart you are a moron…the 883 has WAY more than a Honda rebel,(any 250 for that matter) and the guys I see on 883′s are on it by choice….even if a chick rides one she still smokes your narrow azz..and that same 883 will still be running in 30 years,… yours won’t.

I am not a Harley person but I have ridden them a number of times. I don’t think they are bad bikes (they were a few years ago) but for me they are not suited to the type of riding I do. Personally I don’t care what someone rides as long as they like what they’re riding.

Motorcycles rest on the ground but an individuals Attitude is largely in the mind. Some people start to think, if only my Big and powerful attitude could extend to my bike; that would be the icing on the cake.

So… they deliberately look for bikes which are big and brawny and bit over the top. Only then they feel satisfied. This is a mental thing. It does not make the bike fantastic. The truth is… if you are talking mean machine, there are many out there which are superior.

However if your mindset is in tune with a Harley, nothing wrong; just go and experience one for yourself. An expensive experience I would add. Good luck.

Good question. Every little kid thinks MacDonalds is the king of hamburgers. But people who have been around a while and eaten a few burgers know a big mac is really a pretty lousy burger. Same with the Harley.

The Harley is a very primitive motorcycle, very heavy, very stiff handling, very expensive, very underpowered. Todays 883 sportster is the exact 40 horsepower of the 900 knucklehead from 1930. A tiny 250 ninja at half the price will own that 883 sportster and get 80 mpg doing it. Harley’s biggest baddest $ 41K bike with all the expensive screaming eagle parts added on can’t even begin to do what a $ 9k 600 sportbike is capable of right out of the box.

Imagine a car from 1930 with 1930 performance and still manufactured today, but selling for twice as much as a top of the line Honda. Hey I would love an antique car or motorcycle from 1930, but I don’t want to buy a new car or motorcycle for twice the money, that has 1930 performance.

While other companies have been working to reinvent the motorcycle, harley invested in Madison avenue. They advertise very heavily and just keep selling a bike that they haven’t bothered to change much since high tech was a wind up record player.

When I was a kid I absolutely lusted for a 1200 superglide. Later after owning several great but much cheaper bikes I could finally afford one. Took a Superglide for a test ride, and it was by far the worst bike I had ever been on. Very primitive and vibrated like a jackhammer, lots of engine noise, lots of transmission noise. junk. It really is one of the worst motorcycles at any price.

But the thing is, you have to decide if you think of motorcycling as a sport or a lifestyle. If you wanna be part of that social biker scene, dress up in assless chaps and a doo rag and hang out at big bike rallies then you really want a Harley, you won’t have status in that crowd if you have a better cruiser that doesn’t have the harley name attached.

Unless of course you buy a Victory. A better made, superior performing, more American cruiser.

You will find that Harley fans can’t really defend their bike, the just make it a personal attack on those who arent buying the hype.

The biggest knock you hear about Harley’s, is that they break down all the time. Or that they are slow, well compared to a race bike they are. Harley’s aren’t made to go 0 to 60 in nothing flat. They are made, to run at 70 to 80 mph all day long and they do that very well.
Back in the 70′s or the AMF days. AMF tried to squeeze as much profit, out of Harley as they could, so quality went down. I had a 1974 sportie 1100 for five years, yes it leaked oil and ran like crap sometimes. But I never had any, parts fall off it. To small for me, so I sold it to a friend. He’s still a friend and he still rides it today. That 35 year old AMF Harley runs great, how many metrics can say that.
Yes Harley’s do cost more but you can’t blame, the bike it’s self for that. For that you can blame, the years of back orders. The law of supply and demand. Everyone seemed to want a Harley, back in the late 80′s and it just kept going, the birth of th rub’s.
If you really want a Harley, get one.

Mostly because they are old technology sold on hype. The quality control isn’t as good as when AMF saved the company from itself. Honda sets the mark for quality and reliability, not H-D.

The Harleys built in the 70′s and early 80′s under AMF’s mgmt. were not the greatest

In the early 80′s Harleys employees bought the company back from AMF and shortly after developed The Evolution Engine.
Since 1984 to the present Harley is as good if not better than most imports.

Many metric riders apparently never got the memo.
.

Hey bro I have two Harley Sportsters and R6/R1 I like both brands. My harley has gave me more trouble but I also ride it in the city so I think the heat build up hurts it a little. But overall harley is a good bike but just don’t break it lol are you will be out at a $ 100 why? HD = Hundred Dollars

>before I even researched motorcycles I thought Harleys were supposed to be the best

Now ask yourself why you thought that – marketing, advertising, product placement, word of mouth, recognition.

Harleys do what Harleys do, they have strong brand recognition and a, doubtless highly financed, marketing team. The bikes themselves are not top of the engineering tree, they are not fast, until the last five years they had pretty unpleasant brakes and suspension (nb those have improved recently not entirely due to American parts though). As Great Grandson of Thor intimates they are not made to go fast – that is not the point of them, as demonstrated by the XR1200 Harley can squeeze a lot more power out of the engines. Outside their traditional air-cooled engines they make the V-Rod, which to me, seems intended to draw riders used to the higher-powered Japanese bikes or to stop HD owners going to them.

HD make a tidy profit for themselves and dozens of other companies by selling ‘performance’ parts to ‘individualise’ bikes – which seems to be a draw for many riders – of course all manufacturers sell some performance/vanity parts but they are miniscule compared to HD.

To bring up the NHRA drag racing thing is just daft, while other manufacturers from KTM to Honda rely on racing pedigree for marketing that kind of speed and power delivery is not what HD riders want anyway, if they did they would migrate. Ironically going in a straight line with little requirement for brakes was probably the most capable thing about 80s HDs.

Bro – you buy what you want.Me I just did my first1000 miles on my 883.I am a big boy – rode the wheels off it & nothing fell off.Ride it everyday never misses a beat.To me this bike is what riding is all about – a real bike not plastic crap.I’ll still have it in 20yrs – how many squids will still have theirs?

Listen: a HD 883 is 883cc’s and it has the same power as a Honda Rebel that’s 250 cc’s, a small Kawasaki 250 Ninja that’s also 250cc’s can out perform any Harley.
Why spend $ 10K on a HD883 when you can have a Honda Rebel or Kawasaki 250 Ninja for around $ 3K ??
The HD883 is a girls bike and everybody will make fun of you for riding one

The answer to that question is quite simple grasshopper. YA is full of very young people that know little or nothing about motorcycles. Also young riders are generally into sport bikes and hate Harley’s. You also have guys like ninebadthings and bluff mike that I’m sure are out of grade school by now but are just over-opinionated, narrow-minded haters. If you want advice on Harley’s this is the last place you want to ask. Go here and get some real advice from people that actually ride a Harley rather than a school bus.

http://www.hdforums.com/