Victory

Hanging out with a son at his victory dealership there is 2 good things I have to say about the victory bikes actually 3 things. 1 they are very very reliable. Very little service required on them. 2 very neat machines I mean that they are very uncluttered in appearance. 3 they run great. BUT, I rather eat worms than own a copy cat Harley . JMO

I thought that when they first came out too. Yay. Another rip off Harley wanna be. But think about it. It has to look like something. The styling of a bike can really only maybe go 3 ways. "Harley" kind of styling, "crotch rocket", or "UJM" universal Japanese motorcycle. Most all street bikes fit into or a blend of these categories. Victory makes a V twin to compete with, not copy, Harley. The styling is different, (it does not appeal to me, I dislike their swingarm look and the headlight shape, and that big touring bike with the bags all molded in is uglyyy!!!) I'm glad they came along. It has made the Harley product better to compete. I think if mechanically it is trouble free, it has American content, and you can get over owning a bike that looks like a pimp customized it, it should be considered for what it is.

I agree with a lot of what you say. I should have been specific about the models I was looking at. The weird spaceship bagger just plain sucks. The basic models like the high ball etc are very clean looking. My mc days started in the mid seventies and back then the v twin was only Harley. Then ther was the UJM Universal Japanese MC. Usually 4 cylinder in line transverse. Also the Brit vertical twins and the lonely BMW boxer. Then the japs went after Harley hence the Fat Boy which despite Willy G denying it now, to be politically correct, was named after the Fat Man and Little Boy A-Bombs. Harley's strike back at the Japanese v twins. So, my opinion of look a likes or copy cats remains steadfast. And after all, it's JMO

I hear you loud and clear, and you are right for sure, Japan stayed away from V twins until after they conquered the parallel twin market from the Brits, and then began to saturate the market with their v twins in the early 80s. It is nice to see the resurgence in interest the Triumph line of bikes now, good for the Brits! It is nice to see the new American bike companies (Victory, reborn Indian) carve their place in the market also. Hopefully each new domestic bike sold represents one less Suzuki Boulevard or Honda Shadow I see on the road. That being said, I got to try out a Bolt the other day and left scared at how much I enjoyed it.
"spaceship bagger", Good One! Buck Rodgers bike springs to mind also...

Cold snap past 2 days. High 90s low 100s. When we got her last week 115-118. To hot to ride.

Actually not now. It's "monsoon" season and the humidity is up.

I've heard that said before, and I see it each time I buy genuine H-D accessories that say "Made in Malaysia, Made in Taiwan". Very disheartening. Only North American jobs are in shipping and recieving now...

Exactly. Pockets of most aren't bottomless. I pay more for domestic produced products, but I have a limit too. 20%? 30%? But why? Domestic products should be better quality but cheaper! Reduced shipping costs should make them more affordable than they are. But labor costs, pensions, medical for employees, and relatively cheap transportation costs make the imports win out. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. The more you support offshore, the less we make as an overall group of consumers, and the less we can afford our own products. Seems to be a cycle of defeat. In 40 years where we gonna be?

Speaking Chinese

I believe The "Bolt" model doesn't exist anymore.
Whoops ! The Bolt is a Yamaha !

Spoken like a true Harley rider!

Not fixing to cross the line and leave my Harley to ride another bike.

Am seeing some hope...I grew up in Southeast, mostly NC, GA, and VA. Been in Textiles all my life, started in mill at 16. My Dad in it nearly 40 years. Whole industry almost gone, then.... inflation in Asian basin, mostly China and length of supply chain helping us again. I still work for a Textile Co. We have plants all over the world, company started in 1700s in Scotland. Our China plants have about 250% inflation right now. We just installed new equipment and having hard time getting techs in because so much being installed in Southeast US. Quite surprising. Most of the growth is not in traditional apparel, but some is. Lot of high tech fabric out there using exotic fiber like Kevlar and Nomex and other like items. If it will grow like this for a few more years, I can hang it up...let the kids support me...HA!