Why Buy A Harley

Cracks me up reading some of the non-Harley posts. Folks who compare things like the Yamaha Bolt to a Sporty and argue the performance differences, and crap like that. First of all, anyone who ever bought a Street Harley for speed bought a Harley for entirely the wrong reason...you want speed, go buy a Kaw ZX 1400R, want agility, go buy a ZX600, want a mix of the two, go buy an R1 or a ZX10. You think with as big as Harley is and how long they've survived they can't build a Hyper-bike?...they obviously have the resources to build an immense monster of a hyper-bike, if they so chose to. It's not what this MOCO is interested in. They cared only enough to satisfy a few with something like the VROD. You buy a Harley when you want class, road-comfort, nostalgia, heritage. I could have purchased three ZX1400s for one of my CVOs. I had several hyper-bikes over the years, and ran Deals Gap on everything from a 600 and lastly on a ZX1400...still have a z-bike in the shed out back...I take it a bowl of rice and water at least once a week! We won't get started on that crap. Anyway, and the point is, if Harley felt the need to compete for performance, they could easily stuff 4 or five valves per cylinder in a head and start tweaking the ergos of their bikes to appeal to the hair-on-fire crowd, and do a world-class job of it, but instead, they stick to that special something that only a Harley rider understands, and apparently, the rest of the world's manufacturers understand at least enough of to completely knock-off of every single year now, as they make their Harley look-a-like and sound-alike bikes. Guy across the street from me floors me - actually wears Harley shirts while he rides his Honda Shadow...can you say, DORK! Anyway, tweaking a Harley for more power and performance is fun, and an expensive hobby, but at the core, most have no intention of making a knee-dragger...at the core, is the class. I have never climbed on a Kaw and felt that "one with the machine" feeling I get with climbing on a Softail. Explaining that feeling to someone with a Suzuki Intruder is like trying to teach algebra to a rock.

Yup, you have to ride a Harley to know what it's about. Can't be explained - must be experienced.

While eating breakfast this morning with my wife i told her about all the new Indians. and in the end i said it still ain't a HARLEY or close to it.

Yep, exactly. And I didn't intend to start a brand-bashing thread, as that would make me a hypocrite, considering I've owned an Indian, several Kawasaki products, a couple Yamahas...never a Honda, nor a Suzuki. But I guess the bigger point is that, most bike makers have their place where they excel, while some others I think maybe fall short of any given niche, but my post is a message I wish I could keep on the ready for every bone-head who has ever asked me why I would purchase, "an over-priced, under engineered Harley", as opposed to a much cheaper and faster plastic bike, and anymore I kinda figure if I have to explain it, then I'd probably be wasting my time and breath, but the fun part of it has been on the rare occasion where I got that question and trusted the person enough to turn them loose on my Softail Convertible...not a single one of those people returned on my bike still questioning, "Why?"...one actually took his V-Star and instantly sold it on ebay and now loves his new Road King.

Yeah I have a neighbor with a Victory with 65K problem-free miles on it, and it's still a freight-train of torque. If I have a complaint with Harley it would be there...keep the HP that only really comes in at the top of RPMs and speed, but I DO wish they'd give us a bit more factory torque without having to buy one of their SE kits, or heading for the aftermarket. And you're right...nothing wrong with them getting spurred by the competition, but I still say there's no true alternative to that Harley feel.

great thought's here, we all have the right to choose and enjoy or suffer in our choices, as in all things in life.

Some of my friends can't afford a Harley and so ride other bikes and that's great. They are experiencing motorcycling and that's what really counts.

Yep...the only bad bike is the one you wish you had, that's for sure. My very first "Street-bike" was a Yamaha two-stroke triple, that had knobby tires on it! Hey, I'm originally from Shepherdsville Kentucky...we did things a little different down there. That was my idea of an enduro! Wish I had that thing today. I love my Harleys, but favorite bike of all time was a Kawasaki 2001 ZRX1200R...probably the most well balanced bike of all time. I could go most of the way around the 465 loop here in Indy on the back wheel, at interstate speeds, and only setting it back down when traffic dictated. Also almost cost me my license. My favorite picture of it my attorney got from a Marion County Sheriff...he laid in wait because I had this routine where I'd come home from work, and ride the back wheel all the way down Southport Road...sometimes like an idiot, I'd even pass traffic that way. I've grown up since then, but those were the days!

The King. Look at the shitter on that critter!

The Softail Convertible

The wife with the Softail, when we rode it to Sturgis from Indy...the one and only time we iron-butted to Sturgis...NEVER AGAIN! Trailers from here on out!

The Dawg & The Hawg. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on the scoot, but instead he's a lazy-ass pitbull that finds too much effort in even scratching his fleas...sleeping on the job again!

Cool pics. I don't expect I'll ever ride to Sturgis; a bit far from N.C. on a rigid shovel, sprung seat ass beater. We have other venues down here, though - Myrtle Beach and Daytona to name a few.

Thanks. Not trying to show-off, but when I joined this site, someone made a comment about a "Swap-Sheet"...guess suggesting that I only joined to off-load a bike. I eat sleep and breathe bikes and have for most of my life, and while I'd like to trade that Heritage for a Breakout for my next project, I just want to make it clear that I have more to offer any site than my desire to move a Heritage...I DO have an ebay/PayPal account. I'm the guy who always sat back at these sites and listened, rather than join in arguments. I'd quietly prove or disprove most of what I heard that interested me, by way of trial and error, rather than engage in the internet hero thing, making threats to push my point, or arguing about something. Time wasted arguing is time that could be applied towards learning something. At 260 pounds and a heavy-weight boxing past, I don't feel a need to bicker with anyone to build myself up and/or call names, nor start trouble of any kind...I'm comfortable in my shoes, and so I just wanted THAT person to know, I'm here to participate for once, not sell a bike, and not be critiqued by someone about my intentions and/or reasons for being here. It's all good.

I swear I'm gonna do Daytona one of these days! I rode from Indy to Deals Gap on a rigid Ultra Cycles Ground Pounder, about 10 years ago...took about a week for my butt to stop hurting, and I sold that bike immediately after...loved it until that ride! And didn't have the luxury of a sprung seat...had a Corbin Gel on it, but after the first 100 miles. might as well of been a 2x4!

The wife and I, all dressed-up (The Heritage) and everywhere to go.