Harley bashing

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Replies posted on a UK site when it was announced that HD will release two NEW models for 2012

#1
Uh?... no clue as to whether they'll be supersports or off-roaders? The suspense is killing me... I love it when Harley bring out a new bike 'cos they're always so different.


#2
By "new model" I presume you mean adding a new paint job, minor spec change and a silly sub name (E.g. Vrod, Night Train, Deaths Head Custom Black Bandana Edition) to a very old model..?


#3
Come on guys, be fair... It could be a chopper OR a cruiser.....


#4
Could also be a Bobber?/ Anchor


#5
.......or it could just be shite.


#6
Correction; it WILL be shite.


#7
Deaths Head Custom Black Bandana Edition??? Want one, oh, I want one!


#8
OK, it could (will) be shite, but it will be V twin shite.

[Scorch]

Lol, dead on. Not a Harley fan myself, I think the me-too craze has just about killed motorcycling for normal people who want bikes that are well-engineered.

[H2RICK]

Hmmm.....a bunch of cynics on that board, Allan.

The boys in Milwaukee are past-masters at serving up the same old same old with new paint and name and then teasing the slavering adherents with press releases and "spy photos", thus stoking the fires of anticipation. If nothing else is modern at HD, their advertising department is certainly world class.

[johnakay]

still shyt what ever they come up with.

[smoketriples]

Ahem, I happen to like my Harley ....but I understand the bashing. It was 34 years of nothing but jap, british, and german for me until I bought the 07 electra glide. Got rid of my FJR1300 to get it and never looked back.

Of course I've got just under 60k miles on it so I'll have a better report once I've really got some seat time

I love all my bikes, from the itty bitty MB5 to the geezer glide. Remember, 4 wheels good, 2 wheels beeetttter.

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Then there was that South Park take on the HD bashing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6h-D6Dvm4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[merckid]

unfortunatly i live only 30 miles north of milwaukee. i cant go a day without seeing or hearing one of those POS. and then every five years they have to have a big celebration of the production of their bikes. then you cant go a block with out seeing one. if you cant tell, im not a fan

[bobotech]

Its funny, I had a friend come over who I haven't seen in a while. He is a Hardley guy. Bought a new Night Train a few years ago right off the showroom floor.

I was showing him my GT550 that I have been rebuiding over the last month. I then asked him about his 3 year old Harley and how it was doing.

He said he was planning on trading it in or selling it and getting another bike. Mind you, this is a guy who hangs out with the biker crowds here in Spokane. You know, the biker gang people who drive Harleys and trikes and maybe Triumphs and Nortons and so on.

I asked what he was planning on getting.

"A Honda VTX 1800"

"Really? Seriously?"

"Yup, I hate the lack of quality on my Harley. Just a month ago my wife and I were driving to somewhere and we were 45 minutes away from town when I noticed that the bike was swaying. Pulled over and it turned out that the rear wheel bearings were completely blown out and I was riding on the axle. I'm sick of all the little stupid stuff. I want a big awesome cruiser that is going to be way cheaper than a Harley and be reliable!"

Blew me away to hear him say that.

[smoketriples]

Too small a sampling Bobo. With almost 60k miles the only repair I've had to do is replace the battery. OTOH, I do proper preventive maintenance, do all my own tire mounting, balancing, etc, check things like wheel bearings at every tire change, I don't trust shops.

I don't own a single t shirt or jacket that say 'HD', I'm not into the culture or the look, I just enjoy the hell outta the machine.

I bought a new trumpet sprint 1050 the first year they came out. 7k miles and it spent so much time broken that I gave up and sold it. Broke my heart, I loved riding that bike, when it ran.

But i'm not bashing anyone, if someone doesn't like a particular brand they'll always find a reason to try and point out flaws. I on the other hand can find something to like about every bike I've had.

[Coyote]

I can't believe Hardly is still in business. The market is totally saturated with these lumps. Yuppies buy and tire quickly. There are dozens for sale in the weekend classifieds every week. I have trouble understanding how they are selling ANY new machines.

Someone on this board once put it into words: Harley Davidson. The worlds best known way to convert fossil fuel into noise.

[smoketriples]

Rofl. it's okay it's a suzuki board, I ain't complaining about the bashing. I *Know* my electra glide is the best large touring bike out there for me, cuz I've owned all the touring bikes from Honda, Yamaha, and BMW....and unfortunately suzi hasn't made anything in that class for awhile.

[bobotech]

FWIW, I would gladly own a nice Harley if I could afford one.

[merckid]

FWIW, I would gladly own a nice Harley if I could afford one.

i dont think there is such think as a nice harley

[titan performance]

OK, I don't personally like Hardly Movinsons, and my only experience of them is a full dresser Electra Glide which I got in a deal with a car a few years back....you know the one....stereo cassette player on the dash, and a small motel covered in fairy lights on the back. I had to ride it, just to say I had...so I went 5 miles to my mate's workshop and came close to leaving it there in favour of a taxi back. What a bag o' shite ! They must be an acquired taste. Still, each to his own, not everybody likes my "head down, arse up", Yam R1. The world would be a boring place if we all wanted the same stuff.

All that said, I think some of those flat tracker style HDs look pretty good !

[smoketriples]

Ah the first honest answer!! . I'm on a Honda forum and they had a few people get on the harley bashing thing. Of course they got a slamming right back since the majority of the forum members also own Harley's. I've owned several BMWs, personal opinion is they haven't made anything but crap since 1985 (with the exception of the F series). Loved riding my VFR800 but maintenance was crazy on that machine. Have had a few Goldwings, okay machines but don't hold a candle to the electra glide.

Over in the cars area, where my collection is also eclectic the saab and MB folks love ragging on my '65 'rustang', but while my Hummer is generally liked by the MB gang, the saabers hate the Hummer (could be because the typical saab demographic in the US is northern liberal and I'm a southern conservative).

At work they just think I'm nuts because I can take a different vehicle to work for over two weeks and never repeat .

FWIW, I would gladly own a nice Harley if I could afford one.