so why hate on Harley? cost too much? they're garbage?

i am curious with all the harley talk.
seen a lot of people say they are over priced pieces of garbage and i am curious as to why people are saying that.

so please tell me why you think that if you do?
to anyone any everyone..... have you ever owned one?

softail. lowrider. $14,999

www.harley-davidson.com...

yamaha raider. $15,199

www.yamahamotorsports.com...

suzuki boulevard c90T. $12,949

honda interstate. $10,999

powersports.honda.com...

now i will say i did not dig into the specs on each. i just picked middle price point cruisers from all so the specs will not be even.

did not get into the sport or tour bikes.
at a glance harley is the most expensive. a bit of a price hike from the honda and nothing to speak of between it and the yamaha.

you can get cheaper bikes from all those manufacturers.
so what is the big deal on price?

and why garbage? based on what?

from the old harleys break down and leak oil catch phrases from when we were kids in the 70's and 80's?

who is rolling a knucklhead these days?
not many left

what is wrong with the evo or twin cam?
i mean personal experience please. you or people you know. i am not really interested in some article.

cause parts are expensive? you got me there. OEM harley # is costly. good thing there are millions of aftermarket parts of equal or better quality that are easy to find and for all bikes.

resale value? harley holds their value far better than any of the japanese bikes.
you can pick up mid range honda and suzuki's for 2 grans around here all die.

you might score an ironhead for 2500 or an 883 for 3500 but if you want a used softail youre gonna have to start with 5 grand. i dont mean if you want to buy some piece of #.

what about quality?

you go from one of those japanese bikes and then get on one of those harleys and you will feel the difference without even moving. the pegs. the bars. the levers.... they feel solid. the # on the japanese bikes feel cheap and toyish.

i am not saying they ARE cheap as in # quality. i am just saying they feel cheap when you are making your way around them.

not really interested in getting into any sort of mudpit type debate. i just want to have a conversation because i am interested in why people feel how they do about harley.
nothing more than that

i will say i am biased though i suppose. i have had a few japanese bikes and 2 harleys over the years but i was raised around harleys. my dad and all his buddies. that japanese # wasnt happening for them.

so what is your opinion and what is it based on?

as you can see i am not really interested in the trade side of it. how they dont appeal to the younger crowd.

i just want peoples opinion on the bikes


thanks

Overpriced garbage only yuppies and boomers still give a s# about.

Good riddance.

a reply to: TinySickTears

It's like cars. If it's not what you own or like it; it's garbage or there's some sort of stigma attached to it.
I bought a Cadillac a few months ago, and all people say to me is something along the lines of "so when did you turn 65?"
Trash talk like that.

The japanese bikes can usually be had at a discount, maybe harleys can too now, but in the past not so much.

Compared to similar priced bikes, they are normally inferior in tangible measurement(FE, Noise, Power, Reliability, Build Quality). They are superior in most of the intangible qualities some riders look for(cool factor, heritage, recognition, etc)

Personally, I'm not a fan. You can buy much better for less. I also find group think and "rooting for the home team" to be poor human traits. I despise being part of a group for no other reason than some common uncontrollable factor(like a state I happen to be born in, or the school distract I happen to fall into). Harleys are "heavy" on the group mentality(their harley wave or whatever that is). It's an even bigger deterrent to ever owning one than the inferior product itself.

They are obnoxiously loud would be my first complaint.
Aside from being overpriced.
I don't enjoy my dog raising hell when the neighbor pulls up on his hawg at 3 in the morning.
I found myself caught in the middle of a ROT rally in Austin and almost had a 'Rain Man' freak out.
Deafening racket and thick exhaust fumes and old people with a trashy fashion sense.
Count me out.

originally posted by: NthOther
Overpriced garbage only yuppies and boomers still give a s# about.

Good riddance.

well thanks for chiming in

originally posted by: skunkape23
They are obnoxiously loud would be my first complaint.
Aside from being overpriced.
I don't enjoy my dog raising hell when the neighbor pulls up on his hawg at 3 in the morning.
I found myself caught in the middle of a ROT rally in Austin and almost had a 'Rain Man' freak out.
Deafening racket and thick exhaust fumes and old people with a trashy fashion sense.
Count me out.

factory harleys are not that loud.
having said that most people dont leave their # stock. pipes are one of the first things they replace.

i bought a dyna new in 2015 and was surprised at how quiet it was

originally posted by: MisterSpock
The japanese bikes can usually be had at a discount, maybe harleys can too now, but in the past not so much.

Compared to similar priced bikes, they are normally inferior in tangible measurement(FE, Noise, Power, Reliability, Build Quality). They are superior in most of the intangible qualities some riders look for(cool factor, heritage, recognition, etc)

Personally, I'm not a fan. You can buy much better for less. I also find group think and "rooting for the home team" to be poor human traits. I despise being part of a group for no other reason than some common uncontrollable factor(like a state I happen to be born in, or the school distract I happen to fall into). Harleys are "heavy" on the group mentality(their harley wave or whatever that is). It's an even bigger deterrent to ever owning one than the inferior product itself.

right about the group thing.
that has been ingrained in me but i am not over the top. i will ride a japanese bike.

what makes you say inferior on build quality for example?

not trying to argue.
we feel how we feel. i am just interested in what people are basing their opinions

originally posted by: skunkape23
They are obnoxiously loud would be my first complaint.
Aside from being overpriced.
I don't enjoy my dog raising hell when the neighbor pulls up on his hawg at 3 in the morning.
I found myself caught in the middle of a ROT rally in Austin and almost had a 'Rain Man' freak out.
Deafening racket and thick exhaust fumes and old people with a trashy fashion sense.
Count me out.

Loud bikes attract more attention, attention of course being the main attraction to buying a harley in the first place.

The window to my office faces a local intersection here in town. I can't count the number of times I"ve seen a guy pull up to the light on his harley, only to proceed to rev the bike as he scans the sidewalks for attention. It's amusing.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: TinySickTears

It's like cars. If it's not what you own or like it; it's garbage or there's some sort of stigma attached to it.
I bought a Cadillac a few months ago, and all people say to me is something along the lines of "so when did you turn 65?"
Trash talk like that.

right about that
like harleys are # and people who ride them look like they are on meth...

youre right though. especially with motorcycles and cars

a reply to: MisterSpock

that definitely happens.

i hear bikes that are so loud they are defining.
and the revs at a light.
its stupid

fair is fair though. have you hear how loud some of these rockets are after the people get to replacing parts?
muscle cars? tuner cars?

some loud stuff out there man

for sure though i think people would be surprised at how loud they are not compared to what they think.

im talking factory harley

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: MisterSpock
The japanese bikes can usually be had at a discount, maybe harleys can too now, but in the past not so much.

Compared to similar priced bikes, they are normally inferior in tangible measurement(FE, Noise, Power, Reliability, Build Quality). They are superior in most of the intangible qualities some riders look for(cool factor, heritage, recognition, etc)

Personally, I'm not a fan. You can buy much better for less. I also find group think and "rooting for the home team" to be poor human traits. I despise being part of a group for no other reason than some common uncontrollable factor(like a state I happen to be born in, or the school distract I happen to fall into). Harleys are "heavy" on the group mentality(their harley wave or whatever that is). It's an even bigger deterrent to ever owning one than the inferior product itself.

right about the group thing.
that has been ingrained in me but i am not over the top. i will ride a japanese bike.

what makes you say inferior on build quality for example?

not trying to argue.
we feel how we feel. i am just interested in what people are basing their opinions

I guess build quality could encompass design as well. Harley's are known to be leakers, also the whole turning wobble thing reeks of complacent halfassism that infected the american auto industry throughout the 80's and 90's. I've actually never heard anyone dispute the quality difference between harleys and japanese bikes, even harley riders/builders.

originally posted by: TinySickTears
a reply to: MisterSpock

that definitely happens.

i hear bikes that are so loud they are defining.
and the revs at a light.
its stupid

fair is fair though. have you hear how loud some of these rockets are after the people get to replacing parts?
muscle cars? tuner cars?

some loud stuff out there man

for sure though i think people would be surprised at how loud they are not compared to what they think.

im talking factory harley

I hear load bikes all the time, from all brands. Usually the guys on sport bikes just wait until the light turn green and then fly off loudly. I've seen factory exhaust harleys do the same rev and scan.

a reply to: TinySickTears

My neighbour bought a new one a few months ago, loves it. He also managed to convince his mate, a long time harley hater to buy one. Apparently the performance has improved significantly.

I have to agree with Mr Spock. It's about the image with HD. I'm still on the fence about whether the move is going to be good for HD. The bottom line, for me, is that for the baby boomer rebels out there Easy Rider is an American movie, not Asian so HD could lose there. On the other hand, do modern day Nike Bikies really give that much of a sh!t? time will tell.

BTW, personally I wouldn't buy one, maintenance costs are frightening.

People buy stuff for attention, cars, bikes whatever. Some people just enjoy driving and riding, and have to live with the attention their choice brings. Others are in it solely for attention or status, and to some degree the joy of using it.

It's the same with cars, and it's usually not hard to spot. There are a lot more choices in cars to nail one brand/model down to the attention crowd(from a majority aspect). It just so happens that when it comes to bikes, theres less choices and a obvious goto when it comes to the attention crowd. Hence the stigma harley seems to get.

I guess in the car world you could maybe say the mustang is the 4 wheeled harley. Atleast all those youtube mustang leaving car show crash compilation seem to point to a high percentage of owners seeking attention.

Personally, I hate attention, and just enjoy the ride/drive. But that mentality is few and far between. I don't goto shows, or join clubs, I just go out and enjoy myself on desolate rural back roads. I guess different strokes for different folks.

Okay. This is personal. Judge Mary Davidson of Minneapolis (cough, cough) fame and of the famous Harley/Davidson bikes was the judge in my divorce many years ago and was clandestinely seeing my ex. When I found out it explained why he was receiving positives in court orders-even with other judges. I exposed them on the 6 o'clock news for 2 days. I hate H/D's-not to mention she did alot of pro bono work for the gang members who were criminals. Weird? I think all their stuff and including their people were junk/trash/immoral people. She helped my ex lose over 1mill in our assets and helped him never pay child support. This just hit a bad nerve with me and is personal. Slam those pos for everything you can-glad to hear they are junk cause the people involved with them are.

a reply to: TinySickTears

I have a 2002 Harley. Thing runs great. I have done all the upkeep that is called for. Only run premium gas. What I'm saying if you take care of it, it will take care of you. Treat any vehicle like poop and sooner rather than later it will poop on you.

I never changed the pipes as I felt it sounds just right stock. Most people either change pipes or remove their baffles, but then you have to adjust the carb some. Most Harleys don't sound that loud stock. At least mine don't it is more of a low mellow rumble.

As far as price my next bike will cost more than my Harley. I really like the BMW R 1200 RT.

a reply to: TinySickTears

A real bike.

www.nortonmotorcycles.com...

a reply to: MisterSpock

i am 100% with you.
i ride alone or my wife and i.
thats it.

the older i get i get more cynical about it i think.
even as a person who loves and owns harleys.
i see some dude with his khaki's and slip on shoes pull up next to me and i think to myself he is a dick.
based on nothing. dude can like what he likes you know?
i still get that emotion though.

same with cars. not so much mustangs and camaros and # though but when i see dudes roll up to the old wal mart in a ferrari or his 65k vette i think the same thing.
and who the hell am i?

you want a vette you should get a vette

a reply to: TinySickTears

Too many into harleys for the fashion.
They are just a ball gag away from an S&M outfit.