So if Harleys are so lame....

[HardDrive]

WHY do I lust after them so much?

I am first in line when it comes to ripping on the dentists driving their Fat Boys wearing $1000 worth of Harley gear. There is no question they are technically inferior bikes. But I still lust after them.

My dream bikes are either a Dyna Low Rider or a Ducati 900ss(1000 these days). Not exactly comparable choices, I know!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

It depends on what you're looking for.

Honestly, I'm more suited to the vibes of a big twin than I am to those buzzy-ass I4 motored bikes. And my wrists can't handle long periods of looking like a monkey humping a football. I test rode a BMW R1100S, and damn that thing sucked.

Best bike I ever owned was my '02 Victory V92C. It was beautiful in its own way, handled relatively well, and made decent power. Unfortunately I busted my tailbone and it sat in my garage for a year before I gave up and finally sold it. Now I'm healed up and building a rigid Shovelhead fit specifically to my scrawny bod. The beauty is if I find that something doesn't work, I'll just change it.

There's more stuff out there for Harley mods than all the other brands put together.

[speeder]

The coolest thing about Harleys is the fact that virtually all of them are customised in some way to the owner's preference, rendering hardly any two exactly alike. 99% of them I don't care for, but ahh..., the one in my mind's eye is perfect.

[nota]

I would like to see a chopper
built on a modern bike like a duke

the endless H D based bikes get old
esp as the industry is so set
that few do real customs
most are just kit type bikes
bought NOT created by indiviguals

[djmcmath]

I don't know what you like about Harleys. Now BMWs? Holy cow, there's a BMW motorcycle on display at the Norfolk Airport that makes me salivate every time I walk past.

[scottmandue]

Don't be silly... who would want to drive a vehicle with a forty year old design air cooled engine.

I do admire the craftsmanship and ingenuity that goes into some of them. I am a sucker for the biker build off show, they do some really cool stuff.

Problem is the spirit of the outlaw Harley biker has been totally perverted. Instead of being an rugged individual now owning a Harley is more yielding to a popular fad. All Harley's custom? Please... I suppose changing the license plate frames on my car makes it a custom, most of the guys just bolt on a few pieces here and there (or have the dealer do it for them) but from across the street they look the same.

I did almost drop the hammer on a stock 100th anniversary Harley I saw on the street.

[TheMentat]

Originally posted by nota
I would like to see a chopper
built on a modern bike like a duke

like this?

http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthamerica/news/detail.jhtml?newsId=10221

[scottmandue]

Originally posted by nota
I would like to see a chopper
built on a modern bike like a duke

the endless H D based bikes get old
esp as the industry is so set
that few do real customs
most are just kit type bikes
bought NOT created by individuals

There are several shops building custom Japanese cruisers, some of them look very nice.

[dd74]

Yeah, I'm an H-D sucker, too. It's simple, straightforward tech, like a Porsche - so maybe that's it. Plus, they are cool. BMWs are also nice, but they're completely different, IMO - very high tech, and look ostentatious compared to the H-D.

The H-D culture has changed. When I was a kid, it was normal to fear being killed by a bunch of grizzily beasts on Harleys. These days, one fears being sued by bunch of grizzily beasts on Harleys.

I like the Sportsters myself. I wouldn't want a crotch rocket that revs up to 14,000 RPM. That's no fun, IMO.

[VaSteve]

I started this thread and a couple of people jumped on the Sportsters.
Good motorcycle forum? Good bike to get?

I think they are cool. But I went to the BMW bike dealer yesterday, because I also love those old boxer twins ( 1970's /5). But, as a new rider, I want something newer, so I was checking out the newer BMW bikes. Way cool. I really like what they have. Different than the Japanese bikes. Less flashy. The dealer I went to had a 1200 Sportster and it looked so out of place in there, I almost didn't give it a second thought.

Odd approach between the two brands. Where I live is H-D country. The typical riding gear is shorts and a T shirt. I went to the local dealer and asked about safety gear and he said he just wears whatever. He's "old school". The guys at the BMW place follow the ATGATT philosphy. (All the gear all the time). Like two different worlds.

[911boost]

This thread hits near home. About a month ago I sold my 2004 R1150GS and bought an 06 Electra Glide Classic. Two completely different bikes.

I looked at the HD's when I was looking back in 2003, and also the BMW's. I had decided early on that those were the two that I liked. At the time my next door neighbor had an R1150R that I enjoyed riding. I was looking forward to riding in the canyons, and since I live in Colorado, where there is an abundance of fire roads riding them. With that being said I bought the GS. I really enjoyed that bike when I got it.

Unfortunately, like with everything else, things change. We had 2 children, and I was only riding the BMW on the interstate 60 miles each way to work. Gone were the weekend rides. I had bought the dirtbikes, so fireroads were boring as hell, and the GS was heavy as hell to be riding on roads like that after I got used to the lighter weight dirtbikes.

I outfitted the GS for commuter duty, but being 6-4, just couldn't find a windsheld that prevented pretty bad helmet buffetting at 75-80 mph. The speed I need to ride to keep from getting run over by semi's on I-25.

I actually went to the local HD dealer with a friend to look for him, and stumbled upon the 2006 Electra Glide. Since all the 07's have 96 ci motors and 6 speeds, they were really blowing out the 06's. Funny thing is, the final drive ratio's are almost the exact same for the 5 and 6 speeds, and I wasn't buying a HD so it could be fast, so i didn't really give a poop about the newer stuff.

I have over 500 miles on the Electra Glide already, and the thing just moves right on down the interstate. The difference between the two bikes is amazing, but I can't say I like the HD better than the BMW, because of the differences. The HD is just better at what I primarily use it for, which is long interstate riding.

I have taken some chrome and worthless stuff of it, but honestly don't plan on doing much else (I also replaced the seat, as the stock one I think was desinged for bigger folks than me and was pretty wide).

Now, with all that said, I still wear my full face Arai helmet, my BMW riding jacket with all the armor and my boots. The difference is that I can ride with the visor open, and not feel any wind. Will I buy a leather jacket. Sure, but it will have all the armor in it like my current textile one (I happen to like what Vanson Leather produces), but it will not be of the desing that makes me look like the Biker from the Village People, more of sleeker design.

I honestly don't care what anyone thinks, its my damn bike and I will ride it how I want. Plus, I heard a guy say once when someone asked him why he wore a helmet and all the gear all the time and he said "Riding motorcycles is only one part of my life. Why let that one part ruin the rest of my life?". I tend to agree. Not saying with all the gear on in the world your are totally safe, but you know what I mean.

Just my thoughts...

[Tobra]

Originally posted by scottmandue
snip...
I did almost drop the hammer on a stock 100th anniversary Harley I saw on the street.

My brother bought one of those(will get a pic when he returns from Disneyland), also has a '95 Sportster with the smaller engine and the bigger gas tank that I got him for Christmas a few years ago. It was sort of a trip, they had one gas tank in stock, it was the right one in the right color(black) My wife wanted me to buy that from him in the worst way, but scoots just ain't my thing.

He is sort of scary looking, long thick hair and beard, really wide too, doesn't have to turn sideways to go through a door, but if he is wearing a bulky coat he touches on both sides. He looks like the biker that would twist your arm off and beat you to death with it, but is the most mild mannered guy you ever want to meet.

[rouxroux]

Plus, nothin' vibrates your beeeyotch like the full piston-slap of a lugging v-twin...

[cool_chick]

Harleys are not lame. Harleys are beautiful.

[LeRoy]

[dd74]

Well, after reading Todd's thread about "going down (not in a good way)" my H-D dreams are effectively over.

It's not the motorcycles I fear, it is everyone else on the road, coyotes included.

[1967 R50/2]

Originally posted by LeRoy

It's a Nimbus. Danish 4 Cylinder. Stopped making tem in the '50s

[Flatbutt1]

nothing lame about HDs and i don't think they are mechanically inferior any more. HD has made alot of improvements but tends to not embrace change as quickly as Japan or Germany. Witness the V Rod not selling as well as they had hoped.

Sure it is an old design but the riders don't seem to be tired of it.

The HD doesn't suit my style of riding now, but one day I can see myself on one.

[LakeCleElum]

Originally posted by HardDrive
WHY do I lust after them so much?
There is no question they are technically inferior bikes. But I still lust after them.

You lust after them because:

1) You liked tractors as a small boy, and

2) HarelyS are very efficient at converting gasoline to noise without that bi-product called HORSEPOWER!!!!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by LakeCleElum
2) HarelyS are very efficient at converting gasoline to noise without that bi-product called HORSEPOWER!!!!

I triple-dog dare you to say that to Asphaltgambler's face.