I ride a Harley because that is what I grew up around. As far as some of the racing comments go, guess none of you watch flat track or tt racing. The only reason the japanese ever got a championship was the fact that Bubba Shobert could race big wheel faster than most could ride a ninja. The XR750 (no not a Honda engine, a harley engine) is an engine that should be enshrined in the smithsonian. Different bikes excel at different levels at different events.

Yes they are a lot of posers riding harleys. For the purests, it is the love affair with a 90+ year old engine design that has changed very little, it never needed to. Beyond displacement changes and "engine series" anyone that could work on them in the 60's can still work on them today. I don't care what anyone rides, nor should anyone care what I ride. The basic concept of motorcycling is the freedom. Something I think many here are missing.

Instead of buying my 06 street glide, I could have bought 2 jap bikes. They just don't appeal to me, they also have very little aftermarket offerings. The aftermarket stuff out there available for HD's is about 20 years ahead of everybody else. I have my own air bench and have done all my own work on all 3 HD's I have owned. Its a big reason I was able to get into them money wise, never being at the mercy of the dealerships high labor rates. The value HD's retain are also a draw for many people. I paid $1500.00 to ride my sportster for 9 years. I paid $1500.00 to ride my dyna for 5 years. Many metric crusers loose those combined once driven off the lot the first year. One thing about it, this discussion has gone on for many years, and looks like it will continue for many many more.

 

I won't argue your point on this, but I will say that the aftermarket for my bike is tremendous (perhaps small compared to HD, though), offering many different looks- most of which seem to imitate HD, the sincerest form of flattery.

I like your attitude about bikes in general, though. I agree that riding is about the freedom. I hope to do Rolling Thunder in the years to come, and would love to spend time in bith Sturgis and Daytona bike week.

 

whats wrong with sport bikes?

 

Good thread guys. I'll make one more observation here...

I think this has been hinted at in this thread, but not said explicitly - one thing you find plenty of in the Harley world that you don't find much of in the sport bike world is: tradition. A common theme coming from the Harley owners here is the appeal of long standing design, solid American iron, continuity, etc. - and that's got value to them. The sport bikers seem ready to jump on whatever the latest innovation is that makes today's ride better - and that's cool - regardless of what gets left behind. (No flames please - I'm generalizing for sure!) The Harley folks (the real ones, not talking "wannabes" here) tend to look at the overall experience of being part of a larger tradition. Where do the wannabes come in? Well that at some point they may develop a desire to partake in some tradition. They haven't got the time, but they got money. So in our instant gratification society - hey, just go buy it. And Harley-Davidson business units, which like any company nowadays have to answer to the stockholders, are more than happy to sell to them, and why not? They've been building that valuable tradition for 100+ years, why shouldn't they cash in on it?

Here on the farm we do mostly round bales, but I keep an old New Holland square baler around to do some squares for some horse customers. I'm on the tractor to do most of the round baling, but when we square bale I sometimes like to just walk by the baler and listen to it and watch it work. It's old and a little beat up and should be replaced - but it's still a thing of beauty. The folks that designed and built that baler probably didn't think at the time that it might keep working for 30, 40, 50 years, but they probably wouldn't be surprised to hear that it would, either. It still makes the same sweet sound when the knotter kicks off as it did when it was new. For anyone with a true appreciates for real machinery it's a joy to watch. A new baler would be shiny, and would probably make a better bale, but when you bale with that old New Holland, you're walking alongside every farmer that every baled a bale...

There's no such thing as an out-of-date Harley. It might be old, it might have some wear and leak some oil, but they're all classics. Even the lowly AMF Harleys generate some respect. Sure Harley's aren't the only classic bikes, but Harleys may be the only bikes where every one is a classic. Where is the brand new sport bike you buy today going to be in 25 years? The new Harley you buy today will still be ridden by someone, somewhere 25 or 50 or 100 years from now.

So if you buy into all that, it may be where there's some substance to the feelings from the sport-bikers that Harley owners own a Harley for more than the physical act of riding. But the Harley owners response seems to be "That's not a bad thing..." And personally I agree. I find my appreciation for tradition increases as I get older. I never rode my Sportster in a group, never did "runs", never belonged to any clubs. But when I rode I was never alone - just like walking beside that old baler. And so if and when I go looking for my next bike it's going to be a HD...

So thanks for listening, apologies for the length of all that. Enjoy whatever you ride - there's plenty of room for everyone out there - and ride safe...

 

Well-said NewEnglandHeardsman. There is plenty of room for everyone. If sports bikes don't have as long a tradition I think it's partly because they only started as a style in the 80's. I recall the 79 Kawasaki turbo as one of the first of the breed. When Harley begged the Japanese to take 4 cylinder motors out of the cruiser market, the sports bike took the lead with performance. The Suzuki GS1150 comes to mind.

Old age tends to favor the slow and the sports bike market won't attract the retired crowd. Plenty of baby boomers buy HD’s, some to ride, some cause they just look good. Can't blame them there. I've ridden with all types and I think the Japanese cruisers, while being great bikes, sometimes let the riders feel left out. They don't feel at home with the HD crowd and can’t keep up with the sport bike guys, but I guess it's a growing group of it's own. As you said enjoy whatever you ride. If I could have a few bikes a HD would surely be one. Fatboy or Heritage maybe next to a ZX-14 and DRZ-400S. I can always dream.

 

As far as a Jap bike that I would own, thats easy, KZ 1000. They are still tearing up the drag strip nationwide. The racing aftermarket support is phenominal.

 

Yall want to hear something ironic?

My buddy calls me today and says he sold his mustang and bought a harley. His '99 mustang had 400hp and was his pride and joy for years. Strange he sold it, he always talked about it but i thought he was bluffing. A few days after posting this thread he sells it and bought a '74 shovlehead. I must admit it looks awesome.

 

You're waaaay too smart not to realize that those racing series were incredibly protective of HD.....anytime anything came close to stomping them, it was IMMEDIATELY banned.

Yes, I realize the Yamaha TZ-750 motored flat trackers were in a different universe tech wise compared to an HD, the fact is the AMA said, "No freakin way when they were introduced."...........and therein lies my feeling to that backward company.

While I'm incredibly impressed that no one here has played the patriot card....I LMFAO when I get to point out all the Japanese parts on a modern HD.

(kinda like when I showed my partner at work his Chevy Tracker was a Suzuki...he almost cried.. )

I agree 100% with all when we talk about our love for our sport and ride whatever we like............I just get that vomit taste in my mouth when talking about that company.

 

Slightly off subject, but that's what Ferrari kind of did to the Ford GT40 program back in the sixties.

OK. Back to the subject.

Ever here of a Miyagi Davidson?

I haven't either.

 

The only real street bike I owned was a nine second on street tires kz1000,it would do mid to high 8s with the longer swingarm and 8" rear wheel had wheelie bars also.
I striped all the track stuff off and sold the drag rear and was trying to get it street legal again but it was hard this thing was ment to race.It was a great looking bike all chrome and black paint.
For me it was not comfortable and would hurt my hips when sitting on it but once you put it in gear and hit the throttle all pain went away and a big smile was all I remembered.

 

As I was reading this thread last night a good friend called and wanted me to work on a harley he is buying.

It is a mid 80s 1200 sportster and he got it for $1200.00 dollars it runs but ruff he says.He got it from a biker that just bought a new one.The guy just put $2500.00 into it in the last year.The bike has got to be worth more than tripple of what he paid wouldn't you think.

The good news after I get it going I get to keep it for a couple of months to ride and he will cover all the costs to get it legal.

The only harley I got to ride was when I was 16 and helped a friend rebuild a sportster,I couldn't belive he was going to let me ride it but he said if it wasn't for me it would still be in a box in his bedroom.

 

KZ1000? Old school. I had a '77 KZ1000LTD. In it's day it was fast. It was the first bike to get dual front disc brakes stock and it needed them. It was good for low 12's, but now it wouldn't keep up with a ZX6. The ZX-14 is doing 9.xx sec quarters in stock trim, 8’s modified and far more stable at high speed. Here is one review:

morotcyclist mag review

I think it's a great value for the money that will probably be getting more expensive soon as the dollar sinks. Great thing about these bikes is it’s not just about speed. Handling, braking and even fit and finish is, in my book, light-years ahead of HD. As for comfort, you can ride all day on a modern sports bike with less fatigue than any HD. No vibration, no noise, no nonsense ‘I have to be loud to sound powerful and annoy people’ BS. If there is one thing I really don’t like about Harleys, it’s how loud they are and how they think it is so great to annoy the world with their tractor motor sound. I’m not impressed with the slow noisemakers. Get a muffler.