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I don't get why people say that Harleys aren't fast bikes. I raced one the other day on some mountain roads in Kentucky and got beat. I make up ground on the twisty parts, but he just powered ahead on the straightaways and all of his low end torque got the better of me. After five miles I decided that I 'd had enough and let him slip away. I came up short, and I admit that he was faster than me. I am still sore from that race, it was the hardest I ever pedaled.
So it seems there is a hate love relationship with Harley's. Either people love them or hate them. It seems some people say they are unreliable, slow and loud. Others say Harley's are not designed to be fast sport bikes, and people hate harley's just because it is the dominate bike brand in the world and others hate harley's because they can't afford one, I have heard people say that a lot of people hate Harley's mainly because they are a American company and they think all American bikes suck kinda like how some people hate American cars and swear by foreign cars. I have heard people say they aren't unreliable most people don't know how to take care of a bike. Being here in Milwaukee it's almost like their more Harley's than cars some days, and there is a decent sized non-Harley community in Milwaukee where they hate on Harley because it's a corporation and would rather buy a smaller less known bike, plus I have heard some people just don't like the image that comes with owning one and others say they hate the noise they make. So which is it? I am a new lover of Harley's since I attended the 100th and 105th anniversary in Milwaukee. I saw mostly younger people riding chopper style bikes, a lot of custom bikes and some older typical Harley riders as well. Then I took a tour of the Harley Museum here in Milwaukee and again it got me hooked. I like both euro bikes and my hometown Favorite as well, I don't care what anyone says about my bike brand. It just seems like it's a sneering comment like "oh it's a Harley" or Hell yeah you drive a Harley.
I like a lot of the newer bikes that have come out 2006 and beyond, I do miss the Buell brand though. What kind of rep does harley have out in the rest of the US, in Milwaukee the Harley is practically the official sound of the city.
What do you like or dislike about Harley Davidson and why do you own one or not own one?
My 2006 Sportster has been, and is being, a great motorcycle. I ride it every day and it is my form of transportation. What I don't get is the "Harley-Davidson lifestyle". It's just a sales concept put out by HD to get people to buy all the goodies they sell. It is a very successful concept as you can see on a Saturday at a dealership as all the riders walk around wearing their chaps, doorags, leather vests etc. I get motorcycle leathers, but why leave your butt hanging out??I've seen films of motorcycle road racers sliding along the pavement on their backsides letting the leathers scrub off speed until they come to a stop, get up, and walk away. If they were wearing chaps, they would grind their butts off. And the little dingle bells you see attached to the undersides of the bikes, and the whips attached to the handlebars on some bikes??
I ride with my full face helmet and a textile riding coat with armor in it, and very often with our cold rainy weather, rain gear. I don't like riding in groups.
I don't get why people say that Harleys aren't fast bikes. I raced one the other day on some mountain roads in Kentucky and got beat. I make up ground on the twisty parts, but he just powered ahead on the straightaways and all of his low end torque got the better of me. After five miles I decided that I 'd had enough and let him slip away. I came up short, and I admit that he was faster than me. I am still sore from that race, it was the hardest I ever pedaled.
The question posed in the thread title is so vague that it will never be conclusively answered. Is it a good bike or a bad bike? It depends on what you want it for. It isn't a good bike to roadrace on (except possibly in the Big Twins category). It's a great bike to cruise around town on. Etc,, etc., etc.! The topic of the so-called "lifestyle" enters into it as well. If you want to hang out with othe Harley riders and go to H.O.G. events, it's what you need, but whether it's a good or bad bike has little to do with that.
I have always thought of riding a motorcycle as a solitary activity. I have never enjoyed riding with another rider or a group. I do enjoy sharing the riding experience with the right Female but on those occasions my thoughts are somewhere other than the pleasures of the riding experience. My Dad always told me when I was a kid that when you got two or more boys in a group the chances of something bad happening increased exponentially. I think he was right and the same reasoning can be applied to riding motorcycles in a group.
The saying i was taught in college is "A Boy's a boy. 2 Boys is half a boy. 3 Boys is no boy at all." That essentially sums up the relationship of the number of boys to the brain power the boys have.
As to riding with a group, i can agree with you. I've done numerous group rides, some have been fun, some have been boring, and some have been scary. The typical experience involves riders of different skill levels, abilities, and desires. If you have a group who all are out for the same basic purpose, and have the same general idea of fun it'll probably be a fun ride.
I rode with a sportbike group and had a great time, but decided that the likely hood of going down was fairly high so i've backed out of that riding...I've got friends who ride cruisers and that'll bore the hell outta me, can't stand taking a 50mph turn at 50mph...however the sportbike group would have taken that turn at 100mph, and i don't need that either. I personally prefer riding "The Pace" and just enjoying the fun...Often though folks would rather go balls out on the 140hp machines, while lifting the front wheel, and dragging knees on public streets...never knowing what's around the next corner...
PS, i don't think that entire post has anything to do with Harley Davidsons...they're fine bikes.
I've got friends who ride cruisers and that'll bore the hell outta me, can't stand taking a 50mph turn at 50mph...however the sportbike group would have taken that turn at 100mph, and i don't need that either. I personally prefer riding "The Pace" and just enjoying the fun...Often though folks would rather go balls out on the 140hp machines, while lifting the front wheel, and dragging knees on public streets...never knowing what's around the next corner...
I couldn't agree more. I'd probably take the 50 mph turn at about 65 mph.
Like you and Gunluvver2, I think of riding as a solitary activity as well. I like to pick my own pace, stop when I want to, and most of all not have to be concerned with what the others are doing or not doing.
So it seems there is a hate love relationship with Harley's. Either people love them or hate them. It seems some people say they are unreliable, slow and loud. Others say Harley's are not designed to be fast sport bikes, and people hate harley's just because it is the dominate bike brand in the world and others hate harley's because they can't afford one, I have heard people say that a lot of people hate Harley's mainly because they are a American company and they think all American bikes suck kinda like how some people hate American cars and swear by foreign cars. I have heard people say they aren't unreliable most people don't know how to take care of a bike. Being here in Milwaukee it's almost like their more Harley's than cars some days, and there is a decent sized non-Harley community in Milwaukee where they hate on Harley because it's a corporation and would rather buy a smaller less known bike, plus I have heard some people just don't like the image that comes with owning one and others say they hate the noise they make. So which is it? I am a new lover of Harley's since I attended the 100th and 105th anniversary in Milwaukee. I saw mostly younger people riding chopper style bikes, a lot of custom bikes and some older typical Harley riders as well. Then I took a tour of the Harley Museum here in Milwaukee and again it got me hooked. I like both euro bikes and my hometown Favorite as well, I don't care what anyone says about my bike brand. It just seems like it's a sneering comment like "oh it's a Harley" or Hell yeah you drive a Harley.
I like a lot of the newer bikes that have come out 2006 and beyond, I do miss the Buell brand though. What kind of rep does harley have out in the rest of the US, in Milwaukee the Harley is practically the official sound of the city.
What do you like or dislike about Harley Davidson and why do you own one or not own one?
Those people aren't smart, because American cars are actually reliable while foreign cars aren't. It's the opposite.
And I only see older people ride Harley's and I'm a young person who prefers speed bikes.
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