Thread: Shall I say? --What's so Special about Harleys

I'm just waiting for Donald to pitch in on this issue, assuming he doesn't run down the whole lot of you

Harley took a big hit during the AMF days when quality just plain sucked. the closest thing they have to a cutting edge bike now is the v-rod.

HD, or as my Harley buddy says Hunert Dollar, has done a very good job selling an image. even the new Harley engins are pretty much old tecnoligey. but you have harley owners btching about fuel injection and how much they miss carborated engines. know of several people that pulled all the electronic stuff off their new Harleys and made em carborated

like a feller said a while back, "what other manufacturer is there that people tatoo the logo on their body".

Originally Posted by MaduroMan_wcp

... "what other manufacturer is there that people tatoo the logo on their body".

Boy, that's a good point......when was the last time you saw a 'Suzuki' tattoo?



.....anyone?.........anyone?.....

-whatever

-Lou

Growing up in and around Milwaukee, I guess I can understand the local attraction to bike as the majority of local manufacturing jobs have gone away or "relocated" across the Pacific.
I will never figure out how some 400 lb, unshaven, poorly dressed guy with a harley is always sporting some hottie that's 10 years younger than he is. This is probably the best marketing out there! I see a lot of mismatched couples and I usually write it off as some rich guy, but I have no explanation for the harley thing.

Q-What's the difference between a Harley Davidson and a Hoover???

A-The location of the dirt bag!

-Fred

PS-I hope I haven't offended any Harley guys with this post. I have many friends and family members that love these things.

Well, if you're in the market for a cruiser, Harleys are definitely up there. In Australia (and probably elsewhere too, I guess) we have an ever-increasing group of "weekend warriors" - 40-something professional-types who pay the big bucks for a Harley and trick it out with the leather bags etc. (I saw one guy once with spurs...) and burn up the highway (at the legal speed limit of course) on their days off.

I always thought it was a prestige thing over here. Harleys in Australia are (were) traditionally viewed as a hard man's bike, but also show you've got the $$s too. Throw in a pair of leather chaps and a bit of facial hair....

I've ridden dirt bikes since I was nine, so my road bike preferences tend toward the nekkids - Ducati Monster, Triumph speed triple etc. In terms of looks (no idea how it goes) my dream bike is the MV Agusta Brutale - whoa baby!





James.

Hey Justin,

I think that it is the image (and legend) of Harley that is the appeal. I was told that Harley's hold their Value well.
I like Softtails, but would only buy one as an investment, pefering to ride bikes that are lower maintenence and cheaper (V Star Classic).

If I had the money I wouldn't ming owning a Harley or one of these

Like someone said, it's the image of an American lifestyle. It represents all that is "free" and "tough". There's no doubt that better bikes are made elsewhere (Ducati, Triumph, Japanese models), but just the fact that it's an American bike that can hold its own is enough to at least admire it.

Not many people know this, but the distinctive sound is also part of it. Harley R&D spends a lot of time and money to get the sound just right. If just one wave is out of place, they figure out how to tweak it to have the Harley "sound".

There's also the historical factor. They were used quite a bit in WWII, and although they weren't the best bikes, the soldiers came home with something similar to the Coke effect- that's what they had a lot of exposure to, so they were loyal to the brand. This got passed to their children, and it just keeps going.

That's my 2 cents on it. Personally, I wouldn't mind a V-Rod myself (Harley's new one). If I could choose anything though, a BMW or Triumph would be high on my list

When I was a kid my dad's friend was teaching me to ride on his huge BMW from WWII or just about that old. What a beast! Almost crashed several times on it too, one notable experience was a near miss of a head on with the local football team's tour bus... My wife used to ride some sports bikes in her teens too.

However, I cannot even think about getting a bike now - I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself (or get killed by someone who's not paying attention).

Cheers
Ivo

the lack of reliability or other bikes are better because Harley's are an old design is bullshit.

How many men use mach 3's? A: most
Are they better? A: no
Why do most use them? A: marketing


A bunch experienced riders from Ireland did a charity run across route 66 last summer for a children's hospital. anyway they rented bike for the run and about half ended up on harley's and half on bmw's.
This is fact, all of the bmw's broke down at some point on the run, thats not some or a few, but all, every one of them broke down.
How many of the Harley's broke down? a: NONE, not one not a single failure.
this was a good sample of about 50 bikes total.

and somebody said Harley's are popular because of marketing, well if they are then bmw are masters of marketing.

Oh, I forgot to say that another reason Harleys are loved is that they're super comfortable. I rode one over some rough road and it was smoother and more comfortable than a lot of cars I've ridden in!