Let me first start by saying ride what you got. I ride everything. Right now I've got a Harley, a Triumph and a KTM dirt bike.
I'm in my third Harley in 10 years. I started with an Evo and the last two were an '02 Twincam and an '05 TC. I had a few of the standard issues on the Evo, but they were easily remedied. Almost anyone who's got one did these mods and after that they're bulletproof. My second TC was an '02 FXDXT Dyna. I put about 30k on it. Rode it to Alaska (see pics below) and back, and did the Denali highway. It was as solid as any other bike I've ever ridden. I only changed the fluids for the three years I owned it.
Now I'm on a big touring Road Glide. I love it. I was doing so many freeway miles while touring I felt I could treat myself to something comfortable. I am a big fan of twins, and there's not a twin out there with the personality Harley's got.
All that said, you don't have to pay Harley money to get something fantastic, but if you want a Harley and the only thing stopping you is a fear of their reliability, think again. They're not what they used to be during the AMF years.
http://setthemfree.com/pictures/alas...Images/144.jpg
http://setthemfree.com/pictures/alas...Images/154.jpg