Hi all. I rode a Honda 600cc sportbike for several years but recently began looking into a more comfortable style of bike. My back couldn't take the riding posture for much longer than a few hours. I had no problems whatsoever with it over the course of 26k miles. It always fired up and I never doubted the integrity of its engineering.

At local dealers and bike meets, I test rode so many cruiser styles bikes from makes like Indian, Victory, and HD. Honestly, all of those bikes are way more comfortable than my previous bike! I want to lean towards HD bc of the nostalgia, styling, sound (of course!) etc. However, in reading many forums and websites, I have begun to have doubts about "modern HD bikes"...

Now it may be true, as a former coworker put it that "Only people with negative experiences post things on forums and the web", but I have read a lot on forums... Honestly, I learned that one shouldn't even look at mainstream reviews such as consumer reports, etc., but rather should look at reviews from average Joes who have nothing to gain from telling their experiences....

My main concerns are the build quality of modern HDs, which I define as circa year 2000+. Some of the stories I read on sites like pissedconsumer.com and even the NHTSA site concerning some of the problems encountered really make me take a step back - especially because some of them could have easily resulted in the rider's death. I am referring to such reports of the rear drive pulley bolts coming out and thus the pulley coming off the hub...

Anyway, I have thought about whether it would be better to buy a new HD or a used one.... My reasoning about a used HD would be that any potential problems may have been discovered by the previous owner(s) and thus hopefully fixed... What are your thoughts on that opinion?

Furthermore, I have noticed from checking out a lot of dealer sites in my area that a lot of 2014 and 2015 bikes are listed as used - and some of them only have 200 to 500 miles on them! Why would someone buy a bike and then get rid of it at such low mileage? Was it because they didn't like the bike or because they discovered that there were major problems?


Please don't take this as me bashing HD... However, I really want to protect myself as the consumer and am doing my due research beforehand.

 

Sounds like you've already made up your mind. Stay away from Harley. We however, will continue to buy, ride & love Harley Davidson.

 

Welcome to the forum.
Horror stories abound for every kind of motor vehicle. There will always be Harley haters. Of course, one of the functions of forums like this is for people to air their problems and look for advice on how to fix them. If you read enough posts here you'll find that most of us have few, if not any, real problems with our bikes, especially if well-maintained.
New or used is always a good debate. I say if you have the budget go with new. If not, as you have observed, there are tons of low mileage garage queens on the market. People buy these for all the wrong reasons and then discover they are not really interested in riding, not to mention those who are terrified by the experience.
It's almost a pattern where someone buys a new bike, has the dealer install a ton of extras, usually windshields, crash bars, backrests and the such. Nothing wrong with these things, but it seems like the buyers are just into the idea of a Harley and may not have a clue what owning and riding one is really about. Hence, bikes that are never or rarely ridden get on the market.

 

Owned a half a dozen Harleys with NO mechinical issue. If you want to owned the best cruisers in the world buy a Harley. If you want a modern imitation of a Harley than get that but make no mistake there isn't anything like a Harley Davidson. I've owned other brands of motorcycle but Harley makes the best cruisers and nothing else even comes close. My next bike will be a Honda sport tourer but my Harleys are staying.

 

I have found that if a person reads long and hard enough, they will always find negative and positive remarks about something. What you are saying could be true, not only about HD but about cars and other things as well.

 

Go ahead and buy the Harley of your choice and have a great time because odds are you will experience nothing but a great time and many wonderful miles. Every manufacturer has quality problems every now and then but the vast majority have no problems at all. I love my two Harley's and would not trade them for any other brand. I may someday buy another brand but I will keep my Harleys so my kids can enjoy them someday.

 

The first difference you will notice is the lack of lean angle on any cruiser. Turns will be wider and slower than you are used to now. If you do not adjust accordingly, you will over lean and wreck the bike.


A lot of important internal changes happened during the first few years of the Twin Cam engine due to maximizing profits. Read the book Donny’s Unauthorized Technical Guide to Harley-Davidson Volume I: The Twin Cam. Another good source of information would be to look at the service manual from a 2004 and 2014 from the same model family (Softail for example). You will see that crank runout tolerance has gone from 0.003" to well above 0.012". Looser tolerances allow more things to pass quality control checks.

Buying new gives you the warm fuzzy feeling of having a factory warranty. That feeling fades away very fast the first time you need it and depending how big the problem is, it may not even get solved without you opening your wallet. Buying used doesn't mean that the known problems have been solved either. Remember, people are selling for a reason...

The reason why there are a lot of used bikes that are less than 2 years old is simple - some people have more money than common sense. They would rather take a $5,000 hit on their trade-in than be seen on last season's motorcycle. Other people are just following the flavor of the week.

Now with all that being said, here is my suggestions for your search. Keep your current sportbike no matter what cruiser you end up with so when you get the itch for something different than long straight roads. The Dyna family has the ability to use a S&S Cycle motor as a drop in replacement unlike the Softail family. Finally, don't buy a bike that are not instantly in love with after a test ride.

 

Go to any motorbike forum and you will find the same problem post for all of the brands. This includes the sportbikes. Your looking at it all wrong, your looking for problems and the websites that are only posting problems. The people without problems with their bikes like me don't post often. Read about the fun and all the things we do and go on our bikes.

 

Far be it for me to get involved in the same old "HD vs the world" debate, however...

All bikes have their issues. I had a Suzuki C90 that the entire electrical system went up in blue smoke. A friend had a Kawasaki where the plastic tranny gear disintegrated. There's tons of stories of issues with every brand of motorcycle. I've always noticed a ton of metric riders spending way too much time defending their bikes (personally I don't care what you ride), yet it seems they wind up on a Harley eventually,

Some HDs may have their issues, but they are still a modern day classic. Besides being a well balanced, time tested, easy to work on, beautifully designed machine, they have the largest dealer network and there are always parts available. If you have a problem, you can usually avoid the dealers if you have the slightest bit of mechanical ability. To me, there always seems to be someone who knows how to fix anything Harley and can have you on the road quickly and cheaply if you do a little research.

If a Harley is uncomfortable, there are hundreds seat, handlebar and windshield options. The storage capacity of a bagger blows most of the competition away. The ability to make the bike your own is second to none. Yes, there is also the 'cool' factor, and you can't beat the resale.

I don't consider myself a Harley snob, I'm just an enthusiast. Buy what speaks to you. Just know that most of us Harley guys love our bikes and won't ride anything else.

 

Most of the time it seems to be a guy who bought the bike and then defaulted after one or 2 payments. Or he surprised his wife with it and she said no way.