Now where have I seen a similar frame...
Vincent... look we can show Harley this and have your Dyna back... well if only counting number of shocks

 

As a new Harley owner this year (purchased a 17 Street-Rod this past April), I purchased my bike because I like the new direction Harley was going. I see this as the next step to upgrade their cruiser line. The reveal really left a horrible taste in my mouth but since I HATE riding cruisers I have no intention of buying a new softail, ever...

They are now just coming up to snuff to the competitors in handling and performance which is well over due.

Me personally and am way past owning an oil cooled bike that I don't buy for less then $500 off Craigslist.

I think a mono shock and a trellis frame needs to be made for a Street model with a larger 1000cc or 1200cc engine. Make a bike that actually has 110-130hp off the showroom floor that weisghn in the mid 400lbs range. The Japanese have been doing it for years and I'm on the razor's edge of going back to Japanese bikes if I don't see a better XG based bike come out in a couple of years. Steel cradle with twin shock frame is the same technology found on my 1981 GS750, which by the way would rape my Street-Rod 750 in a straight line and be right up it's A$$ in the twisty stuff...

I have faith the HD will start making bikes that are competitive... They have to, no one is brand loyal anymore. I know I'm not!

HAHAHA

WOw... That just made my day!

 

This is the best quote in the whole darn thread, lol. Thanks for keeping some humor here!!!

 

Gave me a chuckle. I had a 79 XS1100 that would eat my XL1200s lunch in every way. BUT....once I took the XL for a test ride I was hooked. Didn't have room for 2 bikes so the XS had to go.

That being said, it would be nice if we didn't have to throw $3k into a bike to make it competitive with say the Octane which is 100hp out the box with same size twin.

Don't hold your breath though. I'm thinking HD makes too much money in Screaming Eagle upgrades to just start giving the hp away. People keep saying its the end of HD because of this. But we keep buying and dumping money into our rides. HD is for the sado-massochist and there are plenty of us.

 

March 15, 2017 stock was $62.94, August 29, 2017 $47.07. The stock did not even bump up after the new line roll-out. Only time will tell if they survive in the market. Like it or not CEO's and Executives do make good and bad decisions. We shall see how these changes work out for Harley.

 

Oh well. Cutting manufacturing costs, but pocketing the savings and then raising prices to the consumer. Not a great recipe for prolonged success.

 

[QUOTE=pld578;16582656]Listen moron -- and that is you son -- most of California is either rural or forest or desert. Where I live, we are happy rednecks, dope growers, loggers, fishermen and bad asses who would be happy to take you out in the woods and teach you manners.

And stop falling asleep in study hall...

 

The price would have increased regardless if they kept the 2018's the same as 2017's. It's called inflation.

There are chromed out bikes in 2018. Softail Deluxe is one of them and happens to be a model made to appeal to traditionalist. The Classic Harley sound went away when carburetors went away along with the Evo. That was more than seventeen years ago.

When Evo's replaced the Shovel, there was a lot of bellyaching claiming it was the end of the motor company. In reality, the Evolution engine saved the company.

There's plenty of bikes in 2018 I don't like the styling of, but there's also some that I do like. The ones I do like are the ones that look unchanged at a glance.

The main thing though is people are making false claims about how the new bikes handling sucks when they have never even ridden one. Every single review I have read including on this forum has been very positive with regard to handling, ride, and power with the one exception being one single review of the new Fat Boy saying cornering was more laborious due to excessively wide tires both on the front and rear.

If you look at a Dyna vs the new Softail frame, without bias or emotion, the new frame is superior in every measurable way. Now if you go back to long ago, the Dyna was a step back from the FXR and that change was almost exclusively due to simplified manufacturing and decrease cost while offering no improvement whatsoever. It is almost like there is an aristocratic attitude with a few Dyna owners now .

There is also some attitude among a few people based on their posts claiming they saved the. company and somehow have ownership in it when in reality, they simply bought a bike. They didn't buy millions of dollaas worth of stiock, didn't buy a dealership, didn't get elected to some position in the company, or anything. They bought a bike.

If we could take all these comments about no changes, then there would have never been such a thing as a Dyna or a Softail. Apply the sentiment further back in time and there would not even be a V-Twin. It would still be single cylinder bikes.

In summary they tried to build something for everyone in 2018. Prior to that, their focus was exclusively on traditionalist.

It's not like they did away with the basic design of the air cooled v-twin and made the only engine the Revolution engine that was in the VROD. Perhaps that would have been something to be upset about.

There's plenty of used bikes on the market so if you still want the same thing you are used to, there is that option as well.

It also occurs to me that every individual these days wants a bike built exactly to their liking to roll out of the factory. So much for tradition. The real tradition is to buy a bike that you like the best and then start customized it at home. That's where real individuality originates. I guess that goes against the grain of the instant gratification that is prevalent today.

As for me, I am still riding this Evo. I still like to look and keep up with things though.

 

The XS1100 was a heavy but a great machine, and with it's tank it could run for days :lol:

I know they are just now releasing Mufflers, air-filters and fuel tuners for the Street-Rod but I'm not seeing Dyno proven results anywhere.

Either way as stated if they can't deliver a bike that meets those requirements by the time my warranty is up I will gladly trade in for a new Yamaha. I'll spend the money on a machine with 110-135hp out of the box then spend the same coin on a HD then drop thousands more to make it compete... Kinda...

As stated in other posts it's sad to think about but my XG-750A maybe the first and last Harley I'll ever own...

Let's see if they really buck up or not!

 

Saweeet!!! Thanks for finding and posting this!