Harley vs. Honda
#111
05-09-2006 | 02:11 AM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 79
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RE: Harley vs. Honda
Last weekend my wife and I were at the Laughlin River Run. We were surrounded by 70,000 Harleys. The thought came to me. There are probably many bikes out there that are better engineered, but how many could generate the the type of following like Sturgis or Laughlin? I've driven Yamahas, Triumphs and BMWs but none were as much fun as the Harleys I've owned. The re-sale value is just a perk.
Just my opinion.
Just my opinion.
#112
05-09-2006 | 02:32 AM
Guest
Posts: n/a
RE: Harley vs. Honda
I have both an '06 Harley Softail deluxe and an 02 Honda VTX 1800 sitting in my garage. (also have a '00 Yamaha 650 custom)
I ride the Harley, Hubby rides the VTX. (Pictures below)
When I decided to get a bigger cc bike I wanted a Harley, but more then that I wanted a bike that
fit me well.
I tried sitting on and riding a lot of bikes (Harley, Victory, Honda, Yamaha, etc).
I found the Harley fit my riding style and those were the bikes I felt most comfortable on.
I can ride the VTX but felt I would need to lower it to really get comfortable (either the 1300 or the 1800)
and I found it heavy, but that could be due to the height.
The victory had a lot of scoot but it was light and a bit off balance.
My husband loves his VTX. It's a nice looking bike with a lot of power.
He says it has good balance and has no problems with it at all. He was
actually somewhat disappointed when he took a stock road king for a ride due
to the power difference.
The VTX is a bigger bike in the respect that it has a longer rake so the length
is a factor. My husband has said he leans a lot more then me to get around the corners.
I know he scrapes his floor boards more. (BTW he knows nothing about the wobble mentioned).
I do agree that blue book value is not great on the Honda, as it is dropping steadily.
We bought it used and got a good deal so it's not a factor for us.
If your looking for an investment buy the Harley. If your looking for comfort
buy what you like. For me it was the Harley...
It's really a matter of what you are comfortable on. I suggest you go and
do some demo riding.
[IMG]local://upfiles/8743/0B73CF14A7374211B53A7DD520251E9A.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/8743/0FBFFB6F8EB8417283F0895FDB4AF164.jpg[/IMG]
I ride the Harley, Hubby rides the VTX. (Pictures below)
When I decided to get a bigger cc bike I wanted a Harley, but more then that I wanted a bike that
fit me well.
I tried sitting on and riding a lot of bikes (Harley, Victory, Honda, Yamaha, etc).
I found the Harley fit my riding style and those were the bikes I felt most comfortable on.
I can ride the VTX but felt I would need to lower it to really get comfortable (either the 1300 or the 1800)
and I found it heavy, but that could be due to the height.
The victory had a lot of scoot but it was light and a bit off balance.
My husband loves his VTX. It's a nice looking bike with a lot of power.
He says it has good balance and has no problems with it at all. He was
actually somewhat disappointed when he took a stock road king for a ride due
to the power difference.
The VTX is a bigger bike in the respect that it has a longer rake so the length
is a factor. My husband has said he leans a lot more then me to get around the corners.
I know he scrapes his floor boards more. (BTW he knows nothing about the wobble mentioned).
I do agree that blue book value is not great on the Honda, as it is dropping steadily.
We bought it used and got a good deal so it's not a factor for us.
If your looking for an investment buy the Harley. If your looking for comfort
buy what you like. For me it was the Harley...
It's really a matter of what you are comfortable on. I suggest you go and
do some demo riding.
[IMG]local://upfiles/8743/0B73CF14A7374211B53A7DD520251E9A.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/8743/0FBFFB6F8EB8417283F0895FDB4AF164.jpg[/IMG]
#113
05-09-2006 | 03:03 AM
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 222
Likes: 4
From: The real OC, CA
RE: Harley vs. Honda
RudeDog is right on! With Harley ownership you'll e joining one of the strongest brotherhoods I have ever seen. You can't ride past another Harley rider without getting a wave. Most metric riders don't do that, even to each other. It doesn't get any better than the rumble of a Harley.
ORIGINAL: RudeDog
First off... I can't believe I clicked on a message with honda in the title!
Respectifully tho' I drove an '84 shadow before I got my '91 FXRP and I have absolutely no regrets about it. I'll always be on a HD product for the rest of my life. You won't believe what kind of family of riders you're joining. If it's anything like over here you'll be talked to no matter where you go with people that the HD catches their eye and they can't help but come up to you and ask you a question.
Remember to reply "If you have to ask you wouldn't understand". I believe you will enjoy it as long as you're not one of those speed freaks.
First off... I can't believe I clicked on a message with honda in the title!
Respectifully tho' I drove an '84 shadow before I got my '91 FXRP and I have absolutely no regrets about it. I'll always be on a HD product for the rest of my life. You won't believe what kind of family of riders you're joining. If it's anything like over here you'll be talked to no matter where you go with people that the HD catches their eye and they can't help but come up to you and ask you a question.
Remember to reply "If you have to ask you wouldn't understand". I believe you will enjoy it as long as you're not one of those speed freaks.
#114
05-09-2006 | 03:21 AM
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,659
Likes: 0
From: Prattville Alabama
RE: Harley vs. Honda
I had 1 Kaw, 1 Yam, and 2 Honda's, not i've got only a Harley, trust me, it's all i'll ever need. It's 11 years old with 32K miles and will sell for $13K as we speak.[sm=exactly.gif]
#117
05-09-2006 | 09:31 AM
1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
RE: Harley vs. Honda
thats true. you do have a point. thanks
ORIGINAL: KBFXDLI
If the Harley doesn't depreciate as much........how is it overpriced?
ORIGINAL: fu2
My point of view. HD has been around a long time over a 100 years! Nothing or no one can take that away from HD. I some time think of getting a road king or an Ultra. The guys I ride with that have HD have complained more than once about the heat that the air-cooled engine puts out. Sometime its so bad the bike will kill or sputter and miss this happens when in traffic. The last time they talked about it was when roadwork was taking place in April. I live in south Louisiana it gets warm down south. But mostly in June July Aug., & September. This has me thinking. This is one turn off. The other is all of the crying about the Metric bikes being a clone. Come on! When the caravan, came out Ford & Chevy and all the imports came out with theirs same with all of the SUV'S. If there is a market it will be made buy others. Sorry that’s just the way it is. After looking on the form I have not seen a lot of info as pros and cons. So this is my point of view.
HD pros Cons
Great Paint jobs air cooled short engine life to top end.
Real Chrome some models will shake a little more than you would want.
History – over 100 years overpriced to high for what you get. (Most models not all)
Best sounding
A must have if you are in to biker events,
Unity with other HD owners.
Good Resale after 7- 10
Honda pros Cons
Honda quality -Bullet proof some plastic Chrome
Fresh new looking lines Low Resale after 7- 10
History-over 47 years Getting told you have a clone
Fair Pricing
I did look at the Kelly blue book and the Nada to look into Resale for both brands the HD will hole it's Resale a little better in the first 5 or 6 years. Close to the same as the Honda a little better than A grand a year. Is what each bike will lose in Resale. In the past the Honda's that was 7 to 10 year's old was not worth much. where the HD was worth close to half if its Resale price new . Which is pretty good!
Both Great Bikes in its own way!
My point of view. HD has been around a long time over a 100 years! Nothing or no one can take that away from HD. I some time think of getting a road king or an Ultra. The guys I ride with that have HD have complained more than once about the heat that the air-cooled engine puts out. Sometime its so bad the bike will kill or sputter and miss this happens when in traffic. The last time they talked about it was when roadwork was taking place in April. I live in south Louisiana it gets warm down south. But mostly in June July Aug., & September. This has me thinking. This is one turn off. The other is all of the crying about the Metric bikes being a clone. Come on! When the caravan, came out Ford & Chevy and all the imports came out with theirs same with all of the SUV'S. If there is a market it will be made buy others. Sorry that’s just the way it is. After looking on the form I have not seen a lot of info as pros and cons. So this is my point of view.
HD pros Cons
Great Paint jobs air cooled short engine life to top end.
Real Chrome some models will shake a little more than you would want.
History – over 100 years overpriced to high for what you get. (Most models not all)
Best sounding
A must have if you are in to biker events,
Unity with other HD owners.
Good Resale after 7- 10
Honda pros Cons
Honda quality -Bullet proof some plastic Chrome
Fresh new looking lines Low Resale after 7- 10
History-over 47 years Getting told you have a clone
Fair Pricing
I did look at the Kelly blue book and the Nada to look into Resale for both brands the HD will hole it's Resale a little better in the first 5 or 6 years. Close to the same as the Honda a little better than A grand a year. Is what each bike will lose in Resale. In the past the Honda's that was 7 to 10 year's old was not worth much. where the HD was worth close to half if its Resale price new . Which is pretty good!
Both Great Bikes in its own way!
#118
05-09-2006 | 09:54 AM
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,081
Likes: 0
From: Central Ontario, Canada
RE: Harley vs. Honda
You'll see a lot of Honda riders going to HD but the reverse is rare to see.
If you are looking at a GW, don't you think boredom would set in after a few miles of driving that two wheeled car??
Good luck
If you are looking at a GW, don't you think boredom would set in after a few miles of driving that two wheeled car??
Good luck
#119
05-09-2006 | 10:09 AM
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 11,317
Likes: 11
From: Tucson, Az
RE: Harley vs. Honda
KenM, your post is right on. In 1994 I bought a brand new GW SE (top model). Three months later I sold it. It was probably the finest coast to coast bike made at the time and was also the most sterile, boring ride I ever had. To me it was the worst motorcycle mistake I ever made in my life. Sort of like driving a bus compared to a sports car.
Another point to consider is that most metrics are too overly engineered. They have become so smooth and polished that they have lost all character and attitude. That I think is the big thing Harley has going for them: attitude.
Another point to consider is that most metrics are too overly engineered. They have become so smooth and polished that they have lost all character and attitude. That I think is the big thing Harley has going for them: attitude.
#120
05-09-2006 | 11:40 AM
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
From: Youngstown, Ohio
RE: Harley vs. Honda
On the Harley vs. Honda re-sale point...
My wife bought a Honda Rebel 250 (to learn to ride on) back in 2004 for $2,300 with 300 miles on it. She just sold it last week with 2200 miles on it for $2,200. We only "lost" $100 in 18 months all the while putting 1900 miles on it. It kept 95.6% of its value.
I bought a 2002 Sportster 1200C in 2004 for $8,900 from the dealership (6k miles on it). I just traded it in at the same dealership on my 2003 FXDWG and they gave me only $6,300 on trade in. I put about 2000 miles on it over the same 18 months. The bike was in better shape than when I bought it. So I "lost" $2,600 on it in the same time period. It kept 70.7% of it's value during that time. I may have been able to get a little more if I sold my bike to a private owner however with 10 or 12 pre-owned Sportsters for sale in my area at any given time, I did not want to mess with it.
On average there is only one Honda Rebel 250 for sale at any given time in the local paper and motorcycle trader.
In general I do agree that a Harley will hold it's value better than a Honda. But there are exceptions to the rule.
My wife bought a Honda Rebel 250 (to learn to ride on) back in 2004 for $2,300 with 300 miles on it. She just sold it last week with 2200 miles on it for $2,200. We only "lost" $100 in 18 months all the while putting 1900 miles on it. It kept 95.6% of its value.
I bought a 2002 Sportster 1200C in 2004 for $8,900 from the dealership (6k miles on it). I just traded it in at the same dealership on my 2003 FXDWG and they gave me only $6,300 on trade in. I put about 2000 miles on it over the same 18 months. The bike was in better shape than when I bought it. So I "lost" $2,600 on it in the same time period. It kept 70.7% of it's value during that time. I may have been able to get a little more if I sold my bike to a private owner however with 10 or 12 pre-owned Sportsters for sale in my area at any given time, I did not want to mess with it.
On average there is only one Honda Rebel 250 for sale at any given time in the local paper and motorcycle trader.
In general I do agree that a Harley will hold it's value better than a Honda. But there are exceptions to the rule.