It's been years sense I rode beside a metric cruiser . I bought my Harley about two years ago. I didn't shop the metric market. Didn't care. I wanted a Harley Davidson. I thought , surly with that sound and look, these bikes will run. Well I joined a riding group in our city which is predominately metric. I thought , well iv got the harley with it's mod's. Im one bad biker. It blew me away when I looked around and most the metric cruisers have more ci than harley and a LOT more torque. Water cooled. Smooth and look good. Well im here to tell you those metrics will walk on a harley. Pissed me off to no end. I love my bike but this is BS. Harley is one of the most well known motorcycles around the world and now , the slowest cruiser in the cruiser line. So where was Harley Davidson while the cruiser market pass the hell out of them ?????
Has anyone else noticed this ?

 

They get their torque at about twice the RPMs as a harley. Maybe you made a mistake buying a hog. they are not for everybody!

 

Dont let it get you down, I just came from a metric bike myself, and yes they are nice modern fast machines but I think the Harley is a beautiful machine. I cant go back now. Im hooked on my Ultra.

 

Big mistake.... comparing any bike to any other bike..... you like YOUR bike? then enjoy it.... HD sells a life style and tradition.... heck, I read one guy on THIS forum... stating HE gets more "respect" because he has a HD.... another guy brags how often he get's laid because he has a HD...
There's a LOT of strong bikes out there...110-120 CID engines are commonplace...more horsepower out of the box, and so on...
enjoy YOUR ride... respect your neighbor's ride... and just get out there and RIDE

 

I've been riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles since 1972 and love how they ride, feel sound and look. I could not care less how the metrics run as I am happy as Hell with my bike. I may not be the fastest cruiser out there, but I wouldn't trade my old FXST for any metric.

 

Why do you think you wanted a Harley? If it was because you thought it had more torque, larger engines or faster then you had better beatle your little butt down to your nearest metric dealer and trade for what you want. Otherwise, who cares?

 

From the various histories I read, this is nothing new. Harley has never had the fastest bikes on the road, as a general rule, so I don't think the MoCo was looking the other way while this happened. It's just never been a priority on production bikes.

 

And yet there are a lot of us Harley owners who live in the real world and like the bikes for what they are - low maintenance, high reliability and fun to ride. We don't drink the Harley "lifestyle" kool-aid. In fact, we own Harleys in spite of the image.

Or maybe it's just me....

 

It took me a long time to buy a Harely. Not because I couldn't afford it, because I wanted something that would go and something that was reliable. Not long ago, Harley's were known to constantly break down. In fact, when I was renewing my motorcycle drivers license, I had give the DMV a test ride, show them I could ride it. I had my Shadow at the time. There was also a guy on his Harley. The thing was vibrating so bad, his turn signal fell off. The DMV test guy couldn't stop laughing.

When I had the VTX, it was a FAST bike even as heavy as it is.

Then came the V-Rod and that thing can go! Not as fast as a crotch rocket, but for a cruiser type bike.... it's fast and handles so good, better than any bikes i've ever owned.

But I have come to learn that owing a Harley isn't only about the bike. It about being with a group of people who are like friends, no matter who they are or where you go. Like I said in another post, it all about the camaraderie that is due to the riders. The dealers and moco have nothing to do with that.

One other thing to remember, there is ALWAYS going to be a bike out there that is faster than your's. So just sit back and enjoy the ride, no matter which bike you like.

Personally I dont care what brand of bike my buddies have, I'll ride with just about anyone.

 

Let's be careful with the assumption that I want or would ride a metric or think my harley second best. All im saying is I sure wish Harley would step up to the plate and build a engine with power. I can tell you a lot of riders are losing THAT RESPECT thing about the harleys. There starting to see it as a SLOW BIKE.