Mechanically, HD's are far from superior. Anyone that says otherwise is flat out lying.
On the heritage/kewlness/brand loyalty factor, they are indeed the ultimate

 

I'm the in the same boat with you, spent time on the dirt long before I took up a street bike. I understand they are not the same, but your still on two wheels enjoying the experience. To me, that is the point of riding...enjoy the hell out of whatever you can. By his standard unless you have an old HD dirt bike (Aermacchi) to ride your not really riding. Those things are cool, but we know dirt bikes have come along way since then, and unless you go Jap you can't get much.

 

Things are different around here,there is always alot of off brand bikes at the Harley dealer rides,nobody cares one way or the other,same for guys out riding ,usally a good mix of bikes riding together,just please don't ask me if I would like to ride your pos Jap bike.

 

Ride anything you want, save for my wife and girlfriend......

 

Rode various bikes since a kid, even managed to total my first one at age 7, man that fence hurt. Every bike today is built so good and fun to ride. I try to ride as many kinds of bikes as I can, love to ride. Most all my family and friends have a Harley, and we ride all over. Last year on our 5500 mile trip out West we switched bikes and admired each anothers. Yes, we all rag on each other, but truly respect all the good features about each bike. Three years ago I sold my rice burner and went to the Harley Dealer, could only barrow 9k, didn't think the wife would enjoy a new 1200 for our long trips. They had a Yamaha Royal Star Venture just traded in for $8500 with very little miles, it now has 40k+. Great Bike, wife loves it.


This year I am buying a Rocker C or Wide Glide as a solo bike, and will be proud to own that bike as well. Though that V-Rod was fun to ride. Thats why I joined this site to learn as much as I can. I Hope when I ride my new Harley, my friends will still harrase me, wouldn't want it any other way. Yea, I give the peace sign to everyone, even people on those little mopads on the rode, and appreciate what I have, because I am just a man, that is all. Later-

 

I have had my first Harley, 08 FLHR, about 8 months. I have been riding since I was 10. Like a couple of others here, I started on dirt bikes. Rode metrics my whole life until last May. I would always reply, "I just have a Honda right now, but I want a Harley," when asked by a Harley rider what I rode. I had the impression that Harley riders were stuck-up and "hated" metric bikes. Our local HD dealer used to have a party every Friday night. I started going and getting to know some of the HD riders and discovered that I could not have been more wrong about HD riders. They are some of the friendliest and nicest people I have EVER met. Even though I was "just riding a Honda," they welcomed me and made me feel at home. I guess many people have the same ideas that I used to have and I suppose those ideas come from movies and a time when most HD riders were seen as 1%'ers. Even the 1%'ers I have met have been cool. Like many racial issues, I think the stigma associated with HD riders is a matter of metric riders being "uneducated and unfamiliar" about HD riders. I don't feel any different now that I ride Harley. I don't act any different toward metric riders than I ever have. I do, however, have a different attitude toward HD riders. I am proud to be a part of the "family" and I will gladly ride with anyone on any bike.

 

+1

That right,you have to have limits and standards.

 

+1 - sounds like some of you guys need to stop drinking the Kool-Aide...






We were in Arkansas a couple of years ago, my wife on her Deluxe, me on the RK, a friend and his wife on a Victory. The Victory got all the attention. 'splain that?

 

Harleys and not Harleys ..... Exactly what I am thinking every time I jump off the highway with my KTM 950 to go wherever the paved road doesn't go for some genuinely adventuresome motorcycling .....

 

This must be what people call "Evolution". The MOCO even named an entire generation of their line after it. Before the Evo and part way through it's life span you could tell a "Honda Rider" from a "Harley Rider" from what they rode. Now there's been a bunch of cross breeding an we got Motorcycle Riders.