A little close to the edge in that last pic?

 

It's a shame that people have to try and justify to themselves what they ride by taking a dump on someone else's bike choice. Most Harley riders don't do that because they know what they have. Most metric riders do it because that's the only way they feel inferior. It has nothing to do with money. Most metrics, especially their top of the line models, are right up there with H-D now days, cost wise. Most usually, when asked why I like H-D so much, I just tell them I like my chrome to be steel instead of plastic.

 

I like to tell the story about the "big dog chopper" guy who pulled his store bought chopper up at the local biker hang out... he walked inside, and when he came out, he saw a crowd gathering where his 'chopper" was... when he walked over to bask in the crowds admiration... he discovered the crowd was gathered around a ratty old Triumph bonnieville... left foot brake, right foot shift..that had parked next to his BD in otherwords the "REAL DEAL" so where the crowd gathers is often a function of what the crowd knows....

 

I have no problem with the brand of motorcycle a person chooses to ride and haven't experienced a problem with most "jap" bike riders; but on the other hand I have experienced an attitude (resentment, jelously or whatever) from a few different "jap" bike dealers.

 

+1- I walk past Bid Dog choppers and the like to look at well thought-out bobbers. There's this old dude (older than me...) who has this awesome semi-chopped Triumph. He gets the attention in the Harley crowd. Honestly, when I go to Bike Week or Bike Night, Harley's don't hold my attention unless it's my model or a model I aspire to - too much of the same thing I guess...

 

The H-D has got the years and has stayed in bidness longer than any of its rivals. The technology is quite rudimentary but they have honed it with all the skill they can muster. I enjoy the air cooled V-Twin with the uneven firing cycle and can't think of any other motorcycle I'd want. Most guys riding other stuff start to explain their choices to me, not realizing that I'd never asked. In short, I don't GAS.

 

Interesting thread - more than a few times someone has said "Nice bike. I'd like a Harley, but I ride a metric cause I can't afford a Harley." Metrics are the technically superior bike, but no one copies a metric "look" or "sound", it's always the other way. Harley is the most imitated machine in the history of the wheel. I ride with a couple of local bike meet-up groups, and Harleys are always in the minority. We all speak motorcycle.

 

In all my years on a Harley it has always been that way around certain people.You will eventually learn to live with it.Just keep a good attitude you will be much more content.

 

I don't mean to pick on you specifically, you were just the last person who said this of many in this thread. In all honesty, I don't quite understand why this mentality has persisted the way that it has. When I was looking at my Sporty, I looked around to see what others were offering too.

- Harley has EFI on all their bikes, even the "basic" models. Metric bikes tend to reserve it for only their top-of-the-line models and even mid-level metric bikes tend to still use carbs.

- Harley uses a dry-sump oiling system on all bikes. Metrics again reserve this only for their higher-end models.

- Harley uses hydraulic tappets that require no maintenance. Metrics require periodic valve adjustments to ensure that their solid lifters are properly maintained.

- Harley's carbon-fiber drive belt is at least equal to the shaft drive favored by metrics. Yes, the belt will wear out, but it doesn't suffer from shaft-jacking and there's no need for the periodic changing of fluid as there is with a shaft drive.

Now, some may point to air cooling as inferior. Personally I think it makes the design more robust. There's less chance that a stray rock will leave me stranded somewhere because it punctured a cooling line. It's one less system to maintain and one less source of leaks to worry about.

About the only thing that can be said about a Harley is that the 45-degree vee with both rods sharing a crank pin is not the optimal design for maximum power or smoothness. But hey, neither is the inline 5 used in my car. And neither are the split-crank twins used on metric bikes.

In any case, I think that the idea of the "unsophisticated" Harley is outdated and has been for a while.

 

When I ride with my friends.Some dont have Harleys.It is almost always them who start the crap.One has a Suzuki M109.To me one of the ugliest bikes out there but fast I will give you that,but does not do well in the twisties.I end it by telling him there are two kinds of bike owners,Those who have Harleys and those who wish they did.