Ok here is my opinion on this.
I had a 2001 yamaha roadstar that I loved great bike very reliable and rode well.
I paid 10k for it and installed another 3k worth of bling.

I owned it one year it had 5k miles on it.
Guess what I sold it for? 6.5K half of what I paid for it.

No fast foward to 2007 I bought a 07fatty and paid sticker for it 17.4K
I am willing to bet that If after one year and 5K miles on it I get more than half either in trade or sold outright.

I strongly believe the Yamaha to be the best metric cruiser out there.
Good strong engine and belt drive very nice riding machine.

The Harley even though more $$$ is IMHO a better bike in the fit and finish dept also resale is very good.

If you can fit it in your budget go Harley all the way.
But If you cant then I suggest the Yamaha.
Good luck

 

"Pay your money and take your choice" is the name of the game. Get what you want and can afford. Not all Harleys are pricey. The Sportster is not only the best looking bike in the line, it has the longest history, too. But, the best part is that the Sporty is Harley's price leader--very competitively priced in its segment.

You can buy a dozen Toyotas for the price of a Bentley. But, if you want a Bentley and can afford it, I say "Enjoy."

 

I rented a Road King Classic 2 years ago, was sold on Harley! Bought mine the next day.

 

Looks like you answered your question. But if you need other reasons, there's the sound, name, customizeable features, and people will think any nice looking bike is a Harley even if it's not. It would suck to have to say "It's not a Harley. [&o]"

 

I just reviewed this...sorry it is so long. (Might give you an idea of how I feel about my bike though...I can't seem to shut up about it...) I've owned 5 bikes in my life. I started riding 22 years ago. Harley dreams/Honda budget. I settled for a Honda 500 Shadow. I kept it one year, and "outgrew" it after a little over 5000 kms on riding. I traded it in for an '85 V45 Magna. (lost over 1/3 of purchase price upon trade-in...) While I don't regret starting on the Shadow, I don't recall ever wishing I'd have kept it. I didn't really miss it at all. I've now had the Magna for 22 years. A great, trouble free bike. I have always enjoyed riding it. The wife and I did our honeymoon on it in '87. I will never part with this bike. Mainly for sentimental reasons. I still think it is a great looking bike, but I never received much in the way of comments/compliments on it, until just the last few years, and I think then mainly because folks are amazed it is still roadworthy. (tired, but roadworthy! LOL) I bought an '81 Yamaha 650 Special from a friend a few years back, for two reasons; he was short on cash, and I was trying to help him out, and was looking for something I could use to teach the wife to ride on. Kept it about 3 seasons, and sold it to another friend, who was looking for something on the cheap, to get back into riding, after a long absence. Didn't really miss it at all. I bought an '84 Gold Wing Aspencade in '99, looking for something "different" from the Magna. Again, budgetary restraints forced me into the used market, and for $5K I had my "different" bike. A big touring boat. Great bike, with all the bells & whistles, and other than $1000 to replace a dud stator the year after I bought it, no problems. Smooth ride, in good shape for it's age, etc. No real character though. I liked it, but that is as far as I'd go. I liked it. I bought my wife an '03 800 Vulcan. (She's been riding for about 7 years now...but always rode my Magna until last summer...) Got a great deal...or so I thought. Less than 300 kms put on it last summer (wife was deployed in Afghanistan until late August...), and it lies dead and dormant in my garage. (23 and 22 year old Hondas fired up on about the 3rd crank each...) Trying my best, with my limited knowledge, to get her running again, but will probably end up bringing it to the stealer, for beaucoup bucks. However, me...I was still riding my 80's vintage bikes. 8 years after the Gold Wing purchase, one back surgery, and two major paid out loans later, I was in the market for a new bike this spring. Not "different", but new. At least something built this century. A friend had purchased a new 1100 V-Star last summer. (Didn't really care for it myself, but it was his money...) I'd been admiring the Yamaha Road Star. Then I gave my head a shake. I always wanted a Harley. The new Road Star was almost $18K last summer, and a blatant Harley ripoff. I started checking around for Harleys in my market price. I found a gently used '04 Fat Boy, "fully loaded" (windshield/passenger's backrest/luggage rack/Screaming Eagle pipes/stage 1 download, etc.), had less than 3500 kms on it (under 2200 miles), for a little over $18K. I figured if I could afford $18K for the Yamaha Road Star (a Fat Boy ripoff in my opinion...) I could afford the same amount for the real McCoy. I made a deal on the Fatty in early February. I was thinking of practically nothing else for the next six weeks. I got it home Saturday. The day before, I was over at the local Yamaha/Honda dealership (my Dad was buying my Gold Wing off of me...getting back into riding after a mere 45 year break, and it needed a new battery...), and the exact same Road Star I'd been looking at last summer for justover $18K was on the showroom floor for just over $15K. That's a $3K loss in 1 season, on a brand new bike! I don't figure the Fat Boy lost that much 4 riding years later. And that is just the economic end of things. I rode it home on S

 

For ME, I feel you either have "IT" in your soul for a Harley or you don't. I had them when it wasn't the "IN" thing to have. Back in the 70's all these nipponese imports were the rage. I had a friend that has a 900 Kaw, they were the boulevard killers back in 74'. When we pulled up to a light, people looked at MY glide and ignored his. Sure mine was slower,clunkier,etc. BUT it had that sound and that sexy look. End of story..... HD "IS" the REAL heartbeat of America !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I only glanced through the earlier posts, but one thing I didn't see was resale value. Again I appologize if it has already been brought up. When you drive a metric out of the showroom, you immediately lose 4-5000 dollars. I don't know anyone willing to pay more that 7000 bucks for a used metric. Except maybe aGoldwing. Regardless of the variables, a Harley will hold it's value. And even 10 years from now, if you take care of it, you can still sell it for more than the metric went for new.

 

Heritage , sound , looks and " Bad Boy " appeal , loved them since I was a kid . Could'nt afford one until my kids were pretty much grown . Would not have a issue riding something a little different as long as I still had my Harley . A sporty twin like a Buell , Ducati or one of the Super-moto would be nice .

 

My reason has much less to do with "Passion" or how "The bike speaks to me" . I had a Kawasaki ZRX prior to the superglide (it was a very good bike) but after getting married and having a wife that loves to go riding with me, it was time for a change. I really wanted a Buell but they are not good for 2 up however- the Superglide has allways attracted me. Basic, Affordable, more classic and less "bling" , handles very well for a cruiser, and simple maintenence. This is coming from the least "Brand Loyal" guy too and I love the bike.
IMO-Price is no longer a decision maker between HD and others. Most big bore asian bikes are between 10 to 16 grand anyway. I got the superglide out the door with a sundowner seat, windshild and backrest for 14grand after tax title and prep. If you save anything it will be a grand maybe two unless you are looking at a screming eagle model.

 

Two years ago I bought a Suzuki VS-1400 Intruder and rode it for one year. It was a nice bike but I never felt comfortable with the slow speed handling nor the way it sounded. I also didn't like the fact that the header pipes had no shield and there were very little accessories available. When I visited the Harley dealer I was immediately impressed with quality and look of all the bikes. I sat on them all and eventually narrowed my choice down to a 2006 1200C Sportster. After a short test ride I was sold and never looked back. It handled like a well tuned sports car, sounded like a real motorcycle and has a thousand accessories to choose from.
I'm in love with my ride for the first time. [sm=smiley27.gif][sm=smiley20.gif]