Not exactly true...but other than taking a friend's metrics for a spin, it's been 99% H-D for me. I have no doubt the metrics are good performers, but Harley has the best After the Ride Parties. And I love to party.

 

I don't mean 'taking one for a spin' ...I mean covering some miles of truly twisty road....not just riding to the local watering hole. I like Harley's too (hell, I've got an FXD), and HD riders definitely party more than most (which is great), but some of the metrics (like the Valkyrie) aren't clones, will outrun most Harleys', and are seriously roadworthy. I bought the Super Glide so most of my Harley friends could more easily keep up with me....it's like riding handicapped. I'll have a BMW and a Guzzi in the stable before I'm done too.

I can always spot an experienced and skilled Harley rider....since the bikes generally lack ability to really crank out some speed after slowing down, or in a climb, a good Harley rider manages to keep the speed up on a constant basis.....cause once they slow, even a mediocre metric rider can easy out-accelerate them. Not dissing HD's...just a fact, a matter of torque and horsepower. You can do the same thing on a Harley, but you'll spend a fortune just to get where many metrics start out, right off the showroom floor.

It's all good.

 

Couldn't afford one until now. Had metrics off an on my whole life- in my budget at the time. Someone once told me you only have one chance on this crazy ride called life- so enjoy it!

Harley may not be the fastest or the best in quality, however, thye do have soul and and are made for cruizin' and that is what I was looking for. I don't ride in groups, I enjoy the ride alone, usually with my wife - 2 up. Took awhile but she loves the bike- loves the ride and the sound- or maybe she just likes vibrating at idle.

 

My take on this is less about the bikes and how they perform, but rather it is more about the what the rider wants from the motorcycling experience. A friend of mine has a BWM 1200 racer. He loves speed and accelleration. A former coworker has a 2002 Goldwing, he enjoys its smooth and quiet ride at any speed. For the Harley rider, performance is important, but its not the whole show. We want our machines to do what we tell them to do, but we also know we did not purchase our air-cooled V-twins to win races or challenge our riding friends to keep up on hills and curves.

I purchased mine before I even knew how to ride. I wanted a piece of that intangable Harley experience that so many people around me seemed to be enjoying. Now one of my favorite things to do in the summer is to ride to the H-D museum with my GF on bike night and spend the evening looking at the modifications others have made to their machines, to talk with riders from around the country about their experiences. The ride back home is the frosting on the cake.

And yes, it's all good.

 

An excellent post....it must be nice to be near HD mecca!

 

I didn't own any metric tools, all standard. I thought, hey buy American,they will be all standard right? I mean they are made in America, America is on the standard system right? Well I was wrong but still wouldn't trade my EGC for an import or domestic clone......

 

Because after over 100k on my '67FL it got old and tired. I am going to restore her but still needed something to ride till that job is done. So I looked at what was out there and found "Candy", an '08 FXDC in Candy Red Sunglow that fit the need perfectly!

 

Okay, let me have it. It was because the Honda dealer could,nt tell me when they would get an available Fury. I had Honda ATV's to trade in....
On the plus side. Would'nt trade it for anything else now.

 

Because I had ridden and/or owned different styles of metrics over the years, but in my "bagger age" years always thought I should try it. Glad I did!!