Why did you buy a HD instead of a metric
#74
12-12-2009, 11:29 AM
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in Sep 68 i was a wana be 1% er bought a 46 HD from SF Vice Pres of HA taged with a few 1 was in my way kept me from joining
Metric was not cool and small no british vibrators eather
still ride HD's
Metric was not cool and small no british vibrators eather
still ride HD's
#75
12-12-2009, 01:10 PM
Two reasons:
1. My dad had a Harley when I was a kid, and him taking me for rides on it is one of my favorite childhood memories.
2. The intervention of a friend. The first motorcycle I had owned was a 90 model Kawasaki Ninja 600 I bought used in the late 90's. I found out fast that sport bikes are not for me. I have a bad back and the leaned over riding position gets uncomfortable for me pretty quickly. I only kept it a couple months, and resold it. In 02 I decided to try riding again. I had went by the Kawasaki dealer and looked at a new Vulcan 800. I liked it because I could afford it and it looked a lot like a Harley. At the time I only had one friend that rode, so when I saw him I told him that I was thinking about buying the Vulcan. He said, "Why don't you get a Harley?" Well I had heard the myth that all Harley's cost $20,000 dollars, so I replied that I couldn't afford one. He asked what I could afford payment wise, and I told him. He then told me that I could easily get on a Sportster for that if my credit was decent. At the time it was, so I went to the dealer the next day "just to look". It was pouring down raining outside, no way was I going to buy that day and ride a brand new bike home in the rain. Well to make a long story a little shorter, I drove my pickup home with the dealerships delivery vehicle behind me with my new Sportster inside. I'm on my third Harley now, a 95 Wide Glide I bought used, and couldn't be happier. If finances permit my next bike will probably be another Harley.
p.s. The two buddies that I ride with most both ride metrics. When we go to Hooters or some other fine dining establishment, the waitress almost always asks what we ride. I proudly, but not smuggly reply that I ride a Harley, while my friends both lower their heads a bit and admit they ride a Yamaha and Kawasaki respectively. Recently, I've stopped speaking up first, because I don't want it to seem that I'm bragging. Now one of my buddies usually speaks up first and says "he rides a Harley, I just ride a Yamaha."
There are only two kinds of motorcycles, Harleys and everything else. That isn't meant to put down other makes, it's just a fact.
1. My dad had a Harley when I was a kid, and him taking me for rides on it is one of my favorite childhood memories.
2. The intervention of a friend. The first motorcycle I had owned was a 90 model Kawasaki Ninja 600 I bought used in the late 90's. I found out fast that sport bikes are not for me. I have a bad back and the leaned over riding position gets uncomfortable for me pretty quickly. I only kept it a couple months, and resold it. In 02 I decided to try riding again. I had went by the Kawasaki dealer and looked at a new Vulcan 800. I liked it because I could afford it and it looked a lot like a Harley. At the time I only had one friend that rode, so when I saw him I told him that I was thinking about buying the Vulcan. He said, "Why don't you get a Harley?" Well I had heard the myth that all Harley's cost $20,000 dollars, so I replied that I couldn't afford one. He asked what I could afford payment wise, and I told him. He then told me that I could easily get on a Sportster for that if my credit was decent. At the time it was, so I went to the dealer the next day "just to look". It was pouring down raining outside, no way was I going to buy that day and ride a brand new bike home in the rain. Well to make a long story a little shorter, I drove my pickup home with the dealerships delivery vehicle behind me with my new Sportster inside. I'm on my third Harley now, a 95 Wide Glide I bought used, and couldn't be happier. If finances permit my next bike will probably be another Harley.
p.s. The two buddies that I ride with most both ride metrics. When we go to Hooters or some other fine dining establishment, the waitress almost always asks what we ride. I proudly, but not smuggly reply that I ride a Harley, while my friends both lower their heads a bit and admit they ride a Yamaha and Kawasaki respectively. Recently, I've stopped speaking up first, because I don't want it to seem that I'm bragging. Now one of my buddies usually speaks up first and says "he rides a Harley, I just ride a Yamaha."
There are only two kinds of motorcycles, Harleys and everything else. That isn't meant to put down other makes, it's just a fact.
#76
12-12-2009, 01:39 PM
Let the bashing of me begin! I have owned 11 Harleys,last one before my current was a 2002 Screamin Eagle RoadKing. I also at the same time had a 2002 Honda Shadow Sabre and up until recently the bike in the photo. A VTX 1800 which I customized as you can see in the pic. The reason for the Hondas. While I had the RoadKing I wanted a bar hopper I could ride to work. That produced the Shadow Sabre. Almost the same dimensions as a Fatboy-bought used with 1,400 miles for 5 grand. Bike was extremely low maintenance and fast! Solved the problem of me parking the 35 grand I spent on the Roadking parking downtown where my office is and worrying if the bike would be there when I got out of work. Sold the Sabre-for $5500 two years later: ) and picked up the VTX for $5800.00-got to love eBay sometimes! If you never have ridden a VTX 1800-you have to once in your life. The bike is sick fast!! Owning Harleys there are some quick bikes out there. But a VTX1800 will beat any stock Harley in a race all day long,period!!!-I feel the bashing already!! The bike has such a broad torque and horsepower range that hitting 60 in second gear is no problem. I had the one in the picture up to 157 MPH verified by stop watch timing on a track. At that speed the bike was rock solid. I sold that bike for $8 grand. Are Hondas good bikes,yes. Can you pick them up cheap,yes. They are a bike,just like a Harley. I ride what I want to ride because I enjoy riding,which is the whole point of being on two wheels.
I certainly won't argue with you that you can pick up nice used metrics cheap. And, if you like your VTX that's all that matters. However, your post reminds me of a guy named Thomas I used to work with. He had a VTX1800, and always bragged that no Harley could outrun his bike. I didn't hang out with him outside of work, but one day another guy I worked with that rode said that he and Thomas were going riding the next day. He asked if I wanted to join them. Well I got along with that guy well, so I said yes. The next day while we were riding we stopped at a red light and a V-Rod came pulling up in the lane beside us. Thomas had aftermarket pipes on his VTX and started reving his engine. The guy on the V-Rod looked over and Thomas said "let's see what it's got." Well when the light changed that guy on the V-Rod showed him what it had. Let me put it this way, that VTX was Not the first bike to make it to the next stoplight, and it was a good quarter mile between them. I never let Thomas live that down.
Last edited by fastjoe; 12-12-2009 at 01:50 PM.
#77
12-12-2009, 01:43 PM
Club Member
I got an HD because I wanted one. If I wanted to ride a rocket-ship, I'd have a garage full of them. It was a matter of choice!!!!
#78
12-12-2009, 01:52 PM
I actually started out on a metric (Honda 600RR). It was my first bike that I purchased 2 years ago, about 2 months ago I purchased a Harley and sold off the metric. I felt way more at home on the HD, felt like it was me. The bike is now in pieces sitting in my garage on a new motorcycle jack. I plan on giving it a whole new look over the winter. Ive already purchased a lot of new parts and have a bunch more parts getting powdercoated right now. Needless to say, I cant wait to get on the bike come spring.
#79
12-12-2009, 02:39 PM
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Fell in lust with the EG from first glance, and the feeling never went away. Finally, when the time, money & everything else was just right, I paid cash for it and have never looked back.
