reading a bunch of mags today and B&N. interestingly two separate mags compared the harley RG or UC, i don't remember, with a Honda and victory. oh, also one mag compared the rocker with the yamaha chopper styled bike. Interestingly, harley lost all the contests. but, you know someone on the forum said it best. he bought a harley because if he pulled up to a light next to a harley on anything but a harley, he would feel embarassed, (paraphrasing)

the victory *** ugly

 

Last time I rode a Victory I was doing donuts in the snow

 

If it aint a Harley Davidson...its an imitation...period!!!!!...JMPO

 

Victory's don't have the quality of a HD. The paint will fade after a few years or 1. They're plastic like a Honda which has better detail quality but still more plastic. I also read the comparison between the Rocker and Yamahammer and the HD did not lose in riding comfort, steering, handling, looks or speed overall. The rice burner also lost in front fork rake and looks in the front end and not as good in cornering. It summarized that wing-ding was better value for the money only because it was cheaper. If you're going to ride anything compared to a Harley in the most importnt category it will always lose. Because it's not a Harley. You either get it or you don't which means you're not a true appreciater of a machine for full enjoyment. Otherwise known as a weekend rider.

 

I have quit reading reviews in general purpose motorcycle mags. The reviewers are without exception young riders with a background in crotch rockets.They uniformly write the Harley down for soft suspension, inadequate clearance before something scrapes, insufficientpower,brakes thatwon't throw you over the handlebars when you think about stopping, etc.They wouldn'tappreciate a soulful exhaust note, gentle vibration that feels just right, or art-likeappearance if it bit them on the a$$.

To each his own, but what interests them and what interests me are simply worlds apart.

 

I read those articles, too. I enjoy reading various points of view. They all liked the styling, feel and build quality of the HD models (IIRC) but they did not have the performance and handling of the comparison bikes.

That's really no surprise, is it?

 

It doesn't matter what you ride, if the reviewer doesn't say what you wanna hear you aren't gonna like it. I agree that most reviewers don't "get it" and only compare the nuts and bolts. However, I do feel that Victory makes a very good motorcycle. The Vision is "different" and not for me. My problem with the jap bikes is that they have no "soul". I look at them and they say nothing. You look at a Harley and it moves you.

 

I've always thought:

When was the last time Yamaha (or any Jap bike) made a bike that looked like a Harley?
(every year since 1980)

When was the last time Harley made a bike looked like a Yamaha?
(never)

 

You've gotta look at the backgrounds of the reviewers - as others have noted, some come from crotch rockets, others from other import brands - very few have the financial resources to have ridden HD's. As a result, their points of reference are skewed - just as ours would be on "their" bikes. I always read 'em, then look at their backgrounds to get a better feel as to their biases, and go from there.

The bottom line is that I love the fact that there ARE options out there - it keeps ALL the mfr's on their toes - and in the long run, we ALL benefit from that.

 

When was the last time Harley made a bike looked like a Yamaha?
(never)

V-ROD?


I've owned alot of bikes and almost all of them are better bikes than I am a rider, ride what you like, it won't make you a wanna-be. My RoadSlide is more than able to get me in big trouble. I've read articles were the Harley beat the Goldwing (trip to Alaska several years ago, do'nt remember which Mag.) and the V-ROD beat the Yamaha.