Is Harley-Davidson the Worst Motorcycle Money Can Buy?

[budman]

Harley's are an American icon..nuff said..and nuttin sounds better than a carbed v-twin harley..I like 'em..

 

[Boog]

THATS a good fairy tale you tell about sportsters I worked at HD dealer and they always had problems and CR is correct in exposing HD and BMW

Mr. IMFASTTOO, I surely don’t mean to spin a yarn here. I know my particular Sportster was not the normal HD from the period and I will not ever challenge your experience with the brand as a whole, I only had that one for about 9 months and roughly 5K miles. And I was an emotional 20 something year old sailor looking for the torque rush which this little guy had. I remember comparing it to my former Honda Nighthawk (1980 CB450) and the power hit seemed to be much larger in the HD. I liked it but admit that riding that exact bike now would be very harsh as it was not a smooth ride. Being young, I think that I fell into the same group that is mentioned by our fine fellows here and not knowing what else was around made it look good. After all, when I bought it (1984), it was considered a BIG bike with huge power and performance. I say that because I didn’t read motorcycle mags back then and was simply ignorant. My thinking changed when I heard about Yamaha’s V-Max after it had been out for about year.
I will say that my Sportster did not leak oil which is one of the big distracters many cite when referring to the older HDs. It also never left me stranded except when I ran out of gas once, which was my fault for not being attentive to the level of fuel.

 

[TRIIICK]

Interesting article.. All my bikes were bought before 2009 If anything Harleys are way over priced imo. I love my Roadking it's been good to me. I've been X-country on her four times without any machanical failure. I crashed the bike in 2004 after blowing a front tire just bent the crash bars handle bars easy fix. The only major work i've had done is the cam drive chain tensioners and that was at 40K. The cost of the bike parts and service is relatively cheaper than most bikes. I know people more familar with Harley repairs than most dealers. I don't get soaked everytime i need something done to the Harley.If your not set up to work on your bike most stealers will gaf you. Realistically on the Rocket your going to pay $820 for tires and labor $50 to grease and clean the splines and around $500 plus to adjust the valves. Finding someone in my neck of the woods that even comes close to doing it right is as rare as hens teeth. In the old days they used to say change your oil and filters regularly and it will last forever. If i had to pick a bike that was the best money could buy it would have to be my old Suzuki GT750. I never abused a bike more in my life than the GT750, i streched the chain so much that i had to take links out of it to stop it from rattling. I changed the oil once in the four years i owned it between ages 16-19 all i did was look at the little oil window on the side and kept it full. I can remember getting high as a kite and some times down shifting from high to low gear at high speeds almost launching me airborne and never had a trany problem.. I never once had it serviced except for having to buy new chains. They sure don't makem like they used to.

 

[GPMAZ]

I've owned 5 BMWs, 4 bought new, one used. If I were in the market for another motorcycle it would likely be a BMW.

If I were in the market for a toaster, I'd check Consumer Reports.

 

[TRIIICK]

I've owned 5 BMWs, 4 bought new, one used. If I were in the market for another motorcycle it would likely be a BMW.

If I were in the market for a toaster, I'd check Consumer Reports.

You can't even find a good toaster these days. I ride with a buddie of mine who has the 1200LT and the 1200GT if i had to do it over i would go the BMW route. I was thinking of getting the 1600 GTL until i saw the sticker price. Even the used ones come with a hefty price.

 

[GPMAZ]

You can't even find a good toaster these days. I ride with a buddie of mine who has the 1200LT and the 1200GT if i had to do it over i would go the BMW route. I was thinking of getting the 1600 GTL until i saw the sticker price. Even the used ones come with a hefty price.

Yeah, they sure ain't cheap. I'd likely look at the 800cc GS Adventure or another Roadster. The new R NineT looks very interesting but a probably not a candidate for a windshield and bags.

With my last four cars and five motorcycles having been German I think the Triumph was more of an impulse buy. Never had a cruiser before so thought I'd give it a try.

 

[skinnyvinny2]

I had a streetglide ( 06)- it was fine. Not much on performance though.I am older, but apparently not too old yet- each bike has its own merits....I'd buy another one if I had extra cash.. ..

 

[Bigmother]

I don't know about the Sportsters but I do know back in 1997 I bought a new Superglide which i still have and although it's only done 37,000 kls I ride it hard and it has been the most reliable bike I've ever owned. In all those years I fitted numerous tyres front and back, a few sets of brake pads and a few batteries. It is serviced every 5,000kls. which consists of oil and filters. The only time the Harley ever gets babied is...... it's allowed to live in the bar room !

 

[TOMCAT]

I don't know about the Sportsters but I do know back in 1997 I bought a new Superglide which i still have and although it's only done 37,000 kls I ride it hard and it has been the most reliable bike I've ever owned. In all those years I fitted numerous tyres front and back, a few sets of brake pads and a few batteries. It is serviced every 5,000kls. which consists of oil and filters. The only time the Harley ever gets babied is...... it's allowed to live in the bar room !

Bigmother .. is that Gold Coast , as in Queensland , Australia ?? .. if so I'm pretty sure I missed your intro, so g'day and welcome. PS .. even if you're from a Gold Coast somewhere else on the planet welcome anyway ... hahahaha

 

[DapperDan]

Harleys are not the worst bikes neither are they the best,,, I love the rocket , its works so well for something as over engineered as a tractor,, the Harley is alos over engineered but i find in a more classic way , they dont behave like modern cruisers and that is intentional design, the are slow, brakes are ****e , shake and vibrate , but that is the appeal of the Harley brand , if i wanted touring perfection and ultimate reliability i would buy a Honda F6B. But , i aint ready for that, i aint grown up enough. I love my Rocket, I love it cos its stupid and i enjoy the attention it gets (its the show off in me). I also love my road king classic , i can just cruise about and enjoy the nostalga of it , I dont rush and i short shift , i aint in a hurry,,,, thats is what harley ownership is about, and sometimes they break down , very easy to work on and not to complex either. Triumphs and jap bikes are a drama to work on, very complex machines. I had a sportster 5 years ago , it was horrid , the seat was torture , brakes were non existent , but i rode it as a daily rider for 6 years and it never went wrong. Would i buy another harley,,,,Brand new,,NEVER, Harleys pricing policy is insane , they just aint worth what is being asked.