I Rented A Harley

Never mind the rest of this thread: KC10, what's up with that van in the pictures? Is that your neighbors?

Does he have one of those bumper stickers that says "Don't laugh, your daughter might be inside"?

 

I don't care if you are a troll. You must be new around here since just about everyone knows that I don't play nicely with others. Especially with the "Faithful".

Just so we're on the same page, my little review of the Heritage Softtail Classic, it was not apples to oranges. It was evaluating the merits of a single apple. I was evaluting freshness, taste, looks, etc. This apple was not a particularly good one. It wasn't very fresh. It didn't taste good. It didn't have the nice red color I like on my apples.

I did say that HD's are a joke, blah, blah, etc. That's because no matter what, I WILL NOT accept looks over function. If the bike doesn't work, then it is WRONG. If you don't agree, good for you & say "Hi" to all the HD guys on your Electra AstroGlide forum.

To summarize & put an end to this nonsense:

HD's suck. Not all of them but most of them.

Just about every cruiser from any other make is a superior ride. For the Heritage I rode, look no further than the Star Stratoliner. It is SOOOOOOO superior to the HD that I would be embarrased to charge the money for the HD if I was a dealer.

I clearly said I was impressed with the VRod. I clearly said what HD needs to do to get me to buy one. Will HD every do that? Never. Why? They are far, far, far too concerned with making yuppy pinheads into "bikers" than making bikes that work.

I look forward to riding one of the 09 & up touring HD's so I can see if they actually did anything worthwhile or just spent some money on advertising.

Have a nice day & ride safe. :wave:

You knew I wouldn't just sit back & let one of the "Faithful" tell me what's what, right?

No stickers that I can see. Believe it or not, he used to be into "Audio Grand Prix". He doesn't do that stuff anymore but since he puts all his cash into his HD's, he doesn't have the money for a new car.

As far as "Audio Grand Prix", I had no clue what that meant until I was stationed on Guam. It's basically a car with a stereo that has no consideration for sound quality, only sheer volume & loudness. I literally saw one of these competitions where they had to have two guys sitting on the roof with their legs on the windshield or else the windshield would fly out & the roof would blow off. I'm talking audio levels that can cause your heart to skip a beat, LITERALLY. His actual show truck had nearly 45000 watts of power. Pretty silly if you ask me.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Too bad. Your teacher credentials are shaded with emotional retort such as "HD 's suck". It's obvious you missed most of what I was saying.

You have a nice day and ride safe too.

Mike

 

No, I didn't miss what you're saying, I simply didn't care.

Your opinion matter not to me. Just the fact that you're on a HONDA forum arguing the merits of HD shows just how far off you are. If you're trying to get me to agree with you or get me to actually believe HD's are worth more than say... a 1986 Yamaha Radian with 78000 miles, then you're wasting your time. I'd rather have the Radian.

Have fun on the HD Forum's.
http://www.hdforums.com/forum/index.php
:wave:

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Oh I'm sorry, KC-10 FE. I thought you started a *Harley* thread in an "Anything Goes" HONDA forum. I could be wrong. Let me go back and check. <Please standby> Yep! You did.

BTW - I own a Honda.

I can see you are a regular here so I'll acknowledge some respect. I wouldn't attempt to debate VFR topics with you simply because I haven't owned or ridden one for more than 9 hours. So I would listen to you what you have to say.

You on the other hand have an axe to grind with the Harley Halloween show and don't want to listen. You'd be surprised how much we have agree on. Not every HD rider races from the driveway to the bar (and there are a lot of them) but many ride, ride and ride. You can find out more here: HDForums.com Harley Davidson Forums

Your signature says "I don't discriminate, I hate EVERYBODY!" You're either just plain angry or want to warn every possible reply.

You're welcome to ride with me anytime regardless of what you ride or background. I'm here in southeast PA. Maybe I'll learn something. Can't say you'll reciprocate the offer.

I figure you'll reply with another "You Suck" post. I hope not. This doesn't have some much to do with HD's at this point. You agree? Ball's in your court.

Mike

 

When I first started riding, I listened to my big brother who believes that Harley is the only bike out there. I got a 2001 Sportser 1200 Sport. It actually was a fun bike, but broke down way too much in 25K+ miles/3 years for my liking. I got to ride just about all the Harleys by swapping with friends or renting. Someone commented that the Heritage Softtail was the worst bike you could have had and I heartily agree. Just about any other bike would have been better, even one of the big "baggers". However, even at that, I don't feel that the ride on any of them is anything to be compared with any sportbike and I do not feel safe on a Harley... going and stopping are to me very questionable on these bikes.

As for the comment about an excuse to get pussy... there are a bunch of guys where I work (the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino) that have Harleys. Every now and then one sees me on my VFR since I ride every day to work... and wants to ride with me, or a co-worker tells me one or more wants to be setup with me. I tell them all I don't ride with Harley guys. I'll ride with sport bike riders or sport/touring guys, but not Harley guys. That about crushes them every time!! And, BTW, have you seen most of the women that ride HDs or ride on the back? The percentage that are actually attractive is staggeringly low!! I've had so many people point out to me that chicks that ride sportbikes are better looking than Harley chicks so I started taking note, and 9 times out of 10 that is the truth!!

 

Methinks somebody needs to get a life on the Harley forum...

 

Hmmmm...this thread is gettin good

op2:

 

Harley Davidson has it's place. If I were in the market for a touring rig, rode almost exclusivly highway and had the cash to spend, I sure would like a HD Street Glide to add to the garage. That said, the VFR wouldn't be going anywhere!

Harley is also good for getting people back on a motorcycle. I've seen alot of baby boomers get back into riding after a 20 year absence. These folks don't seem to want speed or handling. They want the feeling of freedom and to be reminded of their youth. If the main use of their motorcycle is to meet and interact with others in the same boat, who are we to judge.

I'll argue that Harley is good for the motorcycle riding public in general. Look at the more common motorcycle rights organizations. They are mainly made up of HD and other cruiser riders. Although I dissagree with the common stance on helmet laws, groups like ABATE have my respect and appreciation.

The argument seems to be that HD's don't handle well (they don't), don't stop well (very true), and are slow (yup). The point is that the folks buying these bike don't care. They want the look, they want the sound, they want the feeling. If a RUB wants to go out on the weekend trading in his business suit and BMW for leather chaps and an Ultra Glide, all power to him.

Sorry for the rant but I seem to come across this exact thread on multiple forums. I'm not a HD fanatic. I can appreciate the machine but have no illusions of their (lack of) performance. It's simple, you jump off your VFR and jump on a HD, you're going to be dissapointed. But then that's why we bought VFR and not a cruiser. :biggrin:

 

op2:......

 

First, trust me on this one, you don't need to show me any form of respect. I appreciate that you do, but it is by no means necessary. You want to rip me a new one? Go for it.

So, back to business...
Noooooooo, I didn't start a HD discussion thread on a Honda forum. I started a "I Rented A Harley" thread on a Honda forum. The original post clearly indicates that I only rented the bike because it was rent a HD or not ride at all. I then reviewed that bike, on it's & ONLY IT'S merits, just as I would any other bike. I stated what I did like & what I didn't. To everyone other than yourself, this was a cut & dried process. You are the single only person who had a problem with this thread. Pretty much every other person that replied seemed to have zero problem with the message I was trying to get across.

If you don't think 9 hours & 255 miles is enough time to form a verdict on a vehicle, than how on earth do you own ANY car or bike? The last vehicle I test drove was a 2009 Dodge Ram. I was in the truck for 20 minutes & travelled about 9 miles. That was more than enough for me to know whether or not I like the driving dynamics of the vehicle. I loved the way the 09 Ram rides & it flat out HAULS ass. I didn't buy one because there was plenty of stuff I didn't like that had nothing to do with the driving experience. I formed that opinion in less than 1 hour. Trust me, 9 hours is plenty of time to form a very educated opinion, especially if you know what you're looking for, know what you want, know what you're talking about & know what you're doing. I know what I'm doing with a motorcycle. 21.5 years of safe riding allows me to say this. This summer, I will add track riding to my resume. None of my motorcycle decision are based on brand loyalty. Ask anyone around here, I am very disappointed & very critical of Honda of late since they seem to have zero direction or vision for the future. While I may not be happy with Honda as a company, I love my VFR & will never get rid of it. See how this works?

I never, ever rode a 5th Gen VFR until I rode my 2000 away from the dealer. I had ridden Gen's 1-4 before I bought my bike, but never a 5th Gen. For the next 5 years, I thought the VFR was a good bike, but not nearly as good as I originally remember VFR's being. Then, after a MSF coach told me how lousy my stock Dunflop D204K's were, I put new tires on the bike. Holy Crap, FINALLY, this was the bike I wanted since I was 16. I'm now switching to an even more aggressive tire, so I'll probably like my bike that much more after 7 May (c'mon UPS man), since daddy needs new tires.

Hey, guess what? The next time I find myself in HI with a day off, I'm going to rent (insert drumroll here, please)......................................................................


ANOTHER HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYLE. The bike I will rent next time will be the Road King? Why? Because it's either that or not ride. I will review that bike just as I did the Heritage. If you don't like that review, oh well, not like I will care. The rental guy assures me the Road King is a far better bike than the Heritgage so I look forward to renting it. He said the Road King is HD's #1 selling touring bike. I have no way of knowing (& don't care) if that's true, but I will find out soon enough.

Again, I then reviewed another HD based on a quick test ride. Again, you are the only person who had a problem with this procedure. Again, I clearly stated what I did & didn't like, just like the original rental bike. I even said what HD would need to do to get me to buy one.

I've ridden many HD's & have told their owners straight up what I did & didn't think of their bike. I've ridden probably 10 Electra's but only 1 Road Glide. I like the Road Glide better than the Electra's. Why? The Road Glide has a fixed fairing instead of the POS that moves with the bars & I like the way the Road Glide looks better than the Electra's. I was able to form those opinions in rides of no more than 5 minutes around a painted parking lot. So, why do I like those two things better? No reason, it's simply what I like. If I would just say to the owner, "Great bike man" when I hated the bike, wouldn't that be lying? Yes it would.

An example of this theory:
I rode a guys Ducati 999 (the one that looks like Lego Bionicles) & then told him I thought the bike was junk. I freely admit I am infatuated with Ducati's so this is a pretty bold statement. It was (& still is) FUGLY, it's uncomfortable, the clutch sucked, it's next to impossible to ride at slow speeds, cooks your butt, etc. Why would I say such a thing to the proud owner? I was being honest. I don't give a crap what anyone thinks of the TRUTH. If you don't like the truth, that's not my problem. He was shocked (he actually looked like I slapped his mother) but later told me he at least appreciated that I was honest. I then rode circles around him with minimal effort. How? Simple, the VFR is a better STREET bike. What would have happened if we were on the track? He would have slaughtered me. Why? The Duc is a far, far superior RACE bike. Simple? Right?

Don't worry about me riding in SE PA, that would mean I need to go thru Philly to get there. I hate riding in the SUBURBS of Philly let alone riding in Philly.

Have A Nice Day & Ride Safe. :wave:

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

And, BTW, have you seen most of the women that ride HDs or ride on the back? The percentage that are actually attractive is staggeringly low!! I've had so many people point out to me that chicks that ride sportbikes are better looking than Harley chicks so I started taking note, and 9 times out of 10 that is the truth!![/QUOTE]

So true. Sport bike chicks are HOT!!

 

I've ridden the XR1200, and it was a blast. Light for a Harley and great breaks, good seating position and a blast in the twisties.

Also road the cross bones with the springer front end and spring mounted seat.Who ever came up with that combo is trying to get riders killed. Bike felt like I was riding jello!!!!

 

Allright, KC-10 FE.

I'll continue to give respect until there's reason not to. I was raised that way.

How boring would a forum be if everyone posted an opinion and every reply was "I agree", "I agree" and "I agree". Or you get a dumb reply about the caliber of chicks on sportbikes vs harleys. I think that is what you expected. That's pretty much what you received from others but I challenged you on it. You didn't like it. There is no winner.

Yes. 9 hours would be ample time to form opinions. Turn signal placement, side stand feel and bags without locks can be assessed in the showroom. I'm not discounting your ride but I have had many cars and realize months later that I really don't like the ride. Moods, weather conditions, hang overs, heat/cold and too much coffee can effect the decision.

Good luck with your track racing. Are you racing others or the clock? Either way I'm sure you do well.

I'm not *worried* about you riding in SE PA. It was an invite.

 

LOL! Brother Bear, ol' Bubba Zanetti about came out verbal guns blazing on the retarded membership of ABATE, but I'll lay low for now:wink:.

BZ

 

out:.............