Who Hates Harley Davidson?

When I owned a Valkyrie I rode it like a sportbike - just beat the crap out of it, redlining the engine constantly and taking it to lean angles it really wasnt designed for. I'm still trying to figure out why I bought it in the first place, but the whole ride around in big groups slower than the speed limit just plain mystifies me. The only move I'll ever make from my VFR will be to something more sporty or to a convertible. Why take the risk with so little gain?

 

Word.

It just seemed like kinda out of place.

It's a public service type thing. I perceive HD ownership as a mental illness.:crazy: I'm doing my part to cure the world of this illness by trying to prevent as many people as possible from owning them.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

Yes, this is another reason for my disliking, my buddy who rides a Buell XBS, gives them the finger if they dont wave, says he dont care, they wont catch him, LOL.

 

Dont hate the bike - Hate the ri - NO HATE THE BIKE

My take.

1.) They may be built here but the are not American made, unless you dont count all the parts that are made in china and the metals from china and the leather and the <<<>>> - You get my point.
China = any country other than US.
2.) 90 to 10 = Snob to nice person.
3.) Noise I cannot understand how law enforcement can pull over a car with turbo mufflers and Harleys run untouched. By the way I am from WI and here they are worshiped. I got pulled over for my car for having loud exhaust (2 1/2 pipe with Turbo mufflers). The moment he mentioned noise I said. If the state police allow thousands of Harleys to run unrestricted I would assume it will not be to difficult to prove my case. Got a dirty look and a "keep it safe" and he left.
4.) I owned one and it was a orange POS and the color did not effect its POS level at all. Vibrated like a 24 D battery adult toy and every part was a candidate for loosing up. Just like the nuts on my clutch plates which locked the wheels at 40 mph. I guess if your rich enough for a 15k bike you can afford the locktite. I hear the newer ones vibrate less but I have never hear the vibrations per second to HP ration in any magazine.
5.) Lets me honest, they are bought for three things - HD name or the lifestyle it is supposed to display - Snob appeal - noise.

I think we may be reading the riders wrong when they do not wave back. They are to ^&*&^*%&*_) afraid the poor handling and the vibration will throw them into the oncoming lane into a truck with a bigger bug catcher than their teeth!

 

value

I dont care what something cost . I like sport bikes so that is what I buy. I looked at Harleys .If I wanted a cruser or a touring bike. I would go for a star Yamaha. or a gold wing just because of what you get for the money. Hate em
but I am always glad to see anyone on a motorcycle.Even a loud one with no brakes and an engine that shakes?

 

wow, I dont feel the love for Harley here...LOL

you have to admit, they may make an overpriced POS but they are marketing geniuses if they stopped making bikes tomorrow they would still dowell ,just using their name to sell any thing with their logo on it

 

I have had run-in’s with Harley owners who acted like tough guys; one time one got in my face because of the way I parked. It went something like this:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
Harley owner, “some of my friends don’t like the way you parked your bike”<o></o>
Me, “well F@%K them” (I laughed not trying to be a hard ass)<o></o>
Harley Owner “Well I’m one of those people”<o></o>
ME, “well F@%K you” (I an now angry because of the attitude) <o></o>
Harley Owner “hey I’m just trying to keep you out of trouble because some people don’t seem to like you”<o></o>
Me “well go get them, go get all of them, get them right now” (he looked shocked)<o></o>
<o></o>
After I started getting seriously angry he backed off.<o></o>
<o></o>
Now I am not a hard ass and I do not look for trouble nor do I act like a jerk in public so this whole example of me loosing my temper was due to several complete ass hole Harley riders who apparently thought I would grovel or somehow bow down to them. I might add that this ‘scene’ took place in front of a bunch of people and ladies so I think they were trying to act like something they were not. <o></o>
<o></o>
Harleys do not handle, cost a lot, weigh a lot, don’t stop well, are not smooth, and are more about looks than performance. JIM<o></o>

 

I'm not sure it's genius that sells stupid shit to stupid people for stupid prices - I think the whole scene is borderline retarded.

 

LOL! You are making up the rules as you go. btw... where's the help on getting a real survey so I can vote without worrying about breaking rules.

 

Harleys are just so pretty... I want to just hug them and squeeze them and baby them and spend all my free time polishing them, so that when I finally take it out it looks like the bestest bike in the whole wide world. Then I can take it home and love it, and polish it, and smile in the shiney chrome to my heart's content.

Harley hasn't had an innovation in 50 years...I think that's when they took the springs off their saddles! Evolution? It still leaks oil. They ALL do. As for how American they really are? Ask a mechanic where the parts come from.... Japan, Korea, China, etc... that bike is so out-sourced it's ridiculous to call it American-made. Did you know that a Harley requires both standard and metric tools? *lmfao*

I am not a cruiser style rider, but if I were I would buy something dependable that could beat the crap out of a Harley, which would not be hard to do anyway... I would buy Japanese.

If I ever want to put my feet up in stirrups like a woman at a gynocologist's office, I'll buy a cruiser with hi-way pegs, and tool around town airing out my nut sack and anus.

For now, I am happy that my VFR with Givi bags holds more than any flimsy leather saddlebags, and my shit doesn't get wet, or I have to air dry my leather bags (damp leather smells crappy and dank, which may explain the smell of a Harley rider, or the stench of a Harley biker bar).

I am happy that I have found the best all-round stock bike on the market, and I have owned lots of bikes in my 30+ years of riding. I am happy that when I am at a stoplight and the Harley rider revs his throttle, that I leave him and his sorry ass bike with all it's excessive noise behind me.

Other than all that, Harleys are very pretty standing still.

Want to intimidate a Harley rider that thinks he's on a piece of American muscle? Pull up to him on a Yamaha V-Max and watch him shut the fuck up when you rev your throttle.

Oh yeah, there is ONE thing I like about Harley Davidson... I'd like to [have relations with] any of the female models that pose on them for their ads! Then I'd take them for a ride and show them what a real bike is all about.

Do you feel me yet? *lmao*


Stan

 

maybe your right, but doesn't Harley have the biggest share of the bike market in North America

 

Both of my rider coaches from my last MSF session rode up on Harleys to the track. They hardly had a stereotypical Harley attitude :wink: ; when asked about their bikes they had a few Japanese makes in their arsenals too. Another student there had been an avid rider for decades who sports a Harley (didn't ask why he was in the class), tear drop tattoos, beard, well used leather jacket, etc. One of the nicest guys I ever met!

The people that ride Harley's with a bad attitude have that mindset before they ever kick a stand up IMO. Then again, I do live in Southern California, Harley riders aren't that big a population around here; those that have 'em are in it solely for the style of ride from my experience.

I don't care what you ride, as long as you don't detract from my experience, ride on. :biggrin:

 

I have nothing against a Harley owner. It's their money. Let them spend it however it makes them happy. I've gone on group rides with all kinds of bikers. Everyone is friendly in a group ride as far as I have noticed. But you can tell a poser from a rider anyday. As a former Ducati owner I can tell you about posers... same as a lot of BMW owners... all for show. Ain't my bike pretty. Yeah, pretty damn expensive to maintain...lol.

Stan

 

VeryFunRide -

Hmmmm... Southern California... go a bit north. Ain't Hell's Angels and a few other biker gangs based there? That's where the bad rep for Harleys originated! And those mobs definitely don't help with preconceived notions about Harley riders in general...

 

I fixed it for you:


I have nothing against a Ducati owner. It's their money. Let them spend it however it makes them happy. I've gone on group rides with all kinds of bikers. Everyone is friendly in a group ride as far as I have noticed. But you can tell a poser from a rider anyday. As a former Ducati owner I can tell you about posers... same as a lot of BMW owners... all for show. Ain't my bike pretty. Yeah, pretty damn expensive to maintain...lol.

 

I don't go up north to often (when I do it's usually snow boarding or something of the like, just passing through) but I've lived in SoCal all my life and haven't heard of any exceptional 'biker gang' activity up north ways. California seems too big a hippy liberal epicenter that I could envision any sort of Harley hard asses about those parts.

But yeah, I agree with you on the point spend your money on whatever makes you happy, however much that may be. I spent 900 dollars on my bike, it makes me VERY happy :biggrin:.

 

Alaskan -

All I can plead is temporary insanity. I came to my senses in less than 6 months. I fell in love with my brother's 1999 Ducati ST4, THAT was, and IS an awesome ride. But my 2007 Ducati ST3 was nothing at all like it. And when the first maintenance came up at 6,500 miles and it cost $1,200.00, I said fuck Ducati and traded it in on my Honda VFR. Now I know why my brother only has 9,000 miles on his. It's not an everyday bike, just a once in a while fun ride. Well, I ride everyday, rain or shine, and if I knew about the maintenance costs before I rushed to buy the Ducati, I would have had an '07 Interceptor instead. As it is, I got a great deal on my '06 VFR with only 735 miles on it, bags and liners, for $7,000.00. CycleTrader is sometimes good for something! I've owned the VFR for 5 months now and have 7,000 miles on it. I've changed the oil and filter twice, that's it.

Stan

 

VeryFunRide -

I spent $1,200.00 on a 1982 Yamaha Seca 650 Turbo. Then another grand to get it running properly. But still, all in all I'd say it was worth it. I love that bike and it's a comfy ride, albeit a bit revvy as it's a 650 inline four. And the looks from people when you pull over in a classic. The 'I used to have one of those' comments...lol... well I DO have one of those... :smile:

 

Oh yeah! I know what you mean. She's only got 14k miles on the OD, I got her cheap because the owner's brother got it impounded, brother didn't say, bike got a LOT of fees racked up.... so the original owner forked over the title to the impound yard, now she's mine! She's got her problems at the moment (mainly just the idle, needs new rubbers), but is perfectly operational, I wasn't expecting buy a perfect bike, but the condition she was in (before I both dropped it and then laid down at 15MPH :redface: ) was VERY golden. I love it, its Captain America colors have already grew on me the day she was delivered. :wink:

 

i would agree, the attitude is a big part of why im not fond of them. when i go out riding hardly any of them wave. then i went out 1 day with a buddy who has a harley and not one passing bike gave a second thought to wave. i guess i dont understand their hang up about other bikes where all just doing and riding what we like.