You could always have a sex change. Lol.
|
|
|
So I rode a Harley today...
- Thread starter rorider
- Start date
You could always have a sex change. Lol.
Harleys are awesome, have ridden a few in my time - but the price is almost all profit - you're getting a cheap/chinese component steel framed bike with old tech and very little spent on R&D, for often double the price of more finely engineered machines
If a dyna cost what it is actually worth brand new - around 5k, I would be riding one as my everyday bike, they have character despite the hate
That's why they got rid of Buell - the idea of a bike where you don't make huge margins because of actual competition in the segment was very foreign to HD leadership.
If a dyna cost what it is actually worth brand new - around 5k, I would be riding one as my everyday bike, they have character despite the hate
That's why they got rid of Buell - the idea of a bike where you don't make huge margins because of actual competition in the segment was very foreign to HD leadership.
Phew. Like that. Men as Men.
What gets me is how so many relatively low mileage and late modem HD's I see for sale list "rebuilt engine" in the ad, as if that's a positive thing.
For example, look on Kijiji right now and use "harley rebuilt" as the search terms and you'll have no problem finding examples. There's a 2012 FLH not far from me right now with a rebuilt engine in 2015.
I'm not ragging on HD, but franky, you don't see metrics with the same amount of engine problems at HD's seem to suffer from.
Aye, but the aftermarket parts comment is plausible. You can get bazillions of aftermarket parts for a H-D ... whether that's a good idea or not, or whether differing such parts play nice together, is quite another matter. Most Japanese cruiser engines have little or no aftermarket support for engine internals.
A fair argument, but I struggle to believe that every HD out there that has had what appears to be a premature rebuild has been modified in such a way that it caused the underlying damage.
I know the cam chain tensioner issue ate many a HD engine, but I still see a lot of <75,000KM HD's out there that seem vanilla, but have been rebuilt, cam chain issues aside.
Many many many update their 88" for 96" or 96" for 103" or 110" or whatever. They just want more torque or power. There are so many "big bore" kits available, stage 2, 3 and 4 mods with bigger cams and values to compliment the larger displacement, it can get addicting.
When you have the bike you love and just want to make it better, it can be fun.
Just like those that like to hot rod their pony cars or sport cars.
Even BMW isn't good enough, gotta have the "M" or something even better.
In many ways, HD is cheaper than some other toys folks like to modify.
It's not because the engine was blown.
Many HOG member ride iron butt tours and have mega miles on them without major service requirements.
They indeed have one of the largest after market for just about any needs.
And the tech might be old but, it's simple and easy to understand.
It's not intimidating to work on.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When you have the bike you love and just want to make it better, it can be fun.
Just like those that like to hot rod their pony cars or sport cars.
Even BMW isn't good enough, gotta have the "M" or something even better.
In many ways, HD is cheaper than some other toys folks like to modify.
It's not because the engine was blown.
Many HOG member ride iron butt tours and have mega miles on them without major service requirements.
They indeed have one of the largest after market for just about any needs.
And the tech might be old but, it's simple and easy to understand.
It's not intimidating to work on.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Fair enough. Personally I'd advertise it as "engine upgraded" in the above scenarios vs "rebuilt", but that's just me.
JTR
Well-known member
Does it look like a duck? yup sure looks naked sport to me, and it's 500lbs, Does it quack like a duck? sure does with 162hp. Does it walk like a duck? with a top speed of 272km I'd say so. Just a naked liter(+) bike. The specs on this bike scream SS, go ahead and compare stats with a gsxr1000. Putting your feet slightly ahead of your *** does not a cruiser make. Sick bike? Hell yeah it is. Would I love to try one? oh you bet your ***, especially if underwriters are dumb enough not to wiki check what it is. Is it a cruiser? Not even close.
It doesn't compare to HD, because it' an apple, and HD only makes oranges. What's next, the big news about how a Huracan Performante out performs a RR Phantom? Ofcourse an SS without fairing outperforms any Harley.
Roadghost
Well-known member
The most annoying thing is trying to find a stock Harley. Try searching for a stock Sportster 883 and see how many "883 Sportster...Installed 1200 kit" your search gets polluted with. Or FLH and FXS bikes "Lots of upgrades...Stage II kit installed...drag specialties kit...lowered 2"...". It's all you can do to find a Harley these buffoons haven't screwed around with and now they're selling because "I just couldn't get it to run right after...(insert lame excuse here)". Why don't Jap bikes have this problem? Because the aftermarket industry for them is miniscule compared to Harley Davidson. BTW, I did the search you suggested. Here's some predictable results, and I'll tell you exactly why they did the work:
-- 90,000km "Top end rebuilt, runs like a dream..."
This is a sign of someone who slid in an aftermarket cam and dropped a valve.
-- 195,000km "Motor rebuilt 6 yrs ago 3 yrs ago new S&S cams.gear drive..."
LOL. Anything's possible, but SS cams? Why? What else has this guy done that caused the engine to be rebuilt? He's got 120,000 miles on it, probably with his 250lb wife and his 300lb carcass with another 200lbs of freight up and down the Rocky Mountains.
In an Ontario-wide search I ran across about 17 rebuilts. To be fair most are 30-40 year old bikes with suspicious mileage given and it is easy to screw with the mileage on a Harley. There are also a LOT of Harleys out there that have lasted a long, long time. Much of the work includes doing lifters, which is common on old high mileage Harleys. My Honda snapped its cam chain at 45,000km (I had to replace the valves, crank and cylinder walls) so this sort of thing is not limited to Harley Davidsons. Most Jap bike owners don't rebuilt their bikes, they just throw them away because the resale is so low, they just get another.
BTW, want a good laugh? Go onto the Harley Davidson Forums and see how many new M8 owners just can't leave their new $30,000 bikes alone. From the get-go they want to swap pipes, get a tune, install chrome casing kits, add more powerful stereo amplifiers. It goes on and on. Those guys have money to burn.
Last edited:
Roadghost
Well-known member
Because the whole culture and fun around owning a Harley is to customize it. On the HD forums there's tons of "What have you done to your (M8, Sportster, Electra Glide, Road King etc.) today" threads.
It doesn't seem to dawn on these guys that what they're doing often permanently ruins their bikes and destroys resale value.
JTR
Well-known member
Kind of in the way a Ferarri competes directly with a Camaro.
If nobody comes along soon, I'll be offended by the shortage of offended-ness. The perils of social media cannot be avoided, you know.
Saw a female-looking person riding a clean, white Street Glide recently. Very appealing. The bike I mean. Mechanically appealing. I could definitely dig that all week, even if I couldn't win street riding or trackdays (they CAN be won). I mean, if only 10% of GTAM sneered at the cornering clearance or PWR, then polishing the chrome would be worth the hassle.
BigEvilDoer
Well-known member
![XDiavel-s_2016_Amb-01_1920x1080.mediagallery_output_image_[1920x1080].jpg](http://www.ducati.com/cms-web/fs//MediaGalleries/323/1/MediaGallery_1323701/XDiavel-s_2016_Amb-01_1920x1080.jpg/XDiavel-s_2016_Amb-01_1920x1080.mediagallery_output_image_[1920x1080].jpg)
I would call it a self-propelled radiator. Man, can't anyone design a good looking rad?
|
|
|
|
|