Bikes with flaws you hate

Or people who can't tolerate annoying faults and therefore post about them on the net don't buy Harleys in the first place?

i was think the same thimg that no one buy harleys are 99% are crap

deserves a quote

did you not see my post earlier about the seat on the crossbones?

I was speaking from experience btw; I used to own British cars, but I had drunk the kool-aid, so to speak. And then there comes a point where you know so much about what fails and how to fix it and which is the best version of each part that you're committed.

Then I discovered modern Japanese cars.

You have to ride them not trailer them to figure out annoying faults.

The things I would consider annoying faults - Foot-forward riding position, noise, lack of HP, vibration, engine heat, noise, etc., are either the reasons why owners purchased the things in the first place, or self-inflicted modifications (noise.)

The Harley owners may prefer to bitch about them on their own marque specific forums, for whatever reason.

if it is a street bike and has a chain drive it should have a centerstand as standard equiptment and not a $130 - $200 accessory.


as for the lack of harley posts i think most are bought by people that take them to the dealer to get fixed.
the pirate crowd no longer comes to ADV after darla clued them in to how we roll.

Love my FZ6...but the automatic cam chain tensioner is rather annoying. Only have 7,500 miles, and already had to buy a replacement since it makes an annoying click at lower RPMs.

Yessss......

I think you only end up with a Harley if what you want is a Harley, in which case, any shortcomings are accepted as a necessary part of the package. For most of us, if you own a Yamahonda, you'd be just as happy to own a Kawazuki if it does the job better, so we've got somewhere to go to and something to compare to.

I mentioned owning British cars earlier. I've also got a 1984 BMW R65 I've owned since 1987. Like my British cars, I've got a long list of "stuff" I know about that bike. Just off the top of my head, to start it on a cold morning requires exactly the right technique, the ignition coils are a known weak point and I've replaced the stator, rotor and the hall effect pickup in the distributor (aka bean can; despite being a car distributor, it doesn't distribute anything on an Airhead).

And yet it doesn't occur to me to hate these flaws; they're simply things I've learnt along the way owning a bike which, on balance, I really like and which is quite unlike anything else available.

I did, I did and I concur. That was one of the two posts, even though it was mostly positive. My ass loves my crossbones. For example, after spending much of the last two years recovering from a badly broken leg (3 surgeries, hip replaced and knee to follow) I can still put in 8 to 10 hour days on that bike with out any complaints. Sorry for the hijack.

it was just an observation...

No particular bikes, but flaws that many do have.


I know that some are easy to replace, but I have really big hands and most grips feel like I am twisting a pencil.

Trying to get a tankbag to fit and stay in place on some weirdly shaped, non-metal fuel tanks.

i seriously think that if the crossbones had decent brakes from the factory, i might be riding a different bike right now :huh i LOVED that bike in stock form (sans aforementioned brakes). very comfy for us tall people, with the mini apes and footboards. and that seat. my ass still dreams about that seat. i felt like i was floating when i was demo-ing that machine.

and good for you still riding after your leg repairs!

i agree. and dont have said centerstand drag before the pegs do. (hey Triumph! FUCK YOU!)

...or at least have the exhaust on the opposite side of the chain for easy access. (hey Triumph! FUCK YOU!)

This has been an issue with yamahas for quite some time now.
At least they made it easy to replace.

A 4 piston front brake caliper from Performance Machine fixes that fault. Big improvement for $500.

To start off, I have to say that I love my Buell XB and the incredibly low maintenance relative to every other bike I've ever owned.

However it does have one flaw that drive me up a wall.... when you pull the oil drain plug, it dumps the oil directly on the top of the exhaust outlet. If all it did was get the exhaust oily it wouldn't be such a big deal, but it comes out quickly enough that it creates a 'fan spray' and gets oil on everything nearby including the rear tire.

Use some aluminum foil to fashion a sluice that will redirect the oil flow.