God Help Me, I Think I want A Harley

HEY WAIT A MINUTE.... MINE DOES FINE ON DIRT......

Decreased trail, more clearance.... My GS with attitude.....

Maybe YOU don't do well on gravel, but HDs in the 30's and 40's were ridden over just about every terrain possible that would put the dualsport crowd on this forum to shame...I'm talking about them being used in military roles.

We don't have many gravel roads around the twisties I ride, but I've had some fun on gravel with my old Hayabusa..nothing like 70-80mph effortless powerslides :)

I for one always look at horsepower in a car. Its the only reason I traded in my Outback for a 1995 M3. However, in a motorcycle, given the HP to weight ratio inherent in almost all bikes, I don't think about it much. Almost any bike gives you a thrill of acceleration.

Re the thread, I too have had a desire for a HD. I almost bought a 1200 but my lawyer thought it was a bad idea to get a new bike during my divorce. Thanks for all the info on the Dyna. I am gonna keep the FXDC on my list along with one of the baggers if I ever get some money.

At least in the domestic car market we make some pretty powerful stuff..even the cars that mirror the roles of the typical HD motorcycle at least have some performance to them...ie the Caddillac CTS series etc.

A modern HD isn't really any more powerful or faster than it was 50 years ago.it's called progress gentleman. As I've stated a few times previous..at least in the flying world we know not to pay MORE for less performance when the vehicles are new.

I like some HDs..they're easy to fix..they're comfortable..and they run absolutely forever..I simply dislike the attitude of 90% of the riders I've come into contact with..and there is simply no reason for them to be as expensive as they are..except people will keep paying for the image. I thank God that sportbikes are still cheap..a true bargain when you consider the almost Formula 1 level of performance and the fact they are whisper quiet with a warranty.

You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. In fact, the most modern Harley is the HP leader in it's class and has been since it was introduced in 2002. The new TC engines are much more powerful and reliable than anything Harley produced 50 years ago. "it's called progress gentleman" and if you had a clue as to what you were talking about you would see the progress Harley has made.

When was the last time you priced a metric cruiser? They aren't exactly donating them to folks wanting one ya know. Harley has some higher priced models but they also have bikes that offer similar or better performance than the metrics for less money.

This thread totally speaks to me. I've ridden nothing but sportbikes, my current ride is a 2002 GSXR 750 which I track and tour with. Lately, I've been wanting something different, as I just can't help riding the Gixxer as it was meant to be. My home province recently passed a law whereby your bike gets impounded and your license is revoked on the spot for a week if you are caught speeding 30 mph-over, or doing a wheelie, stoppie, etc.

I don't know how long I'll keep my license on my current bike. it's just too Dog-gamn easy and fun to ride stupid.

Anyway...

Last Sunday I attended a dealer demo day and got to try several HD products. I tried a Fat Bob with forward controls, a Nightster, a Dyna Superglide with mid controls, and a Buell 1125R.

I really enjoyed the experience, although I had to laugh at all the branded sheep in attendence, fully decked-out in HD jeans, shirts, vests, boots, belts, socks, etc, etc. Props to the MoCo for really understanding and making the most of marketing.

Here are my observations from the bikes, what little I was able to get from the short 15 mile demo loop.

Fat Bob: great ride, handles well considering it's not a sportbike (no, I wasn't expecting it to ride like one). Too bad the forward controls are too far for my short legs. I'm 5'7" and my feet where slipping off the pegs. I know it's available with mid-controls, so that's fixable.

Nightster: total fuggen crap. It may look good, but it feels cheap, and the 1" and a quarter of suspension (or that what it fealt like) travel made it hellishly uncomfortable.

Dyna Super Glide: Very nice as well. The seat-bar-peg position was more comfortable for me than the Fat Bob, and the mid-controls were nice. I wish it had dual front brakes like the Bob. It would be my hands-down favourite then, as the handling fealt just as good, and i prefer the look of the Glide.

Buell 1125R: A good effort by Buell, but lacking in refinement for it to be a contender on the street, compared to Japanese sportbikes. I'm sure that on the track it would be great though, as the riding position fealt really good for attacking corners and the brakes were really strong.

Like the OP, an HD has been on my brain lately. I love how cruising the hwy at the limit was perfectly fine, and totally relaxing. It's also true that HD's attention to fit-and-finish is tops in cruiser-dom. If only I could find a way to afford to keep my gix for the track and have an HD for the street, I'd be golden.

Unfortunately, my sportbike on the track is just too much fun to give up, and I'd have to sell the it to afford the Dyna. Also, and this surprise the hell out of me, insurance quotes I've gotten so far are all more expensive on the HD than on my Gixxer. Weird.

Guess I'll just have to hope to hit the lotto, and pray I keep my right wrist in check in the meantime.

Right on Aceluck,
Thanks for an honest and open minded opinion. Way to actually get out and try em instead of pick sides and bash the other, this thread could use alot more of that.

Maybe look for a used Dyna Super Glide Sport, FXDX? Dual discs up front, better suspension, dropped from the lineup after (I believe) 2005. There was one for sale locally but I waffled and didn't pull the trigger in time.

Then again I think I have about 6 bikes on my 'maybe' list. Only 2 are cruisers, both HD. All the metric cruisers are foot-forward, and I'd prefer mid-controls.

I know enough to know that you're flat wrong, or your definition of "progress" is severely warped. Maybe you should stop smoking stuff from the evidence locker...

Case in point..the original 57' sportster 883 could do what..a 100mph..same as..wait..drumroll.. a brand new 883...hell their "modern" larger 1200 which is literally 51yrs newer can do..what..110..115 out of the box? :) I would venture a guess that similar unimpressive gains in terms of HP and measured performance from their big twins aren't that much greater than the 50's and 60's generations either.

As far as metric cruisers..I'll state it again since you've been too busy berating other people to notice my previous compliments, but I agree with you in that as far as CRUISERS go, HD is the leader in terms of price and build quality hands down..not even a contest..the metric cruisers simply do not enjoy the same level of quality control. Yamaha probably comes the closest.

However, cruisers as a rule are boring and I'm not quite ready to die yet.

Yeah, it's not like the Vrod isn't a OHC Water cooled engine producing well in excess of 100hp. That isn't f*cking progress at all is it?

H-D didnt have the brains to manufacture the V-Rod engine on their own.
The V-Rod engine was developed in Germany by Porsche.

The Revolution engine, that's the name for the Vrod engine, is manufactured by Harley. Always has been. Porsche did assist with the developement, notably the cooling system but it wasn't developed in Germany. Just thought you should know that so the next time one passes you on your VTX, you will have something to ponder while trying to hide your shame.

You are wrong, I used to have the video "the Birth of the V-Rod"
Get your facts straight Pinhead.

Last time I checked, the speed limit is only 70 mph.....or are you one of those folks that whine, bitch, snivel, and complain about those damn loud motorcycles while blasting through traffic at breakneck speeds? Yeah, yeah, I know. Harley riders are mean to you....

Wickedsprint, I don't think you're wrong, just mis-informed. Do a bit more research, then get back to us with some facts instead of opinions, okay?

As to the OP, I've recently added an '05 Sporty to my shop and it was the only thing that would start this past winter. It's not much on long rides, mostly my fault for lowering it, but it's as dependable as anything else I own....so far. It's great for around town and handles fairly well for what it's built to do.
If I had the cash, I'D HAVE A NEW CROSSBONES IN A HEARTBEAT!!!!!

Now, OTOH, I also have an '01 Yam, Roadstar. One of my buddies, an H-D fanatic and licensed mechanic, took it for a spin before we started adding the 10.25:1 pistons and was pleasantly surprised with it. I do all my long-haul trips with this bike that gets worked extremely hard. It pulls a trailer, has bags, and I added a Memphis Fats windscreen. It would be really tough for me to get rid of this one. It's built on the softtail design and rides relatively smooth. My only real bitch about the thing was the stock seat....absolutely junk after 30,000 miles.

Regardless what you get for your next scoot, good luck, have fun and enjoy it!!!!!

Name calling huh? You sincerely need to grow up.

All of the modern attributes of HD are usually outsourced..IE the Vrod engine (porsche designed and consulted on)..their showa suspension(are they still using Showa?)..Brembo brakes..etc..last time I checked...and as long as we're discussing the progress of their Vrod..it's still lacking when compared to anything powerful from the early 80's. Congrats..performance wise they're now on par with an 85' Yamaha Vmax..yup..progress

So they have modern attributes now? I thought they haven't advanced in 50 years? Which is it?

Are they lacking with anything that's produced now? Which similarly displaced CRUISER will outrun a Vrod?

You are the one that just got back from being banned... Ass Munch.

Not sure what exactly I'm misinformed about...did the 57' Sporty not break the ton?, or can a 2009' model 883 from today go signifigantly faster than said speed?

And actually our speed limits are 75 :), but luckily I'm moving to within 20 minutes of a really nice roadcourse that does trackdays where I can get it out of my system, as a rule I tend to be pretty restrained in traffic..if I am driving like an idiot, I make it so noone else has to do anything evasive as a result of my actions.

as were you.