now its harley!!

[Lloyd Smale]

bud just came out with harley beer cans. no doubt to try to regain sales. harley not only sold out to bud but just introduced a small single cylinder street bike make in INDIA. told the son in law yesterday to spread the word that mines for sale. not really a big statement by me because ive only put 5k on it in the 4 years ive had this one. hardly worth paying for insurrance to rid a couple times a year. ive been thinking of replacing the 25 foot bostom whaler i sold a coupe years ago with a used 15 or 17. id probably use that more then the bike and there aint hundreds of wanabes waving to me constantly like there my buddy out on the water.

[Dee]

Well, the V-Rod was an Italian motor. The cops are starting to ride Harleys that look like big Kawasaki dirt bikes, and look nothin Harley Davidson.

The old Harley riders like myself are getting (got) old and dying off. The youngsters have no interest in loud and proud, or chrome.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup today its factory custom shiny embossesed leathers. we call them handkerchief hat bad asses. aint none of ever seem a 500 mile day in the saddle. most of it is a 50 mile ride to check out some brew pub to sample there peach beer. like you i remember wrenching all week after work to get a shovel there and back that weekend. the buddy whos even more hardcore them me laughed at our past and said you only qualify to call yourseif a harley biker if youve owned a flat head, knuckle head, pan head or and amf shovel. i barely made it owning two of those pos amf bikes he own three of them, two pans and a knuckle. crazy sob got off work 4 oclock on friday and drove his hard tail pan non stop to sturgis. he said even he wouldnt do that again. 

Well, the V-Rod was an Italian motor. The cops are starting to ride Harleys that look like big Kawasaki dirt bikes, and look nothin Harley Davidson.

The old Harley riders like myself are getting (got) old and dying off. The youngsters have no interest in loud and proud, or chrome.

[ironglow]

..I'm not picking on Harleys, since many of my friends ride them, but are not some of those engines by Suzuki and Kawasaki, etc. ..a bit more advanced in design and engineering?

  I know the Harley Loyalists today's engineering somewhat outdated feel strongly attached to the big thumping twin..likely for nostalgia as any other reason...   But hasn't the advanced engineering of today produced more refined and efficient designs?

   Admittedly, I am no authority on motorcycles, but I see certain imported bikes that can out perform almost any Harley, and likely do it on less fuel
    than any Harley...and do it more quietly and smoother running in the process.

  It seems , and correct me if I am wrong..that a Hayabusa 1340 cc 4 cyl engine, producing 188 hp, may be more advanced than an 1868 cu in twin, producing 93 hp..

  ..And tha Hayabusa engine has been tuned down in power to satisfy Euro enviro standards.

  Again; not bashing Harley, since it is obviously the first choice of many, and even Indian has elected to reintroduce their big twin *bikes again.

    ..And they are doing it with a 116 cu in V=twin

[Dee]

If I were going to buy a dependable, and comfortable tour bike, I'd buy a Honda Goldwing. If I were going to buy a dependable, economical run around town bike it might likey be a Honda, or possibly a Kawasaki.

I love the old Harleys, nuthin rides like'em, but they aren't the best bike out there, they are the most expensive, whether it be purchase price, parts, or labor.

I rode Harley Davidson because I could, I was working for Harley and got discounts, and I liked the look.

As far as Indian motorcycles. It's a reengineered POLARIS

[ironglow]

  I noticed the big Indians sell for about $18,000, while my friends seem to be paying about 10K more for their Harleys..

  Incidently; my wife's maiden name was Davidson..we have a nephew who years ago, swore that if he had a son, he would name him Harley.

  Alas..he has only one child...a daughter.. 

  His Dad's (my brother-in-law) bike riding days are over, but he always rode Kawasakis..I remember one Kaw he had, I believe a 4 cyl in line..that ran so quietly, one could hardly hear it..

[Lloyd Smale]

one thing good if you like harleys is that it used to be a used one was about as expensive as new because you had to be friends with the dealer to have any chance of scoring a new one. ive bought new harleys and sold them used for what i paid new after 2 years. now the used prices have crashed and you can buy an about mint 20k mile bike for 8k. ive seen nice ones that ran great for 6k. i wouldnt even think of buying one new again. im no expert on indians. have a few buddys that tried them back when they first came out and went back to harley. they said they nickle and dimed them to death

[Drilling Man]

  Harley was selling Italian made motorcycles waay back in the 60's, don't see why an Indian made one, should bother me now.

  DM

[ironglow]

  Yes, my friends who have Harleys, seem to do well during a sell or trade..

[Lloyd Smale]

not anymore. used ones are dirt cheap today. like i said you HAVE TO BUY USED. if you buy new you will take it in the ass when you sell it. its why mines going to the son in law. if i have to about give it away it might as well be to him.
 i bought it 2 years old with 3k on it. guy only actually road it one summer. this will be the 5th summer i had it and i only put 5k on it because of health problems i listed it for 13k this spring and the best offer i got was 9k. told the son in law to bring me 8 and he can have it. now hes dealing with selling his o1 soft tail std. it has 24k on it and the best offer hes got is 5500. told him not to give it away because im in no hurry. hell even in the 80s the only harley you could buy new or used for that money was a sporster

  Yes, my friends who have Harleys, seem to do well during a sell or trade..

[gypsyman]

Rode my 1996 Sportster to my 50th high school reunion just yesterday. When I was in high school, last 2 years, rode a 350cc Harley Sprint, made in Italy. Getting to old to switch now, and arthurites in the back, don't ride much over 30-40 miles 2-4 times a week. Gives me my fix!! As far as the Bud-Harley thing, don't really care. Getting to long on the tooth to worry about multi-million dollar company decisions.