So I went to a Harley demo day last Saturday...

Dustin

Dustin

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So I went to a Harley demo day last Saturday...

I thought I would be open-minded, see what Harley Davidson is all about. I rode a few bikes, as did a friend of mine.

I don't get it.
 
I don't care how big the motor or how fast the Harley,if you want to lose one just take a slow ride down a twisty bumpy road they'll never keep up. I know I used to ride one.
 
I rode the XR1200 and the Nightster 1200, my friend rode the V-Rod Muscle and something with a 1200 in it that broke his back.

I really tried to like them. I thought there must be something to the sound & feel of the Harley Davidson motorbike but there was just nothing there.

First of all, the XR1200 was horrible. It was maybe the worst bike I have ever ridden... any sporting intentions I thought it had were thrown out the window.

The engine was horrible. Horrible. It had no positive side to it. All it did was make noise and vibrate and shake more than I ever imagined possible. On steady throttle, the bike would lurch and buck so you don't even want to go long distance on it. It had NO power at all. In first gear WOT, I would hit the rev limiter just shortly after I thought there was some semblance of acceleration.

I compared it directly to my SV650 (I figured they were in the same category) but it was a joke.

After that I thought I'd go for something more traditional Harley (or what I thought it was), so I tried the Nightster 1200. It was actually kind of cool--at first. The mid-controls and high handlebars kind of felt cool for the first block. It actually turned a corner, kind of. The engine was far less vibey than the XR1200 (why?) but it was just as gutless and horrible. After 5 minutes, I wanted off because my spine was being compressed over every bump. The seating position only feels cool when you're not moving; it's horrible to actually operate a motorcycle sitting like an ape spread-eagle. I bet I looked pretty stupid too.

Whatever my friend rode (Sportster?) first he hated it. He said 2 minutes was enough on the bike to make him angry. His Dad is a Harley guy and has one of those mega-dollar Ultra Classic FXKHSDAKJHLDJADKSKDJA Mach III or whatever so he was trying to be open to it too.

Then he rode the V-Rod Muscle. He was surprised and thought it was pretty cool, then he looked at the price tag. Afterwards I told him that it was their flagship bike & also not a Harley motor.

I asked him if it was fast, he said 'meh' and it was ok. I asked him how it compared to my FZ1 and he said 'no contest'. We reckon his 1986 VFR750 is actually faster.

I think the V-Rod is actually a pretty cool bike but why would you have one of those when you can get a Diavel, V-Max, B-King, Rocket III, etc...

I think the funniest part of the whole day was how laughable the power & acceleration is on such a big, loud, obnoxious motor. I thought they might at least be kind of quick but I likened it to riding a GS500.

So I gave it a go and I'm not impressed. It's all about image and nothing else.
 
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I agree Dustin. I've ridden on a few friends' Harleys and came away the same as you, which was: I don't get it!

All image, all noise, and no go. The completely laughable thing to me is how many of them still try to lose me at at a light. I blow them away every time and then they distance themselves as far as possible from me, even if it means they have to take an exit a little earlier than they planned. They must get tired of being whipped, wouldn't you think? The coup de grace was the time I whooped three choppers on my scooter. The trio then exited at a local yarn fair.

I wrote this up on the old scooter forum which crashed so I lost it. It was called "Norm vs the chopper dudes."
 
I own a 1200 Low that my wife rides. After a total rework of the shocks, front brakes and a total retune of the EFI, it is just getting acceptable. I have no tattoos, where a slide suit and a $600 helmet all the time. Same for my wife and she weighs 135 max. We do not fit in a a Harley meet and never intend to.

I simply do not get it either but the wife wanted to be able to say she owns a chromed out Harley. She likes it so Whatever Moma wants, Moma gets. When I have the choice of both bikes, I ride the FZ1 90% of the time.

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AW
 
i too have ventured to my local dealer in michigan, i rode 3 bikes, a sporty, dyna then a softtail, out of the 3 NONE i liked, i couldnt get used to forward controlls, the vibration made me feel like i had carpul tunnel, and pep ha no pep. unless you wanna dump another 5k into harley parts to make em go fast. i was not impressed. at all. ill keep the fz1 till i get older then maybe a cheap honda 750. way more suspention and actuall as quick as the sporty!
 
I don´t agree with you all, but that´s my opinion. A HD don´t aim to be a sport bike, saying that a harley don´t run fast or don´t have hp is right but they are not suppost to... it´s like saying that a enduro bike don´t have top speed it´s not suppost to... I owned 3 HD and you can see one of them in one of my first posts, since then i had a night rod special and a fat boy lo, and they were fantastic, for what they are built for, cruising and styling, with an open helmet and sunglasses... Yes a prefer much better the FZ1 as an allrounder, brakes better,more confortable, goes faster,turns much better, but if i could i have them both.

By the way the Night rod special or V-Rod muscle will do 240+ kph, no problems and very,very fast, but fat boy with 96ci it´s hard to past 160kph
 
Maverick01 said:
By the way the Night rod special or V-Rod muscle will do 240+ kph, no problems and very,very fast, but fat boy with 96ci it´s hard to past 160kph
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Top speed is not the issue, it's the performance of the motor which was very disappointing, especially given its size, price and pedigree. The V-Rod is supposed to be their top of the line rocket. I was expecting V-Max and they gave me V-Strom. All that for $20,000

It was just a letdown. Perhaps I was expecting too much and that's why I walked away with a sour taste in my mouth. If I had set the bar lower, I might have been pleasantly surprised.

I can see the appeal but the appeal lies simply in the image one portrays. As you said: "cruising and styling", both of which are simply about looking cool and having other people look at you.

I am not a flashy person and thus the HD lifestyle just doesn't appeal to me. Like I said I don't get it.
 
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Dustin said:
Top speed is not the issue, it's the performance of the motor which was very disappointing, especially given its size, price and pedigree. The V-Rod is supposed to be their top of the line rocket. I was expecting V-Max and they gave me V-Strom. All that for $20,000

It was just a letdown. Perhaps I was expecting too much and that's why I walked away with a sour taste in my mouth. If I had set the bar lower, I might have been pleasantly surprised.

I can see the appeal but the appeal lies simply in the image one portrays. As you said: "cruising and styling", both of which are simply about looking cool and having other people look at you.

I am not a flashy person and thus the HD lifestyle just doesn't appeal to me. Like I said I don't get it.
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You are right as well, never drove the V-Max but i reckon it should be a rocket. I also think the HD top rocket should have the power to match the v-max (great looking machine). And yes i´m a "flashy" guy (bear,tats and love to make noise) but i also recognise that i love the FZ1 more and it´s way more usefull. :surrender:
 
Maverick01 said:
You are right as well, never drove the V-Max but i reckon it should be a rocket. I also think the HD top rocket should have the power to match the v-max (great looking machine). And yes i´m a "flashy" guy (bear,tats and love to make noise) but i also recognise that i love the FZ1 more and it´s way more usefull. :surrender:
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Your name is Pedro and you're from Portugal. You're already a cool guy. Save your money for your next Yamaha. Only posers from our country need a Harley. :cowboy:
 
I would never own a Harley as my only bike, but as a second, eh. Maybe. The Road King is a nice looking bike and seems like it might be a good companion for a multiple coast trip.
 
Norm said:
Your name is Pedro and you're from Portugal. You're already a cool guy. Save your money for your next Yamaha. Only posers from our country need a Harley. :cowboy:
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Eheh, thanks. When i owned a harley i hated the restrictive group they are, if you didn´t own one you couldn´t ride with the rest, at least in my country.
I often ride the FZ the same way i liked the hd for, alone by the sea and slow, but with the advantage if i want i can do faaast.
 
Ive said Before and Ill say it again.
98% of all harly's are still on the road today!


2% made it home! lol

As far as Vmax against any stock Harley. NO CONTEST!!!! I have road one.
 
when the wife went bike shopping we looked at all the brands including HD she liked the Nightster and Vrod until she sat on them didnt even want to ride them.She rode My Warrior hated it,950 vstar turd,stratoliner she liked but got on the V star 1300 and fell in love.I got the Harley thing and it burns when I pee.
 
She didnt like riding my Warrior so like a fool I sold it.still miss her she was a hell of a cruiser and she loved to beat up on Harleys!!!
 
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