harley davidson owners

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Any takers?

Like the look, but I need to go at least 55 miles on every ride... Nice step in the right direction, just need to keep working on the technology.

http://www.supergreensolutions.com/blog/2014/06/24/harley-davidson-introduces-their-version-of-an-electric-vehicle/

[Scrappydue]

owned several Harley including new off the floor, best advice I can give you is buy used with low miles and save a bundle of cash, do your own wrench turning

If I buy another it will be a used softail................................Harley is not the same bike it used to be and the factory now caters to the yuppie crowd, They know who they sell to and they charge like it (100 plus dollars for an oil change)

Funny that you don't like Chinese parts Mark, You continually praise Chinese amps

Custom bikes are harder to insure in a lot of areas, and lose huge value

I believe the only Major Manufacturer of mostly USA parts built Bikes is Victory

Good Luck and be careful out there

Amps is one thing, reliable motors is quite another, and if you read my post, I did not say don't buy HD, I just stated known problems.

The best reliable motor going is the S&S, unreal factory support.

And Victory is owned by Polaris, dam fine bike, so much so that my Dog dealer had one come in day for an oil change, he does not or never had worked on a victory, he said after he got done with servicing the bike he became a dealer, and still is.

I've looked at victory as well. they look like nice bikes too.

[joessportster]

Mark I was busting chops, have a brew bro.................................Harley is fine as stated I bought a few. although never would buy another new one, I cant leave well enough alone though Kind of like audio to many toys to make the bike your own

one sporty I built I had S&S jugs, Hi-comp heads, & cams went with Mikuni carb though scary fast

Electric Bike by Harley, looks cool as hell, they should slap a V-twin in that

Edited June 29, 2014 by joessportster

[jason str]

Check out Triumph bikes while you're looking around, they have some nice offerings.

The best bike i drove recently was the Honda F6B, a slightly stripped down Gold Wing with tons of power & still plenty of included goodies for road trips if the mood pops up.

[Boxx]

Any takers?

Yes please share the manufacturer and model

its the new harley

I'm not sure if it is on the market yet, but this is the "new" electric Harley....

[tnr]

I don't own a Harley (Yet)! My last bike was a Yamaha Virago 1100. After a 1/2 hour, my hips were killing me. I recommend you test ride as many bikes as possible, and ride for at least a 1/2 hour. Ride, ride and ride some more. Comfort should be a higher priority than visual appeal. For your first bike, I would also recommend a used bike with low miles, and well taken care of, of course. Be open to other brands. Those Victory's are nice. How about this one?

The Klipsch OCC Chopper

Edited June 30, 2014 by tnr

[jcmusic]

For your first bike a Sportster would not be that bad but, in my opinion it will leave you wanting more.

thats what my buddies tell me. is the 1200 really that bad? i mean obviously not the same ride I'm sure, but when you say wanting more i can only figure you are talking about power. i have friends at work that ride shadow 750's and they say they want more, but 1200 is quite a bit more?

and it comes with some chrome already on it

i am not a big chrome fan at all. i am a fan of black.

things to know you don't want to use up your whole budget on the bike, you will need extra's, tools, custom parts, there is no way around this.

i will have a little extra money for stuff if i buy the 48 but i will have zero money for stuff and be tight budgeting if i get the soft tail.

tools i have. plenty of them. being a diesel mechanic for a while and now an airplane tech, i have acquired a lot of tools recently.

Ok brother going from a sportster to a softy is two jumps up you missed all the dyna's. If you like black then look at a bobber are something like that, if you get a sportster you will be sorry soon after. It's a bike for girls really small compared to anything else out there, tools you will need some special tools you'll see what i mean.

[wvu80]

If you are only 28 and want something more sporty, get a Yamaha FJR.

definitely not my style.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your style? I'm not a Harley guy, but I'm a bike guy for a long time. Specifically:

Where do you live (general area, Calif, Ohio, etc)

What is your bike riding background?

What do you want to do with the bike? (commute, 2 hour site seeing, coast-to-coast riding, etc)

How important is image to you? (liking an image is NOT a bad thing, just an identifier of riding style)

++

Just as a comparison, I am more of a mid-size bike guy, off-road racing background, and I like shorter bike trips, in the Ohio/WV area, which means warm days and cool nights with lots of bugs. Image IS important to me, I like the European style bikes. Knowing this it is easier to choose the exact bike that is right for me.

My last bike was a Suzuki 500F, a faux pocket rocket. It looks like a pocket rocket, but is not as fast, and is much more comfortable to ride.

Edited June 29, 2014 by wvu80

[Scrappydue]

what is your style?

when i say style i mean looks. i am into the vintage looking bikes. i like older looking bobber style as well as stuff like indians with whitewalls and heritage soft tail.

Where do you live

i live in excelsior springs Missouri

What is your bike riding background?

i have ridden a couple street bikes and my dad has a suzuki bergman that have been riding recently. i do not even have my license yet but plan to get it this coming week.

What do you want to do with the bike?

i plan on riding this to work which is about 30 miles each way. on the weekend the occasional ride around the area with my dad, and maybe an occasional ride with friends.

How important is image to you?

is important. not important enough if things i am reading about harleys needing tons of maintenance, stuff rattling apart, etc.

but i would enjoy much more when people ask to just be able to say i ride a harley. it would take a lot for me to hand more than 10-12 grand to a different manufacturer. i would enjoy new more for my first bike. maybe used down the road. don't know enough to about them to know if i am buying someone else's used problems.

which means warm days and cool nights with lots of bugs

i will be doing similar rides as well.

[A1UC]

there's only one street glide

Edited June 29, 2014 by A1UC

[wvu80]

First of all, excellent answers. I think because you know yourself, you will find a bike that suits you.

what is your style?

when i say style i mean looks. i am into the vintage looking bikes. i like older looking bobber style as well as stuff like indians with whitewalls and heritage soft tail.

Nothing wrong with that style. It will keep you away from pocket rockets, which are NOT good starter bikes.

Where do you live

i live in excelsior springs Missouri

This means you will have large temperature changes from day to night. You might start the morning nice and warm, and by evening it will get cold and you might have rain. Having a bike with a good SIZED windshield is something for you to consider. They don't look as "cool" but is infinitely more practical for the area where you will be riding. The bike you don't want is a "naked bike", which has no windshield and no fairing.

What is your bike riding background?

i have ridden a couple street bikes and my dad has a suzuki bergman that have been riding recently. i do not even have my license yet but plan to get it this coming week.

This is your most important answer. A large heavy bike of 700 pounds is very hard to learn on IMO, although many people will tell you they started on Harley 1200's with no problem. You have a great chance of dropping that 1200cc bike when you are sitting still in a parking lot, because of learning how to balance it and how to apply leverage., especially when starting and stopping.

If I were you I'd ride that 650cc Bergman all you can, as a light bike with medium power is a good way to learn. Too little power is actually more dangerous than too much power when you are learning on the road.

Try to get used to braking techniques, ESPECIALLY knowing when and how to use the front brake. Try to develop a SMOOTH riding style that will translate into your larger bike. Knowing how to cut and thrust like you would with a pocket rocket will do you little good.

I will also suggest you take a riding course with the smaller bike, and go back and take the same course when you get the larger bike. In Ohio they offer a six-week course for $25, and it is that cheap because the state of Ohio subsidizes the riding instructors because they want to encourage riders to get professional training.

What do you want to do with the bike?

i plan on riding this to work which is about 30 miles each way. on the weekend the occasional ride around the area with my dad, and maybe an occasional ride with friends.

That answers a lot of questions as well. You really don't need a bike larger than 1200cc, but the 1200, 1300 or 1400 cc bikes are not that much more difficult to handle.

How important is image to you?

is important. not important enough if things i am reading about harleys needing tons of maintenance, stuff rattling apart, etc.

but i would enjoy much more when people ask to just be able to say i ride a harley. it would take a lot for me to hand more than 10-12 grand to a different manufacturer. i would enjoy new more for my first bike. maybe used down the road. don't know enough to about them to know if i am buying someone else's used problems.

The older Harleys have that rep for high maintenance, but the newer ones are really well designed. In the 70's-80's Harley was owned by AMF (yes, the bowling ball people) and those bikes were universally panned and nearly led Harley into bankruptcy. The center case castings were too small, and they leaked oil so bad right from the factory they came from the dealer with piece of carpet which was used to catch the oil drippings. Those were the bad old days, but today's Harley's really are the good old days!

Owning a Harley is not like owning a regular motorcycle, it is more like belonging to a club, not unlike owning Klipsch speakers. I am not a big Harley guy myself, but I really do appreciate the pride the Harley guys have in owning and riding their bikes.

which means warm days and cool nights with lots of bugs

i will be doing similar rides as well.

Having a bike with a decent sized windshield will make the bike MUCH more enjoyable to ride in your area, and believe it or not, when you hit a big bug at speed, it hurts! Your riding season is short in MO due to cold weather (usually less than 50 degrees) and having a fairing and a good windshield will greatly extend your riding season and trip options.

+++

I know someone earlier said you should try riding different bikes for a half hour to find out what you like. This may be good general advice, but I would advise against it due to your inexperience with riding.

You would be better off asking the owner what he likes and doesn't like, and let someone who owns and rides the bike give you some advice, in terms of ease of use, comfort, brakes, lights, touring, etc.

Bikers love to talk about their bikes!

Edited June 29, 2014 by wvu80

[joessportster]

" i am reading about harleys needing tons of maintenance, stuff rattling apart, etc.

but i would enjoy much more when people ask to just be able to say i ride a harley. it would take a lot for me to hand more than 10-12 grand to a different manufacturer. i would enjoy new more for my first bike. maybe used down the road. don't know enough to about them to know if i am buying someone else's used problems."

Never had a single thing Rattle apart this is old hype, do harleys vibrate hell yea, do they fall apart, hell no...........................are harleys reliable, they are as reliable as the owner makes them. If you spend the time and do the job right the bike will be as reliable as any other on the market

do half Azz work or allow some knuckle head to do your work and you could expect your car , bike, atv, boat, anything mechanical to fail...........Thats why I advocate doing your own wrench work................Harley hires straight out of school and the work shows it, they still have some good techs but its a process to find them

as you are already a mechanic it will be an easy transition to work on your bike

Edited June 29, 2014 by joessportster

[Max2]

there's only one street glide

I concur. Most HD owners that stay owners and actually ride year after year usually end up with a Street Glide or Electra Glide, especially if their wife rides. Comfy for the better half and plenty sporty when running solo.

[wvu80]

there's only one street glide

I concur. Most HD owners that stay owners and actually ride year after year usually end up with a Street Glide or Electra Glide, especially if their wife rides. Comfy for the better half and plenty sporty when running solo.

I just Googled Street Glide. Wow, you could buy Palladium's, and another set for surrounds for the cost of one Street Glide! But I do have a question for you Harley guys.

It looked like the front fairing/windshield was handlebar mounted. I am just assuming the larger size and stability of that front end makes mounting to the forks stable at speed. Do Harley's have an option for frame mounted fairings/windshields?

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/street-glide.html

SUPER sharp looking bike!

Edited: Note to Scrappy: The pic from the above link illustrates what I was saying about windshields. I don't know Harley parts, but I bet the great looking windshield is a "shorty" which looks good but only gives you minimal wind protection. I bet they have options for a "mid" model and a "tall" model.

+++

We talked earlier about "image is important." This is the image that makes my day

Edited June 29, 2014 by wvu80

[A1UC]

minimal wind protection. dude he buying a motor cycle isn't that more dangerous than wind protection he's 28 its got to look somewhat cool

I had that bike its awesome but yup I sold it like everything else " for under "

[Ceptorman]

If you are only 28 and want something more sporty, get a Yamaha FJR. It is "only" 1300 cc but I think it will keep up just fine.

Yep, 150 hp should keep up! Nice bike.

[Scrappydue]

that fjr is kinda cool actually. i am just wanting a cruiser to start on i think. maybe as i get used to riding more as will the wifey then maybe a touring bike will be in the cards down then line

Edited June 30, 2014 by Scrappydue

[JL Sargent]

Nothing wrong with a Sportster. Some people feel bigger for cracking on them. You don't look like a heavy weight (like me) so that bike will probably do what you want to do. Doesn't cost an arm and a leg to purchase, etc. Lots of them out there used for very good prices by the way.

I personally prefer a Harley Road Glide. By far the best riding bike Harley has ever made. Also the only bike with a frame mounted fairing that Harley makes. I know/have met three Harley dealership owners. What do they ride? Road Glides.

[Scrappydue]

Nothing wrong with a Sportster. Some people feel bigger for cracking on them. You don't look like a heavy weight (like me) so that bike will probably do what you want to do. Doesn't cost an arm and a leg to purchase, etc. Lots of them out there used for very good prices by the way.

I personally prefer a Harley Road Glide. By far the best riding bike Harley has ever made. Also the only bike with a frame mounted fairing that Harley makes. I know/have met three Harley dealership owners. What do they ride? Road Glides.

thats what my best friend rides. i think I'm gonna go with the sportster as it is much more affordable for me. and i love the look of the 48

[wvu80]

FYI Scrappy, the big deal about frame mounting fairings is that a frame mount makes the front end feel lighter and when the forks turn, the windshield and lights stay straight. On the fork mounted type, the fairing turns when the wheel turns left and right, which makes the front end feel more ponderous.

I don't like it when the wind hits the fairing and moves the wheel, even slightly. OTOH the fork mounted fairing is more traditional Harley-Davidson, and many people like traditional.