if you had to keep a motorcycle for thirty years?

Question

service it yourself order parts etc, would you choose a Harley or a Honda

Answer 1

Harley. In 30 years, it's going to be hard to find parts for the Honda. In 30 years, you will be able to find aftermarket parts for your Harley.

But this is of course moot. I don't expect to have a motorcycle more than 10 years. I ride motorcycles. After about ten years and 70,000 miles, the cost of the next tune-up will exceed the street value of the motorcycle. Then it's time to get a new one.

Answer 2

From personal preference only, I would say Honda. I ride a 1982 CB750K now. It is not quite 30 years old, but is over 25 and I would trust it to go anywhere. Not a slight on the Harleys, I see a lot of those on the road with many years and miles, too, but I know the Honda personally.

Answer 3

I would say the Harley I have a 1946 knucklehead that has been in the family since 1946 and it still runs and parts can be had for it too. I think that is longer than Honda has been in business or very close to it. My other Harley runs great too so I will stick with what I know. Honda's are good bikes but they do not have that kind of history yet.

Answer 4

what are you looking for at the end of the 30 years?

Good resale value, or a running bike?

Are you doing the service work, or is someone else?

Both are solid, well built bikes. The Harley will have higher resale. The Honda will be faster.

Both brands are built with lots of plastic and rubber bits now, and that is what wears out.

I can still get parts for my 1970s hondas, as well as my 1960s harleys. But finding plastic bits is more and more difficult for my 1990s bikes.

Answer 5

Either bike would be a good choice, but for different reasons.

First, they are not investments, but vehicles that you presumably intend to ride throughout the entire period.

Your taste and preference may change over thirty years, but you have to base your purchase decision on how you like to ride and what best suits you now.


In general, an old Harley in great condition will sell for more than most models of Honda. Goldwings are exceptions as they tend to keep their value for a long time. A 25 year-old Goldwing, in clean condition, will sell today for at least half of its brand new price, and often more.

Point goes to Harley on this.

Parts are not really a major concern for either manufacturer. I have a 1982 Honda and have no problem in finding parts for it today.

No matter which bike you purchase, how well you maintain it will factor very largely in its ownership. This is probably where you will spend most of your money, so, in considering a thirty-year life with your machine, you must give great consideration to maintenance and repair costs.

Again, how a bike is maintained will play a large part in how well YOUR machine performs, but, on average, H-D falls well behind Honda in this area.

Parts are expensive for all bikes, but H-D's have a well-earned reputation for breaking down frequently and losing many parts, while Hondas have earned a reputation that sees them at the opposite end of the scale, ready to drive, anytime.

Point goes to Honda for this.

Summarized, H-D will have a higher purchase price than Honda and H-D will cost more to maintain than Honda, but the Harley will likely have a higher residual value after thirty years.

Ultimately, it still comes back to how you ride, and what you want to drive.

Choose well, and ride happy.

Answer 6

Depends on what you like. If finding parts is your priority, then get a Harley. Their motors and design are over 50yrs old and you can still find parts for them, so that's your safest bet (for parts availability). But be prepared to use those parts often, as you'll need to do quite a bit more repairs than a Honda.

I would go for a Honda in a split second. Newer technology, reliability, and even for parts...they can be found pretty cheap, for the older models.

Basically, don't get a bike that you measure for the amount of time that it lasts. Get one for the amount of fun you'll have riding it. Pretty much all bikes (with some TLC) tend to last the same.

Ride safe!

Answer 7

Easy. The fact of the matter is that more people care about a 30 year old Harley and not a 30 year old Honda. This translates into qualified technitions and a vast market for replacement parts. For proof of this, search ebay and discover all of the companies that manufacture parts for a 1977 shovelhead, and then do a similar google or ebay search for a 1977....?? CB750? or something.

not knocking any cb750's, they are good bikes.

Answer 8

I am the original owner of a 1980 Wide Glide. 374,000 miles,
I have always rebuilt it myself, it still has the original trans and I just a week ago put a whole new S&S 93" in it.
I finally ran out of cylinder wall and would have had to get new jugs .
The 10 days or so it was down while I waited for delivery of my crate and the time it took me to install it is the longest it's ever been down.
I have never had a problem getting parts or finding a machine shop that could do a valve job or hon or bore it.

In short a Harley ,I'll be riding this one for a long time.

Honda is a fine bike , but I would not want to try to find parts or someone who knows how to do heads on a 30 yr. old Honda.

Answer 9

For you, yourself, either bike would be a good choice.
If you maintain your bike externally as well as keep it mechanically sound, you will get comments as to "how old the bike is" "How long......" "Wow" and so on. My hubby gets that comment with his 1999 Suzuki GSXF 750, it is in immaculate condition not to mention mechanically sound (serviced with a good mechanic as per the log books) and over the weekend we saw a Honda that was in immaculate condition and it was 20years old! (Honda CBR 1000) yet to look at it you wouldn't think that it was that old, the paint work gleamed (and because it was the red and black colouring you would be able to tell) and the bike is ridden daily by this gentleman.
So what ever you chose, clean it religiously, pull it apart every so often and clean and polish as required, service as per the book with genuine parts and your bike will be gleaming and looking new for a LONG TIME!
Also you might need to consider where you live (ie country, state etc) getting parts for either bike and finding people to do jobs you cannot do at home for either bike will also be a deciding factor. In Australia that isn't a problem, it might be if you are else where in the world.

Answer 10

I've had a Honda CB350 for 27 years. Do most of the work myself, parts are no problem to get. Great for around town.

But I put more--mostly highway--miles on my BMW R75/6 (owned it 16 years, half its life) and it still runs strong.