Why bash a Harley Davidson when you have never rode one?

Question

why do some people talk smack and never sat on a Harley ??

Answer 1

They pretend to hate Harleys and ride their Ninja 250 or Honda Rebel by choice because it is soooooo much better than your crappy Softail.

Answer 2

Retired Ironworker, my first bike was a 1954 Triumph, all the rest were HDs. Yes iknow lots of both. I'm 70 yrs old and from what I hear most of the bashers are just flat jealous, I know a lot of metric bike owners, they ride their bikes, I ride mine and we get along just fine, even the metric riders I don"t know all seem like decent folks, like I say a few jealous people that repeat things they heard other people say, they don't really know anything about HDs.Harley is the only bike for me, what others ride is not my business . I got the bike I wanted off the floor, an 08 FLHX. From central Pa. to Las Vegas, 2500 mile in 4 days. I feel HD is as high tech as any bike on the market and more than most. I've been riding for 50 years, Ive never ridden a metric bike but that doesn't mean I don't like them. HD has always treated me good , so i'm sticking with them.

Answer 3

I've noticed this too. It's usually the crotch rocket kids who won't be riding in a couple of years. A lot of people are tired of the yuppie riders buying Harleys and talk crap. I love my Harley and rode Honda in the past. Everybody who gave me sh!t about not having a Harley were people who never rode. I hand around bikers and they don't give a damn as long as your cool. So I figure most Harley bashers on here as people who don't know a damn thing or just tired of the yuppies.

Answer 4

I've ridden HD's, but they're definitely not for me.

Here's are the facts the way I see them:

Harley Davidson
Pros:
Good resale value.
Cheap parts (you'll need them).

Cons:
- 50's technology.
- no significant new reasearch & development done in over 30yrs.
- underpowered.
- way too loud for the power produced.
- unreliable.
- overpriced.
- do not use more modern/proven design methodologies
- they shake way too much for my taste

Japanese bikes (4 major manufacturers):
Pros:
- new technology.
- companies are always investing in new technology.
- race proven technology (when was the last time you saw Harley win anything?)
- class leading power and style
- reliable
- competitively priced
- versatility of model line (sport/standard/cruiser/ATV/etc)
- more models to choose from (able to match the machine with the type of riding)
- can get Harley look-alikes, for those that want the Harley look without all the Cons.

Cons:
- Lower resale value (resale value is not overinflated, therefore lower than Harleys).

Bottom line:
If you want to pay for an image and get little substance, then get a Hardly Ableson.

I must admit though, Harley has the best PR in the world if it can sell their dated bikes at such an overinflated price. They sell the badboy image very well, so I must congratulate them. It's made them rich off the backs of people that buy into it.

Answer 5

because most people act like a bad azz cause they have one. every week someone talks smack on my kawasaki. most of the time its from people who own a harley. they are nice bikes and all but if you have to pay to be macho then i'm out. however if this doesn't describe you then i apologize. and other then that they are tryin to follow what others say. i personally like harleys but i will never own one probably because i dont want to be labeled in that genre of bikers.

Answer 6

I acctually liked harleys until I drove one. After I drove one I found it to be an archaic POS devoid of any of good things I have been told by harley fans. The engine is low on power and rev's quite slowly. The transmission has a long shift lever travel and clacks and lurches into gear. And the bike shakes like a paint mixer all while making the most horrible sound you've ever heard come out of an engine... kinda like a ford pinto with the muffler chopped off. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a brainwashed hill scoggin. And yet you harley owners keep on touting the superiority of you american made iron lung and talking down to anyone riding a truly superior yet cheaper japanese or euro bike.

Answer 7

I agree with Bad Mother.
The guys at work who really got me interested in riding were mostly on Harleys. They helped talk me into buying my first - a Honda. We had one guy in the shop who talked a lot of crap about Showa forks, Briggs and Stratton engines, etc. He had a lot of stories about all these fast Japanese bikes. Guess what? Never saw him in the saddle. Of anything.

Since I sit on one, can I talk about it now? The new HDs aint what I was after, they don't shake, they idle smooth, and belt drive sucks. I miss my kick start, too.

Answer 8

i was thinking about the motorcycle today. i watched as a police bike went by a few times it was a harley. i noted that the bike was not near so loud as the ones the civilians ride.
i dont like the noise of the harley. i think that a law should be in place that would make the bike a great deal less noisy.
i used to have a motorcycle and i knew a guy who had one he would come on a ride with us on sundays . this bike of his was new yet it would fail to start stall and one day on a ride with us he had to ask my brother for oil to put in his bike as it was buring so much that in about 2 hours he used more then two bottles of oil. no one could ride behind him as the smoke was too much and oil would get on the visor .
the jap bikes that are made to look similar to the harley are better make less noise and are much better bikes.

Answer 9

Probably due to the noise. That's my biggest complaint. I love the look, but can't stand the volume. (Yeah, I know they're known for that. Bees are known for honey, too, but I still don't like getting stung by one!) I don't bash them, though. It's just one of those things.

Answer 10

I don't know. I would bet half of them wouldn't know the difference between a V-Star and a Fatboy.