Which Would You Rather Ride ? A REAL or a DISPOSIBLE BIKE ?

Question

Claim #1:Jap bikes are built to last.*Well if that's the case then Where are the Old Ones? 90% of All Harleys ever built are still on the road and running. Jap bikes even close to 10 years old are crushed and sold back to Japan so they can build more.
#2:Harleys are uncomfortable.You got us there if your idea of comfort is lying face down,with a vibrator in your crotch and your butt in the air.Now there's a Visual.
#3:Harleys are obnoxiously loud and ugly ,yet Jap Manufacturers have spent Millions trying to imitate their look and sound,But can't seem to get past RingDingDingDing,little fart,etc
#4Harleys are overpriced. Well, Here you go, Know-It-Alls. 2007 N.A.D.A. New Bike prices.
Harley-Davidson Electra Glide® Classic $18,095.00
Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide Super Glide®$12,395.00
Harley-Davidson Road King® Classic$17,695.00
Honda VTX™ 1800F Spec 3 $15,499.00
Honda ST1300 ABS $15,499.00
Honda Gold Wing $24,049.00
Try Doing Your Homework.You Might Learn Something !

Answer 1

By "disposable" bike do you mean something like a Sportster?

On a typical 20 minute ride it'll stall a dozen times, vibrate all feeling out of your extremeties, leak 1 quart of oil, burn 2 quarts of oil and then overheat and catch your pants-leg on fire. Yeah, that would make me want to dispose of it.

Answer 2

1.) That's a reflection on the owners rather than the bikes. Obviously someone who puts the hard-earned money into a HD will have more of an interest in keeping it running. Likewise, young squids don't have the financial wherewithal to purchase one so they necessarily will abuse an affordable Jap bike.

2.) Feet out front with the weight on my tailbone isn't my idea of comfort, neither is a race-replica crouch. I prefer a slight forward lean (not too extreme) with my feet under me, not in front. To each his own, though.

3.) I don't get it myself. Have no desire to own a loud bike.

4.) The VTX is the only one in the same class, and among those I prefer the HD offerings, the ergonomics seem a better fit for me than the VTX. The ST1300 & GL1800 are miles ahead in terms of performance. Also, the $24K pricetag for the GL1800 is for the fully equipped model with the airbag, ABS, GPS, etc.; base GL1800 pricing starts around ~$19K. Cut the ABS from the ST1300 & save another grand. Honda certainly has the premium level price for the Japanese makes, though. I'd personally take an FJR1300 over the ST1300 just on that point if nothing else.

Answer 3

It's a real labor of love to have an old Harley, and yes, old Harleys do end up in the hands of those who love 'em. Yup, there are aftermarket catalogs so that you can even build a Harley with 100% non-Harley parts.

Me? My motorcycle is a ratbike, 80,000 miles, Yamaha. I'm not going in for a refit or a rebuild which will cost thousands of dollars. I am going to ride it and when it's totally junk, I am so going to replace it with a different motorcycle. No need to go finding an old sentimental collector either.

Answer 4

where are all the old "jap" bikes? then didn't start making them till a few decades ago. you really need to do some research before you ask questions. and yes 90% of all harley they ever made are still ont he road, the other 10% made it home! i love that one, just kidding. but neither bike is disposable. and a new metric crusier can be bought for $6000 to $8000. can you get a full size harley for that? no, just a sportser. and rember a harley is just a copy itself, of the great Indian. but since they went out of business in 1953 that is were harleys development stopped. they dont have anything to copy anymore. im not baching harley's. just some of the tired old stupid comments made by usauly non-riders and morans. looks like we know who needs to do more reasearch dont we?

Answer 5

Hey, who cares.
It is gonna cost you whatever bike you own , if you keep it maintained and running right.
If you want to see bikes a hell of a lot older than the ones you been talking about, come over to UK. You'll see a lot of really old rice burners as well as ancient Brit and Euro scoots. You might even see one of those old East European 125's that the Harley was based on!

I've got a Yamaha ( Bullet proof), a BMW ( Goes for ever with minimal tinkering) and a Chinese run about ( I got to run about and collect the bits that fell off). If I live long enough and keep them, they will run forever and become classics. ( The BMW is almost 30 and and it's going across Russia next year).

You'll notice that I never claimed that ANY of these bikes are the best. But I love 'em all for better or for worse. You'll also notice that I never said that Harley's are for poofs or some such insult. That's because I can spot a REAL biker, regardless of what he Bought!

It's about the maintainance and care that they get not about what badge its got!


A real biker is into BIKES.. any bike.. It's only the pseudo wannabes that dress up like Dog the Bounty hunter and start wibbling on about my bike's better that yours 'cos it's American! ( Yep! it is NOW).

OK mate, sure , its the best, if you say so.

Now piss off and let the rest of us enjoy our motorcycles.

Answer 6

OK, Weekend Warrior.

#1- A supervisor here rides an 80's Gold Wing, and it's still runs great. And I wouldn't consider what I hear from most Harleys as "running" per se. Controlled coughing is more like it.

2- Cruisers are not uncomfortable until you get them over 70mph, then you spend all your time trying not to get blown off the back. Sportbikes are made to go fast, and fast bikes need good aerodynamics, requiring a more forward position (try hitting 150mph on ANY harley). And don't even start arguing about vibrations!

3- Wow. So you can put a pipe on any bike and make it loud. Figured that out all by yourself, have you? Congratulations, and here's your honorary doctorate, Captain Obvious, Master of the Very F*cking Well Known.

4- Here's where I get confused. In #2 you go on about sportbikes, but they disappear in #3 and #4. I don't see a single Ducati in your high-priced list of Butt Jewelry, Nor do I see BMW or even Buell, the bastard child of H-D. And for the record, your list is 2 to 3 times higher than what I paid for my sportbike, new!

So according to YOUR list, I can buy THREE of my bike for the cost of ONE Harley, get better mileage, go faster, handle better, and not announce my presence to every cop within a 2-mile radius. And you're telling me that's a BAD thing?

Your "homework" seems like it came out of the Big Book of Opinion, Junior.

Answer 7

I ride REAL disposable bikes.
I have one (almost) new HD.
All the others have been real bikes disposed of by others.
Perhaps you believe the Japanese stuff gets crushed after ten years. I can prove it's not true. I buy 20 year old Hondas (real ones - made in Japan) and ride them.

Everyone's got an opinion.
Harleys ARE uncomfortable - why else would almost everyone (including me) change seats, bars, and risers?

Answer 8

I visited my first Harley dealer when I was 16. Naked centerfolds on the wall, greasy parts laying around, big bearded real bikers behind the counter being scary and cool. It was an adventure just going there.

Just visited the local Harley mega-store a couple days ago. Everything I hate about the direction our country is going in one place. Our country going from rugged and real to cooperate. McMotorcycle.

Answer 9

Try an enema an maybe you won't sound like an ignorant trend humping fashion lemming.
I own a ten year old GL1500-C with over 160K trouble free miles on her that will put your Harley's dick in the dirt. I'm not "high mileage" bike in my club, either.

Harley is selling yesterday's technology at tomorrow's prices.

Answer 10

For my first bike, a disposable one, of course. I started on a '79 Honda. LAST YEAR. It was completely beat up, so I didn't cry any tears when I dropped it several times.