Who builds a higher quality bike the Honda or Harley?

Question

I want to hear what the majority of you think. Both initial and years down the road. Performance and reliability is what I am after here. Go ahead and turn it into a war between the two camps if you wish to do so. I am on the record for thinking that Harley puts out junk. Performance that matches a Yamaha Zuma scooter.( I know this since when ever I race a Harley or my buddy's scooter with my CBR the outcome is the same---W to the CBR) I work with a bunch of Harley guys and everyone of their bikes that is over a year old marks its spot with something that leaks out of it like an infected wound. Some may argue that they look better but that is subjective and to me they just look painful--painfully slow and unmanuverable. Please don't give me the arguement "how many 60 year old Jap bikes do you see on the road today because we all are intelegent enough to know that 60 years ago only a handful of Jap bikes were imported and the percentages of bikes still around are the same.

You do not have to compair the CBRs only to the Harleys for my question feel free to compair Hondas cruiser line up and the Goldwing. As far as short trips on the my CBR, you have it all wrong I actually find the forward leaning seating postion cormfortable but the plank for a seat is a different story but I rutinally put on 250 mile days.
I hear the point that a Harley holds more resale proce but is it more resale value do to the overinflated price you have to pay just to get into the game percentage wise and overall loss of money?

Good answer slipstream but check your local dragstrip sometime. 600cc sportbikes rutinally kill Vrods period. As for the Vanse and Hines drag bike your are right they do win some of the time on that circut with added displacement and a weight advantage, but please tell me if any Harley shares just one part with them. Please add Buells to this compairision too. They are suppoced to be a sportbike are they not? A 600cc jap bike will always walk all over one of those on the strip too.

Answer 1

Not even a contest. And really not an issue. Rename and market a Honda CBR as an Acme XXX and it's quality would speak for itself, the motorcycle world would be buzzing about the awesome new bike.

A Harley by any other name would be worthless, who would buy a Harley that doesn't have the Harley name? Not Harley guy. The Japanese all make smoother, more powerful, better riding V-twin and quad cruisers and anyone really concerned with quality, ride, power, price is riding one of those.

But Harley is a cult and an American icon and it's followers are not really interested in anything other than what kind of Harley would suit them best. Any argument here on their part concerning the comparative qualities is just halfhearted justification. If Harleys had significantly lower quality than they do the same people would still be buying them. To ride a Harley is a dream for certain people and anything other than a Harley is not that dream. If the rest of us were all riding Star Wars hover-bikes, Harley guy would still be paying more money to ride a V-twin Harley.

Answer 2

At this point in time, I think that the quality of both are roughly equal. I will admit to not having ridden a brand new Honda. However, I have owned and ridden at least 4 old ones. Their quality never left anything to be desired. They were all reliable and ran well. They performed in all weather. The main reason I ever had any problem at all was poor maintenance or storage by a previous owner. I now ride a 2006 HD that came from the display stand with only 7 miles on it. It is now just over a year old and has not left a drop of any fluid anywhere during it's 16,500 miles. It is well made, fit and finish are very good(I had expected excellent, but...). It starts and runs like a dream every time. It performed flawlessly throughout a New England winter. Snow and 8 below. My experience and observations tell me that most problems with the newer Harleys are caused by the owner, not the original motorcycle. Too many people make modifications with too little knowledge. This is not restricted to only motorcycles or Harleys, but it's where we find it most.

Answer 3

So basically this question is just to provoke an arguement?

I think anyone whos knees are in the breeze is a biker.
Some are sport bike riders some are cruiser bike riders
Some are Men some are Women
Some are whiney little kids and some are not.

This months issue of THE Enthusiast tells of a man who has owned nothing but Harleys and currently has 260,000 miles on 1995 Model, and has never had the lower end opened !!!

I just dont know of ANY hondas with that kind of miles of them. I've met several Harley owners with over 100, 000 and over 150,000---one from New Zealand with 310,000 K

A much higher percentage of Harley's opposed to Honda's are still in operation after decades of use!

Both bikles are good machines, some of us are brand specific and prefer that Harleys, that's all.

Answer 4

I have had good luck getting parts for BMW and Yamaha. Also good results with Indian parts from Kiwi. What really riles me is to go to dealer and be told that if bike is over 7 years old it is obsolete. I have had this experience with Harley multiple times (as well as multiple Stealer-ships) and Honda a few times. This is why I try to avoid factory parts and prefer aftermarket for HD and Honda

Answer 5

Harley is the king of motorcycles. They are well made and have great resale value. I know people who have over 100,000 miles on their Harley's. I have friends who ride Harley's that are 50 years old. I have a 1974 Sportster, still running. I don't see any 1950, 1960, or 1970 Honda's on the on the road, do you?

Answer 6

Since I became street legal, I have owned 2 Hondas, 1 Yamaha, 1 Kawasaki, and 1 Harley. I had to get trailered home twice in my life, one time on each of the Hondas. Those bikes had fewer miles at the time than I have on my current bike. Not that the problems were anything major that would cause me to never consider a Honda again, but they did happen. I would say it's a toss up.

Answer 7

Honda builds a nice quality bike but it is no Harley.

Harley has better lifetime resale value. Even broke down Harleys can sell for $2000 to $4000.

Honda does make a good quality machine that will last longer than a Harley but a running Honda won't resell for as much as a broken down Harley.

Answer 8

no comparison here.. harleys are better in every way .
they last longer my brother rides a 1936..
and they are faster..that's right ..
watch the nhra drags this weekend Suzuki and Harley will be setting new pro stock records as Honda watches from the stands..
all are limited to 1000 cc
the Suzuki's were the ones that demanded a weight advantage 5 lbs.. Honda can't qualify with a 50 lb advantage ( they try every week)
you my friend have been sold a lie
at least Kawasaki makes the field from time to time

look at any cheep bolt on a Honda objectively,
and you will know the answer to your own question

Answer 9

Over all quality definitely goes to Honda. Harley bikes have improved greatly in the last ten years, but they just don't compare to Honda for quality. My dad bought an 07 Harley last fall, and he's had more trouble with it already than with every Honda he owned before. But a Harley is still a Harley. It's got that image and that sound that nobody else has.

Answer 10

Sure honda builds a better machine. But it will never touch your soul in the way a Harley will. And there is some truth to the old age thing. There is also the bikes intended purpose. The Harleys are for cruising across the wide expanses of this great country and your CBR is a hot rod, so you are comparing apples to oranges.