The Harley Experience

[hillsy]

My 67 Shovel. Stroked 10 over. Don’t shake, ain’t supposed to, well tuned. I kick down a gear directly into 2800 rpm and cruise past and it sounds so smooth not even a cop knows by ear that I’m running straight pipes. Geared for the highway and cruises 90 plus effortlessly in desert heat. Superior? Hell, I don’t know, don’t care. But sometimes I wonder if I’m reading stupidity or ignorance. Experienced multi- brand motorcycle enthusiasts? Then why all the bull crap?

Yeah well, if you want to go there I had a GS1150 with a 1200 kit, flat slides and 4-1 that would keep up with a Busa until about 110 then the Busas legs would start to work (if the rider was game). No HD got past it anytime. And the ZX9r street fighter I has was fun as well - wheelies on tap and other world handling. Not comfortable though.....

My point is more or less the attitude over here is coming from the HD guys who think there are no other bikes on the planet except the ones out of Milwaukee.

[old time rider]

RK you must own a real good flat cam cover shovel! My 66FLH sure had lots of vibs.Was yours balanced last time apart? Loved mine but smooth sure was not in its DNA [emoji2] .My Evo cow glide is not real smooth but lots more than my shovel.After all Harley did not balance the softtail till 2000. 1999 last Evo softtail,last two piece gas tanks also. I like Harley and about at least one of every brand!

[Suzuki Johnny]

That's the kicker....Harleys aren't any better than any other major bike manufacturer .....So why are they so popular???
And just for the record...you're not getting anything more superior than Harleys, modern day bikes are dependable as your car or truck
It may cost less when you first purchase a Metric ..but try and buy parts for it..very little difference on either brands

My interpretation of superior is better performance (power, weight, handling). Something which metric and Euro bikes have had over HD for decades.

Not 100% sure about parts over here - I know having contacts in a Metric dealership means I can get whatever I want for trade prices, but comparatively HD appears to be more expensive for a lot of stuff. Also I believe they stopped selling genuine HD parts on-line from the US a few years back and now you can only buy through a dealer over here.

I'll admit the power ratios between Harley's and some Metrics is in favor of Metrics......but comparing power, weight and handling...bring a comparatively powered Metric and I'll put the V-Rod against it .....there is very little differences between the two...
When I was riding my 1400 several Harley riders were taken back at how quick the bike was...that's when we looked into the differences and the only thing different was the weight and the gear ratios......my 531 pound 1400 (1360 cc ) walked off from their 645 pound 88ci ( 1450 cc ) engines....why....because the 1400 was geared lower...and delivered more torque at any speed....except top end.....in an all out race their Harley's would eventually catch me and pass me up....
Top end for my 1400 was 103 mph......them 88's could reach speeds of 116 mph. It's all in how the bikes are geared...nothing new.
Harley's, you will have to admit , were never built of speed...
durability , ...style and a radically different engine that delivers a sound that all other bike enthusiasts want to copy and duplicate..

And as far as authentic H/D parts... I can purchase any genuine HD part from the ground up to the handle bars on several web sites here in the US..... And the prices ...buying from dealerships are about the same.....
I used to work for a local Suzuki / Kawasaki dealership here in my home town ...all the while riding my Harley.....I compared the prices of both and they were not surprisingly about the same...in fact some Metric parts were more expensive than the Harleys.....

hey I'm glad you can purchase your parts for wholesale....while I was working for that dealer....I was given a 25% discount on everything in the store
In fact I bought my 1400 from that same dealer.....sale price at that time was 8300 bucks..... I bought mine with 3 miles on the odo for 7500 bucks.

[wally w]

What is not known is that H-D has been covering their handgrips with a substance that prevents their riders from making rational decisions. I ought to know I owned 11 of them over the years. My favorite bikes are the Sportster, VS800, ZRX 1200R and the Buell S3T. The ZRX would hit 100 in 2nd gear and compressed distance and time which is why I called it my Time Machine.

[navigator]

All I know is that they are a great theft deterrent.
I park my zuki between a couple of them and it has never been stolen.
Lots of Harleys mysteriously vanish during bike week in Daytona.

[RoadKing]

RK you must own a real good flat cam cover shovel! My 66FLH sure had lots of vibs.Was yours balanced last time apart? Loved mine but smooth sure was not in its DNA [emoji2] .My Evo cow glide is not real smooth but lots more than my shovel.After all Harley did not balance the softtail till 2000. 1999 last Evo softtail,last two piece gas tanks also. I like Harley and about at least one of every brand!

Rebuilt my 67 after nearly 200K. Hell, yeah... new wheels and stroked you better believe balanced to the max. When I put the motor back in the frame i included rubber grommets that I made at each mount. Highway cam, Andrews box, 22 tooth countershaft sprocket so you see set up not to jump from the hole but rather find itself in the power band when I rolled on at 80 plus. Twist the whick gently at 80 and the G force is felt as within seconds up to 120. I passed a bro in his Ford Thunderbird and he said he was going 120 when I went by. Never went faster because just did not want to push my own limits, ya know what I mean. The motor was built by a bro who owned HD Express in Campbell, California. He once told me I should install a heavy duty box and nitrous. He laughed and said if I armed that nitrous at 90 that when the ride ended I’d better have a change of shorts in my saddle bags! Bruce built motors for some of the top drag Harleys in the world so I took his word for it and never tried nitrous! That 67 with just the S&S carb is scary enuff for me! [emoji106]

Have never owned a Harley that was not smooth. All those stories are bull shit or told by people with little savvy. And comparing top end speeds betweenn light weight rockets and heavy highway machines is meaningless. My 67 carries me in total comfort coast to coast and cruising at 90 is as effortless as it is fun. AND THAT IS WHAT A HARLEY IS ALL ABOUT! As far as other brands? Got not a thing against them, just don’t need nor ride them.

I like the topic title, The Harley Experience. Well, just like Hendrix, I am experienced! And I’m certain that none of the funny boys, critics, and haters have a clue.

[Prodigal_Sun]

RK you must own a real good flat cam cover shovel! My 66FLH sure had lots of vibs.Was yours balanced last time apart? Loved mine but smooth sure was not in its DNA [emoji2] .My Evo cow glide is not real smooth but lots more than my shovel.After all Harley did not balance the softtail till 2000. 1999 last Evo softtail,last two piece gas tanks also. I like Harley and about at least one of every brand!

Rebuilt my 67 after nearly 200K. Hell, yeah... new wheels and stroked you better believe balanced to the max. When I put the motor back in the frame i included rubber grommets that I made at each mount. Highway cam, Andrews box, 22 tooth countershaft sprocket so you see set up not to jump from the hole but rather find itself in the power band when I rolled on at 80 plus. Twist the whick gently at 80 and the G force is felt as within seconds up to 120. I passed a bro in his Ford Thunderbird and he said he was going 120 when I went by. Never went faster because just did not want to push my own limits, ya know what I mean. The motor was built by a bro who owned HD Express in Campbell, California. He once told me I should install a heavy duty box and nitrous. He laughed and said if I armed that nitrous at 90 that when the ride ended I’d better have a change of shorts in my saddle bags! Bruce built motors for some of the top drag Harleys in the world so I took his word for it and never tried nitrous! That 67 with just the S&S carb is scary enuff for me! [emoji106]

Have never owned a Harley that was not smooth. All those stories are bull shit or told by people with little savvy. And comparing top end speeds betweenn light weight rockets and heavy highway machines is meaningless. My 67 carries me in total comfort coast to coast and cruising at 90 is as effortless as it is fun. AND THAT IS WHAT A HARLEY IS ALL ABOUT! As far as other brands? Got not a thing against them, just don’t need nor ride them.

I like the topic title, The Harley Experience. Well, just like Hendrix, I am experienced! And I’m certain that none of the funny boys, critics, and haters have a clue.

I don't hate. I'll talk trash till the cows come home, but I don't really hate... There's no point talking performance. It'll get up and go, for a heavy machine, but you want to talk pull? My '94 600 Ninja would hit it's powerband at 120. You could get from 120-140 faster than I can type this sentence. And in my younger and dumber days, I rode it at 145(ish) comfortably, for, well for as long as traffic allowed, a good 8 to 10 hours without it missing a beat.

Since I have a wife and kids to think about these days, a Superbike doesn't fit into the picture anymore. I've had my 1400 over 100 with it still pulling strong, but there's no point to it for me. It's comfortable, I love the way it looks, it's got plenty of power, and is reliable and "cheap". Just wish I could lower the final drive ratio, make better use of that torque, but oh well, can't have it all.

I got nothing against Harley's. I heard a rumor some of them are timed instead of 180 degrees apart they're 120, and 60. Something to do with the angle of the V being 60* instead of 45* like the metrics, but I'm too lazy to google that and confirm it right now

Bottomline I'd buy one if I had the dough to spare. I ain't making payments on one. To me, money I pay every month on a bike better be going to sensible mods, and making it 'my own'.

yada yada, "you destroy the resale value" blah blah "the factory knows best" ...

[old time rider]

Have watched Harley motorcycles go fast at strips and saw 140mph way back in the 60s! These were in no way street bikes.Names like Joe Smith and Elmer Trent were just two old as me may recall. My shovel showed 112 wide open one time down hill.My 1983 GS1100ES did 121mph in 1/4 and 98.48mph in 1/8 with stock carbs and motor never apart.Two types of fun but if right wrench and deep pockets any thing can be made to redirect its main reason for being made. Never took my Harleys to the strip but were so much fun in the mountains making sweet sounds .Know what you want going in and be happy .

[Prodigal_Sun]

Know what you want going in and be happy .

Amen to that!

[MattSunn]

All of my bikes will do the confiscation speed, so I’m good with that.

[MadCow]

All of my bikes will do the confiscation speed, so I’m good with that.

BOOM THERE IT IS

[RoadKing]

Have said this before, convinced the overall motorcycle experience is different East and West US. These IA boards are mostly Easterncentric. Perspective. Give a good example albeit just one of many in the West... Federal Highway 50 and Interstate 80 across Nevada. Sometimes a hundred miles between small populations. Midway between towns there damn sure ain’t no LE hanging out in that heat. Highway straight all the way to the horizon so it’s just natch to grab some throttle and live at 90+. In the decades of my own riding experience in those conditions I have never once been passed by a 140 mph rice rocket and truth told you rarely see ricers of any kind out there, the big water cooled Wings boil or are wind blown off the road, sport bikes are no fun in that environment. However, if you do some serious riding out West you have to deal with a hostile environment from time to time, one that is not known in the East, and so the Harley experience becomes a must there if you wanna ride a lot. Doesn’t have a thing to do with attitude about riders of other brands. And I’m going to speak boldly about my Western brethren when I say they rank among the smartest and most hard core riders I have ever known. And I’ll go one step further, for the most part I feel the same about the Harley people I’ve met here in the East.

[RoadKing]

All I know is that they are a great theft deterrent.
I park my zuki between a couple of them and it has never been stolen.
Lots of Harleys mysteriously vanish during bike week in Daytona.

That’s funny, Nav. If you park your zuki between any two bikes at Daytona Bike Week it’s a cinch they are going to both be Harley. But I’m glad and proud that makes you feel safe! [emoji2] As for any Harley gets stolen, ain’t no mystery... lame yuppie citizen that spends too much time in the tittle bars and not enuff keeping an eye out on his machine. You can pick em out real easy the minute they walk away from their bike. Remember the meet and eat we attended where I parked across the street from you guys? Remember where I sat at the table by the window in the eatery? Remember when I was the first to point out to the table that Red and White had just pulled in? It’s all habit when you live The Harley Experience, no big deal. What you guys didn’t see was one of their members across the street talking on his cell near The King. What you didn’t see was me going out and speaking to him briefly. No big deal. Just another day in the life of The Harley Experience. My bike is one small step above my ol lady and don’t mess with either. I know a lot of club members and most of them when riding alone secure their bikes before leaving them and more than likely carrying. Protect your own. Anyone who don’t evidently don’t care about that bike and deserves to get ripped.

[wally w]

Have said this before, convinced the overall motorcycle experience is different East and West US. These IA boards are mostly Easterncentric. Perspective. Give a good example albeit just one of many in the West... Federal Highway 50 and Interstate 80 across Nevada. Sometimes a hundred miles between small populations. Midway between towns there damn sure ain’t no LE hanging out in that heat. Highway straight all the way to the horizon so it’s just natch to grab some throttle and live at 90+. In the decades of my own riding experience in those conditions I have never once been passed by a 140 mph rice rocket and truth told you rarely see ricers of any kind out there, the big water cooled Wings boil or are wind blown off the road, sport bikes are no fun in that environment. However, if you do some serious riding out West you have to deal with a hostile environment from time to time, one that is not known in the East, and so the Harley experience becomes a must there if you wanna ride a lot. Doesn’t have a thing to do with attitude about riders of other brands. And I’m going to speak boldly about my Western brethren when I say they rank among the smartest and most hard core riders I have ever known. And I’ll go one step further, for the most part I feel the same about the Harley people I’ve met here in the East.

I'm wondering how I managed to ride my VS800 for the 5 years lived in New Mexico. Over 20000 miles one year. Sometimes I would just be cruising along at about 100 or so.

[RoadKing]

I'm wondering how I managed to ride my VS800 for the 5 years lived in New Mexico. Over 20000 miles one year. Sometimes I would just be cruising along at about 100 or so.

I don’t wonder at all! I’m betting you were one hell of a rider and 20K in that wonderful climate is normal in a year! You know exactly what I mean about cruising fast on those wide open straight highways! Man, I miss it and am coming back soon.

[navigator]

Yet another day in the Harley Experience.

[RoadKing]

Yet another day in the Harley Experience.

A sign, sitting atop a board. What appears to be bullet holes! I’d say that’s another day in the small minded experience. [emoji2]

[navigator]

RK,

Check out this thread:
http://www.intruders-alert.com/viewtopi ... 14#p117314

"This is the actual neon sign that hung over the Harley-Davidson visitor/employee entrance at the Milwaukee factory for many decades, complete with photographic evidence showing that the water stains on the sign match those on the original in situ. A piece of motorcycle history without doubt, but it's ironic that it sold for just $3,500 less than the Honda RC30, which in turn, is the fifth most valuable Japanese motorcycle ever sold."

Apparently, someone shot out all the neon.

[Junebug51]

President Trump in a speech today to all Republicans both House and Senate. In his speech he mentioned the great inequities in our trade agreements. He said foreign motorcycles are sold here with no surcharges and yet a Harley Davidson motorcycle is taxed 100% in those same countries making it much more expensive to sell in those countries. He said either that must stop or we will have to reciprocate on the taxing countries bikes. That is only fair and we will no longer tolerate these inequities.

Give em Hell Trump. That BMW, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, or Honda won’t look so great if it cost 30 grand instead of 16 grand. They don't even look good to me at 16 grand

[Herb]

President Trump in a speech today to all Republicans both House and Senate. In his speech he mentioned the great inequities in our trade agreements. He said foreign motorcycles are sold here with no surcharges and yet a Harley Davidson motorcycle is taxed 100% in those same countries making it much more expensive to sell in those countries. He said either that must stop or we will have to reciprocate on the taxing countries bikes. That is only fair and we will no longer tolerate these inequities.

Give em Hell Trump. That BMW, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, or Honda won’t look so great if it cost 30 grand instead of 16 grand. They don't even look good to me at 16 grand

With the bike market flat, I believe that other countries will lower their tariffs. Not a bad thing. Again, Trump is pushing good sense trade deals.