Venture ties HD Ultra for best Cruiser

[Snarley Bill]

if that is the way you want to go how mutch to put liquid cooling on the ultra

that was a large factor in my purchase

i don't think i will ever buy another bike thats not watercooled. it's nice to not have to worry about sitting in traffic. it would be very easy for harley to watercool that motor. and get rid of the roller bearing crank and go to a full pressure lube system, with a one piece crank. it would increase the longevity of the motor greatly. they need to realize the hardcore harley folks are getting old and being replaced by the high tech generation. if anyone wants to question me on harley technology i have built a few harley motors in my day and i can tell you about pitted races on the roller bearings. miss aligned cranks from hammering the gears. dragracers weld the cranks to keep them aligned. been there done that. it is a really neat engine. i still like the old design, but you will never have the longevity of the jap bikes. it's time for a motor up date. i'm not knocking harleys just stating some facts.

[Guido41]

I owned a HD Classic. Got rid of it after 1 yr. Couldn't get out of its own way. Passing after 65mph was non existant. It vibrated too much and was very hot when stopped at a light in 90+ degree temp. Love my Venture!

[sportssonny1968]

Through my 60 years i have owned all makes of motorcycles except a harley davidson.The reason being is COST.Well a few months ago i decided to give a Ultra Classic a try. I will tell you my honest opinion:

 

Leg Room: the venture has more not much but more

Riding Comfort: About the same

Vibration: Harley has lots more

Sound System: Harley the best by far

Handling: Without question the harley is the best handling bike

Lighting: Harley has more lights that come stock on the bike

Sound: thats easy, harley

Fuel Mileage: The Harley by several MPG

NOW,THIS IS THE ONE YOU DON'T WON'T TO HEAR:

The feeling you get when you are on a Harley is not like any other bike,

now maybe this is just me, but there is a difference.I owned a Venture it was a good bike BUT NOT A HARLEY.

This is still the best motorcycle forum on the internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[YamaGeezer]

I rode two different Ultra Classics a couple of weekends ago. Their owners rode my Venture.

 

Riding the UCs didn't feel any different to me.

 

Of course, maybe if I'd put on my pirate gear, it would have been different.

[kyle]

Ventures rule, all others drool... Just my 5 cents "inflation"

[juggler]

I owned a HD Classic. Got rid of it after 1 yr. Couldn't get out of its own way. Passing after 65mph was non existant. It vibrated too much and was very hot when stopped at a light in 90+ degree temp. Love my Venture!

 

HD added a 6th gear to help with that in 2008 or was it this year?

[Sailor]

There was a guy near here who built up Harley engines. He finally gave up. The reason? He said no matter how hard he worked over the Harley engines a bone stock Jap bike would still blow it off the road.

[V7Goose]

Every time I roll up next to one of those horribly designed things at a light and watch it bounce up and down on the front tire while the engine and all attached bits jump around in the frame, I just shake my head and snicker while I wonder what could ever possibly interest someone in such a terribly designed product.

 

I guess it just shows a difference in values . . .

 

I'll keep my RSV (or just about anything else EXCEPT one of those), thank you. Just about every product has some design flaws that someone will take exception with, but that joke is the only one of which I know that DELIBERATELY chooses to design in such stupidity. It sells for them, so more power to them. But I value quality and intelligence over the name and poser image. I guess there is a reason there are more bikes NOT designed like HD now than those that are (speaking of technical design, not style).

Goose

[az1103]

Where do you get your figures? According to the article, which used MSRP prices for all of them, the RSV is only a couple thousand less than the Harley.

Show me where I can buy a new RSV for half the price of the new Harley and I'll do it.

 

Joe

 

Well, I paid 13800 for my new 07 RSMV.... That makes it 9200 less than the 23000 that Freebird estimates and as far as I can remember (simmilarly equipped ) it was closer to 26000!

So I would have to have been insane to get an HD !!!! And then there is that minor problem of vastly unequal warranties and the shedding parts.....

[az1103]

and as a counter, how much to add the fuel injection to the RSV?

Of course, you are assuming that those things are desirable.... Personally, I am just fine without the injection (one less problem) and as to the CD player - don't have one, don't want one and wouldn't take it if you gave it to me !!!!! On the other hand, I can do without the HD dealer arrogance and the fact that I would be lost in a crowd of identical bikes on every bock !!!! You have to put a marker on yours just to find it in a parking lot !!

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Every time I roll up next to one of those horribly designed things at a light and watch it bounce up and down on the front tire while the engine and all attached bits jump around in the frame, I just shake my head and snicker while I wonder what could ever possibly interest someone in such a terribly designed product.

 

 

So uh...dont ever buy a car or truck...most of them have motors that are on semi-flexible motor-mounts...and if you open the hood and peer inside when the motor is idling you may see some vibration, and certainly if the engine is revved, you will see some lateral motion. It's a shame that using vibration-dampening motor mounts is such a 'horrible' design.

 

The powertrain engineers at GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Saturn, Hummer, Freightliner, Volvo, Kenworth, International, Peterbilt, and Harley Davidson, etc, apparently are confused about that.

 

[az1103]

So uh...dont ever buy a car or truck...most of them have motors that are on semi-flexible motor-mounts...and if you open the hood and peer inside when the motor is idling you may see some vibration, and certainly if the engine is revved, you will see some lateral motion. It's a shame that using vibration-dampening motor mounts is such a 'horrible' design.

 

The powertrain engineers at GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Saturn, Hummer, Freightliner, Volvo, Kenworth, International, Peterbilt, and Harley Davidson, etc, apparently are confused about that.

 

Sounds like a major misinterpretation of what was said! I believe the objection was with the design of that primitive motor - not the method of isolation of it's horrible vibrations from the frame...

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Sounds like a major misinterpretation of what was said! I believe the objection was with the design of that primitive motor - not the method of isolation of it's horrible vibrations from the frame...

 

Oh? Possibly.

 

Now back to the regularly scheduled program of Harley-bashing.

 

[eagleeye]

Considering that the site is basically a bunch of old farts, (me included) with some new young folks thrown in, this conversation is nothing short of amazing.

 

Why does anyone care who is first or second? I heard this years ago, sitting in a bar one night talking with another biker. "The best bike is the bike you like"---says it all---- Nothing could make me happier than to add on one stall to the garage, move the boat over and add a couple of harleys to the two Yamahas, and the Honda.

Life is good,

Enjoy,

Steve

[az1103]

Considering that the site is basically a bunch of old farts, (me included) with some new young folks thrown in, this conversation is nothing short of amazing.

 

Why does anyone care who is first or second? I heard this years ago, sitting in a bar one night talking with another biker. "The best bike is the bike you like"---says it all---- Nothing could make me happier than to add on one stall to the garage, move the boat over and add a couple of harleys to the two Yamahas, and the Honda.

Life is good,

Enjoy,

Steve

 

Why amazing? Old farts tend to be opinionated.....

[eagleeye]

Gee, I never would have guessed----

 

Steve

[az1103]

Gee, I never would have guessed----

 

Steve

 

What? That I am an old fart or that I am opinionated - or both?

[eagleeye]

------------That all of US old farts are opinionated-----

 

Steve