Went on a Harley demo ride this morning...

[Snarley Bill]

Originally Posted by Eddie http://venturerider.org/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif

Most people that have an opinion of a HD or any other bike never have had or rode anything but the dirt bike they had when they were kids and then in there mid-life crisis buys a bike to big for them. ,bottom line . I love the stories of the guys that have been riding for forty years. "I had a minibike when I was 10 then when I turned 50 I bought a 2000.00 touring bike, probably a 1st gen and took over the world and got an opinion about bikes I cant afford."

 

I have never been on a Goldwing so I have no opinion on them but they look cool

...why can't I find the post where you wrote this, Eddie?

Never being on a Goldwing ALSO adds a lot to my understanding of....

 

PS Dave Im going to smack the stuff out of you for this thread.

...the truth sometimes hurts, I know.

...but, catch me if you can!

hey dave, the harleys are nice looking. it's that wanna be abad ass hells angel clown suit that ya have to wear to ride one. not to mention the 2 dollar helmet with all the profanity stickers on it.

[Wade 2000]

I really like the Harley's, the Road Glide Ultra being my favorite. I know there are more advanced bikes technologically but the Harley's have great representation across the country, aftermarket is flooded with accessories, not to mention the cool clothing line..

As for the Haters... There are pro Yamaha haters, Goldwing haters, and the champagne sippin BMW haters that all can be just as big of A-holes as any Harley elitist. Any honest biker will admit his models failings and your models gold stars because he loves motorcycles and riding.

Ride what you like is the bottom line. I personally want one of each but $$$ limits my choices so I try to buy the most reliable bike built for what I need it to do, considering style and representation as well. That is why for now I ride a Venture and hope Yamaha improves with the next model. LETS RIDE!!!!

[Eddie]

hey dave, the harleys are nice looking. it's that wanna be abad ass hells angel clown suit that ya have to wear to ride one. not to mention the 2 dollar helmet with all the profanity stickers on it.

 

What do you call it when you wear a denim suit. Wanna be "Cowboy"

[Eddie]

On a steal horse I ride................

[Eddie]

Yup, and a lot of riders get tripped on black and orange T-shirts and jackets...and in the case of Eddie, sweaters.

 

Better than khakis and a turtleneck there yuppie boy:)

[Guest Swifty]

Better than khakis and a turtleneck there yuppie boy:)

LOL...good one, bit it's more like dress shoes, pleated pants and collared shirts with the brief case in the trunk, there Mr. "OUTCAST".

"Gliding"?!...ha, where'd they/you come up with that kind of descriptor anyways...it felt more like rock crawling in a Willys.

[chabicheka]

............................................................

 

Gliding......get it?

 

[Aussie Annie]

hope you guys aren't gonna pick on me when I come over

[Snarley Bill]

hope you guys aren't gonna pick on me when I come over

no,way. you always look nice.

[BigLenny]

Man! I tried soooo hard to not put my verbal poop into this conversation, but I just can't resist it. LOL.

 

Since the beginning of time men have had pissin matches about who has the best this or that. I could imagine a situation like the Jews bragging about who had the best horse or waggon could've been one of the reasons God included "though shalt not covet" in the ten commandments. LOL.

 

Every single brand out there has pros and cons. And, believe it or not, every single brand has arrogant small thinkers that think what they ride is far superior to anything else. Yes, Harley has more of these folks than any other brand, but that's because they out number every other brand 3-1.

 

It'd be best if people just bought what they liked best and rode hair off of it, and not put themelves on a pedestal about what they own as compared to what other people have. But, that'll never happen. A few thousand years of mens past behavior proves that true.

 

Now, I'll step down off of my preaching post because it's a beautiful day today and I'm gonna go for a ride on my Yamaha RSTD that has a V4 motor in it that is far superior to any other bike in it's class. LOL.

[Yammer Dan]

We won't pick on you Annie. But that big blue thing.....

[Aussie Annie]

:buttkick:

[Eddie]

:buttkick:

I got your back, dont let these guys get to you . They are just jealous of your trike:rotf:Its funny when I wore all my Star apparel nobody said crap and it was in the same price range.

[meach]

Marketing and branding..... the American way. To the average person any v-twin cruiser motorcycle is a HD, can't tell you how many times people commented about my "Harley" when out riding my Honda VTX, I would just smile and thank them, wasn't worth the trouble of trying to explain it was actually a Honda.

 

Like anything the value is based on what people are willing to pay and plenty of people are willing to pay HD prices, capitalism at its finest. Looked at several HD models when looking for a better touring bike than my VTX but decided to get away from large V twin ( shake & bake here in the south) and didn't want to pay premium prices anyway so went with a used RSV instead a little over a year ago and haven't looked back.

 

Must say the first time I test rode a HD (don't recall if it was a road king or road glide) after having my VTX several years but I was very unimpressed knowing how much $ they wanted for it and it rode no better than my Honda.

[Eddie]

Marketing and branding..... the American way. To the average person any v-twin cruiser motorcycle is a HD, can't tell you how many times people commented about my "Harley" when out riding my Honda VTX, I would just smile and thank them, wasn't worth the trouble of trying to explain it was actually a Honda.

 

Like anything the value is based on what people are willing to pay and plenty of people are willing to pay HD prices, capitalism at its finest. Looked at several HD models when looking for a better touring bike than my VTX but decided to get away from large V twin ( shake & bake here in the south) and didn't want to pay premium prices anyway so went with a used RSV instead a little over a year ago and haven't looked back.

 

Must say the first time I test rode a HD (don't recall if it was a road king or road glide) after having my VTX several years but I was very unimpressed knowing how much $ they wanted for it and it rode no better than my Honda.

 

That is funny , more than twice I got asked what model HD my Midnight was .

[rickardracing]

That is funny , more than twice I got asked what model HD my Midnight was .

 

 

I have had that happen twice. Once at a gas station and the other was my neighbor.

[mraf]

Swifty, you well darn well you were stirring the pot on here but you did it anyway. Now we have to hear from these leather butt cheek showing. loud, obnoxious, tattoo wearing others. Telling us how we should all thinkride. I for one could care if you ride a Vesta, but don't stir the pot until you have lived the pissed soaked , Loud noise, fetal positionatoied, smile on your face look life.

[Guest Swifty]

Swifty, you well darn well you were stirring the pot on here but you did it anyway.

LOL...frequently the pot NEEDS to be stirred in order to prevent everyone from eating burnt stew!!

I'm still wondering if I need to weigh into the thread claiming that riding the Dragon is hard on your bike because you'll be on the brakes so much.......gawd!

(...now I gotta go change my pissed soaked diapers.)

[Eddie]

LOL...frequently the pot NEEDS to be stirred in order to prevent everyone from eating burnt stew!!

I'm still wondering if I need to weigh into the thread claiming that riding the Dragon is hard on your bike because you'll be on the brakes so much.......gawd!

(...now I gotta go change my pissed soaked diapers.)

 

I need to look for the film on this. I never watched it Dave. Didn't you put some time on a cam of mine at the Dragon ? Who's was in front of you ? I remember that sprited ride that day. I went through the dragon almost as fast as you guys on my 04 because my breaks were glazed over and I couldn't slow down anyways... lol. It's scary when your brakes aren't working.

[WildBill1]

I own both a Yamaha Venture and a Harley RoadGlide. Both have their own riding and handling characteristics. Its taken me quite a bit of time and money to get the Venture to match the frame geometry of the Harley. Harley has prefected their handling and seat position too the point You almost forget to put your feet down at a stop sign. I like riding both of them, since I lowered the Venture front and back also the added gauges lets one know whats going on with the engine.

 

Bill,

[mother]

next month Swifty is taking a scooter for a test run.

[BuckShot]

hope you guys aren't gonna pick on me when I come over

 

Don't worry Annie....the more they pick on us and our bikes...it just shows how jealous they are of what we are riding....

If anyone really wants to know why I bought a Harley over the RSV, ask me in person and I'll be glad to enlighten you.

[jfoster]

Fwiw, when I started back riding I started out with VTX1300, then the RSTD to ST1300 to a stock HD Road King. Each have their good and bad. So far, the HD does most everything the best with the ST in 2nd to the RSTD in 3rd. I too used to down HD for their persona, but after owning and riding one I have changed my attitude. I still wear the same clothes and gear as I did before. And still wave at other riders even though the GW's wont wave back.....go figure.

 

But, what puts HD ahead of everything else is they do things so much better, such as owner options in mind. Fixed fairing, handle bar fairing, wind shield, cruise control, and on and on. Unlike the mindset of here it is take it or leave it. If one can appreciate that and ignore all the persona bs one might be surprised.

[eazyduzzit]

I know there are Harley snobs, and I don't care for them, but I joined here when I had my RSTD. I read a lot of posts by you folks, and started craving a full touring bike with the sound system, trunk and all the extras.

Every year people on here would speculate on what the new Venture would be like, and every year Yamaha would dust off the 2000 models they hadn't sold and rebadge them as a 2011 or whatever and sell a few more of them. I finally started looking at Wings and Ultras and found one I liked. It's a Harley, and it's a dream to ride. I can get on it in any weather and it fires right up, no choke, no cough, just ride. On our first trip, my wife leaned forward and said "wow, this bike rides so smooth". This is a woman who takes pictures while we're riding and usually doesn't notice anything but the bumps we hit. I Did my share of Harley bashing myself, but I have to admit it when I'm wrong.

[Guest Swifty]

I need to look for the film on this. I never watched it Dave. Didn't you put some time on a cam of mine at the Dragon ? Who's was in front of you ? I remember that sprited ride that day. I went through the dragon almost as fast as you guys on my 04 because my breaks were glazed over and I couldn't slow down anyways... lol. It's scary when your brakes aren't working.

Who was in front if me? ...Todd was for a bit, but that was only on the first day. A crotch rocket or two were in front of me, but that was only for a few curves too. At the end of the Dragon a few of those riders came over to express their amazement at what the bike did. Other than that nobody stayed in front if me for long.