American Made BS

[thebierguy]

I do like my Nomad. I think I'll have it a couple more years. Everybody I ride with has HD's though, so it's hard to not want to get one. Nobody gives me s*** for what I ride, not yet. For my next bike, I do have my eyes on another manufacturer. I really like the looks of the new Indian Chieftain. That might be my next one.

[redjay]

I don't dislike Harleys, I just never had a desire to own one.
If I had $30,000 and did not have any physical limitations my dream bike would be a new Gold Wing.

I had a Nomad and a Voyager and enjoyed them both but always had a hankering for a 2001 and up Gold Wing but settled for a 1300 Yamaha V Star as my last bike.
I don't think I could physically handle the weight of a Gold Wing anymore and the V Star does what I want from a bike these days.

Comfortable, reliable and decent mpg.

[andyvh1959]

Originally Posted by thebierguy

I do like my Nomad. I think I'll have it a couple more years. Everybody I ride with has HD's though, so it's hard to not want to get one. Nobody gives me s*** for what I ride, not yet. For my next bike, I do have my eyes on another manufacturer. I really like the looks of the new Indian Chieftain. That might be my next one.

Quite simply, if someone gave me s*** for what I ride, be that my Hondas, my BMWs or my Vulcan (only since last July), I just won't ride with the dick heads. A motorcycle is far too personal a choice, almost like a partner, a spouse. I ride what I ride because its what I want to ride. Either its what I could afford at the time or what I chose even though I could afford whatever I wanted to ride.

Dick heads that claim "you gotta ride what we ride" are just the lemmings of motorcycling who don't respect others, simply want you to bolster their ego by agreeing with THEIR choice of conformance. Which in itself, is ironic because we riders are in essence the non-conformists of road users.

[BrokeAss]

Opinions are subjective, and my subjective opinion is that Japanese bikes are always ten years ahead of Harley. Having said that, I'm a bike builder/customizer/flipper by trade, and I can offer some objective observations having worked on most brands foreign and domestic. Harley touts heritage, and demonstrates it by still building its motors using a 100yo recipe. If you're going to keep building your bikes the way you used to, that should result in a bike that is significantly less expensive than competitors in its segment, yet HD's are consistently 20-40% more expensive. Harley's idea of innovation is being last to adopt technology developed by others in the industry, and periodically coming out with bigger versions of their same old motor. Working on a Harley is frustratingly and unnecessarily more difficult than other brands, requiring more specialty tools and a much wider variety of tools. Harley assemblies by far experience more binding, poor tolerances, are more likely to experience a stuck/stripped fastener, and use inferior gaskets. Finally, you just can't rev a Harley motor...if I try to ride one the same way I ride my Nomad, I'm constantly bouncing off the pathetically low rev-limiter. I realize the engine is undersquare, but it doesn't result in a feeling of any more torque than a VN1700.

I paid just $7500 for my Nomad with 3396 miles. A similar used Heritage Classic would easily be $6,000 more, and that's a huge surcharge to join a club whose membership I want nothing to do with. I'll wave at anyone on two-wheels, I don't look down on Harley riders (though many look down on my Metric obsession), I respect people's buying decisions and am happy if/when they are happy, but for me I absolutely hate the way Harleys are designed, assembled, the way they run, shake, smoke, and consume relatively heavy weight engine oil due to their very loose fitting rings. And, I hate when the wife and I are sitting at a light and a couple Harleys pull up behind or beside us and sit there revving their engines every 3-1/2 seconds. Does your bike not idle well? Trying to keep the oil pressure light off? I'm not impressed.

[BobBear]

Thanks for all the great replies. I let this thread linger a while before coming back to reveal what manufacturer's rep it was promoting the American made myth. It was Indian not Harley. It seems in their effort to chase after Harley, Indian not only wants premium prices for their bikes but they want to use the "you're not a real American if you don't ride one of our bikes" shaming tactic.
Everyone kind of accepted that it was Harley because of the large Harley rider population that seems to live by that credo that has existed for so long.
I won't be shamed into paying $10k - $15K more for a motorcycle because it's sold as a boutique item.

[The Black Knight]

Originally Posted by BobBear

Yep, I believe that too. I just find that putting some kind of patriotic wedge between riders as a marketing ploy is unnecessary.

[DragonLady58]

Heres the thing with me....I want something that looks good, is reliable and gets good MPGs.
Friend just asked me when I was gonna ride my StreetGlide to Daytona. Told them not for a few years. He seemed perplexed. I told him I didn't trust it yet.
Now, my old ElectraGlide, which has dual mikunis, muffled drag pipes, sifton cam, solid lifters, 96 S&S stroker kit in it, semi open primary with belt drive, a baker 6 speed, had the bags and the fairing. She got 48 mpgs just riding normally, I would jump on her and ride from Fl. to Ca. and not even think twice about it, cruising at 80-85 mph. It was a old reliable as hell Shovelhead Motor with a newer trans and belt drives....Only Reason why I got rid of her was because it wasn't fuel injected. And ethanol is here to stay....good old reg. gas (non-ethanol) is gonna get harder and harder to find....

Same thing with my Nomad....5K trip, no problem. The StreetGlide....until I change some stuff, I would not trust it on a 5 hour ride, much less 5K....just because I know the things that can go wrong with them....
Granted, some Harleys will run and run and run....never ever give you a problem. I don't like gambling on breakdowns....plus anything with harley davidson, your paying for that name. Its just way too expensive....for what your getting.
People buy a Honda, Mazda, or Toyota for reliability and great gas mileage....same with the bikes....

[smokier]

What DL said covers it for me.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by BobBear

Thanks for all the great replies. I let this thread linger a while before coming back to reveal what manufacturer's rep it was promoting the American made myth. It was Indian not Harley. It seems in their effort to chase after Harley, Indian not only wants premium prices for their bikes but they want to use the "you're not a real American if you don't ride one of our bikes" shaming tactic.
Everyone kind of accepted that it was Harley because of the large Harley rider population that seems to live by that credo that has existed for so long.
I won't be shamed into paying $10k - $15K more for a motorcycle because it's sold as a boutique item.

I own a Harley, but not because it was made in the USA. I'd have stayed with Kawasaki if they sold what I wanted to buy.

[mbarr10]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

I own a Harley, but not because it was made in the USA. I'd have stayed with Kawasaki if they sold what I wanted to buy.

And I would still be on a Honda if they sold what I wanted. Buy they did not have what I wanted. I get it.

[Soulshine]

The 2019 Harley Road Glide Ultra is a great looking motorcycle. It should be for the price.
Then again, the $14,000 savings with the Vaquero is really great looking in my wallet.

This could be my last new bike purchase though because I’ll never pay over $20K for a motorcycle. Never.