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Would You Buy Another Harley (other than a V-Rod)?

29K views 415 replies 120 participants last post by  T-Rod45 
#1 ·
I've ridden all the other model Harley's and would not buy any of them. Am I alone here? Compared to the competition they seemed to me to be a big disappointment. Braking, performance, lean angle, fit/finish, etc., all seemed a bit below average compared to what's out there. I think Harley has turned into more of a marketing machine than a well engineered product. OK, they do look good.

:soapbox:

I'm done now.
 
#44 ·
No, I'm a retired IT guy, but have been riding for over 30 years. I have owned Hondas, Triumphs, Nortons, Yamahas and the V-Rod is my first Harley. I knew I wanted the V-Rod as soon as I test rode one. Funny thing is, is that it was the last Harley I test rode and before I rode it I was convinced by the other Harley test rides that I would never buy a Harley. That was 2 years ago. I continue to test ride all the new bikes when they come out every year, in case I find one that "moves" me (the Hayabusa was incredible but I'm trying to get away from that style of riding before I kill myself - the main reason for me cruisin V-Rod style). If you compare the stats (braking, accelleration, handling, weight, etc.) it seems Harley's are trailing the pack. If you want nostalgia, Harley is the oldest and longest lasting of all the manufacturers so it's got the nostalgia market cornered and it is also made in America (but they are opening a plant in Europe too). I hope Harley makes it, but it seems to me they aren't concentrating on performance and the older nostalgic crowd is being replaced by a younger (non-nostalgic) demographic that could care less about the good old times and more about bang for their buck.

:soapbox:

OK, now I'm really done.
 
#51 ·
Its fast as hell, very easy to pull the front wheel. I have two Buells. I do all the maintenance stuff myself. Anything major I take to my buddy who's been working on Buell motors for HD for over 10 years. But so far, nothing more major than a broken exhaust stud.

Parts for these things can still be had through Erik Buell Racing. I live less than 20 miles from their shop and stop in pretty regularly.
 
#59 ·
Nope - I have owned and ridden the other ones - I traded my 09AW in 2010 for an RK 18 months later I traded the 2010 RK for my 09AW
That's how much I like the V Rod.

The 09AW fit me like a glove when I got it in 09 and I like it more than any HD I have owned.
 
#65 ·
I think HD made a good effort and the dealers let them down. They still do. The V-Rod line was introduced with all kinds of accessories, from saddlebags to windshields, a variety of seats, different reach foot controls and some performance accessories. Dealers didn't really try to direct customers towards V-Rods and sales of accessories will track sales of motorcycles.

What I will criticize HD for is not supplying dealers who seem to know how to sell V-Rods with more V-Rods to sell. Fullerton HD sales staff didn't like the V-Rod and pushed them to the back of the showroom, almost as if they were embarassed to have to display them. Antelope Valley HD sells their V-Rods almost as soon as they show up. Partly the customer base out there, and partly a sales staff that likes them, and Buells (they still do a nice business in used Buells and have a bunch of Buell signage up in the showroom). But Antelope Valley HD can't get more than their annual allotment of V-Rods even though they could sell more than they do now. That is my one criticism of Harley.
 
#66 ·
I will add to that and mention that those of us who bought these bikes early on had a Focker of a time finding a dealership/Service area that not only Would work on them but had the Techs that knew how to work on them. Many do not realize this Forum Exists because There was nowhere to go from 2002-2006 so people like Max and RJ etc... started to learn the bikes inside out and post their findings and results etc... Nothing better then taking your HArley to the Harley dealership and getting Snubbed and dismissed by the people that Actually work for Harley Davidson.

SO all of you that have bought your bikes in the last few years and have had a fine experience and drp it off at the service area and come back and its fixed and they treat you like a human being congratulations, wasnt always that way and many of us don't forget it.
 
#81 ·
Really? HD isn't "Concerned" that the Face of their Co is made up of shitheads and imbeciles makes it even worse.
Duly noted. I wrote Harley Davidson a letter complaining about my treatment. Their return letter was sympathetic but that is where I learned that each dealer is an independent business who can serve a customer or not. I told my dealer back then (and now to a degree) Barger HD about what happened and both Gene and Loretta both shook their heads in disgust.

Consider too that this was back in 1980, maybe even late 1979, when the HD demographic was more factory worker with a steel lunch pail bungeed to the passenger "seat" and college degrees among owners were fairly rare.

Hell, the parts grommet at Micah McCloskeys in Canoga Park threw me out because he discovered I was a college student! It's true. I was carrying a back pack and he wanted to know why. I told him I was a student and that's how I carried my books. "Get out of here little college boy" he sneered. "F__k you, my money is as green as the next guys" and I never went back. I was thrown out of bike gatherings because I was a student, and because I wore a helmet, back before there was a helmet law.

That's how it was Luxy. That's part of why I sold my second Sporty and bought a BMW. Enough.
 
#82 ·
Duly noted. I wrote Harley Davidson a letter complaining about my treatment. Their return letter was sympathetic but that is where I learned that each dealer is an independent business who can serve a customer or not. I told my dealer back then (and now to a degree) Barger HD about what happened and both Gene and Loretta both shook their heads in disgust.

Consider too that this was back in 1980, maybe even late 1979, when the HD demographic was more factory worker with a steel lunch pail bungeed to the passenger "seat" and college degrees among owners were fairly rare.

Hell, the parts grommet at Micah McCloskeys in Canoga Park threw me out because he discovered I was a college student! It's true. I was carrying a back pack and he wanted to know why. I told him I was a student and that's how I carried my books. "Get out of here little college boy" he sneered. "F__k you, my money is as green as the next guys" and I never went back. I was thrown out of bike gatherings because I was a student, and because I wore a helmet, back before there was a helmet law.

That's how it was Luxy. That's part of why I sold my second Sporty and bought a BMW. Enough.
I believe this "Distance" is what keeps the last wave of the ignorant in HD's corner, Only in the HD world will you see a guy Bitching and Complaining about the Bike and or Service all the while wearing every stitch of HD clothing he can find. Its the Dealerships fault. Well when my Car breaks down and gets fixed poorly its also the dealers fault but I hear people say " This (Name of co) sucks, blah blah blah". The name on the bike is the same on the dealerships wall who signs a deal to Never sell Anything in their store that could Possibly compete at all with any HD made product. But yet they are able to keep that Distance for fault well in place, its amazing. And If I owned a Dealership where the Corp let me do what I want and 99% of the complaints came from people wearing the HD branding up and down I would not bother with them either, Hey dummy in the Outfit, where else you going to go? Victory? Honda? No, you are Bought and Paid for buddy boy" and I could do what I want, especially in shitkicker land where there are 1 dealership every 300 miles. Please its like a 10 years old threatening to "Run away from home" as soon as it gets dark and hungry they will be back, staring at their feet saying they are sorry, can I have another HD Pin
 
#68 ·
No.

As stated previous and more here, Harley fell flat on their faces with the fact that they do not communicate with owners, specifically with recall notices or issues about the product they produce.

That means that Harley leaves owners on their own to discover what mis-steps happened during development and production once the bikes are released for the market.

It seems like recall & publicized service bulletins about issues are not in their language leaving owners high and dry to figure out what is going wrong.

For the VRSCA and from experience, the wiring harness for the headlight assembly, too short in length and contorted into a turn or bend to the socket causing the wire to stretch and break inside the casing. When your on a mountain road at night and have the wire come apart your deep in kim chee.

I've had this happen more than once & the couple of seconds it takes to realize hey, I am in the dark is enough time to cause a wreck if you are not on a familiar road or a road with traffic.

Yet today, nothing from Harley about the problem or any resource to help leaving the owner high and dry to figure out what to do.

Little grease in the steering head when sold, causes the bearings to go south, the clunk in the front end, no explanation of why that happens and what owners can expect over years of ownership.

Gas gauge does not work properly, can strand you in the boonies if your not up to speed on the issue and still today Harley has no fix for the issue.

There are other issues as well, and may be specific to a single bike, but I have to believe are issues with a fair % of sold machines....such as the rear brake light switch allowing brake fluid to leak from the system until their is no rear brake to be had.

And the dealerhsips say we replace these all the time.

Breaking muffler support brackets continuiously, no resolve.

Freezing steering head lock & freezing ignition system lock along with uneven front tire wear, nada from harley about what to do.

Corrupted flash, where idle speed drops causing the bike to stall at low RPM which can cause issues if trying to make turns in heavy traffic, nothing like a stall in front of oncoming traffic that is doing 45 or 50 MPH.

No notification in th email to owners of record or at least to this owner.

If Harley cannot take initive to advise owners by letter in the mail to owners of record, which they have through their registration system when a bike is bought new, why should anyone make any effort to give them more money for a new product?

The only thing that ever seems to come from anything related to Harley in the mail is HOG begging money to join again.

If they do not care why should the consumer?

There are better deals with used models, let some other chump take the depreciation and problems with repairs, then buy a bike with miles on it because your going to end up building it the way you'd want anyway or restoring a bike to stock if that is your cup of tea.

For me, any Harley bought will be pre 1950 becuase with these machines you can get your yaya's off and work on the whole machine such as electronics to engine rebuild without sucking Harleys hind tit of issues with their new machines.
 
#84 ·
Yea, when this shite happens it harshes my mellow :spank: what can I say? Maybe curmudgeon??

After working for dealerships for some time and then seeing how many years HD has been around you'd think they'd get a clue about what customers need as the bike ages.

One thing you have to consider that comes with age is wisdom and the crossover from earlier years to today.

With that comes the knowledge to state that if Harley can produce Shop Dope Service Bulletins for 1917 - 1949 active part number 99410-93, why can't they do this for later year built bikes?

This info could actually be posted on a secure site where owners could log on to discover what is going on with their machines thus letting them stay abreast of issues.

Talking with the dealership about access to SB's/recalls library brings no confidence about the factories ability to even let their dealership group know about problems which are well documented on this forum and I am sure on other forums.

This becomes even more obvious from reading history of how things have worked and then comparing todays way of doing business and then recognizing that the philosophy of, that is what customers are for.

They tell us our problems with the product and we evaluate if we want to even recognize what is a nagging issue with a low % of ownership complaint against the costs of handling problems correctly.

Their view is "they will always come and buy" is based on life and death cycle. Recognizing the company at being over 100 years old, what worked in the past works in the present and will in the future, heck we don't need no sport bike thing, let them other guys build it, as those riders age they will come to us in the future.

We all know that money either makes or breaks companies. In this case 8.5" X 11" scans are cheap insurance for brand loyalty if used correctly.

Just talking with the local dealership about MoCo SB notifications of issue and recommended change as well as any recall notifications, nothing is listed on sticking fuel tank units (sending units are bad), leaking brake light switch, pulling headlamp wires apart and faulty front tire wear and how to correct the issue.
 
#75 ·
Somehow I manage to ride a V-Rod as a day to day bike commuting and touring without all the grief other owners have. The fuel guage problem was fixed, as were the steering head bearings without a penny out of pocket, the ESP picked up the worn swingarm pivot bushing and fork problems that are more the fault of my lovely communities lack of street maintenance than any fault of Harley (even my Beemers have suffered chassis damage here so it's not just Harley). I think the bike is well made, certainly better screwed together than most of the bikes I have seen and often worked on as a tech.
 
#79 ·
Yes, I would buy another VRSCAW. Never taken it to the dealer except to have them replace a failed battery when it was new and fix an oil leak that I caused removing the air box to jump the battery so I could ride it to the dealer. I do my own maintenance. The HD dealer here in South Korea and the independent shops seem reliable
 
#83 ·
I will buy another Harley one day. I had a sportster and dyna. I liked them both. The fit and finish are excellent and they sound and feel great. They have plenty of power for a cruiser that comes in torque so you feel it as soon as you twist the throttle. I also like the ducati monster and triumph thruxton so I'm not just a Harley fan boy. My next bike will most likely be a roadglide and I will also keep my v.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#86 ·
yes i will and i have bought a few. i currently have a 2011 Screamin eagle street glide, it is the best bike i have ever owned.
If you are buying a Harley looking only for cutting edge technology, you may as well look elsewhere. the whole point of riding something other than a Vrod is the history and lineage behind that model line. If it doenst impress the individual who is riding it or buying it, that you can get on a Road King that still has a distinct resemblance to models from 50 years ago then buy a Goldwing or something else that may, and that a big may....hold some semblance of its value in a few years.
I have been riding for over 30 years and have ridden everything from Beemers to ducats and jap bike and Harleys....they all have their issues. but as my brother said....harleys may be antiquated and lacking in some areas....but they have a soul and a history that is american. they are fun to ride!!
And if you receive bad service in your local dealership, find a new one. I receive top notch service at my local dealership and they treat me very well. Love my Harleys and I will buy more....as well as other brands. if it had two wheels i dig it!!
 
#87 ·
yes i will and i have bought a few. i currently have a 2011 Screamin eagle street glide, it is the best bike i have ever owned.
If you are buying a Harley looking only for cutting edge technology, you may as well look elsewhere. the whole point of riding something other than a Vrod is the history and lineage behind that model line. If it doenst impress the individual who is riding it or buying it, that you can get on a Road King that still has a distinct resemblance to models from 50 years ago then buy a Goldwing or something else that may, and that a big may....hold some semblance of its value in a few years.
Hey, I hear what you're saying, but I prefer not to ride antiques.
 
#88 ·
Would You Buy Another Harley (other than a V-Rod)?


NO, the EVO & TC lines did not perform to my demands, I still love the styling and comfort of those bikes but the power plants were soon tired and unreliable.

The VRSC line (any flavor) is the only HD I will own from this point forward (even with all the warts that Rick mentions), right now all I have is the Destroyer for track use only.
 
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