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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.
 
#328 ·
Sold my Vrod this weekend

Traded in the VROD (plus a good deal of cash) for a new bike last weekend.

After 5 years and 2 harleys got tired of the warantee hassles, parts breaking before their time, overpriced accessories, ridiculous weight, etc. and decided I didn't want to take another year of depreciation on the Vrod.

HD should get behind this model and not hide it as (whether they like it or not) it is the future.

Sayonara
 
#330 ·
New bike

Kawasaki Ninja 1000 sports tourer (2013 - racing green)
  • 130hp rear wheel/508 lbs
  • Same torque as the vrod
  • 6 gears (not 5)
  • liquid cooled in-line 4 (real size radiator, not hidden and blocked by the front tire)
  • Aluminum backbone frame
  • Hard bags
  • Upright riding position with sports bike handling
  • It can tour and carve up the canyon roads (zero to sixty 3.2 seconds)
  • Just under $13k with ABS and bags (and like all manufacturers but HD it even has a tool kit under the seat - at no extra charge)!!!!
 
#332 ·
Kawasaki Ninja 1000 sports tourer (2013 - racing green)
  • 130hp rear wheel/508 lbs
  • Same torque as the vrod
  • 6 gears (not 5)
  • liquid cooled in-line 4 (real size radiator, not hidden and blocked by the front tire)
  • Aluminum backbone frame
  • Hard bags
  • Upright riding position with sports bike handling
  • It can tour and carve up the canyon roads (zero to sixty 3.2 seconds)
  • Just under $13k with ABS and bags (and like all manufacturers but HD it even has a tool kit under the seat - at no extra charge)!!!!


  • Great bike, great choice. Dealers are overstocked.go with a 2012, they are the same and currently going for $8500 on ebay and a 1000 more for ABS models.
 
#342 ·
Hardly a stock Road King and the factory custom ain't factory custom. It's a bunch of parts you order with the bike then have to negotiate with the dealer for how much you are going to get screwed to have them put the parts on for you.
 
#335 ·
Yes, I would buy another Harley.

I like the Softail line and I had a FXDX Dyna Super Glide Sport that was the BOMB.

I am way past the age of needing the fastest car or motorcycle made, and the Harley's have all the torque and HP I need to enjoy myself. They may not go around a corner at 3 times the speed limit but I couldn't care less about that either. They have a low center of gravity and are easy to ride, and the upright riding position is much more comfortable for me. My other vehicle is a pick-up truck and most other cars are faster and handle corners better than my truck, but I wouldn't trade that either.

Harley Accessories are better made than most aftermarket parts, The holes always line up when I go to install something and the chrome doesn't start peeling off or start rusting after 6 weeks. I think Harley's are a bargain and do a better job than most at holding their value.
 
#336 ·
My other bike...

I have a 2008 VRSCD and a 2005 FXSTDI (Softail Deuce) in the rare Turquoise and Sand metal flake.

The difference is night and dayand I love them both.

To be honest, if I start riding longer distances a Road King (or maybe a Goldwing?) would be in my future.

I know a lot of people say than can't tell the difference in Harleys and metrics considering the price. There is a big difference to me. That said, Goldwings are pretty nice.

I'd buy the Turquoise and Cream Indian bagger if I found one worth the money.
 
#337 ·
I currently ride a 2013 V-Rod Muscle, and have a 2013 TriGlide with a 120r crate motor installed for the wife and I to ride. In the past I have had the V-Twins and can say that had I purchased/rode/owned a V-Rod as my initial H-D I would probably have never owned the V-Twin version. The V-Rod is so much smoother and in every category - i.e. riding, shifting, handling, fit/finish.

However, I do really enjoy riding the Trike with the 120r motor. It is really an adrenalin rush when you twist the throttle.

Don't get me wrong, I am still a Harley guy!!!

Roger
 
#338 ·
Traded my Deuce for a 2009 FLHX and I really like it. My supercharged VRSCR has been mostly sitting in our clubs garage . I haven't been riding this much in 15 years so it seems ok :) and on the plus side my R feels like a rocket after riding the Couch :)
 
#341 ·
I've ridden Dyna's, FXRs and baggers and it is beyond me to understand how anyone can call any of these, but especially the baggers, "easy to ride". They are, to me, clumsy, overweight, with a miserable riding position and control layout that make control of the bike harder, not easier than a normal upright riding position. The floorboards on the baggers are particularly objectionable as you cannot have your feet positioned over the brake and shift levers as you ride, you have to pick your feet up off of the floorboard and step on the control lever or brake pedal. Then there is the slouched riding position that has by back in pain in half an hour. Ergonomic disasters on two wheels, but people think they look cool.

Ride to pretend, pretend to ride. Kludge.
 
#343 ·
Actually, it is genius. The MoCO has figured out a way to give the bullk of its customers that fast ride experience. Make the bikes harder to ride so that when you are doing 70 it FEELS like a 100. The result is you are less likely to get tickets. (note sarcasm)
 
#345 ·
Form what I could find on the internet checking a few different places here are some sales figures.
in 2012 BMW sold 8101 new units in USA that same time sold 106,358 worldwide.
Harley sold 249,849 I cannot find hard numbers for year total but seems approx. 40,000 were shipped to Europe.
Victory sold 70,000 units in 2012 down form 81,000 in 2011 and down again from 89,000 in 2010. These numbers are not from a financial site but from a transcript of a Polaris CEO. Who also said Indian may be its own company 2018.

Europe data includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

With over twice as many Harleys built and all over the 750 cc size makes them kind of a big deal. So all in all either 250,000 people are that low brow or 106,000 need a ladder to wipe their nose.:hidesbeh:

I can see my eyebrows when I look straight ahead. Not sure why I was given this club...oh yea Harley repair tool.
 
#347 ·
If the only bikes made had the riding position of the 3 bike you have listed, I would no longer ride.

They sit up too high and lean you forward, putting weight on your forearms which become fatiguing fairly quickly for me.

They also sit you up higher and raise your center of gravity. Granted it gives you ground clearance for more lean angle but like I said in my first post, I don't care about a few more degrees of lean because I don't need any more lean angle.

The baggers are a bit on the heavy side which is fine for the highway but they do get nasty on dirt roads that are sandy. But I also said that I would have a softail or Dyna if not for the V-Rod, not a bagger.

The floorboards allow you to move your feet around instead of being stuck in one position for hours on end. I have never even heard of anybody having trouble finding the shifter or brake on a Harley with floorboards, at least for me it is completely natural. I am surprised to hear anybody complain about that.

The question was "would I buy a different Harley if there were no V-Rods"
Yes. But my second choice would probably be a V-Max.
 
#354 ·
Half an hour on any HD bagger and my back is screaming from the slouched riding position. Feet up and in front of me with that low seat is all wrong for my back. I can ride the R or any of my Beemers from my home in California to Utah straight through in one day with no back pain. Leaning forward slightly like you would on a BMW or Yamaha sport tourer or a good dual sport is exactly what your back wants.

As for the floorboards, they force me to lift my leg up to operate the controls. It is just unnatural to have my legs out in front of me like that. There is no control of the bike. I use my knees against the tank and weight the inside footpeg for corners, and floorboards make this impossible. Horrible ergonomics.
 
#350 ·
Haven't a clue what similarities you speak of. It is a nice looking bike but that's about where the comparison stops for me. The single front caliper stopped me from even test riding the Breakout. I'm sure the performance is similar to other Harleys, but not the V-Rod.
 
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