Posted on 07/21/2017 8:13:13 AM PDT by Lorianne
Do You have Netflix?
I blame dealers as much as the manufacturer....went to a HD dealer to trade my 1994 HD for a new HD.......I guess I was a tough negotiator cause the sales guy called in his boss. He told his manager what I wanted for a trade-in on my Xtra clean 1994. The difference between what I wanted & what they offered me was $400. The manager guy said, "it's illegal for him to give me more than they appraised my HD for. "I turn and never went back. Two days later I sold my HD to a guy who saw me at that same dealer, for more than I ask the dealer for.
Because weekend warrior Baby Boomers are hitting old age and their wives are telling them to give up the bike before they kill themselves.
Sons of Anarchy was a free advertisement for 7 years.
I have had 24 bikes, you could not give me a Harley
They were riding the wave of baby boomers looking to own a Harley. That wave has crested.
And now they are targeting a younger market with their factory custom street bikes. They look cool but the first actually open road trip will convince the buyer they made a mistake. These bikes are good for the boulevard but not the open road. The open road cruisers offer more rider conveniences and comfort. After 50 miles on a narrow seat on a street bike your tail bone goes numb, your eating bugs with no windshield. and you got no place to store your gear. If your riding with a group of friends you better hope one of them has a cruiser that doesn’t mind carrying some of your stuff.
Heh, heh, as a weekend warrior (reservist) I was driving to a service school while it was 105 degrees in August. Inside my “cage” (minivan) it was cool as a cucumber when a couple on an HD passed then cut in front of me. I didn’t mind except that the sweat flying off those two made me turn on the wipers until they were down the road a piece.
This has been a very informative thread about motorcycles. I even googled that sidecar bike made in Russia. But I’ve driven in too many thunderstorms where bikers were huddled under the overpasses waiting for it to let up. Motorcycles belong to an earlier time which for me has long passed.
But I am as careful as I can be when motorcyclists are nearby in traffic. Signalling, changing lanes, everything. I wish them well & a safe journey.
I stand corrected... Thank you...
But I'm with you. When I look at the specs for the Harley I don't think I'm interested. The new Street Rod is about 56 horsepower and even the big 800 pound bikes are only around 75 hp.
I'm not a horsepower junkie, but when I'm merging onto our freeways where the speed limit is 75 and the traffic flow is about 85 and I don't have much of an merge lane to do my thing? Those extra horsepower come in might handy.
Yes...those Italian made H-D. I had one but when the motor blew... (The Italians are wonderful for design, but engineering is not their forte), I got a Honda...
Good point. Never watched it but I hear it’s good.
Kind of looks like the ARs for sale on Armslist.
Look at Cycletrader.com - and click the "View All Brands" tab. Some brands have a few dozen examples listed. There are over Fifty Thousand used bikes for sale under the H-D name. How many does Harley build each year?
I LOVE all the People here bashing Harley. They either can not afford one, or are SCARED TO DEATH of the people that ride them. I am sixty-five years old, do not own a car, been riding since 1975, rode a lot of rice burners for 15 years. NONE of them compared to Harley. I own THREE Harleys. But then if I had to Explain....
I have a 2010 Tiger 1050 which is quite a bit lighter so the performance is similar to the bigger Explorer.
Torque figures are more important than HP and those big twins are faster than one would think but those massive weights are more than I can deal with any more. 800 lbs or more? Even the 800cc class Japanese cruisers push 650lbs. Ridiculous.
This probably dates me but way back, I owned a new ‘72 Kawasaki 500 three cylinder bike.
Blinding acceleration.
Also controlled the mosquito population nearby.
Too much power for the crap frame. They called it the widow maker for good reason. Glad you survived it.
Your post brought back some old memories! In 1973 I had the Kaw. 500 Triple. Owned it for about 1 year. Had a few close calls since it didn’t handle very well! Like you said tho, it’s straight line acceleration was incredible. (IIRC in the ‘71-73 years, the Kaw. 750 Triple, which one of my riding buddies owned, the Honda CB 750 Four, and the Kaw. 900 were the only 3 bikes quicker in the 1/4 mile, in stock form, than the Kaw. 500 Triple in that era.) A long time ago, where have all the years gone huh?
The ‘70 and ‘’71 had CDI ignition (I think that’s what they called it.) The ‘72 had points.
You’re right about the frame. In a 60 or 70 mph curve, the frame would twist and this motion seemed to transfer to the front wheel which would wobble.
A gentle easing on the throttle would cure this condition. You sure didn’t want to do it too quickly.
I sold the 500 and bought an 850 Norton. Same horsepower but it handled like a dream.
I’ll bet you remember that gorgeous model used in Norton’s print adds in the early 1970’s, she was known as ‘The Norton Girl’?
I recall that poster.
BTW; Baxter Cycle has a beautiful, completely rebuilt 750 Norton Long Range limited edition for sale at their store in Marne, IA, just outside of Omaha. I think they’re asking $18,500 for the bike.
It’s still a kicker only tho...
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