bummed out
- Thread starter scott johnston
- Start date
wilsylb2009
Member
I have a 05 road glide,and now have only 27,000 miles,i change the lube every 5,000 miles, check the tires before going on a long ride,and the only thing replaced was the back tire twice,and i do ride it like a stolen bike, BE SAFE.
I admit I have read your post several times trying to understand the purpose of it, and I am at a complete loss. Why would you form such an opinion based only on posts from owners with problems and then look for some affirmation? Why did you buy the bike in the first place and then go looking for advice? When I park my bike next to a $9,000 import and I see all the rusting fasteners and bad chrome, I know the quality of my bike and why I paid more for it. When you make rash judgments and then post them on a site such as this, it is like pulling the pin on a live grenade. Your post just has no logic to it and frankly it offends even those of us that have issues.
I have stated before that I went over 10 yrs without being on two. I took a refresher course, and bought a cheep metric. I went with honda, an 1100 shadow, because I had belived that they were good bikes, also because I did not want to drop a real bike (HD). I held on to the shadow for about 2 yrs, and the main thing I figured out was that bike is a pain to work on. I was always chasing an antifreze leak, and if you want to do any work on the bike you have to pull the engine from the frame. I have a honda lawnmower and it runs great, but when I'm on two with it hanging in the wind, you better believe that it will always be HD.
The happiest day was when I got my Fat Bob.
The happiest day was when I got my Fat Bob.
glimmerman
Active Member
had some problems but NOTHING beats the feel of a big v-twin thumping as you go down the road. i am very lucky to never have lost that first ride feeling every time i get on either my rk or the ultra. wouldn't give up a harley for any other bike.
billnapabill
Active Member
If ya buy a Bently and it breaks down, then you might get mad at Bently and question their quality or commitment to customer satisfaction.
I have owned 3 new Harleys in the last 10 years. I have logged about 104,000 miles on all of the 3 bikes put together. They only bike that I had any issue with, and it was not a quality issue was my 07 Road Glide. I didn't like the way the bike ran when I bought it, but for $1200, I put a 103ci kit on it and was very happy with it.
Harley has a quality product, and the 40-60 year old riding group prove it out. As of 2009Harley still has the biggest market share of sales for the Street/Touring motorcycles in the US at 28%. Honda has about 24% and the other 2 you mentioned BMW and Triumph have about 1% each.
You need to judge the quality of a product for yourself, look at things that matter to you, paint, fit, finnish, is the dealer treating you good, do you like the bike, does it do what you want it to.
If you really feel the need to compare a Harley Touring bike to another manufacturer consider this:
Harley Ultra $22k- Honda Gold Wing $23k, The Ultra'll lose $2-3k right after you sign the paper, the Gold Wing'll lose $6-8k.
Harley has 857+ dealers across the US and countless Factory Authorized repair shops. Honda has more Automobile Dealers than they have Motorcycle Dealers in the US and there are very few Honda Motorcycle Repair shops. The argument of saying "they don't break down." don't hold water because they are mechanical with electrical and computerized support systems, they do break down and when they do, for a Honda, it usually means a trip home on a hook.........That'll ruin your vacation.
Finally, Harley has a book full of MoCo parts to customize your bike to fit you, your style, your needs. The biggest parts dealer in the world for the Honda Gold Wing is JC Whitney, they have about 10 pages of trinkits.
As for me, I've owned Hondas, Kawasaki's a Yamaha and Harleys.......I have always been happy and preferd Harley and I would definetly buy another one.
I have owned 3 new Harleys in the last 10 years. I have logged about 104,000 miles on all of the 3 bikes put together. They only bike that I had any issue with, and it was not a quality issue was my 07 Road Glide. I didn't like the way the bike ran when I bought it, but for $1200, I put a 103ci kit on it and was very happy with it.
Harley has a quality product, and the 40-60 year old riding group prove it out. As of 2009Harley still has the biggest market share of sales for the Street/Touring motorcycles in the US at 28%. Honda has about 24% and the other 2 you mentioned BMW and Triumph have about 1% each.
You need to judge the quality of a product for yourself, look at things that matter to you, paint, fit, finnish, is the dealer treating you good, do you like the bike, does it do what you want it to.
If you really feel the need to compare a Harley Touring bike to another manufacturer consider this:
Harley Ultra $22k- Honda Gold Wing $23k, The Ultra'll lose $2-3k right after you sign the paper, the Gold Wing'll lose $6-8k.
Harley has 857+ dealers across the US and countless Factory Authorized repair shops. Honda has more Automobile Dealers than they have Motorcycle Dealers in the US and there are very few Honda Motorcycle Repair shops. The argument of saying "they don't break down." don't hold water because they are mechanical with electrical and computerized support systems, they do break down and when they do, for a Honda, it usually means a trip home on a hook.........That'll ruin your vacation.
Finally, Harley has a book full of MoCo parts to customize your bike to fit you, your style, your needs. The biggest parts dealer in the world for the Honda Gold Wing is JC Whitney, they have about 10 pages of trinkits.
As for me, I've owned Hondas, Kawasaki's a Yamaha and Harleys.......I have always been happy and preferd Harley and I would definetly buy another one.
I just got a new '011 RKC. You'd need a microscope to find the flaws. Check out the ten year old Harleys on the road. Look at the used 2 year olds on the showroom floors. The finish holds up well. I gave up other brands for the dealer network. It's so nice to be treated well at a dealership. Which by the way are everywhere. Not so BMW or other brands. Need a tire on a Saturday afternoon? BTW I mentioned the so called flaws and the dealer offered to fix them on the spot. If only the 103 wasn't so much fun to ride..... Is wanting a larger gas tank a flaw? VegasRob
wv2wheel
Active Member
???you read an internet board and suddenly think you have a lemon? THAT IS WHAT THE INTERNET IS AND DOES. It breeds complainers and complaining. Dont you know that unhappy customers yell it out and happy ones are busy being happy (and in this case riding more than typing on the internet)? Relax, go read some boards about the other bikes and see the problems they all gripe about. I have owned Kawasaki (oil pump failures not covered by the mothership), Ducati (service costs, parts availability), BMW (service costs, drive failures, complexity), Triumph (dealership access, accessory quality)...I did own a HOnda about 37 years ago and dont remember a particular issue but I dont remember LOTS of stuff from the 70's ;-). My point is relax. HD is a fine bike built by a fine company (just like all the rest). The dealer does make all the difference though for any mark and there is where you need to be worried and do your due diligence. Just my opinion. now get out there and ride. Feel free to jump in and complain about your bike when or if you have an issue...the world is all ears
Phil
Phil
Cyclops
Active Member
Ever read HondaTalking, KawasakiTalking, etc.? Probably not, and probably because their group of owners don’t have enough pride to support such. But if they did, I’m sure one could read about their issues as well. Every manufacturer has their problems. I’ll always have at least one Harley. I’ve never experienced a problem that can’t be fixed/overcome. And that’s even more true with help of this forum. Long Live Harley and Long Live HDTimeline!
