“Harleys are the reason bikers are so mean”
They turn all the out of shape cubicle workers into bad*** weekend one-percenters (wanna be). ;-)
Yes, motorcycles are dangerous. So what? They are also a ton of fun. People are still allowed to do things that are dangerous but fun. Big wave surfing, hang gliding, car racing, mountain climbing.
Harley-Davidson's these days are really nice bikes. I've ridden and owned about 30 motorcycles of all different makes over the years, starting with a Honda Mini-Trail 50 my brother had when I was about 13.
I currently own 4, one of which is a Harley. It's the best running of the four, due in large part to the fantastic fuel injection on the new motors. Being 103" doesn't hurt either. It's not a sport bike, but it handles great and is comfortable and it has that look that people love that is part of the Harley mystique. It's simply not true that Harley's suck or are in some fundamental way less-good than Hondas or Kawasakis or BMWs.
I don't know about Harley falsifying their financials, I do know that they got TARP money. But of course the entire Harley business runs on loans: dealers get loans to buy inventory and customers get loans to buy bikes. When the entire short-term paper market locked up their entire eco-system was broken. This is the same reason that Ford almost croaked in the financial panic of 2008. Essentially the Fed stepped in to make loans where the banks no longer would, due to the collapse of confidence following Lehman's bankruptcy.
The fact that Harley got money was reported in the press at the time, it wasn't a secret. As were the financial problems they were having. Like Ford they sold off some brands and shut down others. MV Augusta was sold. Buell, the in-house sport-bike subsidiary was shut down.
I'm happy that Harley survived. I'm happy that I can enjoy motorcycling, and I'm happy to be alive. If by some misfortune I die as a result of a motorcycling mishap then that's the breaks. I can't really imagine what my life would have been like without all the years, miles, vistas, experiences and friends that motorcycling has brought into my life (and even a job for a few years).
Some of you people are real kill joys. Lighten up! Smell the roses, life is short and meant to be lived, not survived by virtue of avoiding all risks.