Streetwise: Most American men want a Harley

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Friday, April 23, 2004 | Lauren Rudd

[Willie Green]

What do men want more than anything else? No, not that ... well maybe that also; but that is not the topic of today's column. According to a survey of 1,000 men nationwide, besides wanting more money and keeping their wives happy, six out of 10 men dreamed of owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Steve Piehl, Harley-Davidson communication director, said, "When asked why they had not bought one, there were some interesting answers such as, 'My wife won't let me,' 'I don't have the time' and the one that really drives us crazy, 'Don't they cost at least $20,000?' "

The survey revealed that 75 percent of the respondents thought a Harley was too expensive. Not true, says Harley. "What we're finding out is that people know owning a Harley is cool, but they just do not have the facts. If they did, they'd have one in their garage right now," Piehl said.

[Melas]

Self-adjusting valves are not a reliability issue, either, but a maintenance issue. My bike needs it done every 15,000 miles, which is more than most people put on their bikes in 3 or 5 years.

We obviously ride differently. I'm usually looking at rebuilding the engine at 5 years, because I'm approaching 150,000 miles.

I've owned several Hondas, a Fatboy, and I'm on my 3rd Sportster. At some point I realized that I really loved Sportsters, and to hell with big twins. My present one is a 2003 883 Hugger that I've converted to a 1200. I bought it in July of last year and I already have 18,000 miles on it. The last Sportster I had was with me for 320,000 miles before I finally had to concede that it was used up. Yes, the engine was rebuilt twice during that time, but somehow, I don't think that reflects poorly on the reliability.

When I say that HD is reliable. I mean it. I ride my motorcycle almost exclusively. It's my daily ride, my vehicle. My car is the thing that I drive only when I can't take the motorcyle. I've actually had car problems because I've let the gas gel due to inactivity.

In the 18,000 miles I've owned this new one, I've only had two warranty issues. A broken positive battery cable and the speedometer was replaced because the black trim began to flake.

[-YYZ-]

They don't just look unrefined, IMO they are.

OTOH, I'll give them kudos for producing bikes with (essentially) maintenance-free hydraulic valve lifters and belt drives. Of course similar features are available on Japanese cruisers (mostly shaft drives, a few belts). I would like to see more bikes of other styles with similar features - for high mileage riders like me (10,000-15,000 miles per year and up) valve adjustments are an expensive inconvenience and chains are a pain.

[elbucko]

How can cast iron, steel, pushrods, and 50hp/liter sell for TWICE as much money as titanium, magnesium, DOHC and 180hp/liter?

If you have to ask, you'll never know.

[blackie]

Good bike ~ very bad management!

[Mariner]

the allure of a Harley has nothing to do with HP/litre.

1. They are widely recognized as the prettiest bikes in the world.

2. They are VERY comfortable if you ride the right model.

3. They are VERY reliable since AMF is out of the picture.....my neighbor has 102K on his '96 Road King.....nothing but standard maintenance.

4. They can be made VERY fast if that's what you want.

5. They all come with a wet spot on the back seat.......factory standard:)~

$21k for the Heritage Softail I spent a few years ago was the best investment I've ever made, bar none.

[Range Rover]

REAL INDIAN MOTOCYCLES were born in Springfield....NOT California. California should be proud of the Crocker

[IamHD]

:) Sorry, I don't care for it either. lol I like my Harley. My husband is more than welcome to buy whatever it is he likes, though. He's had his Triumph since it was brand new. It still looks good, but there was always an oil problem with it, much like the older Harley's. I wish that I had a sister, but mine passed away. :(

[Melas]

4. They can be made VERY fast if that's what you want.

Well, they can be made fast, but not very fast. A tricked out Sportster can easily do 140, but that's not even within striking distance of a stock V4 Jap liter bike.

[blackie]

I've owned 22 bikes in 54 years of riding, three were H/D's; the first two and the next to last one.

Still riding a Suzuki SV650.

[-YYZ-]

OK, OK, I'll concede the reliability issue (again). They do tend to require somewhat more regular weekly maintenance, though, as I imagine you'd agree. See my earlier post about maintenance-free features that I do envy cruiser riders in general.

I put a lot more mileage on my bike yearly than most people, although not quite as much as you. But if you look at the used bike ads on autotrader or similar, you can see about how much most people ride their bikes. Maybe 2000-4000 miles a year. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, althogh I couldn't justify tieing up that much money in something I use so little. Of course, the riding season here is only about 6-8 months, as I tend to stop riding when the temps go below freezing and the roads are covered in either snow, ice or tons of road salt.

I really didn't mean to come on as strongly anti-Harley as I sounded, but I've just gotten peeved with people with this "If it ain't a Harley it's crap" attitude. FWIW, I really like the look of the '04 sportsters, which are smoother and more powerful, if also heavier (if it involves motorcycles, I'll read about it, even if'n it ain't my exact cup of tea).

[martin_fierro]

JoeSixPack1's Softtail:

	FReeper Motorcycle Hooligan
Send FReepmail if you want on/off FMH list

[elbucko]

As for my Mom and bikes, she still hates them and she still tells me it's dangerous and I should sell it and I'm 50 now.

Mine too. My Grandad used to take her to school on his Indian (a real one), she hated that. She's passed on now. And you and I are both too old to grow up.

[Range Rover]

Sorry to hear about your sister.

My Bonnie likes to "mark the pavement" also...it's more uncommon to find one that doesn't.

I'm not a purist, though. I've got an old Sportster we recently stroked and did an unleaded valve conversion to. A far different ride than the Bonnie which feels like a dirt bike by comparison.

[elbucko]

they can't hold a candle to Japanese bikes.

Yeah, but if by circumstance, you had to have a tattoo on your arm with the name of a motorcycle in order to save your life, would you pick Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, or Harley-Davidson?

I rest my case.

[anonymous_user]

Damn you made the point I tried to make, in one sentence?

LOL! I write ad copy and have to be brief. :)

Regarding their need for repairs, I heard that 99.8% of Harleys ever sold are still on the road.

The other 0.2% actually made it home.

[-YYZ-]

I'm not sure I understand your question, but If I had to pick one bike brand to tattoo on my body (highly unlikely - I have no tattoos and if I did I doubt it would be a corporate brand), I'd probably pick Kawasaki, the brand of my first bike as a kid and 4 more since. BTW, I'm not American, so the fact that HD's are (partly) American-made has no real significance for me.

You know, though, if when I get old I want a touring cruisers, I might well go for a Harley. I think Harley has the best integrated and overall well though-out cruising tourers, with good wind protection and decent ground clearance.

[archy]

I don't want a Harley, I want an Apache Helicopter. It is much more versatile.

True enough, and faster too, but I can maintain a Huey Cobra myself. In either event, you'll still need a gunner or driver. Accordingly, an old OH-5 *Loach* with a minigun chin turret has possible applications too. There are some wild stories about Loach drivers....

[archy]

I don't want a Harley, I want an Apache Helicopter. It is much more versatile.

True enough, and faster too, but I can maintain a Huey Cobra myself. In either event, you'll still need a gunner or driver. Accordingly, an old OH-5 *Loach* with a minigun chin turret has possible applications too. There are some wild stories about Loach drivers....

[anonymous_user]

Couple Rice-Rocket stories... Last summer I saw a guy riding down the interstate doing a wheelie at 70+ MPH. I thought the learning curve for that must be pretty steep.

In a sadder story, I happened to drive by an accident on a residential street where they were quite literally scooping up a teenager's brain from the road. He'd just slammed his crotch-rocket into the side of a mini-van. That pretty well put me off motorcycles.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Baxter Cycle in Marne, IA, just outside of Omaha has a jillion Limeys. Anytime I need to be in Omaha I dial in a couple of hours for a drooling session.
My last bike was a 72 Norton 850. The valve stem seals were gone by the time I got the bike and it was not a good idea to stand directly behind the bike on cold start-up. Engine oil would shoot out of the twin pea-shooter exhaust and lubricate the turn signals.