I'm not a baby-boomer, "Harley" means nothing to me: All I remember is that it was a really crappy bike with a funny orange tank owned by a bowling ball company until Reagan bailed them out. Now I see they are ridden by baby-boomer accountants and dentists....
I grew up on dirt bikes in the 1980's: Honda XR80, XR250 and XL500R. Man those things were bulletproof!
'Cuz of my age and experiences, the name means nothing to me, and jap bikes have always been better since I've been alive, I just can't imagine owning a Harley and hanging around with old people.
It's not a 'bike' thing, I guess.... It's a generational thing.
That explains things . . .
I grew up on dirt bikes as well. I started on a Honda mini bike, a 50cc model with a centrifigul clutch. I kept that until I got an XR-75. Later I owned an XR-125, and an XR-250 as well.
My first street bike was actually a Honda Twinstar 185. I rode the wheels off of that thing, and actually rode it from Denver Colorado to St. Louis Missouri. At one time I even owned a Honda Rebel 450 in addition to a Harley Sportster I had at the time. The Rebel was a nice little bike, and it's a shame they dropped it and only kept the 250. So don't think I have anything against Honda, because I don't. I even plan to start my daughter off on a Rebel when she turns 15.
That being said, I love Harley-Davidons. They're great bikes, and not the kludges you seem to think they are, but that's ok. My current ride has faithfully carried me some 30,000 miles with nary a hiccup, and it'll only be two years old come July. I'm harder than hell on bike, and I make many long distance trips alone, so I wouldn't be riding a Harley if I didn't know it was reliable.
Really, I can love my ride and appreciate yours as well. I don't have to put yours down to make myself feel good about mine. Unfortunately a lot of riders of Jap bikes feel otherwise. Not that I haven't contributed to big bigotry myself, I know I have, I too have sinned. lol