| Author | Message | ||
     Fubar |
I was giving my bike it's first bath and was struck by the quality and content. *Everything* is terrific. The frame, wheels, swing-arm - stunning. The SS brake lines. The oil cooler. The seat. All functional quality. True beauty. I was wondering if instead of the Screaming Eagle super high-end bikes, if they did a bare-bones all-go big twin (that put more of the cost/effort into performance and less into chrome) would it sell? Inquiring minds... fubar | ||
| Bross |
Nah. Harley's pretty smart and give their customers exactly what they want. :-) (Message edited by bross on February 13, 2006) | ||
| Brotherbuell |
Fubar, HD realized that Erik did that and they gave him the resources to let the rest of the world know it! | ||
| Fubar |
True enuf, but I was thinking about a Dyna-like all business cruiser/streetfighter. I look at the content of the Uly vs. the Street Bob and cannot understand the difference in price/content. | ||
| Stevenknapp |
Isn't that the V-rod? | ||
| Madduck |
Harley did introduce the "destroyer" in the new category of all go. Talk about a bold move from a manufacturer. I have heard that Kawasaki may be doing the same sort of thing next year. | ||
| Cygnus_x1 |
A Harley isn't a motorcycle. Not a real motorcycle. It is nothing more than a rolling image, a self-propelled personal public relations machine that you rent for your ego, a facade that you strap your legs over when you want to show off to the rest of the world that you are something that you really aren't. "Hey! I ride a Harley! I'm bad! Don't mess with me or you'll be sorry!" Whoopee. You and every other Peter Fonda Easy Rider wannabe. Harley Davidson owners are preoccupied with image and sound, so much so that they've forgotten the basic principle that backs up those two aspects; performance. Image and sound are nothing, they are meaningless, without performance, but you can't convince people of that today. Performance. You can't have image and sound without performance to back it up. You just can't. If you try, you've got a facade, a hollow shell and you're just a wannabe hiding within it. America has become complacent in the world, we are content to sit on our fat butts and watch others whiz past at breakneck speed and yet we do nothing. We're getting left behind because we can't keep up. Why? Because we are stuck in a misunderstood and ill-conceived mental rut. I'm talking about motorcycles, American made and built motorcycles; Harley Davidsons to be exact. You see them everywhere, and you know the kind of rider that is usually aboard one. Leather chaps, leather jacket, combat boots,and of course no helmet, the very epitome of a bad ass biker. But, that's just a wishful image. All that stuff came out of a corporate catalog... One Harley rider looks like another, pretty much, yet they all claim that they are 'individuals'. Seeing a group of Harleys go past is like watching a cut scene from the movie "The Stepford Wives". They're all identical, they look alike, and they all ride the same thing; junk. Very few Harleys are truly fast or powerful. Most are just loud rattletraps, over priced dealer wannabes or pieced together hope it works tomorrow wonders. They are paper tigers, all show and no go. You can get a hundred pounds of chrome on one of those motorcycles straight from the factory. Matching leather everything as well, even down to the little official HD logo which is oh so important to this flock behavior mindset. Studded, braided, polished, painted, chromed, but ... it's all flash. It's all custom parts and paint, all jury rigged and low tech. In anything else but a Harley, the extremes that most Harley owners go to would be considered tacky and tasteless, and probably laughable. The roar of a Harley is really just the growling of a sheep in wolf's clothing, and the bleating of the image driven lemmings that ride them. Image is a powerful thing. We, as Americans, want to project a strong image to the rest of the world, but in doing so, we have become lazy. We are now willing to pay large amounts of money to buy an image, rather than go out and earn one for ourselves. We are lazy. It is easier to walk into a motorcycle dealer, buy a new Harley Davidson, and then tell ourselves, "I own a Harley, therefore I am a bad ass because a Harley is a bad ass bike. How can you be bad when you don't have any performance? How can you be bad when everything else in the world will whip your ass and hand it to you on a silver platter? How bad are you when a 250cc rice rocket will eat your 883cc Sportster for lunch? I just don't understand the logic behind the image without any performance to back it up ... It's an empty threat. Since when did being bad mean that you got stomped by everything else in the world? I thought that being bad meant that you could take on anything and come back for more. Obviously, Milwaukee uses a different definition for the term "bad." A scooter will get you from point A to B, and that's what I consider a Harley to be. A big, overpriced ego boosting scooter, geared for people too timid to make a statement to the world any other way than through noise and flash and by paying lots of money. Only posers and wannabes buy Harleys. Oh, and buy the required wallet on a chain, the leather jack boots, the German war helmet, and be sure that your HD comes with all the go-fast goodies like studded leather saddlebags, tassels, and a three square foot windshield. They're essential to the "bad" image.  | ||
| Crusty |
My first Harley was a '78 FXE. I put 72,000 miles on it. I traded it in on an '86 XLH1100 that I put 30,000 miles on in 30 months. I traded that in towards an '88 FLHS that I put 125,000 miles on. The preceding blatherings have the same etherial quality as my flatulence after eating broccoli and Stove top stuffing. | ||
| Bienhoabob |
Wow. Somebody needs a nap! When does traveling at warp speed down a public highway make you a real man? That's enough time spent on this ridiculous posting. | ||
| Fubar |
Um... Wow... Did I open a con o' worms or what? Feel better now? While out riding this weekend (did I mention is was in the 70's?) I saw dozens of bikes. One very well ridden Kawa Concours and the rest were shiny HD BT's. 90% were black and they looked all the same to me. Having just parted with my Geezerglide, it made me feel a bit sad and a little embarrassed. Proud to be a Buell Uly *RIDER* now. fubar | ||
| Snub13 |
Hey, I thought I was the only one who got gas from "Stove Top" stuffing..... | ||
| Mb182 |
"Wow. Somebody needs a nap! " Couldn't have said it better!! MB | ||
| Kreature |
I think it's one too many espresso's! What I would like to know is what percentage of HD parts and accessories are actually made in the USA? At least Mr. Buell has the nads to tell people he is building a world bike with world class standards and American ingenuity! Lets give that man a harrumph! harrumph! harrumph! harrumph! | ||
| Lowflyer |
"...same etherial quality as my flatulence after eating broccoli and Stove top stuffing..."  My next bike will be a HD. | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Wow Cygnus_x1, you bought an orange Uly and you are in the HVAC field? I think I will go behind the shed and shoot myself before someone mistakes me for you after you gave that opinion. BTW, Harleys are real motorcycles and have been since the beginning. Maybe you need to study motorcycle history more and quit worrying about other people's image. It's their money and you are free to ride any bike you want! | ||
| Royintulsa |
Harley has done more for motorcycling than any other motorcycle company that sells their product in this country. Look at all the imitations on the market. The other brands all praise Harley for raising the desire to own a motorcycle. They must be doing something right, I know of no other American company that has 20 straight years of increased sales and profit. I have never owned a Harley, but it is just a matter of time before I do. Someone PLEASE slip some Prozac in Cygnus_x1's beer before he makes another ridiculous post | ||
| Tcskeptic |
Not even an original rant, see: http://www.goingfaster.com/angst/noharley2.html | ||
| Cataract2 |
Hey, if owning a Harley is all about image I would love to have someone explain my parents riding habits. They bought their HD's used with 15,000-16,000 miles on them in Dec. 2003. They now have 40,000+ on them. Yes, they add little goodies to them for look, but hey, they ride them too. HD's are good for what they are, cruisers. They're not made to be go fast, they're made for comfort riding at normal road speeds. What ever floats your boat I say. | ||
| Grimace308 |
yeah, id be great if all that mattered was riding the bike you own but it isnt. for those of you who ride harleys with unmodded exhausts and actually put some miles on your bike, good for you. if you wear a real helmet and real protective gear, even better. these people are the exception and i agree that most of the lemming riders are as as original as you are while in the service. its not the motorcycle, its the attitude that comes with buying the motorcycle. its the attitude that somehow a $25,000 penis extension makes one more of a rider than the next guy on a honda or ducati. its the bar to bar to bar to bar riding that gets done with little to no riding gear on. its the pipes that cause car alarms to go off. its riding a bike that you CANT pick up without assistance if it tips over. i dont hate harleys, i hate the image, and you wont catch me on a harley...ever, its not my thing. people cant seen to come to grips that they want the image and are willing to pay for it. if comfort over the long haul was the real reson, there are a plethora of better bikes out there, but none of them has harley on the label or has the "harley" mystique. i cant stand squids either. btw, i took a nap earlier.  | ||
| Lowflyer |
What I can't figure out is what is so utterly lacking in a man's life that makes him sit around and ponder such bullshit. I reckon I am too busy minding my own business to be bothered with who rides what for which reasons.  Bikes are just plain fun to ride. | ||
| Cygnus_x1 |
Harley Davidson's stupidity, you ask? Hell no. Harley Davidson is about one of the smartest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. The stupidity can be traced right back to YOU, the unwitting public who buys what Milwaukee is selling and Milwaukee is selling only one thing; image. Image with no substance, image at a price. Anyone can ride a Harley, it just takes lots of money and very little brains. How else can you explain paying so much and receiving so little in return? Image. The target buyer for Harley Davidson, if I read their ads correctly, are male overweight, middle aged, sexually repressed ex-cons with an abundance of tattoos, body and facial hair, and odious personal habits. They also tend to have a severe leather fetish with a passion for chains, tassels, and metal studs. So, what does that make Harley Davidson? A Harley is the world's best selling motorized wheelchair for hippies and wannabes, and for those who would rather buy an reputation than earn one. These are just my opinions, but it explains why I don't like Harleys. I don't think that a Harley is an American bike. America stands for power, and that power is always bundled in fast, sleek, and innovative cutting edge packages. Harley stands for none of that, and it hasn't for about thirty years now. Harley Davidson isn't a motorcycle company, it is a cult religion. You don't ride a Harley Davidson so much as you worship it. You and every other little acolyte. A Harley Davidson is a rolling altar to mediocrity, you bend your knees and you pray to a pagan idol of chrome and leather for the pitiful life that you glean from it. That is the only way that I can see why so many people are so clueless when it comes to motorcycles. They can't stand on their own, they aren't tough enough to be individuals, so they have to reinforce their own self image with artificial constructs. Joseph Campbell would have a field day with the average Harley owner, I think that Harley Davidson is another of the 'masks of God' that Campbell once talked about so richly, or one of the supposed nine thousand names for God. Harley Davidson. It's not a motorcycle company. It is a pagan cult religion for brain dead trend humping fashion lemmings. Written by Christopher T. Shields, October 18, 1993. I have to agree with this guy, and only because I had one, and everything he said was right. I bought into all that, and still was nothing! Sorry if your so offended. I know the truth hurts, and people dont want to hear it. | ||
| Grimace308 |
dont worry lowflyer. i wouldnt expect anyone who rides a black uly to understand too much. :P | ||
| Lowflyer |
Grimace, Don't hate me because I'm heterosexual. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Cyg, I admire your ability to read that shit without falling asleep. Aside from wondering what kind of idiot takes the time to put a whole website together spewing this crap, all I could think about by around the second paragraph was how damn boring it is. "I bought into all that, and still was nothing!" This reads like you have self-esteem issues. You should never buy a product based on what image you think it will project for you. Buy what you like and be happy with yourself for who you are. | ||
| Court |
Harley-Davidson is an excellent motorcycle with one of the world's most fascinating business histories attached. Harley-Davidson is a legend regardless of your views on the present product. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Amen | ||
| Doon |
I used to be in the I will never own a Harley Camp, in fact http://www.am-jam.com/ is held right down the street from me. While they say it is for all brands, there is a heavy American Contigency there. On that weekend I would leave my Suzuki Cruiser in the garage and covered. Just because some of the over zealous of the group it attracted. I got into motorcycling cause it is fun. I'll be the first to admit that I started out as a squid (my so called friends at the time were also and I didn't know better). Now I only ride with Full face Helmets, and full riding gear. Weather it is on a sport bike or my cruiser. Now that being said, after hanging around in the Harley Dealers (mostly looking at the Buells), I noticed that I really like the way the harleys look. So my next cruiser is probably going to be an HD. No I am not going to put huge loud pipes on it. I will probably change out to a more touring like seat, and some bigger saddle bags, but I just going to go ride it. My Buell is my Sixth bike and I have never put bigger pipes on any of them. Although I have add some bits to make them prettier, most of my mods have been functional. ALso the experience I had buying my Buell and watching the Dealer interact with the other customers and their after the sale care has also made we want to come back and do business with them. So if it is an image that I am buying into, so be it. Sure I am getting older, am a little pudgy, have Tattoo's (but I don't think A FreeBSD Daemon and a Shebang are the type people are talking about). BUt I don't have an abundance of hair, and am certainly not an ex con  | ||
| Lorazepam |
I am guessing Cygnus got pissed cause someone called his Buell a harley. BFD. I ride what I like, and really dont give a dang what others think of my bike. | ||
| Cygnus_x1 |
Nope! Not pissed, I just thought that was funny, (and true) and like I said I had a FXDWG, it was way fun and reliable enough. I DO love my Buells, I like the way the motor shakes, I dont care if it sputters, I like the way it handles, and I like the looks,and I like the fact thats its American made, I dont need all the chrome and leather crap hanging from it. If I was loaded I'd take a look at the Road Glide, or an Electra Glide Standard. But most guys I now on Harleys are shallow posers, who think their bike makes them a bad ass, and then make it useless as possible to gain style points.?  | ||
| Craven |
I am glad Harley is doing well because it means better dealer support for my Uly.I would never consider owning a HD but I try to live and let live.I have seen some very poor examples of human beings riding all different brands of motorcycles.Would there ever been a Uly if HD was not doing so well? |
