| Author | Message | ||
     Dave_02_1200 |
I wonder if the people who are making the new ads for Harley Davidson have ever ridden a motorcycle. The TV ads for the new "Switchback" play loud tension-inducing, obnoxious music and show people riding, but it doesn't look like they are having any fun doing it. "Tour Light - Cruise Heavy".."Moods Swing" What? Let's see: Not enough luggage to really tour but too cumbersome for spirited street riding - and bipolar too. Sounds just great, right? I can think of at least a dozen motorcycle ads that made me want to ride the bike in the ad including: Triumph, Norton, Buell, Honda, and Suzuki. But my favorite was the Kawasaki ad where the guy was riding along on a nice day on his way to work but was having so much fun that he "just kept on going". I think every guy who saw that ad wanted to go out and get a motorcycle. Those ads were written by people who had a clue about what makes motorcycles special. The new HD "No Cages" ads just miss the point. | ||
| Fahren |
...add it to the list. "What else can we screw up, Keith?" | ||
| Coxster |
Having owned a Buell for a full week  I can agree completely! How about starting a thread where we post links to bike ads on the internet. Jim Cox Proud Buell Owner (Former HD Owner) | ||
| Fasted |
the anarchistic ad concerning freeing the caged dogs is another questionable approach...it doesn't offend me of piss me off, but it is stupid. i guess it is supposed to give us a bit of that "outlaw" feel combined with a warm and fuzzy puppy angle. it misses the mark if they are trying to attract folks willing to dump$10,000-$4,000 on a toy. i am unmoved by their campaign......(i would like an xr with the storz race kit and about 75 pounds less fat, tho)  | ||
| Buellistic |
Nice XL1200X"RR" BUELLSPORTSTER !!! | ||
| Gmaan03 |
The Xr's are nice bikes, but why the heck does HD stay with the old style frames? Have you ever seen a bagger going down the road? they shake and whobble when changing lanes! | ||
| Buellistic |
Because the 1957 SPORTSTER FRAME looked like that !!! | ||
| Gmaan03 |
I guess 1957 was a good year! | ||
| Fahren |
Moto Guzzi had/still has a better approach, and similar in some ways to HD: don't mess with a successful package too much. Their California models still use the Tonti frame, which is a great piece of work. They still have the air-cooled V-twin motors set up the same way as...since forever. Just added product improvements along the way: tubeless tires, fuel injection, etc. The Cali hasn't been around as long as the Sporty, though, but the basic Guzzi with Tonti frame has. | ||
| Desertfox |
You know what I want to see in an ad? A complete description of the workings of the bike and why THIS machine is the one you need. I'm tired of all these ads that advertise a feeling instead of a product. | ||
| Rick_a |
  I'm a huge fan of the prev. gen. XL. They are among the only bikes other than Buell I'd own...but their marketing has always been hokey and is currently cheesier than ever. Ever watch the old 883 Twin Sports/SuperTwins races back in the day? Seems the rubber mount chassis doesn't handle any better. With modern race tires the XR1200's seem to wobble into/out of corners worse than anything else I've seen. | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
883 Twin Sports first got me interested in owning a Sportster. Then I saw Gene Church ride the Lucifer's Hammer bike at BIR where he beat the Adamo Ducati. That made me really want a Sportster. But when I went to the dealer for a test ride with checkbook in hand, I was so unimpressed with the lack of power, braking, and handling that I went home on my Triumph Bonneville which was better an almost every way. The 883 Twin Sports racing program did make me think long and hard about owning a Sportster and that is what advertising is supposed to do. Now I think a first generation Evo Sportster with motor and suspension upgrades set up like an 883 Twin Sports bike would be great. | ||
| Buellistic |
HARLEY-DAVIDSON always made a good, reliable motorcycles if you took care of them properly ... Off the show room floor a RACE JOB they are not !!! "BUT" if you TUNE the suspension, put go fast parts in the engine, and up grade the brakes on a tight ROAD RACE COURSE it will get the job done !!! | ||
| 46champ |
Any one know where the swing arm came from on the second 883? | ||
| Buellistic |
Looks like a little BUELL technology to me ... | ||
| Chauly |
I suspected something was wrong when I was at Daytona Bike Week, H-D Demo rides, waiting in line, listening to the canned music on the PA, and watching my fellow liners humming along to The Hondells "Little Honda"... Seriously? | ||
| Coxster |
Chauly that one needs a 'like' button! LOL | ||
| Rick_a |
It may not be it, but JMC makes a very similar swingarm. They're available with standard or eccentric adjusters. I've heard that the company is hard to get a hold of, as is the product itself. | ||
| Fullauto |
I'd love to see ads with itemised service costs and the retail price of often used parts. Some companies would never sell another bike. | ||
| Coxster |
" . . Includes 2 yr unlimited mileage warranty . . which is why a buddy had to sell his electraglide. Two warranty repairs on shifter linkage using identical crappy oem part as the one that failed, AND you get to do a $500 service every 5,000 miles at a proper dealership to keep the warranty up - true story | ||
| Buellistic |
My son-in-law just bought a NEW "ROAD GLIDE ULTRA" ... His first SERVICE was $300.00 dollars ... "i" would never pay that much for an oil change and don'nt tell me they do this and that as AMF does not own HARLEY-DAVIDSON any more !!! If you have not learned to be your own MECHANIC you better get the necessary FACTORY BOOKS for your YEAR/MODEL and LEARN ... Saw a few of things that could be PRODUCT IMPROVED ... One was where the linkage goes through the engine case and there is no GREASE FITTING ... | ||
| Coxster |
Buellistic = Genius! I now own a 12 yr old bike I get to turn wrenches on and repair/improve/enjoy/etc. When I can't ride I can tinker ( exhaust will get some attention this winter  I'll have another H-D some day, but I'll buy used and not go near the dealership for much of anything! | ||
| Chauly |
"Saw a few of things that could be PRODUCT IMPROVED ... One was where the linkage goes through the engine case and there is no GREASE FITTING ..." Perhaps they are relying on oil weepage to keep it lubricated? | ||
| Rick_a |
You guys complaining about H-D service costs have never brought an import cruiser to a stealership for service. They're just as expensive, only most owners skip most services. People then bring 'em in when they get loud or something fails and expect it fixed for free. |
