How do Suzuki riders feel about Harleys?

[Texas Jay]

I have three main impressions of Harleys, which may/may not be true:

1) they're nice-looking bikes (maybe the best),
2) they're over-priced, and
3) they tend to have more "quality issues" than the Japanese bikes (although that gap has narrowed a bit).

One of my friends has a Harley 1550. He goes to Sturges (sp?) every other year and he loves his bike. Another friend has a Harley 1400, and he loves his bike. They appear to be fine machines. But the *only* thing I really care about is quality. That's why I bought a Suzuki. The Intruder has a solid reputation for reliability (I'm lucky because I also like the way it looks).

Any other thoughts on Harleys? I don't have a hidden agenda; I'm just curious.

[Gixxerdale]

HAD one years ago.
I like riding to much, and to far, to own another one. But they are great for posing!

[md2lgyk]

Most are nice looking. All are way too expensive for what you get. I do sometimes wish my Marauder had that thumpy, about-to-die idle that some HDs have.

[tlwisner]

H-Ds are nice bikes. They don't use a lot of plastic like Suzuki does, and the seperate engine and transmission is another nice feature. You get what you pay for to some extent. For what I paid for my C50, I could not have done better. I hear a lot of jokes about H-D reliability, but I see lots of old H-Ds being ridden still.

H-Ds are good bikes if that's what you want. If you want to spend less, well you have lots of options there too.

Ride what you like, no need to bash other brands.

[Uncle Bob]

Harley has made great strides in the last few years, quality control is top notch now and their bikes are great and have that patent pending POTATOPOTATO sound.

Oh sure there are a bunch of metrics available just as capable at a lower price but let's be honest every bike has it's foibles and I don't think Harley's have any more problems than any other cruiser out there.

Aftermarket parts, need I say more..............

As for the price issue they are probably the bikes that retain the highest retail percentage of their initial cost. So when you factor in the resale value of your bike the discrepency in cost between a Metric and a Harley isn't really that great.

Oh and for you Americans it's keeps your economy running, up here it's just another import.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Oh and for you Americans it's keeps your economy running, up here it's just another import.

Is that still the case? I had heard that Harley was now buying some of the components from Honda

Several of my neighbors have Harleys and others ride Buells. As I have posted before, I was looking at the V-ROD until I found the GSX 1400. I bought the Suzuki because it was more suited to my personal riding style. A Harley is a "point it straight and go 100 miles" bike, or "spend the weekend polising the chrome" poser bike.

My personal style is more varied, I like to ride the twisties, sometimes longer motorway rides, sometimes just hop on the bike to go drop off something at the post office. My bike gets washed when it's dirty, and the pipes get polished when I have time, not before every ride! That's why I picked the GSX 1400.

I think that Harley riders would get more "respect" from the rest of the motorcycle community if they wouldn't take themselves so seriously. Hey, it won't kill you to wave back when another biker waves! Try it - trust me! Even those of us with full-face helmets and textile jackets can be cool ... even without the orange stripe across the chest (and at half the price).

[soultosoul13]

i think harleys are great! great look, great sound, great feel. i just think the are sorely overpriced. in my experience you get a whole lot more for you money from a japanese bike.

[ElBandito]

Originally Posted by tlwisner

Ride what you like, no need to bash other brands.

Mmmm, I don't want to bash, I'd just like to quote a T-shirt I saw at some time:

"If they made an airplane, would you fly it ?"

All styled in the original HD logo & colors.


I rest my case

[oldgeezer]

Harley's are great bikes with great looks and sound. No problems with the bikes but some of the Harley owners are a little uppity. However, you have that with any group, cruiser riders vs sport bike riders, etc. To me, the most important things are, buy and ride the best you can afford, enjoy the ride, be safe and be nice to everyone, including those in cages.

[Hardware]

Originally Posted by ElBandito

Mmmm, I don't want to bash, I'd just like to quote a T-shirt I saw at some time:

"If they made an airplane, would you fly it ?"

All styled in the original HD logo & colors.


I rest my case

You mean these?

[axel_2078]

Harley's are ok in my book, but I'd rather have something more affordable with a warranty I don't have to take out an additional loan for That's why I ride a Marauder.

[c50tiger]

Agree 100% that their quality control has made tremendous advances in the past decade. As far as the older HD's still running... well, how many hours of labor have gone into getting them running and keeping them running? And it's my understanding that the origins of that thumping exhaust note were in poor engine design. Now it's designed, back then it was a side effect of an engine that would barely keep running at idle.

Bottom line, yes.. if I had $20k(US) sitting around gathering dust I'd buy one in a New York second. But I wouldn't give up my Suzuki to do it. Besides, twice in the past 6 weeks I've had people come up and compliment me on my great looking Harley. I just point at the Suzuki label on the rear fender and grin. The second guy stood there for a second, then said, "[explitive deleted], what'd you pay for that, about $17,000?" Ok, so he was a dumb@ss, but I told him to knock a bit over $10K off of that and he'd be in the right neighborhood.

[Texas Jay]

Just to be sure, my intention was *not* to knock Harleys. I have three friends with Harleys and they're extremely happy with them. Maybe I'll buy one someday ... but I doubt it. The only way I'd leave the Suzuki brand is if I got stuck with a lemon. The chances of that happening are pretty slim.

[cobra marauder]

I was just riding this summer all by myself, when three bikes came up from behind. All three bikes were Harley Dressers. All of them shined up and sounding good. These three guys pulled up next to me at the next lite and asked if they could join me. After about four more lites they were still stumped at what kind of bike I was on. We all pulled into a gas station to get some gas, when the one noticed it was a SUZUKI. He laughed and asked how much I paid for it. I told him $3500 used ( 98 Marauder 800 ). They all laughed and said they all felt like asses for paying what they did and refused to tell me what they paid. They all were impressed at the looks and sound of my bike. I have Cobra pipes on it. Needless to say I made three friends that day. They all still pick on me for owning a *JAP* bike. But when we go places they get a kick out of all the attention my bike gets compared to theirs. When that happens I just hold up a couple of bills and smile. Its not about the bike ( totally ), But its mostly the RIDE..........

[LindaB]

Until Harley came out with the Softail Deluxe for 2005, I never really found a Harley that peaked my interest but not sure I can justify $18,000+ for any bike when the riding season is so short. Hubby rides a Harley and so do most of his friends we ride with. I love it when people walk by all those bikes to take a look at my Volusia which happens just about every time we stop somewhere. Yup, hubby's arguement is also the great resale value but I don't want to buy for resale value .... I buy to RIDE! Just the other day as we're going down the highway I'm thinking .... it feels great just to be out with the wind in my face would it be any better, would I be having any more fun on a Harley? Probably not !

[sunny]

when i was looking for a bike to purchase the only one that fit me was the savage. even the sportsters are too big. and i did not want to buy something and have to make modifications right off.

oh yeah. and they were too pricey.

funny thing about owning a savage, is that the single cylinder intrigues most of these harley guys. i'll go somewhere and inevitably some harley guy will be staring at my bike with a puzzled look on his face... and i'm thinking "no, you don't have to have a v-twin to get out on the highway and have fun."

[inspiron]

Warning:

Originally Posted by c50tiger

And it's my understanding that the origins of that thumping exhaust note were in poor engine design. Now it's designed, back then it was a side effect of an engine that would barely keep running at idle.

Don't underestimate that ... the original SWATCH watches also had a design "error" that caused them to tick very loud. When the engineers wanted to 'fix' it a couple of years later, they were told not to, because it hat become a kind of trademark. Lots of innovation is made "by accident" ...

[oldgeezer]

Actually, the Sportster is the worst bike of the Harley line to try to learn on because the seat height and the higher center of gravity. A better bike is a Dyna Low Rider but you are talking about over $16,000. That's alot when there are so many other functional bikes available.

[zacman]

Me personally,, If I could afford a HD,, I would have one. Love the looks, the power and yes,, the SOUND!!!

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by ElBandito

Mmmm, I don't want to bash, I'd just like to quote a T-shirt I saw at some time:
"If they made an airplane, would you fly it ?"
All styled in the original HD logo & colors.
I rest my case

Ignorance is bliss.....