Harley Davidson is Company of the Year

[christianl]

why are we still talking about this,its obvious to me that no will change the others mind on this topic so in the immortal words of rodney king"cant we all just get along"?

[xlr8r]

Lighten up, starving; you have to be able to take it as well as dish it out. Longride is right when he says that having ridden the bikes (and in their proper era) gives a very different viewpoint from simply talking about them. Anyway, buying a bike is only tangentially about money. For the cost of a bike you could have a car, which would keep you dry and let you take your friends along as well. Every biker knows this, but chooses to buy a bike for reasons which are beyond mere money - and probably beyond reason, too. So you find one which gives as much in these invisible values as you are prepared or able to pay in money, and you do the deal. If it isn't worth it to you, then don't buy it. Simple as that.

[work2fish]

Harley has done a fantastic maintaining its monopoly of American Cruisers. They could have gotten lost pursuing dirt bikes, racebikes, standards, and every other kind of bike. But they stuck to what they did best, and what their loyal customers wanted most. Sure, they cost way too much compared to any other bike out there, but if you want a Harley, you pay for a Harley. If you dial in resale value, they are actually a good buy.



I got a free '78 Suzuki GS750 with less than 20,000 miles on it. Sunk about $400 into it and it rides like new: 120 mph, solid, good handling. Would anyone ever give me a free '78 Harley that just needed routine maintenance? I don't think so.



And when you get a Harley, you also get a whole bunch of loyal friends who will do anything to help you out. Maybe Goldwing riders can say that, but that's about it.



Congratulations Harley-Davidson, you've hung onto your monopoly well. I believe you'll keep your monopoly too, because as we Jap bikers age (42 now) we want a bike with good resale that's never obsolete.

[zx6r-squid]

Karl,



Thanks for that insight. As a sportbike rider of 10 years, and performance oriented, your points and counter points were well taken. I am always scratching my head as to the allure of HD. Your objective disertation answered many of those questions without ramming the "be American, buy American" line down our throats.



thanks

ride on; shiny side up!

[grover750]

If you know where to look, you can establish friendships with many different bikes. I can attest to your goldwing statement ('78 GL1000), but I've gotten just as much help/advice from the SOHC honda mailing list I'm on (for my '77 750F). I really think bikers go out of their way to help each other. I've never in my life passed a lone motorcyclist on the side of the road, and have never been alone very long when I've been on the side of the road. I've helped HD riders, and they've helped me.



As far as making friends so you can take huge group rides, could someone explain that to me? Why is it more fun to be in a group of 15 bikes going 53mph and stopping every 30 minutes (for 30 minutes) than riding the speed you want to ride at, all alone, enjoying the scenery (instead of staring at someone's back), being able to be in the correct tire track, and stopping when YOU need to stop?



I don't get it,



grover750

[fishinaggie78]

What does that mean "In the two years of Evo (1999)" ? They were made many more years than only two! My FXR is an Evo and it's a '93. I thought they started putting out the Evo in the mid-eighties after AMF sold the company stock back to the employees in 1984. Enlighten me, I'm hungry for knowledge.

[PsychoBueller]

I think you're right. The EVO came out in 1984 and sales have been very stong ever since.