2010 Harley-Davidson Road Glide vs. 2010 Victory Cross Country

[sarnali2]

Good job for Victory, they're putting out some excellent bikes these days. I checked them out at the Seattle IMS last weekend and was pretty impressed.

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by bmwclay

Why doesn't Harley just put the V-Rod engine in all their bikes (including the Sportsters) and be done with it?

Because they like selling motorcycles and making a profit.

[bmwclay]

That's my point! They're NOT selling motorcycles and they're NOT making a profit. They are laying off workers and they are closing plants. Their target audience are dying off and the young buyers are'nt buying. The average buyer, not knowing the Harley 'mystic', are looking at 800 lbs. and 60 hp and laughing all the way to the Honda dealer. Harley won't be able to make the aircooled motor pass Epa regulations much longer. They even computerized their EFI to turn off the rear cylinder at under 5 mph or it will burn up. It's like taking your dead grandma out for a walk. Give me a 105 hp liquid-cooled Porsche-designed engine in a sporty frame or put one in a 2011 Street Glide and watch the sales come back!

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by bmwclay

That's my point! They're NOT selling motorcycles and they're NOT making a profit. They are laying off workers and they are closing plants. Their target audience are dying off and the young buyers are'nt buying. The average buyer, not knowing the Harley 'mystic', are looking at 800 lbs. and 60 hp and laughing all the way to the Honda dealer. Harley won't be able to make the aircooled motor pass Epa regulations much longer. They even computerized their EFI to turn off the rear cylinder at under 5 mph or it will burn up. It's like taking your dead grandma out for a walk. Give me a 105 hp liquid-cooled Porsche-designed engine in a sporty frame or put one in a 2011 Street Glide and watch the sales come back!

Right. I'm sure you'd run right out and buy one. LOL! Just like all those guys who said they would buy a Buell if Eric put in a "proper engine. He did. They didn't.

Actually HD is selling bikes and so are the other manufacturers. Just not as many.

American Suzuki Layoff Workers - Suzuki Sportbike News - Motorcycle USA

Maybe Suzuki needs to take your advice and put V-rod engines in all their bikes too.

[longride]

"The average buyer, not knowing the Harley 'mystic', are looking at 800 lbs. and 60 hp and laughing all the way to the Honda dealer. "

To go buy what?


"Give me a 105 hp liquid-cooled Porsche-designed engine in a sporty frame or put one in a 2011 Street Glide and watch the sales come back!"

You mean the same way they came back for Buell when they put a 'real motor' in their bike?? How's Buell doing these days?

[Buzglyd]

Originally Posted by bmwclay

Why doesn't Harley just put the V-Rod engine in all their bikes (including the Sportsters) and be done with it?

Because the Vrod engine is in a VRod and it doesn't sell.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

Because the Vrod engine is in a VRod and it doesn't sell.

I especially love the "young buyers aren't buying" claim that everyone who's never set foot in an HD shop seems to believe. Hang around one for a while and see if you don't see a lot of younger guys in there. They get older. Then they buy.

[longride]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

I especially love the "young buyers aren't buying" claim that everyone who's never set foot in an HD shop seems to believe. Hang around one for a while and see if you don't see a lot of younger guys in there. They get older. Then they buy.

Gotta also love the 'Harley isn't selling any bikes' quotes. Who, other than Honda, sells more bikes than Harley in the US? I'd love to know that.

[sarnali2]

The rear cylinder shuts off at idle, not under 5 mph and it's for comfort, not so it won't burn up. The 96inchers throw off a lot of heat at idle as would any large displacement air cooled engine, shutting off the rear cylinder at idle reduces the amount of heat.

If you want to talk about overpriced POS bikes look no further than your BMW. They still can't make a fuel injection system that works, nor can they make a rear drive hub that will last any length of time nor can they get their overly complex canbus system to work properly, yet in true squarehead fashion they steadfastly deny there's a problem..... I believe the latest excuse for the K1300's sh*t EFI was that "contaminated fuel condenses on the throttle plates" I guess you can only use BMW gas in them eh?

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

The rear cylinder shuts off at idle, not under 5 mph and it's for comfort, not so it won't burn up. The 96inchers throw off a lot of heat at idle as would any large displacement air cooled engine, shutting off the rear cylinder at idle reduces the amount of heat.

If you want to talk about overpriced POS bikes look no further than your BMW. They still can't make a fuel injection system that works, nor can they make a rear drive hub that will last any length of time nor can they get their overly complex canbus system to work properly, yet in true squarehead fashion they steadfastly deny there's a problem..... I believe the latest excuse for the K1300's sh*t EFI was that "contaminated fuel condenses on the throttle plates" I guess you can only use BMW gas in them eh?

There's another BMW problem cropping up. Apparently in order to make the R1200 a lighter engine much material has been reduced in the case casting process. The new R1200s are totalling their engines in crashes that the earlier oilheads just laughed off. Cracked cases abound. The guys at Motorcycle R&R said that just about every crashed R1200 they've gotten in has been totalled. The older models survive crashes much better.

All the more reason to stick with the R1100/1150s until BMW gets its act together.