The Gold Wing made Harley Davidson take a reality look at itself.

**99fxst99** · 05-03-2021, 12:03 PM

You could buy a Harley (I had 3) and know that you could get parts and better yet accessories for years to come, as the bikes were similar in the families (Softail, Dyna, Electra Glide, etc) and the bikes would be produced for a while, not one year wonders. Made for a very large and profitable aftermarket industry. And as said earlier, when was the last time you saw someone with Honda tatooed on them?

**JPEROG** · 05-03-2021, 12:32 PM

I have switched over to BMWs, Ducatis and KTMs. These all come with great components and have excellent performance right off the showroom floor. The old R series BMWs have become very collectable and are dependable-I have a really nice original 1969 R60/5 with 5000 miles on it that I ride a few minutes every couple weeks. I also still have a V-Max 1200 that I built 10 years ago (4th that i have owned over the years, and like an STV, you miss them when you don't have one). The only other jap street bike that I still have is a Kawaski Concours 1400 with a Mr. Turbo kit on it (292 RWHP bagger with good brakes and handling) I need to put the Heli bar kit on it like Cuda has.

Bikes are fun and easier to have around then cars or boats (concerning storage and use). My son is just starting to show interest so we will see where that takes us.

Joe

**XstreamVking** · 05-03-2021, 01:12 PM

I have had my share of close calls and near death experiences on busy streets with big bikes. Done with that. I still like to swing a leg over on my son's suzuki 400 DRZ and hit the 2 lane back roads and then check out some remote dirt trails along the way.

**oldschoolltv** · 05-03-2021, 04:07 PM

Harleys are like Jeep’s they are not number one in quality but have one Hell of a following.

**JPEROG** · 05-03-2021, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by oldschoolltv

Harleys are like Jeep’s they are not number one in quality but have one Hell of a following.

100% agree that they are not the best quality but they do take an ass whoopin' and do continue to run with many things doing the vibration dance all its life. I remember sitting at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis watching Kid Rock and the guys firing up their bikes after every song then
hanging them on the limiter for what felt like forever. I remember thinking I should have a catchers mitt for the exhaust valves that were going to be headed my way but none did even with the header pipes glowing red in the dark (Alcohol affects are something else). Also to Harleys credit, they do listen to their customer base and make changes based on customer input. The new bikes are the best bikes from my point of view. -liquid cooled heads allowing for more compression equaling more performance. Better, updated styling, electronics, stereos etc.

Joe

**Instigator** · 05-03-2021, 05:56 PM

One of the funniest things I’ve seen was Harley defining and patenting their exhaust sound.

When the news surfaced that they were trying to do that to combat the jap the crap that was coming across the pond I thought it was hilarious!

Who could do that and how?

And then one of my bike magazines reported that they pulled it off.

They defined the sound as “potato, potato, potato, potato“.

And I thought, damned if they didn’t hit the nail on the head!

Leave it to American ingenuity :-)

Originally Posted by JPEROG

Instigator,

You are right about the mid 80s V-twins Virago, Intruder, Shadow, and Vulcan (none of them sounded like an H.D. and as hard as the aftermarket exhaust guys tried, it has never been there). H.D. was smart to patent the sound when they were under attack by the Japs. The VTX is a bullet proof bike but doesn't have the personality of an H.D. The V-star was also a failed attempt but I liked the Warrior because it was performance oriented and so were the guys that bought them.

For those who have not experienced a new 117 H.D. or the 120 kit that they offer, you should check them out. I will probably not buy one anytime soon but they do listen to their customers and are building bikes with 100+ H.P. now. I think back on all of the time and money spent with Jerry Branch, Nigel Patrick, Zippers, and S & S to get what now comes close right off the showroom floor is proof of them taking customer input seriously.

Joe

**Instigator** · 05-03-2021, 05:59 PM

We have a huge bike shop in Columbus that carries basically everything but Harley so of course they’re Indian line has a huge presence.
And I am not in that target market but they’re freaking Indians are gorgeous!!

Their attention to detail, understanding of styling, they are building some gorgeous bikes boys!

Originally Posted by Tin Man 2

Harley still dominates the big bike market, the only serious competition is from Indian. Does Honda still make a Gold wing?

**JPEROG** · 05-03-2021, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by Instigator

We have a huge bike shop in Columbus that carries basically everything but Harley so of course they’re Indian line has a huge presence.
And I am not in that target market but they’re freaking Indians are gorgeous!!

Their attention to detail, understanding of styling, they are building some gorgeous bikes boys!

The race bikes are incredible and you can buy one if you have the horsepower. I would love to have one and make it a street tracker. We have a dealer who seems to be doing well in Daytona also.

Joe

**Instigator** · 05-03-2021, 07:32 PM

Yep

Their 1200 flat trackers are bad ass!

Same attention to detail as their land yachts.

I think 3 different models and all are gorgeous.
If I was 21 again and wanted a Hooligan bike, it would be that or a Triumph Thruxton, also a gorgeous bike!

Originally Posted by JPEROG

The race bikes are incredible and you can buy one if you have the horsepower. I would love to have one and make it a street tracker. We have a dealer who seems to be doing well in Daytona also.

Joe

**JPEROG** · 05-03-2021, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Instigator

Yep

Their 1200 flat trackers are bad ass!

Same attention to detail as their land yachts.

I think 3 different models and all are gorgeous.
If I was 21 again and wanted a Hooligan bike, it would be that or a Triumph Thruxton, also a gorgeous bike!

I keep waiting for a Lawwill street tracker to come up but he only built 25 if I remember correctly and they still bring big bucks. The next time I am down at the Triumph dealer I will take a picture of the race bike for sale in his showroom (top shelf) but he will take no less then 33K.

Joe

**Instigator** · 05-04-2021, 06:15 AM

I subscribe to a classic bike magazine and they featured a readers bike which was a mid ‘70’s Kawi KZ400 that they converted to a woods bike.
I loved it!

We live in the country where we have a ton of gravel/dirt roads making me think of building a flat tracker for our roads.........

The American Motorcyclist Assoc is based near me and has a killer museum w/rotating exhibits.
Last time I was there, they had a display of the full history of Harley flat trackers.
Way cool!

Originally Posted by JPEROG

I keep waiting for a Lawwill street tracker to come up but he only built 25 if I remember correctly and they still bring big bucks. The next time I am down at the Triumph dealer I will take a picture of the race bike for sale in his showroom (top shelf) but he will take no less then 33K.

Joe

**JPEROG** · 05-04-2021, 10:04 AM

Some day I hope to have an XR750 hanging in my office. The new Vance and Hines HG 750s are beautiful bikes as well. We went to the National dirt track event in March and talked with them "we are still chasing the Indians"...

https://vanceandhines.com/pages/production-twins

Joe

**XstreamVking** · 05-04-2021, 10:37 AM

There's a group of guys that have Ducati's that ride most sundays around my area. 6-8 of them. Those things sound mean. Very unique sound they make.

**oldschoolltv** · 05-04-2021, 04:27 PM

I think 3 different models and all are gorgeous.
If I was 21 again and wanted a Hooligan bike, it would be that or a Triumph Thruxton, also a gorgeous bike![/QUOTE]

Triump Thruxton, Buell Firebolt or Ducati Monster are all on my list of non-Honda bikes I want.

**Instigator** · 05-04-2021, 04:41 PM

Every time I go to the shop by us, that Truxton stops me dead in my ****ing tracks dude!
And they always have five or six of them and every different configuration you can imagine!

All of them stunning.

To me it just looks like a really, really good combination of power and light weight, enough to do everything I would want it to do.

And yes a Buell is on my list too.

Originally Posted by oldschoolltv

I think 3 different models and all are gorgeous.
If I was 21 again and wanted a Hooligan bike, it would be that or a Triumph Thruxton, also a gorgeous bike!

Triump Thruxton, Buell Firebolt or Ducati Monster are all on my list of non-Honda bikes I want.[/QUOTE]