deanw
Well-known member
I'll admit, I don't get the HD thing.
OK, so you can buy a bike that's "Made in America". Well, sort of. I mean, a lot of the interesting bits (suspension, electronics) are made overseas, but it was *built* in the USA. Just like a GoldWing...
So, you get this bike, and it's kind of... crappy. Motor sucks, brakes need work. Well, that's OK (?) because there's this huge aftermarket. First, you gotta open up the pipes- you wouldn't actually ride that thing with those quiet pipes, would you? The dealer will ridicule you if you try to ride away with stock pipes. Then, well, you'll need to rejet the carbs. Hey, put a stage I kit (whatever that is) in it. Now, (if you're lucky and a competent mechanic was mucking with your BRAND NEW bike) you've got a decent paint sha... er, motor.
But the brakes still suck. Well, mostly they squeal a lot, but you can't hear them over the friggin' loud pipes from the previous step. Well, that's OK, you can buy Screeching Eagle SS brake lines, and replace the seals so it'll take DOT-4 (higher boiling point than DOT-5; you do want to USE those brakes, right?). Know why they come with DOT-5 in them? Because if you spill some (and DOT-5 isn't hydroscopic, so you'll need to change it 2x/year or the water will destroy your brake system) it won't eat your fancy paint job...
So, what I've come to realize is that HDs are effectively kit bikes. This supports a friend's* opinion that most HDs any more are "potato-head" bikes- you know, like the Mr. PotatoHead toy you used to have as a kid? Just bolt on new bits to change what it looks like. OK, so it's a kit bike. Why, then, does it cost (out of the box), twice as much as the bike you're going to try to turn it into (after spending another $4-5K on the performance upgrades)?
I know a fair number of people who are really cool, actually ride their bikes, some go for the whole "scene", some don't- but I dunno, the HD koolaid just tastes funny to me... tastes a lot like p!ss. :bad:
*Oh, this friend, in particular, rides a '62 Panhead (hardtail, duh) with a 12" over front end, suicide shift, no front brake, no button starter- he's had it since the mid-70s, and it's the only street bike he's ever owned. Carries tools and parts to rebuild practically anything that can go wrong with that bike, which happens less frequently than you might guess. He's ridden it (from the west coast) to Sturgis and Laughlin; from Portland (OR) to Laguna Seca (he used to race a FZR400 and is a rabid motorcycle racing fan).
OK, so you can buy a bike that's "Made in America". Well, sort of. I mean, a lot of the interesting bits (suspension, electronics) are made overseas, but it was *built* in the USA. Just like a GoldWing...
So, you get this bike, and it's kind of... crappy. Motor sucks, brakes need work. Well, that's OK (?) because there's this huge aftermarket. First, you gotta open up the pipes- you wouldn't actually ride that thing with those quiet pipes, would you? The dealer will ridicule you if you try to ride away with stock pipes. Then, well, you'll need to rejet the carbs. Hey, put a stage I kit (whatever that is) in it. Now, (if you're lucky and a competent mechanic was mucking with your BRAND NEW bike) you've got a decent paint sha... er, motor.
But the brakes still suck. Well, mostly they squeal a lot, but you can't hear them over the friggin' loud pipes from the previous step. Well, that's OK, you can buy Screeching Eagle SS brake lines, and replace the seals so it'll take DOT-4 (higher boiling point than DOT-5; you do want to USE those brakes, right?). Know why they come with DOT-5 in them? Because if you spill some (and DOT-5 isn't hydroscopic, so you'll need to change it 2x/year or the water will destroy your brake system) it won't eat your fancy paint job...
So, what I've come to realize is that HDs are effectively kit bikes. This supports a friend's* opinion that most HDs any more are "potato-head" bikes- you know, like the Mr. PotatoHead toy you used to have as a kid? Just bolt on new bits to change what it looks like. OK, so it's a kit bike. Why, then, does it cost (out of the box), twice as much as the bike you're going to try to turn it into (after spending another $4-5K on the performance upgrades)?
I know a fair number of people who are really cool, actually ride their bikes, some go for the whole "scene", some don't- but I dunno, the HD koolaid just tastes funny to me... tastes a lot like p!ss. :bad:
*Oh, this friend, in particular, rides a '62 Panhead (hardtail, duh) with a 12" over front end, suicide shift, no front brake, no button starter- he's had it since the mid-70s, and it's the only street bike he's ever owned. Carries tools and parts to rebuild practically anything that can go wrong with that bike, which happens less frequently than you might guess. He's ridden it (from the west coast) to Sturgis and Laughlin; from Portland (OR) to Laguna Seca (he used to race a FZR400 and is a rabid motorcycle racing fan).
