Talking a friend out of Harley

[painman]

Have to agree, try to steer your friend towards some training first. If he is set on a V-ROD at least out of most the HD bikes this one would have better power "and" better brakes. Personally, I would try to get a friend to buy used if never ridden before to see if they would like the experience. And there are pleanty of HD's around that people bought and thought it was the bike for them and soon found out either through a scary experience or that it just wasn't what they thought it would be and sold a totally farkled out new cruiser. There is also an option of him renting a bike before a purchase to give it a test drive first. Just suggestions. PM <>< :glasses:

 

[Mike-H]

Has anyone thought that maybe....just maybe....this could be a case of nature attempting to thin the herd....if he's intelligent he'll take a basic survival (MSF) course....if not....oh well....it's a tough sport....survival of the intelligent?....or most willing & able to change & adapt?.... ....

 

[Toecutter]

Has anyone thought that maybe....just maybe....this could be a case of nature attempting to thin the herd....if he's intelligent he'll take a basic survival (MSF) course....if not....oh well....it's a tough sport....survival of the intelligent?....or most willing & able to change & adapt?.... ....

Keithaba said it's his Friend. I think it's a case of a friend trying to keep another friend from getting thinned from the herd by nature.
Did somebody say 200 HP sport bike? :dribble:

 

[Mike-H]

& your point Toe? :huh: ....the old friends don't let friends deal?.... ....

 

[tripletango]

What the heck, if he wants a Vrod let him have one. As mentioned it ain't an R1, which could write him off within half a mile! The night rod is a good looking sucker if you like that kind of thing. Can you believe it, the HD line is making brembos available on some models including the Vrod. The bike handles well and it has a bonzer engine.

This is America and we are allowed to buy many things that will kill us with very little intervention by leglislators (epa and osha being the exceptions). If you want an intelligent safety approach then look at the rules for buying a bike in the UK - at least they try to keep the kids alive!

 

[rockmurf]

My friend, who will be a new rider, is convinced he should have a Harley V-Rod. I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.
I tried recommending a yamaha warrior (also probably too fast for a first bike) a honda shadow 750, a yamaha vstar 1100...

I keep telling him it's very likely he will drop it or go down within the first 6 months of riding (6 months, that's optomistic!).

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

Speaking as a Newb rider (well, potential rider as I have the bike bug, but not the bike cash ) I can certainly understand the allure of "One Particular Bike". Where I guess I lose contact with your friend's thinking is that I also understand the worth of a "beginner bike". Not to mention the value of the MSF course.

Just shopping around, I was amazed at just how unwieldy many bigger bikes are, at least as someone with zero experience. These bloody things are heavy! I also have the distinct displeasure of having helped pick-up the pieces (both mechanical and "organic") after coming upon multiple bike accidents. (I'm only 60 miles from the Dragon and even closer to the Smoky Mountains and love to run both in my cage.) Too much power + too little experience (and/or brains) = rider sausage.

I'm a fairly good sized fellow, but I'm thinking something like a V-strom 650 or Ninja 650-R will be my first bike. Plenty of people have recommended 1000cc bikes due to my size, but I guess I’m just too cautious. Plus it gives me a trade-in if I do decide to get something bigger in the future.

Just my ill-informed $.02

Excellent choices, especially the vstrom, just don't load the bike up with farkles, you will find you never get your money back, escpecially on the flashy/chrome stuff. Anything comfort or safety related is what I look at. I don't know what your size is but if you are under 260 you will do fine. Everett

 

[MikeYork5]

Seriously, HD is 99% image.

mg: Really? - IMHO you should postscript that with IMHO

What the heck, if he wants a Vrod let him have one. As mentioned it ain't an R1, which could write him off within half a mile! The night rod is a good looking sucker if you like that kind of thing. Can you believe it, the HD line is making brembos available on some models including the Vrod. The bike handles well and it has a bonzer engine.This is America and we are allowed to buy many things that will kill us with very little intervention by leglislators (epa and osha being the exceptions). If you want an intelligent safety approach then look at the rules for buying a bike in the UK - at least they try to keep the kids alive!

+1 bro - +1

 

[James Burleigh]

Did somebody say 200 HP sport bike?

No, I think they said "2008 Kawasaki Concours 14." :dribble:

I was unfaithful to my FJR (at least in the Jimmy Carter sense of the word) when I dropped her off yesterday at the Yamaha-Kawasaki dealer for a service. I started talking (fantasizing) about the new Concours with the dealer. I admit--I wanted one, I really wanted one! And all the time there was Baby, all splayed out under the mechanic's wrench just yards away.

I'm a monster!*

Jb

*So's that Kawi!!!!!

 

[odot]

Yes, they make highway bars/sliders for vrods. Better brakes? Me thinks not. Those things suck compared to the feej. The vrod I rode took super long to slow down.

 

[painman]

Yes, they make highway bars/sliders for vrods. Better brakes? Me thinks not. Those things suck compared to the feej. The vrod I rode took super long to slow down.

Sorry bout that Ray. Was comparin the VRod brakes with the other darling HD models....I know my old SoftTail needs some better brakes but didn't really understand until I bought the FeeJay. PM. <><

 

[HaulinAshe]

Seriously, HD is 99% image.

mg: Really? - IMHO you should postscript that with IMHO

You are right. I should probably post EVERYTHING I type with IMHO. It's the H part I consistently have trouble with. The O just seems to flow freely and often without warning, Pre or Post!

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Did somebody say 200 HP sport bike?

No, I think they said "2008 Kawasaki Concours 14." :dribble:

I was unfaithful to my FJR (at least in the Jimmy Carter sense of the word) when I dropped her off yesterday at the Yamaha-Kawasaki dealer for a service. I started talking (fantasizing) about the new Concours with the dealer. I admit--I wanted one, I really wanted one! And all the time there was Baby, all splayed out under the mechanic's wrench just yards away.

I'm a monster!*

Jb

*So's that Kawi!!!!!

I think your warning meter should be adversely affected because of this transgression!!! :devil:

 

[FJRottie]

What the heck, if he wants a Vrod let him have one.

Yeah, why not. Some people do fine with a larger bike their first time.

The best you can do is tell him about smart and safe riding and get him to take proper courses.

He seems set on having a VROD. His other options is to also get a smaller bike with it.

You can implant in his head that he may drop it, and he must be ready to fork out for repairs if it happens.

If you "TELL" him what he should do, then that will get ignored. It is better to reason with him and point out

possible mistakes/oversights and then let him decide based on information provided. Give him info to ponder.

 

[dhalen32]

Actually, the Street Rod member of the V-Rod family has midmounted pegs, brembo twin disc front brakes, 120 hp and some ground clearance. It's probably still not the best choice for a first bike. If his dealer runs a Rider's Edge program suggest that he get an NRC class thrown in as part of his deal. V-Rods don't sell particularly well so they quickly may accomodate that request for your friend if it seals the deal.

Dave

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

+1 on the Street Rod recco (if he's "dead" set on a V-Rod?) -- at least that one has 'rational' controls placement.

As to the other issues mentioned, I've remembered a couple dealer's comments:

A Suzuki Dealer to a distraught mom complaining about her injured son, "Listen lady, we just sell 'em -- we don't bury 'em."

A Kawasaki Dealer in confidence to me, "Well, that makes it 100% -- every one of the Ninjas I sold this year has been totaled."

To keithaba: maybe?, if he has to have a Harley?, try to steer him to one of the big-twin models -- if you're a believer in the motto "speed kills"?, (then) those bikes must be downright "safe".....

 

[PapaUtah]

Used Harley-Davidson™ Motorcycle Supply High - Pricing Declining Sharply

A recent survey of Harley-Davidson™ dealers yielded interesting feedback. All dealers indicated that used Harley-Davidson™ pricing had weakened markedly during the past year, as expected with a new engine and transmission on 2007 twin-cam motorcycles. 91% of the dealers said that used pricing was down significantly, with an average price decline of 9.6% Year-over-Year, VROD™ pricing has eroded even more.

1 year-old Harley-Davidson™ motorcycles are selling at an average 10% discount to MSRP. 2 to 3 year-old Harley -Davidson™ motorcycles are selling at an 18% discount to MSRP (it was an average 10% discount in the previous year).

I hope this isn’t catching on to other brands, but if you want a Milwaukee Mastodon there deals to be had.

I would be very skeptical when you hear a story of the very proud Harley-Davidson™ owner who tells you he sold his Harley-Davidson™ for more than/equal to the price he paid for it. (I always found it interesting how similar the ownership experience for Harley-Davidson™ owners and boat owners are. The two happiest days in their experience appears to be the day they buy it and the day they sell it.)

Weak pricing should help keep new prices from getting increasing too quickly. “Other” manufacturers will now have to compete on something other than strictly pricing as the Harley-Davidson™ premium appears to be waning.

 

[kindofblue]

Keith,

Consider taking him for a ride on your FJR, showing him how well it handles, brakes, etc. Then he'll have something to compare to when he test rides a VRod.

 

[unclekunkle]

I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.

I don't know Keithaba...when someone makes up their mind about something as important as a motorcycle, I think only he can alter the course of thinking. Didn't you buy what "you wanted" the first go-round ?

 

[keithaba]

I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.

I don't know Keithaba...when someone makes up their mind about something as important as a motorcycle, I think only he can alter the course of thinking. Didn't you buy what "you wanted" the first go-round ?

Yes! I did, I bought a honda 919. And it was too fast for a first bike. And I laid it down and busted up my ankle because I was inexperienced...... So I was just trying to prevent the same thing from happening to him, but your right, I don't know if anyone could have talked me out of my purchase.

 

[racer157]

My friend, who will be a new rider, is convinced he should have a Harley V-Rod. I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.
I tried recommending a yamaha warrior (also probably too fast for a first bike) a honda shadow 750, a yamaha vstar 1100...

I keep telling him it's very likely he will drop it or go down within the first 6 months of riding (6 months, that's optomistic!).

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

I have been a motorcycle safety instructor for over 25 years and have personally graduated 1575 students. If your friend has his heart set on a 15,000 dollar motorcycle with insurance payments to match then please send him to a rider course. My recomendation for a new rider is the sv650 Suzuki. This is one of the finest machines I have ever ridden and is a bike he or she can grow with. It is lighter, habdles better, has better brakes and is $9000 dollars cheaper. My suggestion is have your friend take a rider course the ride some bikes before he or she leaps onto a heavy bike like the vrod. Best wishes to you and your friend.