Harley Davidson Sucks? 6 Common Myths & Misconceptions About Harley Davidson Motorcycles...
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Harley Davidson Sucks? 6 Common Myths & Misconceptions About Harley Davidson Motorcycles...
I've given Harley my fair share of criticism (usually sarcastically), but today I'm digging into some of the common myths and misconceptions about the motorcycle brand. People say they're heavy, slow, expensive, unreliable, and only ridden by old white dudes. Let's dive into these criticisms and see if there's any merit to be found.
tags: harley motorcycle company review, criticism, myths,
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Be sure to check out Matt Laidlaw's video on the same topic: czcams.com/video/eiMFrK_Ntnc/video.html
What myths have you heard about Harley Davidson Motorcycles? Drop a comment below!
Matt Laidlaw has no credibility, he is bias towards Harley because that is how he and his family make a living.
You want to see a true video about Harley, watch this. czcams.com/video/EOwxxsPaogY/video.html
I warned my step dad not to get rid of his shadow and get a Harley....he was blinded with a fantasy of being a "real biker" fantasy and now regrets it.
this happened
I love some Harleys and how they feel but i hate the way their corporate treats their loyal customers and the "culture" around Harleys and that's enough to deter me from them. First time i went into a dealer i was 19 and not one of them paid me any attention or even glanced my way even after i asked for help. After all i went over to Ducati and they treated me like a prince. The guy who helped me went completely out of his way to make sure i found something I liked. Walked out with a Monster 696.
That last one is 100% on point, you'll find nice guys and you'll find A-holes in just about any category.
I remember reading an article a while back where this biker club where everyone was basically tatted up, long beard, stereotypical Harley biker gang look. Well this group was actually helping kids from broken homes who were too originally scared to testify against their abusers. They would go to court with them, hang out with them, and truly empower them. Just shows that you can't always group people into the same category or judge based on looks.
Great point, and I'll add that if you look at charity events, in the general motorcycle community, it's the tatted up long beards driving the majority of it.
Not really charity, but look back at when Westburough Baptist Church was harassing military funerals. It wasn't the metric crowd running interference.
BACA Bikers Against Child Abuse, a damn amazing organisation. That’s who your thinking of
18 year old Hispanic kid on a sportster 🤙🏽
Good for the looks thats all. Please avoid highway at all times with that thing
@@KJPMC992000there’s no reason. It was a troll response. I used mine for long trips with some interstate travel all the time when I had a Sportster. Would not be my first choice but it works just fine.
Cheers
1. When I was bike shopping my local Harley dealer tried to get me into a 2016 XL w/6k miles. Mind you it didn't even run when I sat on it, they admitted they wanted to put a couple grand into it. They wanted $11,500 for it. My first thought was why does a vehicle with so little mileage already need that level of added work? On top of that they didn't have a single model under that 10k mark, which as a first time buyer was a disappointment.
I then went across town and saw a mint 2022 Honda Shadow 750 for only $7,000 grand. I didn't buy that one either but it just goes to show you why value proposition matters.
At the end of the day, both the perception and rankings on both cars and motorcycle reliability is that the Japanese manufacturers just tend to do it a bit better. As a ten year student of Japanese Lean manufacturing practices, I can see why. Regardless of what you ride though, have fun & ride safe out there.
I've been a faithful Harley owner/rider for the past 40yrs, and am a retired machinist/mechanic.
It's my observation that modern Harley's are pure garbage, the dealerships suck shit, and the "technicians" don't know their asses from a hole in the ground.
They are the only ones responsible for their soon to be demise.
Brother can't agree more. Spot on
@@garypayton5081
Thank you.
Everything has worked together to kill the original spirit and intent of riding a motorcycle.👍
Thanks for the video and addressing these myths, fact is if you buy an HD it's because you love the bike, the culture and nostalgia that comes with it. I ride a 2014 Road King, bought it used in 2017 with 10K miles, after 11,000 more miles I have had to only replace the tires and battery along with regular recommended maintenance. It performs as well as I need it too. That all being said HD does need to up it's game to remain relevant and competitive in today's market with Indian challenging their space.
I just watched your post and man let me tell you what an awesome job. First of all to the point with no sidetracking, very unbiased opinion unless attached with a disclaimer, and best of all no crappy music. You kept making the point of comparing like models. Kep ‘em coming.
My 1995 Harley had a drivability problem when new. Had dealership work on it and improved it but didn't fix it. I worked on it and just couldn't get it to where I was happy. I ended up just putting a S&S carb on it and after a few adjustments had it running perfect. That was 25 yrs ago and learned quickly not to go to dealership. Bike has been pretty reliable, as reliable as jap bikes I've owned .
I had the same problem and those assholes at Harley knew all about your carburetor problems. The guy behind the parts counter whispered to me the fix so I shelled out the one hundred dollars for the cv-carb Jett kit verses four hundred for the S&S carb. I jetted and fixed the bike myself.
Just be upfront and say Harley makes a badass looking and sounding bike. If you are into cruisers you don’t care as much about speed and the engine numbers anyway. Motorcycles are fun toys and emotional purchases. It’s useless to try to quantify a purchase or why you chose a motorcycle because every bike pulls/speaks toward a person differently.
@Beardicus Diavel. And that's coming from a die-hard V-Rod dude. Just don't mind the looks. IMO the V-Max, Diavel and Rocket are all Frankencruisers.
@@zf4hp24 Well, the Diavel is more of a light sport touring bike than a cruiser. It's a wolf in disguise.
@KR Something curious happens: there are some who dream of a cruiser having it an inline sport engine. Truth is that speeding on a cruiser is a very uncomfortable experience: wind pushes the biker back heavily, making it an exhaustive activity. Then, a cruiser has low clearance to the ground; riding the twisties would become frustrating too. So, sometimes people think that speed equals good performance or better bikes, but they often forget that there's more than speeding or having 20000+ hp. There's a reason why cruisers exist. In my case, I really prefer a bike with low end torque for cruising a mountainous road than riding a bike that gives all the torque near all the power at high revs; one is a relaxed ride and the other belongs to the track. Both equally valid worlds, but different and having their own nature/purpose.
I have had several different bikes in the past. Finally saved for years and Got a low milage sportster. Found out quickly do not rev it much to move down the road lots of unexpected torque. Kept it and got an Electra glide as well. There is just something about them that is big time different. Nice ride and big torque. Well built. Thank you for your video.
I agree with all your points except i would never bother buying a harley new but that's just from my experience working in a dealership,
I have arguments every day at work regarding harleys vs super sports or metric cruisers etc etc,
The myth I love the most is "Harleys don't turn" and "they make no power"
IMO If your bike won't turn, you aren't turning it. And I really do love talking numbers with sportsbike riders, because my shop works on everything performance and for the actual effort I need to put into a motor to get it churning out both good numbers and good levels of ride ability Harleys are by far the simplest. That said putting a turbo busa together and making 450 wheel horse is fun and they sound mental, but putting a turbo on a harley is an easy way to make 200 hp and a scary amount of torque without ever going above 8200rpm and because it's so simple to do comes out cheaper...most of the time
It's the same with cars...the more displacement you've got, the easier it is. You can make power with less, but then you're talking about super high torque curves, more $$$, tighter tolerances, etc.
@@stevemalzone6081 yea man, that's the gist of my regular reply. I get the same arguments with the v8 vs turbo japper cars and it always annoys me when people compare forced induction with NA motors
People be hating on harleys because they are way over priced...no doubt
Price,Oil leaks, reliability, ride quality, the kind of people that drive them are ushall clowns.shall i go on?
@@JustinMcnamara-yz3zwSo is the person that thinks you “drive” a motorcycle…..
I ride with naked sport bikes on a bagger. Keeps up plenty fine. Not sure what people consider slow when it comes to bikes? When you got enough torque from the factory that your damn near 900lb bike wants to either blow the tire off or lift the front wheel when not even at wot. I’d say it’s decently quick and a ton of fun. Not all of us ride like grandpas. Also 35 y/o white dude on his 4th Harley. If I wanted something else. I would have bought it by now
People's definition of "fast" is fucking stupid when it comes to motorcycles. I have an LS1 Firebird that puts down 403 to the dyno, a "fast" car by most people's standards. Guess what? My Stage 1 1200 Sporty will stick right with it from the line to 60-80 (driver, conditions, variables, etc.) And people call my bike a slow pig?
There's "fast", and then there's stupid. When you start talking 600 and 1000cc sport bikes, that's in the latter category. Never before have I had any desire to go the speeds those things are capable of, and they aren't (and shouldn't be) considered the baseline for what is fast and what isn't.
I had a guy on a ZX-14 laugh at me and tell me his bike put almost 200 to the pavement. Cool, great, what's the fucking point? You never use more than a quarter of that power unless you've got a death wish or you want a reckless driving/endangerment ticket.
@@stevemalzone6081 I totally agree. Squids, if using the full potential of a sport bike, which by the way road conditions rarely permit, are tempting fate. That's not the problem, because I guess we're no one's parents, but the damage they can cause to innocents.
Besides that, 0-60 in 5 seconds in a Sportster is "slow" compared to a sport bike, but it is "fast" compared to most cars, and certain and absolutely an acceleration than can bring major injuries if not handled well. Some say that from 80 km/h and on, injuries can become fatal...
Price is too high for what you get, for the most part. You can get spec similar bikes from other companies with a similar or higher build quality for less money. Some of the newer 2018-2020 Harleys have skimped on quality parts pretty hard and are breaking down before 40k. They always look great, but price and performance isn't cutting the mustard.. and apparently neither is the build quality anymore.
EDIT: By breaking down, I mean catastrophic failures. Not something a 30 minute pitstop will fix.
What kind of quality parts are being skimped on for the 2018-2020 Harley models? They skimping on CVO production or assembly line or both?
Jon. What a breath of fresh air you are. Love to see the mix of two wheelers in your garage. You are a person who gets what we are all about. The joy, passion and life long commitment to what we love love love. Im 67 years young on my 49th motorcycle. Could not agree with you more. You really have your shit together . Too bad not everyone does. Keep up the great work and passing on the passion and love of motorcycles.
💯🤙
My only qualm is the one and only metric you talk about when comparing the overall price of bikes is the performance. What about overall/options/what you get for the money/etc. Example the kawasaki vulcan a full touring bike starts at 17500. The harley equivalent road glide limited starts 28300. Do you get more for the extra 11k with the harley? sure but do you get 11 THOUSAND dollars more? Not even close. I agree with most of the rest though. They have such a huge reputation for bad reliability not because of such a recent article. It's because for a long time in the 80's and 90's the bikes WERE piles of bolts. They've definitely stepped up their game since in making a good product though. The prices of replacement parts and aftermarket is absolutely ridiculous no matter the make of bike. Harley definitely has the bag in that category though simply by how much greater availability of aftermarket there is. I have a Yamaha and finding parts for it is not only nearly impossible the choices are very limited and very expensive. You wouldn't believe the lengths I had to go to just to find some damn metric bolts in Canada, a metric country of all places.
I hear ya there. I feel like the Voyager is a bit of an outlier given it hasn't changed much since its release in 2009. The 2020 yamaha star venture starts around $26999 as well so the same argument could be made there. How anybody drops that kind of cash on a moto is beyond me. Lol. I guess if I had the cash to burn.
I had a 2016 Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero, which I got new. Now I have a 2019 Harley Street Glide Special, also bought new (yes, I'm blessed to be able to afford it - and my wife supported both purchases). The Kawasaki's performance more closely matches the regular Road Glide/Street Glide. Yes, the Voyager has a trunk pack and more closely resembles the Road Glide Ultra (or Limited, whatever they're producing in a given year), but the Harley's drivetrain is leaps and bounds better than what Maw Kaw is putting out. I put over 13k on my Vaquero in 2.5 years, and have 2.5k on my Harley now, so not just test rides here.
Yes, the Harley costs $10-12k more than its closest Kawasaki competitor, but at the same time, you're getting better tech, more performance, better fuel economy, way better materials and fit & finish. Do I miss my Vaquero? Sometimes. Do I like the Harley more? Yes. I enjoy a nice, leisurely ride with some slightly aggressive cornering mixed in occasionally, so the cruiser ride fits my riding style. The only areas where the Vaquero beats the Street Glide is in storage and the plushness of its rear suspension. Harley just doesn't give enough suspension travel on the Street Glide Special, and Harley's saddlebags (even the stretched ones) don't have the same space or versatility of the side-openers on the Vaquero.
Especially when we bought our brand new 2016 Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero for $13,000 out the door.
Love my victory vision. For a grand I got 115/115 on the dyno. 4" more travel than the Harley. Heated seats, grips, and retractable windshield. Walked out spending 16k.
@@joelandrade1630 Victory's are great bikes for the money and ride and handle better than the Harley. See my post about my Harley.
People constantly ask so how often does your shiny paperweight break down ... I just laugh and keep putting miles on my 96b thing is bulletproof
I am very partial to liquid cooling, so until recently, a VROD is the only HD I'd consider. (I still would love to have one and may end up getting one) I like some HDs, but I'm poor and Japanese cruisers have terrible resale, which is awesome if you're gonna buy used.
People will just talk shit about the brand and don’t own a Harley or even been on one. Great bikes and they do great for what it’s aimed at. Great video dude 😎👍🏽 #latinogang
I think that goes for anything...but i think the main point is that Harley owners and riders alike are unsatisfied right now more than ever. Cant use "haters gonna hate" as an excuse anymore. Especially when its coming from people who have ridden Harley's all their life!
With that being said, i like Harley. My buddy has a CVO softail convertible and my other friend just picked up a SG Special. Love the channel by the way
I own a Harley and you got lucky if you owned one that did not have to go back to the dealer for service.
Semper Fipar...sure...🙄
I think it it’s important to look at reliability over the numbers of miles clocked in. Honestly, when I ride on long cruises for example I see 90% HDs on the road, so the more time you put on, the more likely something will happen. Not bashing any brands but that’s my observation
That's an interesting point. I have noticed in the used market there seem to be a lot more high mileage harleys than many if the other brands. Would be interesting to get some data on that.
As far as service and repairs go, Harley is way more expensive. I had a Star Venture and my friend has the Road Glide. His bike requires service way more often than my Yamaha and is also way more expensive. His starter gave out 1 week after he bought it. His fuel pump gave out 2 months into owning it. His shifter linkage broke less than one year into owning it. I have also known several other people that bought new Harleys and had some failure that left them stranded. I've been riding over 20yrs and known many many other riders. I can't think of one incident right now where a Japanese bike owner got stranded by a failure of a new bike but I can tell you several incidents where a new Harley left someone stranded. Also, I looked at the Harley equivalent of the Star Venture. Less features on the Harley and to have the same features, which not all are available, the bike is several thousand dollars more expensive. No thanks, I'll stick to Japanese bikes.
I had the same experience with a new at the time 2010 Fat Bob, it had starting issues. You could ride for weeks and then one day it would crank over, but wouldn’t start. It was a random problem, never knew when it would happen. It was in the shop multiple times for the issue and was never fixed properly. It left me stranded on a few occasions. I finally gave up on it and hardly ever took it out for a ride. I had the bike for 5 years and when I sold it it only had 5,400 miles on it, basically still brand new. All the guys I would ride with had Harley’s very well maintained and anytime we would ride someone had an issue with their HD. I had a 2004 V-Rod brand new then, that never had a single issue. Was it because it wasn’t 100% Harley, probably. I put 18,000 miles on it for n 2 years and it never saw the inside of a repair shop.
One thing with Harley is they are very clean well built bikes. The welds are very clean along with the paint. With the unreliable nature or maybe fluke breakdowns the price tag is still to much money. Japanese Bikes are made to last, but very cheap looking. If there was some way to get the Japanese engine into the quality frame and body of a HD, we would have a great quality bike. Thank think HD relies to much on the maintenance cost they receive, that is expensive.
well the first model year of the newer africa twin owners would like to have a word with you.
I have 2 Harleys- one is 4 years old and the other is 13 years old. The only issues I've had are sensors going out in the older bike, specifically the speedo sensor, a brake switch sensor and an O2 sensor. Those are the only issues I've had on a 13 year old bike and I think that's excellent. Never had any oil leaks either. They always start up immediately. My Harleys have been very reliable. All I do is change the oil.
I'm a 30yr old white boy and I ride a Harley. FXDLS FTW
Whats your point?
Started riding at 6. Owned a TAS, Honda's, Yamaha's, an Ossa and a Ducatti. Enjoyed 'em all. 4 years ago got my Dyna Street Bob Special. Love it. At 57, cruising around with torque rather than BHP is right for me. Maybe an Indian next? Who knows.
🤙🏍
I LOVE my 2020 Low Rider S. Fucker gets down in the corners. Torque for days. Comfort and my favorite, soul style and feel. Harley MUST give us a world class, liquid-cooled sport bike soon however. It’s time. Time to start studying and developing.
It’s already In the works
The vintage Harley and Indian are popular in Japan. They have their own very bizarre biker culture and gangs. I feel tho anywhere in the world you will find Harley
Got bored with my honda rebel and kawasaki vulcan, now i have two harleys and couldn’t get enough of them. Yes labor costs is the same throughout any dealership, cost of parts is similar unless if its harley branded of course. Harley dominates the market as half of riders are cruisers and harley makes the best cruisers
I still do not seem to understand. Why can we not compare the same catagory to catagory, class to class. Why must it be vtwin to vtwin? Cars compete in the same class and often will vary greatly between manufacturer's as far as engine option, layout, drive train, etc. Like a normally aspirated crossplain V8 rear wheel drive, then a different manufacturer has a turbo 4cyclinder all-wheel drive. We dont just say, "wait, they arent exactly the same" but they are in the same category, class, and compete for the same market share. Also, how well you can make a motor speaks to the ability of your organization. The level of engineer, machining skills, precision, manufacturing quality, and just overall competence as a company can be examined. A common metric that is compared is power to displacement ratio. With cars, it is not always the supercar or sports car that excels, often SUV/truck, luxury grand touring sedans will have engines with just as high power to displacement ratios.
So lets look at the new harley 114cubic inch engine... So thats... 1868cc displacement and it makes 78.7hp. If you put those numbers against a BMW 999cc engine then it makes a little over 1/3 the power an engine almost half its size makes. 999cc engine outputs 205hp.
Now i know that was a drastic comparison if engine types but there are power ratios even higher like on the supercharged kawasaki making over 300hp, but thats not a production model so....
A pretty old and not one of the top name sports bike models of a motorcycle should easily go faster than a budget used sports car. The power to weight ratio is over double that of the car. But a traditional harley cannot even keep up in most cases. Their power to weight ratio is lower than that of many cars.
So somewhere in the 2000's a friend bought a Yamaha R1000 for $11.5k from the dealership brand new, it had over 160hp from its 999cc engine and weighed less than 450lbs with all fluids full. At the same time a friends father bought a harley Fatboy and paid $30k (give or take a K or 2) it made 63hp and weighed over 1000lbs dry.
Due to this insane difference in power to weight, one bike could beat any car on the road period, the other fails to out perform a 1997 dodge neon with air intake and cat back exhaust on its 2liter DOHC engine. The neon out accelerates, out corners and out brakes, going over a hillside and the harley gets dusted by several minutes.
So this is exactly why i am so confused, no other market has such a discrepancy and the company with the technologically inferior product still survive. Yet harley seems to have found a way to beat the odds.
“Harleys are so slow and handle like shit”! (Insert XR1200 here) 💪🏻 👊🏻✊🏻
Go get your shine box junior
and then what still go slow and handle like shit lol
@@gmoneyz7098 best handling Harley ever made, and 130mph is fast enough for me. And that’s stock. Take a look a the BRL, small twins class a lot of guys using XR1200s or trying to make their sporty into one.
Present bike.... Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT SE+. Before that, Kawasaki Concours 14. Before that, Kawasaki Concours 1000. Before that, Honda V65 Sabre. I have looked at, and even ridden several different H-D bikes over the years - every time I got a new bike I looked at what H-D had to offer. If they want to sell me a ride, they need to produce a REAL motorcycle... one that is fast, handles well, has good brakes, doesn't shake every nut and bolt loose, and goes 100,000 miles with minimal maintenance.
You continue to destroy the negative Harley stereotypes I've subscribed to in the past. I've said it before and I'll say it again. There may be a Harley in my future thanks to Jon's Moto Garage.👍 You never know. By the way, Harley should send you some free t-shirts and coffee mugs as a thank you for the viddy. 😆 Much love Mr. Jon.
👨👩👧 ❤
Hahaha! That would be rad! 🤙😎
I started on a triumph then Honda Kawasaki and now Harley, I loved them all, who’s better more reliable or better performance? Won’t even comment on it, picked up a 2007 softail custom with 2500 miles on it from a family friend who bought it new, love this bike
Totally agree. There's a bunch of videos saying Harley is going out of business. I don't think so. I rode my Harley this past weekend. I seen 16 Harleys and one sport bike. Seems to me Harley is just fine. I have 32000. Trouble free miles other then schedule services.
@Grieg Ragen Honda sells bikes that range from 150 to 1800 cc. That's a wide range. It would be interesting to know the percentages corresponding to 150, 300, 600, 1000 and 1800 cc bikes. I'm guessing a great portion should belong to small cc bikes in third world countries.
That's because everyone not buying new bikes its pretty much used hardlys the new hd too expensive up to 40k for a bike??? not worth it who wants a geezer glide anyway
@@gmoneyz7098 Geezer glide so your saying only old crusty men and women ride these bikes. You must be a Harley hater. The road glide is supposed to be one of the best road bikes built. Just like the Honda Gold wing is. The goldwing can to cost alot. Toping out at around $30,000 about the same price as a road glide. Now the CVO Road glide will be in the $40k price range. But in my opinion the CVO ROAD GLIDE IS ONE HELL OF A BEAUTIFUL BIKE!!! The paint and finish quality is world class. The 117 m8 engine is starting to become legendary for the ability to make horse power. The Honda goldwing has there claim to Fame to are
@@hillbillyhicks8102 40 K ! Lol for a geezer glide? Value ?? beautiful bike lol!!!!! Man the motor Company really has you brainwashed sheep just because a bunch of people have them doesn’t mean they’re quality or the best LOL , Its people just like you That will pay that ridiculous amount of money and then look down on anybody that rides anything else , so I’m just giving it back to y’all ! you just don’t get it and refuse to acknowledge truths .. the majority of the Younger generation just don’t like Harleys and “ the culture “I’m with them ,So to each there own ride what your ride , Just don’t tell me your bikes better and worth it , because it’s not It’s just a slow loud over priced embarrassing recliner on wheels They can’t even bearly get out of its own way
Brother. I am agree and somewhat not agree with you. I had many Harley and 2015 Fat Bob being the last one. I sold it and paid a deposit for M109R as you know
Harley charges twice as expensive than other cruisers. Harley doesn't put Brembo brakes, Ohlins suspension. Even for ABS you need to pay extra. Let's be honest. Harley's breaks and suspensions suck. Why should I spend another $5000 to update breaks and suspension after already paid $30,000?
When Ducati Diavel offers so much for the same price with Brembo, Ohlins, ABS and M109R is half the price with amazing breaks and DOHC engine and Honda offers Nissin breaks and ABS standard, why the hell I keep Harley. Just for the name?
When they charge so much, they need to include the best suspension, best Brembo breaks, best electronics, best headlights.
Harley will bankrupt. Simple is that. They ripped of us enough and they are losing clients. They lost me.
The V-Rod was well priced in the day and came with 3 4-pot Brembos 300mm brakes, Delphi ABS and a Showa front suspension. Mahle pistons and conrods, Hatz crank, and a Getrag-sourced transmission. Very high quality stuff. $16.5K back in 2014. The only option at the time was keyless-go/alarm. Overall, a very good deal.
clicked off another video as soon as i got the notification. love the vids man
Hahaha! Thanks for the support, my friend! 🤙🏍
My dads screaming eagle fat boy cost 400 bucks for general service. Same with my mom's matching bike. My GSXR costs me around 50 bucks, and I can do it myself. Could do mom n dads too but the warranty will be voided.
My grandad and dad flipped between Harley and Honda one year a full dress rhe next a Goldwing and again a dual sport
I ride a goldwing and a harley. Your elders have the right idea- best of both worlds. Wise men indeed.
I’m a middle aged white Australian whose first bike was a street 500 2 years ago. I didn’t make the time for getting a bike license when I was younger and have always wanted a fatboy, especially when they first came out 30 years ago. Now I have a ‘12 fatboy, a ‘19 fatboy, and a ‘18 deluxe. Love them all for different reasons and they all ride differently. Hopefully I’ll pass on the street 500 to my kids who are almost of age for going for their license. 🏍🏍🏍🏍🤙🏻😎🇦🇺
Having been an owner of harley, honda, yamaha, I can safely say that except for a "night train", I will never own another harley. I have 2 yamahas and 1 honda now, and they easily out-rank any of the the hd junk.
But good and safe riding to all bike riders.
Why insult all HD riders by calling them junk? Just get on your metric bike and roll. No need to leave angry. Just leave.
@@guins99 ...I did NOT insult harley riders.
I insulted the bikes. I also used to work for the company.
And as you can see, I had bid all riders "good and safe riding".
As far as a "metric" bike goes, you might want to know that almost all those chrome accessories that are on harleys, are from china.
I am not angry and never was, you are just projecting something that isn't there.
First of all.. Great video! I agree with almost all of your points except the one where you said that Harley is at the same price range as the other metric vtwin cruisers. In my opinion Harley is usually about 25%-30% more expensive. If you compare something like the Yamaha bolt to the sportster, Vulcan nomad to the road King, Vulcan vaquero to the road glide, etc you will get those numbers. In all of my comparisons above I prefer the Harley, but you do pay a premium.
On flip side you get more resale money from HD then metric. Here in Boston even late 90's Evo Road kings sell for 6-10k now similar metrics 2-4k
Do you guys know why you pay a premium and a set price for a harley vs a metric?
What you get with Harleys is 70 year old engine technology: dry sump engine, push rod valve actuation, undersquare engine, air cooled. All of this keeps the engine from having modern performance and reliability, but gives the bike its traditional look and sound. That's what Harley buyers want, tradition, not modernity. Just admit to it and don't feel butthurt if somebody states that you're paying top dollar for old technology and the brand name. At least admit to it. If Ducati fan boys can do it, so can you.
some of the most powerfull piston driven gasoline engines on earth are pushrod. it's actually stupid to insinuate that overhead cam is newer technology than overhead valve. The two technologies have existed simultaniously since their inception. neither is newer or older than the other.
Good vid, I own a 1999 fxstc...it’s my third Harley. I’ve owned all manner of bikes, but I get more out of my 99 than I have from any other bike. I actually enjoy servicing and working on this bike nearly as much as I do flogging the dinga out of it, there’s something special about the sound of a Harley...just like there’s something special about the sound of a Ducati at full noise and the desmo hum. Having said all that, at 60 the 99 will be my last bike as the evo engine is just too good to give up! All the best from Oz!
I’ve had 4 Harley Davidson’s, no major problems . I’ve had 2 Honda bikes of similar size and cost, and enjoyed them as well.
The problem with Harleys: The merchandise you have to buy (shirts, jackets, stuff) and some of the culture. Some of the problems with the culture are now on metrics. I dont care what you ride just that you ride.
All HD suck is just another guy trying to justify his bike choice. To many jackasses have to tear down others in order to love theirs. Sad really. Ride what you like.
Harley’s are the way to go, if you hate innovation, but love paying 2x more for lower specs, scraping pegs on every turn, and burning your leg on nonsensically placed exhaust pipes.
Fuck with all this bs. A cheap Honda or a Kawaski will blow an expensive Harley off the road.
Regarding maintenance and repairs/mods, this was my experience, from 2012 through 2017. I stopped riding for a while for a bunch of reasons. New kid, new job, locations, etc. A bunch of different things. Riding again thanks to gas prices. Maintenance and repairs/mods are still the same now, honestly. Actually, there are fewer mods (that I'd be interested in) for my current Harley ('21, anything '17-current would fit) than there were for my '09 Harley back in '12-'16. Interesting times.
It doesn’t matter what they define as failure, as long as it’s the same for all brands. And it’s doesn’t matter if you think the sample size is small as long as it’s the same for all manufacturers.
I have owned 30 motorcycles, never a Harley. European bikes are sexy, super high tech both performance/electronics. Love Ducati’s, KTM’s, MV Agusta, etc.
When I was younger I had Honda CB's ,Kawasaki kz's.....gsxrs.....all that stuff.....never a Harley........but now as I have aged they have grown on me and I want one.........I'm looking at the vrod right now and I hope the guy calls me back........
Good for you Jon, thanks for the video. I've owned a lot of bikes in my life, I'm almost 69 and I've owned 2 Kawasaki's 3 Hondas, 1 Suzuki, 1 Yamaha and 2 Harleys. Everyone of my bikes have been very reliable but I did have problems with my 1996 Harley Fat Boy, the ignition system was pretty bad and I had to replace it with an aftermarket ignition system which corrected the problem. Harley screwed up and should have fixed the problem but it is what it is. Other than that the Fat Boy was bullet proof as have been all of my motorcycles. I love riding and I'm just about to purchase another Harley, a 2022 Harley Fat Boy!!
Ride safe brother!!
I wish I had the same experience. I bought a 2007 Electra glide had the bike for about 6 months. I sold the bike because it could not stop breaking down in the first six months I dumped five grand worth of repairs into it. Then the push rod snapped. That was the end sold it and good chance I will never buy a Harley-Davidson again.
I do like you channel channel but I disagree on Harleys
AMF saved Harley. They did not destroy it. The EVO engine was designed and tooled for production when AMF owned the company. It was a strong durable and reliable engine. Without AMF investment Harley would not exist outside of the way Indian exists, with a new company being slid under an old name after they pay a ton of money for rights to the name. I will agree that prior to the EVO, HDs had reliability issues, but it was AMF investment that turned it around. Knowing these facts doesn't make me want a Harley Davidson. I like motorcycles. I've got preferences,
Im 32 and ive been riding motorcycles since I was 5. I have a 2018 iron 1200. When i was lookin at new bikes, my sportster was priced about the same as other bikes in its class.
I can't lie, a Harley pulled up to me and it was growling. I've rode a Triumph and its a dope bike but the sound isn't the same.
I'm buying a new Harley.
why isnt just a common customer satifaction, and customer service satisfaction, a ground zero for price and repairs........ ask customers are you happy with performance and customer service and pricing. Thats how I buy cars
No such thing as a boring motorcycle. Even the Honda Navi is fun.
Great video brother! Its nice to see a non biased video with all the videos that have been out recently bashing harley. I feel you nailed it for the most part.
You are spot on brother, I like all bikes. I own a V-ROD now but started on a gxr 600 and had 5 bikes in between. I prefer my V-Rod because its a mix of both worlds. I choose a bike for what I want out off it.
Thanks for your non bias review
THANK YOU. I've been saying this for years about price. One thing that pisses me off that I've seen even big CZcamsrs do is compare the MSRP of a CVO to a Craigslist price of a much smaller metric bike and be like "See? Harleys are way more expensive than anything else!"
Where I live (Canada) I bought a new yamaha bolt because it was 8499. The Harley 883 was 12999. Thats almost 4k different. Plus I get a bigger engine and that for less money. Sure it would be cool to get a dyna or something if you got the money, but there's definitely other bikes out there.
Hood Nigga here just bought a CVO Tri Glide 💪🏾💪🏾
Yes, Harley's are great for "cruising" with 70's technology and slow as fuck.
Back in the Day--before 1984 and the Evolution Engine--Harleys were known for breakdowns. You had to MAINTAIN those old Harleys and that included going over the bike tightening things. You had to stay on top of your oils, engine and tranny, as both leaked. In reality many of the breakdowns could be attributed owners not maintaining or outright abusing their bikes. But that's how myths are made.
I look at Harley as expensive, not necessarily overpriced. It is true that the direct competitor's to most Harley models are similarly priced but their competitors also offer bikes way cheaper than any Harley (especially the Japanese) across various categories. To me Harley seems to believe no one cross shops across category. That people are either firmly cruiser people or not and that they know what kind of rider they are from the start. But at Suzuki you could start on a tu250x, try dual sporting on a drz 400, and tryout cruising on a c50, before settling on a gsx s750 for about the price of 1 road glide special. So you'd probably have to be super in love with big baggers from the get go to think about the Harley.
Thanks for the video man. I love my Road king, she is heavy and slow lol
I totally disagree with your assessment about Harleys I have been riding on the road since 1972 that's not counting mini bikes and mopeds from the late 60s I have owned 4 Harley-Davidson in the beginning they were very dependable and the saying was later on I would rather push my Harley home than ride a rice burner I even had a Honda hawk 400 hondamatic automatic transmission and I have gotten help on Long rides for all the Harley's that broke down that also included me needing help on my Harley's you're paying for a stigma American made and it's more of a cult following I traded my Harley Davidson 2006 flhtcui 88 cubic in for a Honda VTX 1800 2007 it blows the Harley away
Well, here in the Tampa area baggers are prominent in the black community. Some really cool-looking baggers too.
Now that VROD engine is nowhere to be found, isn’t it?
Finally!!!! A voice of reason to douse the flames of the Harley Haters. Well done. Just the facts please.
Que onda Jon! I’ve been subscribed since 3k when I started looking for a bike.. and I’m picking up an a new FatBob this weekend! Thanks for the help and advice my guy!
@gemini232003 I have a FatBob 2020, best bike that I have owned so far ! And I think it is clearly the best HD's bike right now !
Have a 2018 114...great bike..gas cap rattle..and speedo fogs up...other than that ..very nice bike
My Dyna is so unreliable that I'm working on 60,000 miles and tires and oil is all I've had to change....
But my Goldwing had a catastrophic failure at 17,000 miles....
Oops kind of screws up the accepted perception
🤣🤣
My only issue with the Bar and Shield is the boardroom that runs it. Not the bikes or finish. Or even the least desirable riders. Just that boardroom.
Yes but in the end every manufacturer has thier ups and downs. I ride a Triumph i know.
They don’t seem like myths at all. I’ve yet to see a good review of a stock Harley. They always need tunes and modifications and suspension and all kinds of work to be a good bike.
Then go look at a MT-07…
no no no the price sucks , its a 50 dollar gucci t-shirt
Dude Harleys are heavy their more top heavy so they feel heavier when you Lift it up off the stand compared to other cruisers
Harley sucks now after announcing they are making they're bikes more expensive by just producing less. RIP Harley.
I own a yamaha roadstar1600 and a harley road king. I ride both with pride. Recommend both for great rides
Vrod engine designed by Porsche wasn't it? Hardly a regular Harley.
Everyone wants a Harley Davidson period!!!!
My wife and I have been riding H-D since 02 , in that time we’ve put lots of miles on the bikes and we have modified all the bikes extensively and have had no mayor issues at all. I was very fortunate to find a fellow veteran who happens to be a master mechanic and HONEST man so basically I don’t know what is like to pay labor costs at the dealership. I know there are lots of stories out there but in my experience most of the time when someone talks negative about the H-D brand I find out they usually know NOTHING about what they are taking. Not only are H-D great bikes but we’ve found that H-D riders are great people.
Yeah expect for bandidos and Mongols etc lmaf..
Are you part of the HOG chapter .... lmao
Direct many recalls raising like that through Hurley you have to dig forth to find it.
Those are the old by the way stuff.
I love the Harley Street Glide Special, but the bike has become dated, stale and old and the design is boring.
I'm planning on getting a new motorcycle and while i love the street glide, i refuse to buy and i will get either the 2020 K 1600, Yamaha Star Venture TC, Indian Challenger, Indian Chieftain.
all 4 of those bikes offer more value for your money with better tech and far more standard features
Just go buy the ultra limited man...you know you want to 🤣
Nice upload. Even keeled and honest comments. Hd gets a lot of hate, some of it probably is justified, a lot of it is jealousy. I suspect many of the people who trash HD have never been on one. I was like that, rode Triumph for 15 years, took shots at HD. Now I own a 21 street glide special and a 22 fatboy. These bikes are so much more fun than my triumphs. I ride more now because I enjoy riding these bikes more. Biggest knock on HD I would offer is their dealerships, they will lowball you on trade in values at a ridiculous level. And the bikes and the aftermarket costs are pricey. But HD is a different experience, they have character like no other bikes. I wish I’d have started riding them sooner.
Harley has the most extensive aftermarket of all bikes. And that's where we have unreliability in modern Harleys. Most Harleys left stock (which is virtually none) are super reliable. It's when we start modding them that they become unreliable. And that's because most of us add/change parts not understanding what that part will do to the rest of the bike. That's just my opinion.
I know a friend who has a Buell blast.
Which has a Harley Davidson motor.
It's leaking oil.
It's not major leak like the old Sportsters.
But it's still leaking oil and needs to get fixed by a technician because she is new to riding and doesn't feel comfortable working on her bike.
This just doesn't happen on Japanese starter bikes.
Totally agree. Harley motorcycles suck the hind tit. They’ve always had a history of unreliability and it still exists. Those who deny it own Harleys and they’re just trying to save face. It completely blows me away that anyone would pay $20K more for a motorcycle that “Is made in the USA” when it in fact has parts made in Europe and Mexico. The most reliable bikes on the road today are designed in the U.S. but manufactured in Japan.
Harley always need gaskets replaced and that adds up.
Alot of my Harleys were bought in the AMF days and were very undependable and constantly wrenching on the. Foward fast 40 years im on a 2008 Ultra Classic. Its real dependable but thanks to AMF the undependability is still stuck in my head. Love Harleys tho .JMHO
Ask Miguel Duhammel what it was like to ride one in Super Bike 😂 if Harley’s engineering team was as smart as their marketing team then they’d have a heck of a bike... if 😆
I’m a 16 year old getting a Harley Davidson 1200 can’t wait
Your analysis is 100% accurate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice Vid Jon. I ride a Harley Road King because I love the way it looks. It is big enough and comfy enough to take long hauls, but it still handles really well (see the Police rodeos). I have stage one on it and it does 125mph--fast enough, but it gets to 80mph really fast. That acceleration is very useful on two-lanes for passing. So it is more than fast enough and comfortable enough for me. It is also very practical. With the saddlebags I can even do my grocery shopping on it. I have 70k on it already, still the original drive belt and no overhauls. The only major thing I did to it was that I had the new cam-chain tensioners put it in. Runs like a dream.
I own a street glide and have owned a Harley for 15 years and have had no problems with them reliability wise any more than I have had with my other bikes. I have had disks warp and a rectifier fail but no major design or build failures that shouldn’t have happened. I get asked about he drive belt snapping I know they do and it is expensive compared with a chain to fix but I have never had it happen to me in 100,000 miles plus on the bikes . The only beef I have with Harley is that my bike should have had the sundowner seat and better rear suspension as standard I shouldn’t have had to put more money into a £20,000 bike to make a big touring bike comfortable .
What a great unbiased informative video from a motorcycle enthusiast and not a fan boy!! Thanks brother 🍺👍
When comparing prices of I think you should bring up the added sales of Harley. The Vulcan S and Voyager come stock with ABS Harley that is almost 800$ extra. The Voyager is half the price of all its competitor full touring models.
Martin Morris ABS is not standard on the Vulcan S.