Info on Harley demo ride 06

[Czekus21]

The local Hrley dealer here in Sioux Falls is having their demo ride week this week. I decided to try on a few Harleys. Now I'm not totally agianst a Harley but of the ones I rode this year sure makes me glad to have MIYAMI. To sum it up into 3 words, They all sucked. They didn't handel very well, didn't idle worth a dam, Low end torque was OK but couldn't keep a steady throttle at 60 mph. The 6 speed tranny was great but about as noisy as an XS. The XL1200L LowRider just about died when coming to a stop sign ( yes the clutch was disengaged ). Riding position was not very good. Felt like I was too stretched out with the foward controls ( 34" inseam ) and the bikes with the center controls felt like my knees where going to hit my arms. Really didn't care for the foward controls with the floorboards. found it hard to shift and don't like the heal/toe shifter. I guess you loose the comfort and ridability and alot of your bank account in order to be in with the "in" group, ( better known as " RUB's " ( rich urban bikers ),).Now that I bored everyone to death with this info, I think it's time for a ride on one of the greatest motorcycles ever built.

[GNEPIG]

.. yep, i have to ride those everyday and it feels the same way to me also. except i like the mid control sportsters [now that they are rubber mounted], they feel kind of neet to me. nice low end torque but the power runs out kinda fast.. the Vrods are a step in the right direction and although they are faster than most of our bikes, they dont feel like it to me. i was expecting to be blown away by the new street rod, but i was'nt. it handled pretty good. ..nice bikes but they are just not me
.. it's a livin..

[webbcraft2150]

I had the same experience when I demoed a HD. Most of them are "mission specific", ie, straight line, long distance and don't try to merge into a tight spot. I rode a full dress Tour King XLRCH-STP-EKG/RPM something or the other. Had more buttons on the handlebars than a F15. Cruise control was a interesting toy. The top trunk had more space in it than the trunk of my car. Overall, it was a comfy ride. Passing cars had to be dialed in alot better than on my XS. I don't think the sales guy following was pleased with me trying to find the rev-limiter , or dive bombing the turns and scraping some of the chrome off the low hanging stuff, of which there is alot!!! Now, my test ride on the K1200 was a whole different story. When all was said and done, I was happy to get back on the 11.

[scootjak]

Boys, Boys, boys, look these are nice old bikes and all that and there seems to be a lot of good info about xs 11"s here but the blatent harley bashing ,there is no comparison between bikes.I owned an 81 xs and an85 fxr at the time it took some doing to get the enimic fxr some horses but well worth the effort. The comfortability ,handling,the look and sound of that bike would bring a tear to a grown man's eye.The xs was fast ,warm dependable and basically a vanilla when it came to looks.I now own a springer soft tail and there was no need to beef up the horses good to go right out of the crate, another beautiful bike. I'd be suprised if anyone,and I do mean anyone, was to do a side by side with a springer or a low rider or any other soft tail for that matter that the xs would even be remembered. These are nice old bikes and I love the dependability but Harley makes a great bike as well. I have enjoyed riding triumphs,hondas , nortons, etc Hey i like to ride .......But my harley is a great fit it always feels right and balanced . Like the xs I'm going to Wisconsin to ride it home I guess, to some, bikes are like politics and religion ....me I love them all

[GNEPIG]

.. bashing?. this is not bashing, this is just a couple of good ol boys stating there reveiw of there harley experiance.
you want to see bashing waite til Maximan spots this thread.
.. i dont hate harleys, i just dont like them as much as i like my old Yamahas

[prometheus578]

"Kill the Outsider!"

'That's what this is, man... it's pagan idolatry!" "He's more than wacko... he's evil!"
"Chef" (Apocalypse Now)

[mainlylinux]

my buddy has a sportster (2002 I think), 883.

I love the sound and the seat. The narrow engine is nice too.

The engine is fun at really low rpms, but she runs out quick.

I'd love to have a harley, but bottom line it's to $$$.

Even if I did have a harley, I'd still want the 11.

It's hard to get over the electric motor torque :-)

I was eyeing those FJR1300's that yamaha makes...to bad they don't sell them in the states. Maybe I could afford a used one someday.

In the mean time I'll just work on updating the XS.

Dan

[Czekus21]

I didn't start this thread to bash Harley's. I was just stateing what I Xspirienced during the demo rides. It seamed like they de-tuned them or something. I've rode Harley's, Honda's, Kawi's Hodakas, etc. I like all bikes. I don't agree with paying more for a bike then my car or even my first house. Harley does make a fine product, so does Indian. Nothing against them but the bikes I rode were Pieces of ^*&^%$. . Could have been luck of the draw, They were Demo bikes. Who knows who rode what and how they rode.

[webbcraft2150]

I can see this is gonna get ugly.

[John]

Originally posted by webbcraft2150
I can see this is gonna get ugly.

Ugly? Naa... Why I think it is a thing of beauty! I got so much s#it from h-d riders that I know, when I was restoring my bike, that it left such a bad taste in my mouth, and I will never buy that over priced piece of half breed crap. Let's look at the compoments on one, shall we? The electronics are made where? Oh, that's right...Japan! How about the suspension? Right again...Japan. The carbs, and the starter? You guessed it... They say it's 'Made in USA'. Yeah right, from foreign components. Many years ago, I had a room mate who owned an 84 'Roadster' model. One day he asked me to stop by the h-d shop on my way home from work, and pick up some new passenger foot pegs. I did, and right thre on the packaging, what do you think I saw? "Made in Korea" Right there next to the bar and shield logo. Then I started looking at some of the other accessories there, and many of them didn't say 'Made in USA'. Remember, just about all of the metric cruisers are "Made in USA' . But it's supposed to be an American made bike! I guess it just depends if you want to ride an over priced status symbol, or a decently priced motorcycle, built of modern technology, that will give you many years of reliable service, so you can throw away that extra large bottle of Loctite. Now mind you, if I had the money to spend on a new bike, and I was going to buy American, I would give a good hard look at the Victory brand, just because it's not built by h-d.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[Pat Kelly]

If you want a bike manufactured and assembled in the US then buy a new Goldwing.
Same for the Nissan Titan.
I snicker inwardly when I see Harly wing decal on the back window of a Honda Civic.

For now I'll stick with products made in our solar system. I'm not concerned with which planet.

[scootjak]

Sorry, it sounded like you were assaulting owners as well as the ride itself. I ain't no RUB , and do not aspire to be in with the in crowd, But I know a good product when I see one, and I worked my ass off for my first used harley, it was worth every drop of sweat. As I am new to the group chances are that I have misinterpreted the intentions of your post ....
ya think



Almost forgot, I love the xs 11 it gives
me something to work on

[John]

Well, Scootjak

This isn't an h-d forum so you won't find may people singing the praises of h-d. I work with many h-d riders who won't even admit that their first bikes were Japanese. I have ridden a few h-d's and I truley wasn't impressed with them. Heavy, slow to respond to steering input, and I don't like the loud pipes rattleing my brain. I'm not an XS11 fanatic, just somebody who happened to buy one long before this site existed. I spent around 150 hours restoring the bike back in 92. I don't think the XS is the fastest, greatest, most beautiful bike ever built. I do think it is a handsome bike, and I like mine, it has been reliable, and it does what I ask of it, at a reasonable cost. What I have invested in this bike, I couldn't buy a box of broken h-d parts.
So anyway, back to my original rant...Welcome to the site. Just don't expect to hear many good words about a harley here.

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by Pat Kelly
I snicker inwardly when I see Harly wing decal on the back window of a Honda Civic.

Ditto!

[mro]

For now I'll stick with products made in???

Being a "small" business owner, I used to try to buy American only.

Now it's almost pointless. Most made in America stickers mean it was "assembled" here. Pretty much like everyone else just get what I need/want and don’t pay attention to where it came from.


mro