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First, one reason for not buying a clone is HD's quality, fit, and finish is miles ahead of what the Japanese bikes offer, particularly on the plating. I know more than a few 'clone' owners who have blistering and rusting chrome on bikes only a few years old, and they gagged at the replacement part costs. And Harley resisted using plastic bits on their bikes for years; only in '04 did the Sportster get any plastic body parts. Two, cost? Yeah, the clones are cheaper initially, but after buying that's no longer the case. Parts are more expensive, and after seeing one guy have to pull part of his exhaust to change the oil filter, service doesn't look all that great either. Three, parts availability. My '93 Sportster is now 16 years old, and replacement parts are only a phone call away. I have another that's 23 years old that I'm just finishing up after rebuilding it from a basketcase, and I had zero problems finding parts for that one too. Sure, if you're trying to do a 100% perfect resto on a old harley you'll have trouble finding some parts, but keeping it running? No problem at all.
And yep, Harley's V-twin an old design. But they've got all the bugs out of the basic design and if you don't ask more than it can deliver, is pretty much bulletproof. And they're ridiculously easy to work on compared to the 'hi-tech' designs on the rare occasions when you need to. Want more power? The amount of speed equipment out there is mind-boggling. There's more 100+ HP Harleys out there than you think.
Now, blaming Harley for a lack of advance in the motorcycle market is just plain wrong. The imports have tried selling just about everything under the sun at one time or another; turbos, wankels, you name it. Where are those now? They didn't sell well owing to their cost, complexity and unreliability, the makers abandoned them as far as parts, and now they're dead and gone. Harley has paid very good attention to what sells, and that's what they market. Just because they've been very good at that doesn't mean it's their fault the public buys it; every time they've tried to dictate the market with a bike, it hasn't sold well. The Japanese have been building less expensive disposable bikes for years; you buy it, ride it so many miles, then throw it away as it's too expensive to fix it. One positive that came out of that is it forced Harley to improve their quality, and they more than answered. Sure, nearly everybody is doing disposable now (cars, appliances, tvs, etc) but Harley is one of the few that hasn't done that and I think that's a big part of their success. Want to personalized your bike? Then HD is the best choice by far, as the options are nearly unlimited.
All of these bikes have their good points and bad points; if you love what you have, it's cool; let's go riding! But declaring one is a POS with no first-hand knowledge is pretty ignorant. Oh, and by the way; the rear cylinder on my Sporty runs COOLER than the front cylinder. That's very common, and has to do with the firing order. The fancy single-fire aftermarket ignitions will let you advance the rear cylinder timing a bit for more power.
'78E original owner
And yep, Harley's V-twin an old design. But they've got all the bugs out of the basic design and if you don't ask more than it can deliver, is pretty much bulletproof. And they're ridiculously easy to work on compared to the 'hi-tech' designs on the rare occasions when you need to. Want more power? The amount of speed equipment out there is mind-boggling. There's more 100+ HP Harleys out there than you think.
Now, blaming Harley for a lack of advance in the motorcycle market is just plain wrong. The imports have tried selling just about everything under the sun at one time or another; turbos, wankels, you name it. Where are those now? They didn't sell well owing to their cost, complexity and unreliability, the makers abandoned them as far as parts, and now they're dead and gone. Harley has paid very good attention to what sells, and that's what they market. Just because they've been very good at that doesn't mean it's their fault the public buys it; every time they've tried to dictate the market with a bike, it hasn't sold well. The Japanese have been building less expensive disposable bikes for years; you buy it, ride it so many miles, then throw it away as it's too expensive to fix it. One positive that came out of that is it forced Harley to improve their quality, and they more than answered. Sure, nearly everybody is doing disposable now (cars, appliances, tvs, etc) but Harley is one of the few that hasn't done that and I think that's a big part of their success. Want to personalized your bike? Then HD is the best choice by far, as the options are nearly unlimited.
All of these bikes have their good points and bad points; if you love what you have, it's cool; let's go riding! But declaring one is a POS with no first-hand knowledge is pretty ignorant. Oh, and by the way; the rear cylinder on my Sporty runs COOLER than the front cylinder. That's very common, and has to do with the firing order. The fancy single-fire aftermarket ignitions will let you advance the rear cylinder timing a bit for more power.
'78E original owner
Zak bit her once and she he's not that keen to repeat it. But she's allowed her 3 horses, a goat, 9 sheep and a ram, and her bloody cat, despite the fact that the cat scratches and bites and her horses kick and bite. Something's fundamentally wrong with that, but that just gives me an excuse to spend more time with my hobbies, (Hotrod and bike). As to the Harley thing, (love the mud pump reference, I'm going to use that) I've ridden enough of them to know I don't want one, but i've often thought that if I ever won lotto, I'd buy a full dresser and mount it in a slab of concrete on my front lawn, something for the birds to perch, and sh*t on.
only joking, maybe.
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