rode a sportster and heritage softail once that belonged to some mates, i like anything bike related, but really not my cup of tea, heavy , dont handle, awful brakes, but people who love them dont care about it being practical, a enthusiasts bike like a ducati etc, sound ok though ; )
Well, you're not wrong. But it does depend a bit if you are in the Rocky Mountains, Appalachians, New England - or most of the bits in between. Population density in the UK is about 7 times greater than in the US (excluding Alaska), so roads have less to avoid and don't have to be so twisty.
The XR1200 was ok, but sadly it was a one off in the sea of complete dross they make. You don't rode a Harley, you wear it.
I have ridden a bike with a Harley engine... The dealer lent me a 1200 Buell Firebolt once when my ST was in for a service. Great handling bike, and MASSIVE amounts of torque... Still an old-fashionned engine though. You cannnot really claim to be at the forefront of development when the engine has push-rods in it ( even if it does now have two camshafts ). It was fun for a couple of days, but I wouldn't want to own one. I'm not saying that Harley owners are wrong - just that I don't want to be one...
What route did the Harley owners and Victory riders take home ? That's easy ...... The one with the least clouds !!
Well, even with being from the states I am not a big HD fan. That said... they, like all bikes have their place. They will do things other bikes cant do... as the man said more torque than the Ducati ... also slower and heavier. But it is like the old muscle cars of the 70s.... no they weren't Astons.... nor were they meant to be.... they were built to be just what they are... big cruiser bikes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... I have not met any Middle Eastern person here that understands why I bought the Hyper rather than a "bigger" bike... so now i dont try to explain.. just say " i like it.. thats all that matters"
+1 , a great long weekend, great bands, great company and decent beers and bikes, and more bikes, and scumpy cider , and Mr R : )
Over the years i have owned and built more than 20 HDs , even raced them , I do like sportsters when they are worked over , but I now own 4 Ducatis 3 monsters and an SS but next bike for my wife will be a sporster 883 as its the only bike low enough for her to reach the ground with a big engine.i will enjoy riding it too.
When I was racing one we'd replace the valves every meeting and the crank probably twice in the season! But they were used hard, we didn't run a tacho so every gearshift was signalled by the valves bouncing!
I can see why people like Harleys, not everyone's in a hurry. But for the life of me I can't understand why they're happy to pay so much for them, they're pieces of shite. Buy a ten grand sportsbike and you'll get pin-sharp compliant suspension, brick-wall brakes, supersonic thrust, decent ergonomics and for the most part excellent build quality; spend the same 10K on a Harley and you'll end up with a rusty hulk of shite with pre-war suspension and brakes and a power plant best suited to a cement mixer. They're a starting point, not a finishing point.
