harley 883

[Fenixgoon]

Rough riding bikes, these.

i was at a stoplight and another guy next to me had a harley/chopper.. not sure which. anyway, his rear brake lever was flopping back and forth several inches i shit you not.

no thanks

That's a bad choice for two up riding. I can't recommend a Harley to you because of the very high prices and the very high cost of ownership. You will pay out the nose to get a Harley then parts, labor, etc. is also very expensive. The models that are affordable are the sportsters and they are not very good bikes. I have nothing against harley's. They do have very good resale value.
Here's some bikes I believe would be good for a beginner and would make a good two up bike and still be plenty fun for a spirited ride. I threw in some cruisers even though I wouldn't own one but just because you seem to like those bikes. 3 and 4 are my choices for you.
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/653/0/home.aspx
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/22/0/home.aspx
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/product-specifications.aspx?scid=6&id=433
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/product-specifications.aspx?id=429&scid=6
http://powersports.honda.com/2011/shadow-phantom.aspx
http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/2010_Bonneville_Overview_2010Bonneville.aspx
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Product-Specifications.aspx?scid=7&id=425

i just saw the star stryker today while browsing through yamaha's stuff.. sweet jesus that thing is SEXY!

 

[Zenmervolt]

I can't recommend a Harley to you because of the very high prices and the very high cost of ownership. You will pay out the nose to get a Harley then parts, labor, etc. is also very expensive.

Uh...

The only thing you're even slightly right about is the initial cost of a brand new Harley. Even then, unless you go with some of the crazy models, Harleys are within $1,000 of a comparable Honda VTX or Shadow. Even the "super expensive" touring models are price competitive with a Goldwing, actually cheaper; a base 'Wing will run you $22,899 without ABS, while an Electra Glide Classic with ABS comes in under $19,900. Prices to buy a standard Harley aren't really much different in price from comparable cruisers from other companies.

As far as "very high cost of ownership", the only thing I can say is that you're full of shit. Aside from oil changes, which I do myself, my Harley has cost exactly $0.00 to maintain in the two years I've had it. I don't know anyone who has owned one who has had any sort of experience that would qualify as "very high cost of ownership" and most of the riders I know have 60,000+ miles on their machines. Keep gas and oil in it, and a properly-cared-for Harley will easily pass 100,000 miles.

As far as parts, I can't think of anything on my Harley that's as expensive as the plastic fairings on sportbikes. Looking at the catalogue parts costs for OEM replacements aren't meaningfully different than for my '82 Honda CB450SC. A shift lever for the old Honda ran me $45 at the dealer and the Harley catalog shows about $55. However if I look around I can find an OEM piece from Debrix for $12 to fit my Harley. No-one makes aftermarket bits for my old Honda.

Labor is another cost you're exaggerating. The labor rates at my local Harley shop are $95/hour, which is average. Most independent shops in the Seattle area charge between $90/hour and $120/hour if you want a competent mechanic, which puts the Harley dealership on the low end of local labor rates. The local Honda shop charges $105/hour for comparison.

I'm not asking that you start liking Harleys or even cruisers in general, but it would be nice if you didn't spread complete bullshit.

ZV

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Uh...

The only thing you're even slightly right about is the initial cost of a brand new Harley. Even then, unless you go with some of the crazy models, Harleys are within $1,000 of a comparable Honda VTX or Shadow. Even the "super expensive" touring models are price competitive with a Goldwing, actually cheaper; a base 'Wing will run you $22,899 without ABS, while an Electra Glide Classic with ABS comes in under $19,900. Prices to buy a standard Harley aren't really much different in price from comparable cruisers from other companies.

As far as "very high cost of ownership", the only thing I can say is that you're full of shit. Aside from oil changes, which I do myself, my Harley has cost exactly $0.00 to maintain in the two years I've had it. I don't know anyone who has owned one who has had any sort of experience that would qualify as "very high cost of ownership" and most of the riders I know have 60,000+ miles on their machines. Keep gas and oil in it, and a properly-cared-for Harley will easily pass 100,000 miles.

As far as parts, I can't think of anything on my Harley that's as expensive as the plastic fairings on sportbikes. Looking at the catalogue parts costs for OEM replacements aren't meaningfully different than for my '82 Honda CB450SC. A shift lever for the old Honda ran me $45 at the dealer and the Harley catalog shows about $55. However if I look around I can find an OEM piece from Debrix for $12 to fit my Harley. No-one makes aftermarket bits for my old Honda.

Labor is another cost you're exaggerating. The labor rates at my local Harley shop are $95/hour, which is average. Most independent shops in the Seattle area charge between $90/hour and $120/hour if you want a competent mechanic, which puts the Harley dealership on the low end of local labor rates. The local Honda shop charges $105/hour for comparison.

I'm not asking that you start liking Harleys or even cruisers in general, but it would be nice if you didn't spread complete bullshit.

ZV

I owned a Harley once. I know the costs. I thought to myself "I like buying American bikes but not when the manufacturer rapes me like this. F@ck this I'm buying Japanese from now on."

Competitive on prices. Well one look on the Harley website shows the cheapest bike not a sportster is 13,000 msrp. :thumbsdown:Want a different color other than black? Another $374 please. And Harley's sell at msrp or damn near it. Sometimes they sell over msrp because people pay it. You could get a similarly equipped Japanese bike for thousands less.You keep paying Harley Davidson all your hard earned dollars for outdated equipment. There is 100 times the technology in my 8,000 dollar zx6r than all the Harley bikes out for 2011 and it's not even close. I bet after one week of riding your Harley like I ride my ninja your Harley would need an engine rebuild.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Competitive on prices. Well one look on the Harley website shows the cheapest bike not a sportster is 13,000 msrp. :thumbsdown:Want a different color other than black? Another $374 please. And Harley's sell at msrp or damn near it. Sometimes they sell over msrp because people pay it. You could get a similarly equipped Japanese bike for thousands less.

No, Harleys don't sell at MSRP. Unless you're a moron and can't haggle. While I did buy mine used, I didn't pay sticker for it. Not even close. The days of Harleys being artificially kept in short supply are long over.

Yes, the Dynas start at $13,000, but that's not very far off from Honda's $10,500 VTX1300. The Dyna is definitely more, but the Dyna has EFI (Honda is a carb), the Dyna has a 6-speed transmission (Honda is a 5-speed), the Dyna is a 1600cc engine (Honda is 1300cc), and the Harley has a 2 year, unlimited mileage warranty (Honda is 1 year). Seems like the price difference actually does buy more bike when you actually compare them honestly.

I bet after one week of riding your Harley like I ride my ninja your Harley would need an engine rebuild.

I'm pretty sure that revving an engine with a 7,000 RPM redline to 12,000+ RPM as you do your Ninja would indeed ruin the engine. However, the only thing that would prove is that the rider is a complete idiot for disregarding design parameters.

Again, since you didn't catch it the first time, I'm not asking you to like Harleys or even cruisers in general, I'm just suggesting that you might want to stop spewing bullshit.

ZV