Thread: why are Harley-Davidson's so cool? or are they even?

i am more of a car guy but i can appreciate bikes and my neighbor has a very old Harley. i grew up hearing that name a lot in a prestigious way like "king of the road" but what is so cool about them my neighbor has a very old one that doesn't look so nice or go so fast.

would you rather get a Harley Davidson or a chopper?

i know like many cars there must be history behind Harleys but can any1 please explain to me what it is and yeah

Harley, chopper, or an R1/ ducatti? whats your pick and why.

honestly because i have 10,000 saved up and i wanted to buy a sports bike like a Yamaha but my neighbor told me I'd be making a mistake and a Harley is a keeper. Im just confused can any1 give me a rush of information to help me out.

Ive saved my money for a long time and i want to get a bike for the long run and my neighbor says a Harley helps you mature faster and mature people enjoy it more. and plus he says the girls like it that i really have to doubt. lol

mate its just really your personal preference, dont go on what your nieghbour says thats his perspective, he is not wrong but he is not you, why are you buying a bike ? have you ridden bikes before , did you grow up on dirt bikes .. most who buy a big bike have alot of riding experience. and believe me growing up on dirt bikes gives you that. and you will need it all the time when faced with difficult situations on the road,to avoid potential fatal crashes.
anyway as for harly davidson , its a traditional style of bike with a patented engine as to the angle of the cylinders, it has become famous due to its use buy bike gangs, the movie easy rider, and the classic sound of the v twin, delivering huge low down power. the harlly is really not very comfortable to ride and is out classed in performance by the jap cruisers which have less vibration ,better handling and all round power, better suspention, cost less, are more reliable, etc. so if you want a cruiser then look at all the cruisers , but if you want a high performance road bike then look at all of them, there is one cross bread called a buell, it has a harly engine in a small road frame .
triumph make some classic bikes . i sugest buying lots of different magazines and do lots of research , i read about the jap cruisers in a mag, oh yeah you will find girls like all the different bikes , but what they really like is a guy who gets a bike for his own reasons and not just cause its cool, remember that.,,, think about what you want the bike for, and get professional advise if buying second hand !!!!!!!!!!!!

I gave ScooterT a thumbs up!
Harley's have been around for over 100 years now & the old one's are still on the road. They are BIG bikes, built for cruising & long trips. Do you prefer leaning back in your easy chair or hunched over like getting a procto exam?
I found going 100mph in heavy traffic exciting enough without being able to do 160mph on two wheels. Everyone admires/respects Harley's. If you ever experience riding with a few to hundreds of Harley's & observe people pulling over when they hear the sound coming, giving you the thumbs up, you'll have a thrill.
Also, learn the terminology; chopper is a style of bike. It can be Harley, Honda, Yamaha, BSA, whatever.
That said, all that matters is that you enjoy riding on two wheels. Take some test drives; I found they'll let you drive used models to compare.

I'll try to explain it in car terms since you're a car guy.
A 69 Camaro with a 327 (or 350) small block, Edelbrock intake, Holly carb, Hooker headers, dual exhaust, Mallory Ignition, radical Crane cams with roller rockers and lifters, Craiger wheels, a 4 speed Rock crusher and 4:11 posi rear end is at a red light.
In the next lane is a 16 valve DOHC Honda Civic with a spoiler on the trunk, The civic has nitrous and a really obnoxious sounding exhaust. The light changes and they both gun it. The short wheelbase lightweight civic with the nitrous will probably take the camaro in the corners and with the nitrous it will be a close race on the straights (if it doesn't blow up).... But who finished the race with the most class?? Only you can make that determination and the answer usually depends on which drivers seat you're in.. But the old experienced Camaro guy most likely doesn't even really care who wins. He just likes the way his four barels sound when the secondarys open and the way that American built V-8 pushes him back into his seat - and there's a good chance he's gonna be laughing inside when he hears the exhaust on that rice burner.
I'm sure you worked hard for that money man... don't base your decision on what your neighbor tells you. Ride some bikes and decide for yourself.