Harley-Davidson or Japanese Bikes?

[Wade H]

I gotta say I really love Harley Davidson BRAKES.

And I've had three other bikes (British) that had failures in the braking system.

So I'm a tad sensitive to braking problems.

And MY Yamaha would do odd things with the brake if I forgot I was working on a rod actuated rear drum and adjusted the chain (bad, evil, nasty things). None of my other bikes had this "feature".

And that Yamaha (I loved it, really I did.) would stop shining it's headlight at odd intervals.

I really found that annoying. Especially when4n going onto the interstate with a truck behind me on a dark and rainy night (no it's not a short ~ well not a "typical short" ~ 650 specials are well known to loosen spontaneously their "reserve lighting switch's wiring harness" ~ they unplug themselves... Yamaha made these bikes from 1968-1984 or so and all of them do it I'm told, so wrap the connection tight and liberally coat it with electrical compounds from every society of geeks you can find if you have one, cause they are good bikes...).

Then there is the generator problem I had on that same Yamaha, that nearly got me fired when I was late for work because it needed a cleaning. No, it wasn't worn out, it didn't need new brushes, it just needed a cleaning...

THEN IT WORKED FINE. FOR YEARS.

This I found endearing.

But my Harley never did that. It did eat batteries. Sometimes it wouldn't start. I'd have to call a cab.

That doesn't get you fired.

Being stuck besides the road can.

The Harley regularly ATE headlamps, but only one filament at a time and it would accept standard automotive parts there so these were easy to get. So I never ran blind hundreds of yards in the dark on a twisty road in the rain, with moose all about.

Yes, in Maine people hit moose, two of my friends did.

And one of them was driving a Harley. HE walked away limping. But he got over it.

The other guy... HE was driven away in an ambulance. He still walks with a limp.

I think it's the speeds that did it. People who ride Japanese bikes tend to go faster (take it from me Jeff would have been going 20 miles per hour faster on his Yamaha, and he didn't SEE the moose before he'd practically run into it, so "superior handling and brakes" ~ not so important... maybe

(I was on the Yamaha, I literally put the bike sideways and just missed it.)

Yes, I loved that bike.

And I still resent what the fanatical Brother in Law did to it, after lying to me to steal it for $350 or so.

I was however riding that bike so long because the Harley ate a bearing. (I rode the poor thing into the ground first...).

Harley brakes though, really, really good stuff. High effort not to grabby. REAL WORLD COMPATIBLE.

[yahoo]

Japanese hands down. I personally think you get a lot more out of your money with a Honda than with a Harley. "It's MADE IN AMERICA!!!! - blah blah blah". A Honda is made in America just as a Harley is by American workers, plus ten times the reliability a Harley will ever have. Come on people, why go pay $20k for a bike? Harley's are great bikes, but overpriced as heck. But hey, keep buying them so you can say "I've got an American bike, OH, BOY, how fun!! "Look at that Harley badge shine!!" Oh boy, let's go buy a piece of trash Polaris ATV because it's "American". The Japanese make the best powersports, always have, and always will. We might as well accept it.

[kodiak536]

Honda.

Owned two street cruiser bikes and NEVER had any problems what-so-ever with them...ran out of gas once, if you can consider that a problem.

Aside from the reliability issues between them, the price is a lot more affordable with Japanese bikes and what you get for your hard earned money...reliability and quality craftsmanship.

Harley is nice to have "luxury" item for ordinary working stiffs.

Why pay the outrageous price for a Harley when for the same amount of money, you can buy 2 or 3 of the Japanese bikes?

Besides, "buy American" crap don't fly with me.

Hondas are made in America by American workers, just as Harley's are...my Honda VTX 1300R was made and assembled in Ohio, USA by American workers.

I won't buy any crap just because it's "made in America", I buy quality, reliability and craftsmanship for the lowest price...Harley don't fit that category.