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HD has been around a long time and made some great bikes over the years. Problem is that you now have a lot of foreign competition that makes better performing, cheaper and more appealing models to various demographics.

One of the main reasons that HD is still very popular is due to mass ignorance. They simply fail to look into the competition for their own reason ands generally overpay for something that is not at all what they believe it to be.

People who buy a HD because "there is simply nothing like a HD" usually buy into the image, think that is is 100% made in America or believe it to be the most durable of all motorcycles. If you like the image then more power to you. However, It isnt 100% American made, not even close, and durability is always subjective.

Performance of HD's is and has always been lousy. Its one of the main reasons I would never buy another. You get people who say "I didnt buy my HD for power/performance" or "I got the speed thing out of my blood years ago" and I laugh every time someone says it. Performace of HD is a huge after market money maker because the first thing a HD owner does is tro to get more power. The marketing of HD is absolutely brilliant because they sell an underpowered machine for a huge amount of money and then get the same people to dump more money into it to try to get adequate performance.

"Ignorance is bliss"


EDIT....

Its so funny when people who support HD reply and get all defensive. Same old arguments, just like the bikes, that are 50 years old. "I know how to rebuild a bike" or "I have seen bikes on the road from the 50's". The arguments are never new and are always invalid. I see tons of cars on the road by my house that are from the 60's and 70s that people restore with huge motors and tires and are huge pieces of crapp. I hate the argument that "I can fix my bike anytime, anywhere..."because its another defensive and illegitmate argument. I never got into motorcycles because I wanted to be a mechanic. Im a network engineer and got into mototcycles because it was fun. I got a lot of bad info and bought a HD for my first bike. I was smart enough to dump it and buy something else that actually had integrated technology (like being liquid cooled!!!), was cheaper, performed better and didnt look like something from thr 50's.

Again, its all about ignorance. Listen to the rants and the word "ignorance" best describes people who keep buying HD's.

Lastly, Byron, you dont rebuild sprockets. You replace them... lol.

HD has been around a long time and made some great bikes over the years. Problem is that you now have a lot of foreign competition that makes better performing, cheaper and more appealing models to various demographics.

One of the main reasons that HD is still very popular is due to mass ignorance. They simply fail to look into the competition for their own reason ands generally overpay for something that is not at all what they believe it to be.

People who buy a HD because "there is simply nothing like a HD" usually buy into the image, think that is is 100% made in America or believe it to be the most durable of all motorcycles. If you like the image then more power to you. However, It isnt 100% American made, not even close, and durability is always subjective.

Performance of HD's is and has always been lousy. Its one of the main reasons I would never buy another. You get people who say "I didnt buy my HD for power/performance" or "I got the speed thing out of my blood years ago" and I laugh every time someone says it. Performace of HD is a huge after market money maker because the first thing a HD owner does is tro to get more power. The marketing of HD is absolutely brilliant because they sell an underpowered machine for a huge amount of money and then get the same people to dump more money into it to try to get adequate performance.

"Ignorance is bliss"


EDIT....

Its so funny when people who support HD reply and get all defensive. Same old arguments, just like the bikes, that are 50 years old. "I know how to rebuild a bike" or "I have seen bikes on the road from the 50's". The arguments are never new and are always invalid. I see tons of cars on the road by my house that are from the 60's and 70s that people restore with huge motors and tires and are huge pieces of crapp. I hate the argument that "I can fix my bike anytime, anywhere..."because its another defensive and illegitmate argument. I never got into motorcycles because I wanted to be a mechanic. Im a network engineer and got into mototcycles because it was fun. I got a lot of bad info and bought a HD for my first bike. I was smart enough to dump it and buy something else that actually had integrated technology (like being liquid cooled!!!), was cheaper, performed better and didnt look like something from thr 50's.

Again, its all about ignorance. Listen to the rants and the word "ignorance" best describes people who keep buying HD's.

Lastly, Byron, you dont rebuild sprockets. You replace them... lol.

*yawn*
How do you rebuild a sprocket?

I bought a Sportster because I was so impressed with my Buell that I thought I'd give a "real Harley" a try. I bought the 2005 Sportster 1200 Roadster, which semed to be the best-performing Harley overall, with dual discs up front, cast wheels and the footpegs below the seat, where they belong. When I told the H-D salesman from whom I had bought it that I was selling it a few months later, I explained that I had bought the bike but not the H-D religion, he said, "Yeah, sometimes that happens".

Some choose to drink the Kool-Aid; others don't.

It's not the bike, its the image. Its a well known fact that all the biker gangs are dangerous criminals, and nobody wants to mess with a bunch of outlaws not even the police. Now people that want to feel some muscle, pose as a gang member. The same bike, the same close,the same attitude. Its very difficult for most people to tell the difference. I rode a Harley across Canada,and I almost worshiped my Hayabusa when I took it out after I came home. Now this is a motorcycle! It doesn't feel like a couple of farmer welded it together and threw in a miss firing Briggs and Stratton. It feels like it had world class engineers designing it.

There are almost 7 Billion people on this planet, so my opinion about Harley Davidson could only account for about .0000000002%. ( my wife added her $.02).

It's like all the guys who still think Marilyn Monroe is the finest woman alive- they just will not let themselve see anything else- and don't tell them Marilyn died years ago.

I used to go Harley Hunting on my Jap Bike on the weekends. I quit doing that after getting invited to ride with them after showing them tailight every race. I woke up a realized I couldn't get sh!t faced and ride 400 miles without a care like they always did.

Riding Harleys will make you a real good mechanic or a broke rider.

It is something akin to the New York Yankees to a Yankees fan. Yes, there are other baseball teams and some years they are better than the Yankees, but try as hard as they can they will never be the Yankees. If riding with the HOG (Harley Owners Group) is your desire, then you probably will never do it on anything but a Harley. Really, a stock Harley is nothing but a starter kit, a blank canvass ready for the artist. You have infinite options for making it your own, different from everyone else. In my opinion, not worth the money.

how many 47,58,61, or whatever yesteryear jap bikes do you see on the road? I see old Harley's from the 50s and 60s and 70s all the time.Nuff said. I ride a 61 panhead and its BUILT any time you wanna race light to light for pinks bring it. I also own and ride triumphs,Honda's and Yamaha's so don't get it in your head that i dont have a clue.

Your question was not really a question "Why do people make Harley-davidsons out to be so great?"... You ask "why do people". OK, what people? Is this Yahoo Opinion Poll or do you just want rag on about H-D versus another bike? (which is the most tiresome, mind numbing non-controversy that has gone on ever since the beginning of the rise of morons). And yes please inform us about sprocket re-building. Then perhaps you can tell us the amount of torque you apply to your numb nuts.