Why do you Ride a Harley?
The forums have been abuzz with discussion of Harleys vs metric bikes, and why Harley’s are better, and why metric bikes are better, yadda yadda yaddda. JohnC FXDX made an intresting comparison that I think cut the heart of the matter. While Harley’s might not be the most efficient/powerful/high-tech bikes in the world, their appeal is such that they don’t really need to be. It’s similar to the way car guys compare old muscle cars to newer ones.
I’ve seen here and out in public the whole metric vs. Harley vs. Sportbike thing. Yesterday I was watching Desert Car Kings and they rebuilt a ’68 Charger 383. When they were done, they took it down the 1/4 mile. It ran in the 19’s !!! Granted that is super slow even for a base Charger of the time. Bottom line was that it looked super cool, sounded super cool and could do burnouts at will. Every stock muscle car with the exception of the special big motor ones, will get beat by a V6 Camry. Most guys would still want one though. I remember my 67 Mustang, and I wish I still had it. It had a 289 and it was slow by todays standards. It had chrome in all the right places, the exhaust sounded sweet and it would shake the car when you revved the engine. I believe Harleys have been and still are like those muscle cars. You don’t buy them for their performance, its for the satisfaction you get when you ride one.