........ i'll take the gold-ish one, ....even if it is a batwing

.....There is your side by side comparison.

 

If you look at bikes in stock form without any custom paint jobs or additions of accessories or parts, Harley is a premium offering in terms of fit, finish, materials, paint etc..One would be hard-pressed to say a stock Yamaha or Honda outdoes a stock Harley in that department, although aesthetics are subjective. The overall material and attention to details and such is superior IMO. Does that make the bike run better? Of course not. But still, in that sense it is a premium brand as they place an emphasis on such details where some others do not. The same thing for the dealer network. HD keeps a tight hold on dealers, what they can and cannot display, how its displayed etc....Most shops selling Honda or Yamaha etc,..bikes are just randomly strewn around the floor, A few helmets or gloves for sale on the wall. Now that is irrelevant to the bike. But Honda and Yamaha etc always placed function and performance over form. Harley always has been primarily about nostalgia and bling over raw performance. Harley is kind of like a boutique brand without really being a boutique. You either will like their offerings or you won't.

 

Trying riding a Japanese special around for a year and you'll see why harleys are premium bikes. They are not the only premium bikes though, BMW and some others are as well. The parts are heavy duty, not plastic crap and compared to Jap bikes they ride like cadillacs.

 

I 100% agree.

 

Going on a Harley Davidson forum and asking why some people on the forum don't own something else is the same thing as going to a Honda forum and asking why some people there don't own something else. You will get the same puzzled looks by a lot of folks.

 

Not really when the majority read is whining and complaining about everything H-D and giving accolades to others.
Maybe it’s just me and feel free to look at me however, no biggie.

 

I'll slow way down every few miles and let you catch up. We can do a side by side then. I like both my bikes....that said, I do find it amusing the things that people say without any knowledge about what they say. Instead of listening to someone who actually has 2 similar bikes and tells you one is built better, runs better and costs WAYYYYYY LESS from day one.
But hey, they talk dumb **** about Harley's over at the Yamaha raider forum too.

 

My Suzuki motorcycles are awesome...they are both keepers.

 

When I bought my first Harley in the 80's. The salesman said on delivery " Welcome to the club,now you get to wear a black Harley T shirt, wear your black leather, and hangout with people you don't normally accocate with." That's what the premium must be.

 

Reliability has nothing to do with being a premium brand or model. If it was the case, Honda Rebel would be the top of the heap. Harley is a premium brand because of the name recognition, attention to details like paint, visual quality of parts, and dealership experience that no other brand can come close to. And while their prices are very high (like, premium or something...), the resale value, even nowadays is such that the actual investment, outside of modifications, is similar if not lower than other brands.