This one.
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We didn't win two world wars by having tanks and vehicles with the most power or the most capability. We won by having things that people with grade school educations could repair that were simple and strong.

If you want "reliable" at the expense of ease of repair, you should buy a Honda and pray that it doesn't break. If you're unlucky enough for the sophisticated design to break, you're either going to have to get a Ph.D in Japanese engineering or pay someone a fortune. Or you could get lucky and it may never break and you won't have to worry about it.

Or you can buy a simple, strong, American design and if it breaks, you fix it in your garage with a screwdriver.

Neither are necessarily better or worse, but I know what I'm choosing. And I wonder why you're here if what you wanted was to sacrifice ease of repair for "reliability" or for more performance.

It's kinda amusing to me that the Germans once had the most successful car in the history of automobiles from a simple air cooled design philosophy from the ground up, but gave it all up to make sophisticated cars that need constant maintenance or they turn into piles of junk.

At least the Japanese do sophisticated designs well; the Germans seem to just do sophistication for the sake of sophistication.

Simple, air cooled, v-twin engine designs are what Harley-Davidson is, to me. The rest need to have some other brand on them.

 

I disagree with you because really what people want is:

1) sophistication - you see it all the time on the forums, where people salivate over the technology on other brands - "why can't harley make a modern motorcycle?" they say, look at X or Y brand - ride modes, traction control, etc etc.

2) power. I don't need to explain this. Air cooled engines top out at a certain point, and we're pretty much there. Thats why liquid cooling exists.

But all of these add complexity which means they become more difficult to repair.

Now, you may not want these things, which is fine, but you are increasingly in the minority. So for the MoCo to give you what you want, its a failing strategy. I'm sure the move to disk brakes was derided as overly complicated and more prone to breaking down, etc. Heck when they added a front brake I'm sure there were people that said "no thanks. one more thing to break"

 

i had myself pretty convinced a street only version of the pan am would be the next coming of the fxrt.

 

Fatboy!

 

Harley XA, based on R71. Ironically the current Ural is based on that same model.

 

First year of the Road King, ’94.

This is a ’95 I bought and sold last year.

 

I love the appearance of the Fat Boy. Especially the 2012-era with the chrome wheels. The other bikes that impress me are the Road King and the Heritage. They are classic styling and while very similar in appearance - are very different. Otherwise there would just be one right?

As for overall satisfaction I would have to say the 2018+ Heritage. It's just a gorgeous bike, reliable, easy to handle and has all the power you need. As you might guess, that is the bike I personally chose when looking for a comfortable 100+-miles-per-day motorcycle. The older generations are great and have awesome paint colors. But "heavy" and not so comfortable in the actual seat (JMHO). It always saddens me, however, when I see the floppy leather saddlebags LOL

 

Speaking just for myself here, a bike is a matter or preference and use.

I've owned two Sportsters, one Super-Glide, three Electra-Glides. one Road King, one Softail Custom, two Heritage Softail Classics and now I have one Tri-Glide (the Springer is my "local ride".
Surprisingly, even though the ONLY one that I bought "used" was the Softail Custom, it was one of the most enjoyable bikes that I've ever owned. I put many miles on it over three seasons and sold it for what I paid for it and at the time I wanted for of a "road bike" and the Heritage, while only being a "cruiser" did have the saddlebags and windshield.

Finding the "right bike" and "right fit" for you can take time.
After my wife first took her riding safety course, we bought her a Honda Shadow as her "learner bike".
After that, a Sportster Hugger and the following year a Softail Heritage Classic, which she loved!

With me being ME....I thought (and talked her into ordering a new Road King.
We (I) put a TON of money into accessories.
She rode it exactly 11 miles and go off of it and said to me "I like my Heritage better, you can have it"!
Several years later we got her ANOTER Heritage and I "dolled it up" (it was sharp) and she rode that bike until she stopped riding!