Ok guys, so here's the deal...I'm looking at getting my first bike here sometime soon. I pretty much had my mind set on getting a new Sportster. I love the way Harleys look, the way they sound, and I just like them all the way around. BUT...the more and more I talk to people about getting a bike, the more and more I hear about how Harleys aren't reliable and they break down all the time etc. etc...Hearing this has kinda been pushing me towards a Honda Shadow or maybe even a Yamaha of some kind. So I ask you Harley owners, does this idea of unreliability prove to be true at all? What sets aside Harley over the Hondas or Yamahas other than being a good American-made product?

 

Get thee back to the Honda boards, troll!

 

Mines broke down right now. I've been waiting for a part to come in at my local stealer for 5 day.(might be here today, fingers crossed, pre paid). Buy what YOU want, don't let anyone tell you what to git. Be a man (or a woman), make up your own mind.

 

21K on my 07 Road Glide and 24K on my 04 Deuce. The only thing I have had to do to either one is normal services and tires. Who ever told you Harleys are not reliable needs to pull their head out of their azz!

 

You may want to do a search on this topic. It's been discussed/hashed/ranted about before. Basically, they are very reliable now. I would stick to EFI models which started on models since 2000ish and all are now EFI (last carb model was 2006? is that right?).

 

At the risk of this being Troll question, I'll still answer it.

No HD's are not anymore unreliable than any other manufacturers bikes are. I've owned most of the major brands over the years and my 2 previous Harley's were actually the most reliable of them all. They were never in the shop for anything major and they didn't leak oil either.

As for what sets them aside from a metric cruiser. It's all in the beauty. Look at any metric cruiser next to an HD and there is a definite quality difference, the metrics look raw and unfinished while the HD's are beautifully crafted.

 

Over 200,000 miles on 3 different Harleys in the last 8 years and I lost a stator once. Other than that with proper maintenance I've had no problems.

 

Seriously?...This post is a textbook Troll.......

 

That's why I said my bike was down!

 

If you guys are inferring that I'm a Honda man or belong to another board, it's not true. Like I said, I love Harleys. I want one incredibly bad. I was just getting a little apprehensive because of what I was hearing. But reading these responses makes me feel better about them. From what I also understand, they had more problems from vibration before the engines were rubber mounted. I think I'm sold on the Sportster now.