I've watched this thread a bit and thought about just why I prefer Harley, I've had many different bikes in my short 67 years, but there's always been that flutter in my Heart when I climb on a Harley and that flutter is still there.
I don't get that flutter on a different brand.

Really can't put my finger on it exactly maybe it was the old Knucklehead that I rode on as a passenger at 10 years old.
I think it was mostly the engine and chrome shinning in the Sun on that old Knuckle and that vibration that let you know it was alive and willing to go wherever you wanted to go,
yep that flutter was definitely there.
I popped a Budweiser the other night and went out to the garage, uncovered both bikes, sat down on the old chair with the back missing and just stared at them, the slim is agile and quick in traffic, the dresser is slow and steady with plenty of room for my goodies, both are Harley to the core.

 

I wanted to make sure everyone knew that I was cool and had money!!!

Seriously... I got the Harley to get chicks.

FYI... it didn't work.

 

Rockin' the Fonzy!

 

The first Harley item I ever bought was a Harley T Shirt. While on our honeymoon in San Francisco we stopped into Dudley Perkin's HD and bought that shirt. That was 20 years ago and I still have the shirt though the sleeves are gone.

I think their prices on clothing are out of line but I did buy my wife a new shirt recently for $60.00{gouge}. None for me but that shirt sure looks good on the wife and she loves it.

Riding my Harley is an experience and a state of mind not just a mode of transportation. I tried to tell my father what its like but said you just have to own one and ride it to find out, at least for me. The only other bike that comes close is my 1970 Triumph but still it does not compare to the HD.

I have had Honda's and Kawaski's and they were fun but not even close to the smile the HD puts on my face.

 

If I were to buy a Honda, or a Triumph, or anything else I'd modify them too. I'm sticking with my Night Train.

 

I don't know anyone that has a jap bike with over a 100,000 miles on it. I know, someone is going to reply with, my uncle has a Honda shadow with 200,000 miles on it. I challenge anyone to post an odometer pic of a jap bike with over a 100,000 miles on it.

 

Funny thing about this, he was deathly afraid of the bikes and would not even sit on it if it was running. They had to mount his triumph to a board with coasters on it and pull him around for scenes where it was moving.

Bah, TV.

I have to say to a few of the comments above against Brett's post and against the Dealerships in general, you guys really need to keep looking for a better dealer. I am very lucky to be in south Florida where there are more dealers per county than most states and we do have quite a few that I would never spend a dime at, we also have a few that I would spend extra money at because of the great experience. My local dealer takes great care of its customers including the monthly Customer Appreciation days where they are fully staffed for sales, service, test rides as well as provide a live band, free food etc just to say thank you. Granted I know it is a scam to get more people in the door but seriously, I know three of the sales staff, the service manager and parts guys too and THEY KNOW ME. I have never bought a bike from them but they still stop what they are doing to greet me and make sure I have what I need. Even if that is just information. I have had test rides of most of their bikes and perhaps will buy one from them in the future, but I don't feel like I have to.

That said, I won't use them for service and I am smart in what I buy there because yes, they do charge much too much for their service and their monkeys, I mean service techs are just book jockeys in most cases. I can follow instructions and probably have more tools than they do.

To the others in this thread that realized that their bike has a soul, I agree entirely. This is part of the reason we treat our bikes so well. They are not just precision machines as noted above, they are more like friends. To get on the road is more like meeting up for a day at a ball game with a buddy than just an experience on a machine. I have had many bikes, but so far only one Harley. I've considered trading it in on another but can't get myself to separate from a good friend. I guess I'll just have to buy a second one.