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Also, if I bought one of those I would have to dress like a power ranger
Guess I forgot to read the "rules". I wear the same gear whether I ride my cruiser or my sport-touring, at no time resembling a power ranger or a gay pirate.
For me at the time every bike I had owned ended up getting bags, windshield seats etc. So I decided to get one that had as much of the things I wanted on it from the start. I looked at Harley, BMW, and Honda. My ultra came in as the best deal. Now fast forward almost 10 yrs and I’m shopping again. Keeping my ultra but adding either a BMW or gold wing to the garage. For the simple reason I love my ultra and the feedback of riding it. However I think there a lot of upgrades and features offered elsewhere.
Coming from a Harley family, I am a life-long Harley aficionado. That said, theres nothing wrong with owning multiple brands. Like cars, bikes excel better at somethings better than others. To add balance to my motorcycling world I ride both Harley and BMW sport-touring bikes.
[QUOTE=madmustang4;17655679
BMW dealer told me that some Harley guys have a hard time transitioning to BMW because of foot location. On Harley foot is straight down (or ahead). On BMW foot is back. For some guys the foot being back doesn't work.[/QUOTE]
This me.
Not that I wouldn't always have at least one Harley, I presently have two I'm riding and a 1974 Ironhead I'm trying to resurrect. But, I like motorcycles in general, so I enjoy experiencing other bikes too. I've owned and put a lot of miles on a Yamaha FJR and Kawasaki Concours. Both bikes have plenty of power and handle great. They also have other stuff some folks seem to want on their Ultra like Tire Pressure Read-out, adjustable windshield, water cooling and much better rain protection. What I found with those bikes is that my knees were in agony at the end of the day and the pain stayed with me for a couple of days. That one thing is the only reason I didn't buy that 2018 Goldwing or BMWs GS1250 or 1600.
I will always have a Harley in the garage (looking for another evo), they fit my style. But sometimes I feel like a nut.
Only I didn't get to ride the Goldwing. But I did ride the Indian Roadmaster, Indian Challenger, and the Kawasaki Voyager.
Really liked the Indian Roadmaster, but it was the Elite model and almost CVO price. The Challenger broke down on my test ride so it was out. The Yamaha just baked my legs and on a 30 minute test ride I couldn't figure out the electronics, radio, ect... I'm sure given enough time I could get used to it, but the Harley, Indian, and Kawasaki I could figure out and use the features with out the manual. BMW was fun, bit it's price and their reliability record knocked it out of the running. The Kawasaki Was OK, but I scraped the boards in almost every corner. It was easily the cheapest. Until I found a used 2019 Harley Ultra Classic for $15,800.
In the end it was more an emotional decision than a truly logical one, although price was a big factor. The Harley just seemed and felt right for me. If it doesn't feel right for you go with what does.
I watched a video last night of a guy riding a Roadmaster. I would like to test one of those. It sure looks comfortable. What happened to the Challenger?
Because Japanese cruisers are all just Harley clones with extra chromosomes. They look like Harleys and when you get up close you realizes its .....not......
Japanese cruisers are the transvestites of the motorcycle world. From a distance they may impress you , but up close they just look awkward and just 'not right'.
Have you ever seen how Bollywood movies rip off American themes but they just wind up looking ridiculous? Thats what Japanese cruisers look like.
Ok, now for my serious answer. I just prefer how Harleys look and I cant stand how Japanese bikes mimic every feature of a Harley. Back in the 70's and 80's, Japanese bikes had their own look. Now they all look like Softails and Streetglides.
I watched a video last night of a guy riding a Roadmaster. I would like to test one of those. It sure looks comfortable. What happened to the Challenger?
Is that a question for me?
I think it was back in February a local Indian dealership had a Challenger Challenge Day, they had a used Harley Road Glide 107 stage I and the Indian Challenger to test ride. They let one person go out on each and ride a 2 mile loop near the dealership. I was there early before the even was supposed to start, there was one other guy there as well. He wanted to try the Road Glide first so I hopped on the Challenger. About halfway through the ride the check engine light came on. I didn't hear or see anything funny and kept riding back to the dealership. As I pulled into the parking lot the salesman was yelling at me. I hung a U-turn in the parking lot and saw what he was yelling about, There was a trail of white smoke from the Challenger. It was coming from the right pipe. Mechanics came out and pushed the bike into the shop. I ended up leaving, a buddy of mine showed up a short time later. According to him about an hour later they brought out another Challenger for people to ride.
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