One of the reasons I did not want a HD in the 70s, 80s, & 90s was the unreliability of the bikes. Oil leakers, jokes about marking their territory were true, saw more than a few pans under HDs to catch the oil that leaked out. Not especially powerful, not especially easy to handle. expensive, and the other joke was you needed to be a mechanic - or you would be soon enough - if you rode one. The other main reason was expense - power bang for the buck was not that great compared to other bikes. The AMF deal sure didn't help matters any, they began to do better after that buyback no doubt.
Why the trip down memory lane? While I didn't own a Harley, riding buddies did and I rode more than a few of theirs. Nice & shiny & heavy but nope, was not impressed. Recall more than a few hours on the sides of roads, at gas stations, looking for a garage, pushing them, etc. etc. & meanwhile the rest of us non HD guys scratched our heads & wondered WTF? HDs broke down more than what the rest of us were riding.
I drank the HD Kool-aide in 2001. Bikes were better than they had been - still some problems with the earlier twin cams. Had a RK Classic that I loved long time, rode like a dream. Not the fastest or most nimble bike, but for a 46 year old iski it was what I wanted. My 2007 SE Ultra sucked gnat balls - a POS that for a year was reliable & then never was. Happy to see it gone. 2010 SE Ultra was a great bike, my 2017 CVO Limited is easily the best of all of them, hands down.
I realize it's not the same - my not owning a Harley since the 1960s, but I was around them enough to know enough. And those HD riders bitched plenty about their rides & why stuff broke & leaked. Also heard bitching about German & Jap bikes, a twist of the throttle on the bike I was on made that noise go faint to nothing in a hurry. Memories fade the bad chit & the lousier stuff. "Fond" memories of carburetor HDs that choked in the mountains or on a very cold morning & refused to start? If you say so. HDs now are more reliable that they once were. Room for improvement? Hells bells you betcha. Some M8s are bum steers? No doubt about it. Overpriced for the market? Maybe since that is a factor when sales lag. What's the fix? Do not see one. As long as younger generations are more interested in things other than motorcycles, sales will lag. KC closing was just the beginning. Expect layoffs in York as well as WI before too long. Unless the "100 new HD models" turns that all around and riders learn to live better, electrically. Dunno. Doubtful, very doubtful.
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Topic: A "General CVO Discussion".......or observation (Read 8842 times)