I am about to buy my first bike in over 20 years...I'm 54 years old....I'm a Baby Boomer. We have driven the economy, culture/sub-culture in this country since the mid 60's, and will continue to do so until the tail end of us gets too old to buy chit like Harley Davidsons. Let's face it, owning a Harley is buying into a sub-culture unlike any other bike based group of people, no matter what the brand. I do think that's changing, as I see more people our age buying Stars, Victorys, etc. They are offering a good, reliable product....in many ways superior when you drive it off the showroom floor. But IT STILL AIN'T A HARLEY DAVIDSON!!!!!! There's no 40 year old subculture out there for Victory owners. I read about the problems with these bikes, but guess what else I'm reading between the lines? You guys, for the most part, LOVE your bikes...you've got your heart and soul invested in them, plus a hell of a lot of your disposable (or not) income. And, there is a commradarie (sp?), here that you don't find many places this day and time. Yea, the bikes are behind the times a bit, and the company is sitting on their asses again and letting it happen because at the moment they aren't paying attention to what's going on....doesn't make it right, but it's reality. My best comparison, at least in my mind, is what kinds of cars we own....I would LOVE to have a restored '57 Chevy, or some mid to late 60's muscle car, but I would NEVER have something like that as my primary means of transportation...that's why I own a Subaru Outback....I haven't got to worry about it....but, I also can't do a damn thing to it either, unlike a Harley, 57 Chevy, blah, blah, to make it MINE. There's not a Subaru owner's group out there, or a Ford F-150 owner's group....there are old car groups out there...and they have "rallys"...guess what...most of them are also baby boomers. Six months ago, I did not have the extra income to buy an SE Ultra Glide...I looked at Victory's, BMW's, Gold Wings, Stars....all great bikes....but guess what guys? They ain't Harleys, no matter how hard they try to copy. More reliable? Probably so. I'm buying into the Harley thing BECAUSE of guys like you...I'll have something in common with you, even if it's just the bike, and odds are there will be more. If the bike sucks big ones, and strands me on the side of the road....then I'll make the choice of what to do with it...but I'll probably just fix it and keep on ridin' for as long as I'm able. The MOCO needs to wake up and smell the coffee, yes. I agree with that in a big way...meanwhile, I'll still have a big 'ol chit eating grin on my face when I go pick up my bike next month, and if something happens to it, I know you guys will at least be moral support, and probably go out of your way to help me get my problems resolved....that's why I'm buying a Harley!! My dime's worth.....