HD Super Demo Rides

[Gas Man]

[nhgunnut]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

Well tt is just a difference in pov and opinion. More over a chicken or the egg debate. I say tt no matter how u want to slice it. HD is king and all these other brands try to live off a piece of the hd pie tt falls off. Same reason why the metric cruisers went bk to pushrod motors. Trying to emmulate hd in one fashion or the other.

At the end here today. I don't expect anybody to agree with me here in an anti-hd hating metric burning website such as this.

I hope I haven't come across as inflammatory
To Be honest I do Have a Anti HD bias but that has more to do with the some of its riders then the bikes.
I would Agree that the Companies are trying to get their piece of that pie. Hence the the retro styling of Heavy Cruisers. Being a Victory Guy I would say since 03 they have done the best job of moving away from the HD "Look"

I am aware that Yamaha went back to Push Rods but who else did? I am asking because I don't know. Vic is a Overhead Honda is, Kawasaki is.
HD are fine bikes for what they are Heavy Cruisers. I am unaware of any recent innovations on their part. They seem content to adapt the invocations of other companies that make inroads into the Heavy Cruiser Market place. Not a bad Business Strategy it is working very well for Hyundai.

[Gas Man]

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

I hope I haven't come across as inflammatory
To Be honest I do Have a Anti HD bias but that has more to do with the some of its riders then the bikes.
I would Agree that the Companies are trying to get their piece of that pie. Hence the the retro styling of Heavy Cruisers. Being a Victory Guy I would say since 03 they have done the best job of moving away from the HD "Look"

I am aware that Yamaha went back to Push Rods but who else did? I am asking because I don't know. Vic is a Overhead Honda is, Kawasaki is.
HD are fine bikes for what they are Heavy Cruisers. I am unaware of any recent innovations on their part. They seem content to adapt the invocations of other companies that make inroads into the Heavy Cruiser Market place. Not a bad Business Strategy it is working very well for Hyundai.

No it didn't. I just damn near gave up on speaking about HD here. It almost useless. It really is a real example of "If you don't understand, you don't get it".

Don't get it wrong. I like the Victory line up. Always have, and the fact that they are made here in USA is all the better. I think I would be on a Vic over a metric any day. Hell I think they provide the best factory warrenty in the biz. I never viewed them to be trying to "move away from the HD look", especially with the recent new bikes.

Cross roads is a sure shot for a Road King



Of coarse this one has the optional spot lights but you get the idea


Dead ringer for a Street Glide



Street Glide


Can you really challenge this one aspect of my point? Sure they look different but oh so similar. Further, please note, I'm not degrading the other bikes. They are great rides, regardless of brand. But the anti-hd around websites like this is so thick you could cut it with a knife. What they don't realize is that the Moco is the same as it use to be. They don't understand the history, or have, IMO, the proper POV on who/what came first and how its all sliced.

As far as the pushrod motors. Yes Yamaha I believe was the first, especially with their star line. A line up that I admire for at least stepping at HD with some decent products. The star line is the first line of metric, as you said heavy cruiser, to bring a good product with some decent factory aftermarket products. That has always been a huge metric downfall. No factory aftermarket. And up till a few years ago, very small amount of pure aftermarket, till J&P and Kury got on board. Its still very small in comparison and I suspect always will be.

I thought there was another pushrod motor in metric... hmm... can't think of it and dont have time to go searchin... but I could be wrong I am bad at remember which brand some of the metric models belong to.

Some people talk about HD never changes... its not true. But they don't change their core look very much. There is something classic about a HD and its style. Maybe that's not their thing but its obviously many other people. When I was younger, I could care less about HD, it wasn't till I got a bit older and now I care less about doing 100mph in first gear. I have countless stories to support the wide variety of common love around owning a HD. It happens nearly everyday. Hell yesterday it did riding the wife's nightster. I was sitting at a light on a 5 lane road. Residential side streets, I hear a loud whistle... look over my shoulder and some older guy (55+) giving me the I was just sitting there. But I get that crap daily, if not multiple times.

But HD is top in the game, IMHO. Being that they will always be the one people will hate and attack. Fine whatever. It has a almost club entry attitude. Maybe, just maybe, that cause if you don't own one you are likely to not understand. I don't know.

[marko138]

I thought that Vic was getting away from the "HD" look too, but the side by side comparo makes me think otherwise. Especially the SG look. I'd like to ride a Victory some day.

[nhgunnut]

Originally Posted by marko138

I thought that Vic was getting away from the "HD" look too, but the side by side comparo makes me think otherwise. Especially the SG look. I'd like to ride a Victory some day.

Got to give you that one as far as appearance goes. BTW Vic now fairly deep aftermaket as well with S&S and dozens of others producing stuff for them. While I don't care for the HD Look that the CC or the CrossRoads have.
BTW My experience is Most Vic Dealers will let you test ride. In fact you used to be able to go to the Victory web site to arrange a test ride.

[Captain Morgan]

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

Got to give you that one as far as appearance goes. BTW Vic now fairly deep aftermaket as well with S&S and dozens of others producing stuff for them. While I don't care for the HD Look that the CC or the CrossRoads have.
BTW My experience is Most Vic Dealers will let you test ride. In fact you used to be able to go to the Victory web site to arrange a test ride.

I agree, the new bikes do look a lot like HD bikes. And you still can go to the Vic website to arrange test rides. But I've been to Harley dealers and they've also told me to just stop in any time I want to test ride a bike. I'm not going to do that until I'm absolutely ready to buy, but I will go to every demo day I can. In fact, going to Vic demo days today.

[Cutty72]

I have nothing against HD bikes, I just don't like the company since they axed Buell.

[Gas Man]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

I have nothing against HD bikes, I just don't like the company since they axed Buell.

Marko is that you?

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

Marko is that you?

No, it's me. He just has valid points.
I had issues with HD customer service (or lack there of) toward Buell customers from the beginning, but then with them giving the ax to a company/product that was really coming to light and producing a product that was changing the view of Buell and making a name for them, that was the final straw.
Doesn't change the product, just the view of those in control of it.

[Gas Man]

I know but this has been a beatin down topic buell/HD.