I’m a former Harley Davidson owner who loves your website. I feel compelled to share my experience with my ex-hog with the hope that my story could help others avoid the mistakes I have made. I would ask that it you upload this email to your website please do not include my email address on the site. I would prefer keeping my anonymity. I would be honored it you uploaded this email to your site without my email address however.
The first important distinction I need to make is
that I am a cruiser rider. I don’t have anything against sport bikes – I just
like the way cruisers ride. I like loud, low riding bikes and I like leather and
chrome. I had always wanted a Harley and until last year I had owned a Suzuki
Intruder and a 1500 Vulcan Drifter. I made excuses like “when I can afford a
Harley I will get one.” In retrospect I can see the insecurity in such
statements. Last year I had the money for a Harley and I bought one.
My Softail was a fine example of the famous
machine from Milwaukee. It was decked out in lots of chrome, 1 ¾” drag pipes,
$2000.00 worth of custom paint, ape hangers and a dual 42mm carburetor with a
big custom intake. It looked great but the honeymoon period ended quickly.
Harley Davidson ownership came with many rules I was unaware of prior to my
purchase.
I’ve listed a few of the rules of Harley ownership
as follows:
1. Always make sure your bolts are tight. I never
had to tighten the bolts on my import bikes so imagine my surprise when things
started falling off. The average HD shakes harder than a British au pair (please
excuse me for the obscure Louise Woodward murder conviction reference). While
showing off my new ride to a friend he noticed a bolt was gone. It had been
there earlier that week. Several of the chrome goodies came loose in short order
also. What a bummer. I learned rule number one quickly.
2. Always use a good thread lock. Within a month I
had learned that it did not matter if I tightened the bolts because they would
come loose quicker than I could keep up with them.
3. Park your HD on a mat. Oil spots began to
appear in my garage. My friends admitted they place rugs on the floor of their
garage. “A Harley has to leave its mark” quipped one of my friends. This drove
me crazy.
4. Keep a quart of oil in the saddlebag. One of my
Harley friends said this is what he has always done. Just check it once a week
and you will be fine.
5. Always warm your bike up for about 5 minutes. I
may sound cold hearted but I’ve never warmed a bike up. I like to get on and
ride. The only problem with my Harley was the backfiring that occurred. I
couldn’t get the carburetor tuned well enough to make it run in cold weather.
Even if you warm the bike up the air temperature of the wind rushing past the
jugs cools the engine unevenly. A couple of rides at 15°F and the head gaskets
were cracked. This didn’t help with the oil leak problem I already had.
6. Don’t rely on your mirrors. I couldn’t see out
of mine. The vibration was too intense.
7. You will loose money on a Harley if you factor
in the price of parts and upkeep. I always heard Harleys are a great investment
compared to metric cruisers. The sad reality is that the Harley was the only
bike I ever lost money on. I sunk a ton of money into this bike to keep in
running long enough to sell it. It was very important to me that the bike be in
good shape before I advertised. I didn’t want to screw somebody on a sale so I
made sure it was in good working order and I sold it as fast as I could.
This spring I bought a new 2004 Vulcan 2000. It’s
perfect for me. The Vulcan 2000 has a 2000cc (125 cubic inch) V Twin engine, a
200mm rear tire and a belt drive. I’ve reached 125 MPH with ease on this bike. I
don’t need to tighten bolts, add oil, my mirrors work and I threw the oil
stained (Harley parkin’) rug away.
Since buying the Vulcan several people have suggested I probably wish I had a Harley instead. Now I just smile politely and say “no”. The reality is I have reached a point in my life where I can afford any motorcycle I want regardless of the price. I have chosen Kawasaki.
DHarris