Rock and Roll City Harley Davidson

[Bludy L]

I'm in Cleveland right now getting warranty work completed on the wife's Mini. Bored out of my mind I asked for a loaner car so I could go down the street to Rock and Roll City Harley-Davidson. I wanted to give them a fair shake. It's a warehouse size dealership. Melissa greeted me as I entered and I told her I didn't know anything about HD and I was curious. She assumed I didn't ride because I was not knowledgeable about HD. I told her I did ride, she asked what. I told her Triumph and she looked at me like I was a visitor from the planet Argon. She asked me how to spell Triumph!

She showed me Sportsters, Ultras, Fat Girls or some such machine. She was all about the chrome or lack of chrome, the latches on the saddle bags, the navigation system, radio, etc. The Willie G foot pegs were real nice. Not much about the bikes and how they work.

I came away thinking they were basically all the same, some just a little bigger or smaller, with a little more or a little less chrome; fairings or windshields or nothing; or saddlebags or no saddlebags. What's the draw? It's not the bikes. Being in the tribe?

I really was impressed with the Harley-Davidson ping pong balls, cue balls and thermometers. The guitars signed by the members of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were the highlight.

Ride that Triumph!

[captsprocket]

Hey Blundy,

I was in the "tribe" before I got my Trophy.  I will say that I loved my Ultra!  It was a very nice riding bike, I was extremely comfortable handling it, and I liked the creature comforts that came with the Ultra.  That said, it sounds like you had a salesperson who not only didn't know what a Triumph was, she also didn't seem to know much about the Harley either!  Shame on her!   

The reason I left the dark side was I got tired of paying for the HD they put on everything!     Seems like you want to buy a $1.00 candy bar but the wrapper has HD all over it, so that candy bar now costs you $7.50!  I was not going to pay close to $30K for a new Ultra.  I wanted to update my audio and other amenities that I had on the Ultra and in order to do so on an HD, I was pushing $30 to get the same kind of bike I had.  When I saw what I could get on the Trophy for $17K, SOLD!!   

While I loved the HD, I am definitely a convert now and thoroughly enjoying every mile on the Trophy.  My only complaint is I haven't put enough miles on it yet!

[Volfy]

I don't get it either and likely never will.  I try not to judge those who do... though I admit it is difficult not to.  I ride with buddies on cruisers and, yes, HD's... and we get alone just fine.

To me, it is unthinkable why somebody would sink $30k into an Ultra Classic instead of a K1600GTL.  But hey... we each spend our disposable income any darn way we like.  I'll wave to them just the same. 

BTW, accessories are all overpriced regardless of mfr.  My wife saw a really cool Triumph belt at the local dealership and wanted me to ask about the price.  I knew better and looked it up on my phone instead and showed it to her.  Yap... they are mighty proud of their wears.

HD fans just are much more willing to fork over their money, I guess.

[Bludy L]

I accidentally put this in the wrong section. Sorry about that!

[Trophy Moderator]

No problem - Moved !

Trophy Moderator

[FLTRI]

I'll chime in, flame suit security fastened...

I'm on my fourth Harley, a spanking new 2016 Road Glide Ultra. I've previously owned a 1999, 2003 and recently traded a 2009 on the new one. All were Road Glides. In between these bikes, I owned a 2005 BMW R1200RT. I'm also not what most folks think of when they think of a "typical" HD rider. I have no leather vests, I don't wear chaps, nor dress up like a pirate when I ride. I have quality boots, synthetic jackets with armor, and a high end full face modular helmet. I ride almost exclusively 2-up with my wife, we do ~30,000 miles a year.

I put 24,000 miles on the Beemer, and eventually sold it. It was a great motorcycle, but lacked things I had become accustomed to in the HD. Less storage, side opening bags, so your clothes all fall out in the parking lot when you open them, are a couple of things that come to mind. My wife hated it, she was cramped, missed her floor boards, and couldn't get out of the turbulence.

Then there was the cost of ownership. Clutch replacement was 13 hour job, and pretty much impossible to DIY. You had to sync the fuel injection, adjusting the valves and purge the power assist brakes at regular intervals. All things that you don't have to do on a Harley. I broke a wire on the rear ABS sensor, and it was $168 part. For a wire. An 18" wire with a plug on one end, and sensor the size of a pencil eraser on the other. 
 
MSRP on the BMW was $22,000 I bought it used at two years old for $12,500 and sold it two years later for $10,000 I was lucky to get that, three tries on eBay ended with a high bid of $8500 I've sold every HD at, or above what I paid for them. (Full disclosure, I am a patient man, and will not give a motorcycle away. Some would call me cheap. I prefer frugal).

One of the disappointing things about the BMW was the lack of aftermarket parts. A few seats and windshields was about it. Maybe a very expensive muffler, and some GPS units, but not much more. Harley has literally 1000's of OEM and aftermarket parts. Appearance, performance or comfort, there are tons of choices. Love or hate HD, but you have to admire their marketing. They sell you a blank palette, the only thing free you will ever get is the phonebook thick aftermarket parts catalogue.

The fit, finish and quality is very, very good. The paint is flawless, and stunning. I've never had a major failure on any of my Road Glides after over 100,000 miles. They just keep running, and have never given me any problems. My latest Road Glide has an infotainment system that is better than the ones in either of my cars. The voice recognition actually works, and it will read my text messages to me. The GPS is clear, easy to use and gets me where I want to go. It'll even enter addresses from my iPhone address book via Bluetooth. It also has linked ABS brakes, that work amazing well.

They aren't particularly fast, but that's not their mission. They do handle very well, a lot better than most folks realize. When I bought my 2009, I took it on a solo ride along the shore of Lake Mead. As I entered the national park, there were two guys on bikes that took off ahead of me. One was on a BMW GSA, the other on an Honda ST1300. I turned off the main road on a four mile long secondary road, that takes you down to a marina. They were stopped at the intersection, and we exchanged waves. A minute or so later, I look in the mirror, and they were both on my tail. It's a twisty road, no place to pull over nor pass. I wasn't really rushing, but I didn't want to spoil their ride, so I picked up the pace. The GSA quickly fell behind, but the Honda stayed with me for quite awhile. As we neared the marina, he was about ¼ mile behind me. I pulled in and parked, and he rolled up next to me.

First thing out of his mouth was, "Where did you learn how to ride? Is that a Harley? You can't do that with a Harley!" We talked for a bit, and he was absolutely stunned. Both riders had no use for anything Harley Davidson, and were shocked I was able to ride it through the twisties the way I did.

If you ever get a chance, rent one for the day. Most HD dealers have a rental program. You might be surprised what you find, once you put some miles on one....

 

[Older traveler]

Harley Davidson did a few good things. I like that most (if not all) dealerships are exclusively H-D. The mechanics know the bikes and usually have the parts they need on hand. I don’t like the way H-D put all the mom and pop shops out of business or forced them to remodel to make them look like giant department stores. Plus I just don’t enjoy a bike that everybody else has. The Trophy is a more fun / enjoyable ride for me. I swore off air cooled V-twins forever. That being said the new Indians are beautiful.

[twowheeladdict]

Originally Posted by Volfy

.

To me, it is unthinkable why somebody would sink $30k into an Ultra Classic instead of a K1600GTL.  But hey... we each spend our disposable income any darn way we like.  I'll wave to them just the same. 

That is like not understanding why someone would chose a caddilac over a corvette. 

Two different bikes for two different purposes.   For me, I can't understand why someone would spend $39,000 on a CVO ultra touring Harley when they could buy a Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager for $17,000 loaded up with every accessory.