HD upgrade to liquid...

[No Worries]

Originally Posted by marko138

There was a decent article in Cycle World.

It's in the November issue. I read in the Cycle World article that the most common complaint of the core customer base was "beard lift." So they went into a wind tunnel with strapped-on beards and tweaked the fairing to minimize beard lift.

Maybe I inhaled too much two-stroke fumes in the Seventies, but for the price of the Harley ($22.5K) I could buy a half dozen very enjoyable motorcycles off Craig's List. Plus, only 76 HP out of 1,700cc's? And that 818 pounds, holy crap that's pretty heavy for 76HP. None of the core complained about the price, weight or HP? Just that water-cooling might spoil the look? Am I the only one who thinks the Harley name is more important than the look?

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by No Worries

Am I the only one who thinks the Harley name is more important than the look?

Nope

I'm not a hater. But I recognize what a VALUE is and ISN'T.

You don't buy a range rover for longevity and reliability. You buy it for the look and prestige it brings regardless of Clarkson saying it's the best offroader in the world

You don't buy a (NEW) Harley for the power, reliability (I've actually heard an argument at a Harley dealer bashing other brands because they didn't have dealerships in every city and they wouldn't "trust" a foreign bike because there wasn't a dealer on their route) or handling. You buy it for the name, for comfort (damn they are comfy on long superslabs...but SUCK at low speed or traffic) and to buy into a lifestyle.

Of course those stigma's really don't apply in the used market. I mean..having ridden a 2014, I could ALMOST be suckered into buying one instead of a USED street glide. I mean ALL you get with the 2014 compared to a 2013 is really appealing, and you're easily lured in by the sirens.....but once you step off the lot and realize it's $23k for a (NEW) street glide.... when you can find some OTHER sap who's obviously hypnotized by the sirens singing the 2014 praises and would do anything to rid himself of his 2010...nabbing THAT for $10k is in fact a decent value.

The older the better the value, because lets be honest...despite the introduction of PARTIAL water cooling, were still dealing with essentially 1953 technology. So picking up a 10+ yr old Ultra for under $7k IS in fact a good value. But $23k for a new one? Well...you're paying for York Penn Union labor. And having toured that plant twice, I saw the workers taking more breaks than working in a 2 hr span, that's for sure. THAT'S what you're paying for! Not quality/performance/handling/innovation. You're paying for UNION DUES

[derf]

Originally Posted by CasterTroy

The older the better the value, because lets be honest...despite the introduction of PARTIAL water cooling, were still dealing with essentially 1953 technology. So picking up a 10+ yr old Ultra for under $7k IS in fact a good value. But $23k for a new one? Well...you're paying for York Penn Union labor. And having toured that plant twice, I saw the workers taking more breaks than working in a 2 hr span, that's for sure. THAT'S what you're paying for! Not quality/performance/handling/innovation. You're paying for UNION DUES

Thats why I wound up with a 99 electra glide classic for $5k

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by derf

Thats why I wound up with a 99 electra glide classic for $5k

Which IMHO is the ONLY reasonable way to buy a Harley

[marko138]

Originally Posted by derf

Thats why I wound up with a 99 electra glide classic for $5k

Might need to take a page out of your book, Freddy.