Why does everyone buy Harley Davidson Motorcycles? We have a Honda Goldwing.?

It's an easy conversation starter. 'You ride a HD? WOW, so do I'. Instant bonding, like sheep going to slaughter.

It's people who believe the hype and think they can buy instant badassness by buying an overpriced antique. Also like McDonalds it is a triumph of advretising, McDonalds makes a pretty lousy burger but they outsell everyone because the sheep are easily hearded. Harley is the first choice of people who know zero about motorcycles. Scully..Milquetoast is the bike with half the horsepower, the gay belt drive, and a hundred pounds of useless chrome. The useless Milquetoast antique reproduction that could have a second job as a sherwin/williams paint mixer. The POS overpriced fashion statement that corners like a lumber truck and would fail next to my 400 one lunger in any contest you could possibly think up, except for impressing retards.

First off, everyone does not buy HDs, although when it comes to the touring bike market in the US, they have it wrapped up. One reason is with a GW, you get the whole enchilada or nothing. There is no stripped down version. With Harley, you can get anything from a Road King with bags and windshield to an Ultra Classic with everything you can think of. The other Japanese companies have built their own touring cruiser versions, but those sales numbers don't add up to much. And BMW has two touring versions of their 6 cylinder bike, but I've looked them over and GW and HDs have it all over the BMWs when it comes to luggage. With a BMW, you better pack light or if you have a passenger, pull a trailer because there is hardly any bag and trunk space on them. And the bags open with the seams vertically, meaning when you open the bag, everything falls out, which is kind of hard on camera equipment. Yamaha learned their lesson on vertical seams back in 1986 with their then 3 year old Venture. Apparently those German engineers aren't too bright or don't follow history's lessons. True, GWs rarely break down, but they will and do. And there's plenty of HDs out there that run forever with nothing more than ordinary maintenance. My four summer touring buddies ride HDs and in the last 6 summer trips, there have only been two breakdowns and those on the same bike. A wheel bearing failed on a very high mileage bike and it developed an ignition problem on the road. He had it towed, it started running at the dealership, they never could find a problem and it has ran 2 years since without reoccuring again. I have nothing against GWs and I'd probably take one over a Harley, but in the meantime I keep riding my 1984 6 cylinder Kawasaki Voyager.

ARLENMARVIN told you correct. Harley's really aren't made in the US anymore, so the "buy American" doesn't apply. It is a nice thought, but Harley sold out years ago. Harley's are associated with the outlaw biker mystic and Son's of Anarchy helps push the persona. Yupppies in the 1990's started buying Harley's as a "status symbol" and the Baby boomers started buying them to recapture their youth due to their mid life crises'es. Instead of purchasing a bike for it's quality, it's reliability or it's technology, people still flock to a Harley because they are an uninformed consumers. You have to hand it to Harley, what other company could get away with selling a model T with a new paint and chrome? During WWII Harley was the bike, but times have changed and Harley hasn't. Some people applaud that, why others do not. If every part on a Harley was made, built and assembled by American workers, I would not say anything negative about Harley. But that is not the case. http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2009/08/23/harley-davidson-made-in-america-in-thailand-in-singapore-and-tomorrow-in-india/ http://www.v-twinforum.com/forums/v-twin-forum-general-harley-talk/132111-harleys-made-usa-big-lie.html If you stay up on top of the maintenance your Gold Wing will run flawlessly for decades. Every bike breaks, it is just a matter of time. All motorcycles are made by man and man is fallible. Anything a man makes will eventually break. I mean no offense to Harley owners or riders. Motorcycle riders/bikers are all brothers and sisters. Instead of down grading a bike because of its origin or make, we should be glad that the person has a bike and is riding.

Good question, buying a harley makes about as much sense as these teenagers wearing their pants half off and thinking they are cool. A bike that has no power, looks dated, handles dated and runs like it ready to die is some peoples idea of cool. Some of the things that make you go hmmmm.

They buy them for the same reason people buy anything.Because that's what they want.

you keep your Goldwing by far the better of the two

Just a quick blip for all that argue that Gold wings are American made, Gold Wings were made at the Marysville Motorcycle Plant in Marysville, Ohio from 1979 until 2009, when motorcycle production there was halted. Honda says that before the plant closed, sufficient 2010 model year Gold wings were produced to meet demand until production resumes in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan in 2011, when 2012 model year motorcycles will be produced using tooling transported from the old plant. The 2011 model year was not produced. All Gold Wings – along with just about every other two-wheeler from Honda – will be imported from Japan.

This can easily morph into another argument but Ill try to stay on track ;) Ninebadthings had it exactly right when he says HD is the choice for people who know nothing about motorcycles. The issue isnt which bike breaks down more but which bike gets you more for your money. I had a HD, got rid of it and bought a loaded GW. I paid $21000, out the door, and my GW has things HD simply doesnt offer (ABS, airbag, built in NAV/GPS, reverse, etc..) You get a lot of HD owners baskhing the GW because it has an airbag but it is a lame argument for defending HD and their lifestyle. On top of all the things my GW has, it puts out about twice the horsepower of a stock HD. It all comes down to intelligent buying and smarter marketing ;)