Should I sell my airhead to get a Harley

[pbarmy]

Hell no!

[EricD10563]

It's not should you, it's do you want to. I purchased my first Harley last year 09 Road King and could not be happier. My Buds who ride imports don't get it and the guys who ride Harley s think it took to long to get one. This bike makes me feel nineteen again like I'm riding my old 76 Honda SOHC 750F, it must be some kind of Zen thing.

Just don't forget everything that has been said about Harley's have some truth to it, good and bad.

[Fly Molo]

As a person, in Tacoma, who likes checking craigslist for r90s...go for it.

But I might be biased.

[sraber]

Get what you like and enjoy!

[flying_finn]

Thanks for all the replies, I have to say I'm a little surprised
I might have to do it just for the assless chaps
I was thinking of a FXR but will be looking on CL for that smoking deal that ran when parked just needs carbs cleaned.
Here is the R90 ..

[Villafuego]

I get the urge every now and then to get rid of the /6 and buy another old 900 XLCH.......

Maybe it's because the BMW doesn't leak enough oil......maybe because it's too easy to start.......but probably because it's so utterly reliable and comfortable to ride.....

So far I have resisted the temptation......

[Uncle Ernie]

Nice. I just assumed cutting silouhettes out of black paper was a lost art.

[jtwind]

That's a questions only you can answer. By asking like this my guess is you are torn. If so, then take your time and ask yourself what you are looking for in a bike. I'm not a harley guy so they don't impress me in the slightest, I simply don't understand why anyone wants a slow, heavy, expensive bike just like everyone else has. I can tell you one advantage to a airhead, easy to find in a sea of harleys.

[markk53]

Originally Posted by flying_finn

Am I crazy. I have the sudden urge to dump my R90/6 and get a Harley ..

Ok .. I'm ready to hear it ...

This just makes me think of what I told my brother when he bought his 78 BMW R100RS Motorsport, but the comparisons change.

I told him not to expect great acceleration when compared to even the Japanese standards, but it would cruise at high speeds just fine. That they handle good, but not on par with any Japanese sportbike. But it really didn't matter for his riding. So he was perfect for the R100.

You can't expect a Harley to cruise at the speeds your BMW can as easily and comfortably, nor can you expect it to handle like your BMW. What you will find is that the Harley has more sex appeal to some women and that appeals to many men. I know a few guys that are single and only own a Harley so they can use them to pick up women... and it works! There is a bit of a similar effect for teen/early twenties girls for sportbikes too. The BMWs for the most part don't have this effect.

Personally, I'd keep the BMW and buy the Harley if you can. It only makes sense, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum to an extent. I met up with a number of riders when working at the dealership, who had both Harleys and GoldWings. The Harleys weren't the tourers, more the customs. The riders' comments were that the Harleys were what they screwed around and cruised on, the GoldWings were when they were doing some serious riding, especially when going any distance with the wives on the back. I think you'd find similar experiences but in different directions. If you want to ride all day long on winding roads or simply put on a whole lot of miles on a trip the BMW is the ticket, otherwise the Harley could be fun.

But all in all, it's whatever you want to do. After all, there are riders scraping pegs on cruisers and touring riders on 500cc bikes as well as riders trying to off road streetbikes and riders trying to long distance tour on more off road oriented dual sports. It can be done, just how much will you put up with.

[squish]

First I don't like harleys....
No wait let me take that back. What I really don't like are the mindless herd that follows the image and costuming that surrounds the brand.

That said the late model bikes are good for what they are.
Yes they don't handle as well as sportbike. That has as much to do with them not being a sportbike as it does with them being a Harley.

They hold their oil in for the most part.

They stop

They start

and now with the economy the price of these bikes is getting closer to the worth of these bikes.

Oh and to the OP
Look for a FI bike they run a lot better then the carbed bikes

[merle-bo]

bought an 06 ultra and sold an '83 r80rt. now i'm looking to trade back to a big guzzi (missed an sp1000 ) or something. taking a hit on davidson value but went 7,000 miles in two week and 34k to date without a lick of trouble. couldn't ask for more for what it is, did 100 mph for 1 hr in idaho/montana. change is change whether for the good or not? lol enjoy whatever you do.

[Droptarotter]

F**K NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers

[merle-bo]

oh, and did i mention my fly and ride program? lol just in case an '06 ultra trips yer trigger.

[dilandau]

why not get a victory? its harley like with better engineering and a bit of off-step flair --

[waveydavey]

I bought a Harley, then sold my BMW a year later (not an easy task, unless you give them away). The Harley is more fun to ride, I can still do 600+ mile days on it or run to the store. I don't miss my 06 1200GS at all. I think some of the negative advice you are getting about Harleys here is from non Harley owners, so take it with a grain of salt.