Harley prices

[Hohn]

The Harley mystique is like the Jaguar mystique to me. It proves that a brand name is powerful enough to make people buy an overpriced, underengineered, less reliable product.



Some people are proud of their Harleys. IMHO, I think it's a testament to foolishness, or at least proves that you have more money than sense (sorry for the pun).



Maybe it's all about proving you have the money? After all, if it's just about the joy of riding, a $6500 Suzuki can give you that in spades.



jlh

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Originally posted by Hohn

The Harley mystique is like the Jaguar mystique to me. It proves that a brand name is powerful enough to make people buy an overpriced, underengineered, less reliable product.

EXCELLENT quote!



Matt

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Wayno - your comparing a current hog with a 30 yr old Kawasaki design. If you think that hog handles well try some of the more modern Kawi's - a ZRX1100 or 1200 is a good comparison to your KZ1000's. I think you would be SHOCKED at the difference. I've ridden a number of hogs and the performance (handling, braking, and power) was abysmal comparitively. They're nice bikes I'll grant you but they don't perform. I've also ridden a number of Japanese cruisers that all performed (handling, braking & power) far better than the hogs I've ridden and that includes ones that had a ton of money dumped into them to make them perform better and they still didn't perform as well as some of the Japanese cruisers.

 

[JConley]

Isnt the current hog still a 30 year old design?



Wayno... On some weekend when none of your friends are around, take a test drive on a new Goldwing. I would love to hear your comparison. A word of warning... dont do this if you cant handle owning a Wing, because after the test drive, you might be a wing owner. My neighbor just sold his Fatboy, and bought a 2004 Wing about a week ago. We cant get the smile off his face.



Here are some others that took the plunge.



http://www.ridersrally.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1342&highlight=

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

The current hogs are MUCH improved from 30 years ago - like night and day. The Kawi KZ1000 police special bikes are identical to what they made 30 yrs ago.

 

[AKDrifter]

Throw stones if you must........

But I just bought a 2000 Yamahog with 10,100 miles on it for $4,500 in awesome shape. Ya them Harleys are nice, but them Japs make a good bike.



Yes, it's got them controversial hog sounding pipes on it but it keeps the moose alert and the greenies a' growling, hehe.

 

[Boomer II]

Originally posted by Hohn

The Harley mystique is like the Jaguar mystique to me. It proves that a brand name is powerful enough to make people buy an overpriced, underengineered, less reliable product.



Some people are proud of their Harleys. IMHO, I think it's a testament to foolishness, or at least proves that you have more money than sense (sorry for the pun).



Maybe it's all about proving you have the money? After all, if it's just about the joy of riding, a $6500 Suzuki can give you that in spades.



jlh

OK Hohn, a presidential candidate shouldn't diss "the" American motorcycle symbol like that!

 

[Wayno]

Originally posted by Steve St. Laurent

The current hogs are MUCH improved from 30 years ago - like night and day. The Kawi KZ1000 police special bikes are identical to what they made 30 yrs ago.

Thats right , the fuel injected models run sooooo much better . No more popping back thur the carb and no warming up for ten min. A friend of mine just got a carb Road King and now he wish he had got a fuel injected model but then again carb models are getting hard to come by and that 30 year old KZ1000P still ain't bad for thirty yeas old tech . Had a Goldwing rider tell me just the other day --- Hey you know you can out run me on that KZ but then again I ain't into seeing who is the fastest out there on the highway . Had a Goldwing rider the other day complaining it was hot and the fairing was blocking off to much wind . Its a each his own think . I just don't like all the fairing on the Wings but that Honda without all the fairing ( cant spell that word -- starts with a V ?????? ) don't look to bad , at least you can see the whole motor . I have heard all those impostors out there with those after market pipes on them and they still don't sound like a Harley , kinda like that Powerstroke coming down the road with a straight pipe , it ain't no Cummins .

 

[Wayno]

Originally posted by Hohn

After all, if it's just about the joy of riding, a $6500 Suzuki can give you that in spades. jlh

Yea , but when you ready to sale that Suzuki or trade it in can you get anywhere close to your $6500 back . Got a friend just bought a new Yamaha . He bought the biggest bike they had on the show room floor . A week after he bought it he went back to the Dealer and they had a full dresser on the floor . He had put just a few miles on his bike so he told them he would like to see if the could work out a deal so he could trade his in and get the full dresser . Oh he was shocked when they told him what they would give him for his bike with only a few miles on it and I know about the once you drive it off the show room floor thing .

 

[JConley]

If you want something to hold its value, buy gold or artwork. I dont care how you work the numbers, owning a Harley is more expensive than any other brand. That Suzuki may not have resale value, but it didnt have repair bills like the Harley either. What you spend on maintenance for that Harley, is a lot more than the depreciation of the other brands. Dont even try to compare the maintenance cost per mile of a Harley versus any other brand. Espicially since most Harleys are not driven that many miles before the owner gets rid of them. In the first 14,000 miles on my Wing, I have changed the oil twice, and I didnt have to take it to the dealer for any scheduled service like a 1200 mile checkup etc. etc... . ( I think Harley charges about $600. 00 for this dont they?) I havent spent that much on my wing to include GAS in the last 14K miles!!! Still think that Harley resale value is saving you money??



John

 

[JSmith]

In our local paper Harley owners want to sell their bikes. Adds like, $15,000 in extras, sell for $23,000. Give me a break. $20,000 for a Harley, $15,000 in extras, sell for $23,000:-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf





Thats what I call holding its value

 

[Boomer II]

Don't put any miles on one either. It's hard to sell a 4 year old Harley with 75,000 miles on it when most of the others have only 4,000. :{

 

[Bertram65]

Like I said before there really is no comparison between a Harley and any other bike. I doubt anyone would argue that the other bikes are faster, handles better ect. . It's a Harley, that's all that needs to be said. You will never see show after show about shops around the country building up Yamaha Road Stars or a Honda VTXs. Any of you guys who own a bike know whenever you tell someone you have a bike thier first question is "is it a Harley?" There is just more to it than specifications.

 

[CFast]

Anything more than $5,000 bucks for 2 wheels is freakin insane. It has a seat, and engine, two tires and some chrome and leather. You want 20,000 bucks?! Harley guys, are you all nuts? Guess I just don't get it. Is it the sound it makes? The chrome? Or is it just the name? It only has 2 wheels!

 

[Boomer II]

Originally posted by CFast

Anything more than $5,000 bucks for 2 wheels is freakin insane. It has a seat, and engine, two tires and some chrome and leather. You want 20,000 bucks?! Harley guys, are you all nuts? Guess I just don't get it. Is it the sound it makes? The chrome? Or is it just the name? It only has 2 wheels!

Well, you know what they say, if I have to explain--------

 

[JConley]

Dl5.

I agree the new models are better than the old, but I dont know of any Harley you can drive cross country day after day, and not break down. Do you know of any harleys that have 100,000 miles on the stock engine? The technology is out there, but Harley doesnt use it.



Most people I know that commute, or just ride to bars and cruise around town own Harleys. Short distance driving around town is harleys market.

 

[Boomer II]

I put between 14 and 20 K a year on my 99 Ultra, did several 3K+ trips with no problems. I don't think they're any more or less reliable than other brands. There were some issues with the new motor, but those seem to have been resolved. I read somewhere that the average harley gets about 2500 miles a year, pretty pathetic.

 

[JConley]

>It's the state of mind Harley delivers for their customers that makes the bike what it is. <



Yup I agree, and this is what sells.



Ya know Detroid didnt upgrade there cars that much in the 70's and in the meantime, the japanes created a higher quality product, and literally kicked Detroits butt in the car market forcing US auto makers to upgrade. I love old muscle cars as much as the next guy (I am restoring a 66 Mustang) but I would not pay 35 grand for a new 66 model mustang when I can get a much updated 2003 model for 17 grand. That just doesnt make sence. Likewist, I have an old 386 computer i would let you have for $1400. Its the same concept.



I have a feeling one of these days that the harley market is going to drop. I would love to see the price of a typical Harley go down to about $7000 since that is about all they are worth when you take the "state of mind" out of the price.

 

[GFritsch]

I for one am quite glad that there are plenty of people who don't want a HD. A big part of what makes the bike special are the people who buy and ride them. If we all rode the same bikes there would be nothing special about any bike!



Here in California and across the country Harley dealers sponsor charity rides and events that help the community. Recently the Sierra hope ride out Modesto raised over 300k for the MDA with over 3,000 riders participating. Although all bikes were welcome, there were very few non Harley riders. Every weekend there is a ride to support a good cause. Harley riders turn out in droves. I have never seen large groups of other bikers join together to support their community. As a matter of fact it is rare to see more than 4 or 5 bikes together that are not Harleys.



For us Harley riders the journey is more important than the bike itself.



I have no bad feelings for those who choose to ride any bike. I give the wave to all riders, and have no problem riding with people on all makes, it just seems that people who ride the others generally prefer to ride alone.



Having owned the others I feel I speak from experience. If you choose to ride other brands--thats cool too. Just remember that we (bikers) all need to stand together to protect our right to ride.



As far as the price--Yes these bikes are very expensive for their technology. So are our trucks. I would bet very few of us actually need trucks as heavy duty as a CTD. Part of what we love about our trucks is the way the truck makes us feel when we look at and drive our little slice of unneeded luxury. Same with a Harley.



Again I would recommend renting a Harley before making a bike purchase. It sold me. .



These are my observations and are not intended to bad mouth or insult anyone.



See you on the road,

Greg

 

[DKayser]

Oh Really!

Originally posted by Dl5treez

If a Harley is worth $20,000 to Person A and a 'Wing is worth $20,000 to Person B, what's wrong with that? What I don't understand is what people have against Harley-Davidson anyhow?



Me? I don't want a Harley--Gimme one of these

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I have been friends with the Boise Indian dealer for nearly 20 years. Come get one! I can work on the $ a little. DK. :--)