Harley Davidson Owners w/100,000 Miles on Bike

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Ignorance must truly be bliss.

My first motorcycle is a Harley Davidson. It won't be my last and won't be the only brand I own. I don't owe anyone an explanation for why I spent MY MONEY on it. Online, you're all keyboard commando's as far as I am concerned. In public, you'd probably choose to be more civil. Especially over something as trivial as a brand of motorcycle. Or not. And be dealt the hand your mouth gets you into.

Comparing a truly global brand like Honda to Harley Davidson is about as asinine as you can get to win an argument.

Honda makes two wheeled motorbikes in [censored] near every configuration (scooter, off-road, on-road, etc) from sub 50cc to 1800cc's. HD sold roughly 272k units globally in 2013 representing street bikes only. Honda better be kicking HD's butt in total motorcycle sales...but they aren't here in the US. Including scooters they did 153k units to HD's 168k in the US only.

Are Honda's better? In some ways, maybe. Are Harley's better? In some ways, maybe. But it's subjective to each individual.

As far as I am concerned, every rider is just that; a rider. Sure I despise lane splitting dipsh!ts on sport bikes doing 50MPH over the speed limit in traffic. Not because they choose to ride that particular bike style or brand...but because they use the bike to create a hazard to themselves and others.

As a rider, I no longer have any empathy for other riders that choose to operate their MC's in an unsafe manner. One of the things keeping them alive is that most people inherently don't want to harm them and get out of the way when possible. Not me. Not anymore. Poke the bear...get mauled.
 
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Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Now for something that proves all the Harley hater's wrong. You won't find a metric bike with these miles on it. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/46024032.html

Quote:
To get to a million miles, he refurbished or overhauled the engine nine times, installed two new engines

Thats not even 85K an engine or overhaul. The original, 9 overhauls and 2 new ones = 12 engines.
Nothing great there IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: 29662
Harley still wouldn't be able to build a bike as technologically advanced as a Honda NR750 today.

Not many people even know about the RC40 never mind how advanced it was. To me its one of the nicest bikes ever made but it fits to the style of bike i prefer.
As far a V twins go i don't think anything HD made comes close to the HRD, for its age it still has impressive specs.
Still the HD has its place, good looking bike with a very mechanical feel and sound to it for sure.
I can see how some people are attracted to it.
 
Originally Posted By: endeavor to persevere
Originally Posted By: 29662


Is it possible to have an honest open discussion about Harley's issues without prejudice or hyperbole; I doubt it.



Most of the prejudice and hyperbole seems to come from you.

I ride a 2012 Honda Shadow Spirit. All the bike bashing especially Harley bashing is why I don't post in this forum very much. Yeah I have been riding for 56 years.

Ignore the few idiots that bash a brand or rider. As this thread has proven, they really can't back up their words. Most members here are intelligent, and willing to talk about all bikes.
 
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Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Now for something that proves all the Harley hater's wrong. You won't find a metric bike with these miles on it. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/46024032.html

Quote:
To get to a million miles, he refurbished or overhauled the engine nine times, installed two new engines

Thats not even 85K an engine or overhaul. The original, 9 overhauls and 2 new ones = 12 engines.
Nothing great there IMO.
The only thing more pitiful is, there hasn't been a metric bike that even came close to that. None, nada,zip. You would think with all the hype they spew about how much more advanced they are over the "outdated" Harley, at least one would at least make it close. LOL.,,
 
Originally Posted By: gman2304
I wonder where 29662 gets his information. I have posted facts and real life experience about several different makes I have owned over the last 40 years and my posts have been largely ignored or cherry picked. I have enjoyed all of them and all were good reliable motorcycles, from dirt bikes when I was young to the Harley I own now. I haven't trashed any brand but have ended up defending Harleys and they're owners. I honestly don't understand how so many people have such contempt for one particular brand of motorcycle and they're owners. I'll be going for an early morning ride in the morning before the heat sets in and I'll stop somewhere for a cup of coffee and if another motorcycle is parked in the parking lot I'll search the rider out and speak to him or her about they're bike. I already know we have something in common before I meet the rider. I'm beginning to wonder if I were to approach some of you, what you might say about me and my bike once I left....or maybe to my face. I really don't get it.



29662's mom is going to take his computer privileges away if he keeps being mean to other people on the internet.
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Now for something that proves all the Harley hater's wrong. You won't find a metric bike with these miles on it. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/46024032.html

Quote:
To get to a million miles, he refurbished or overhauled the engine nine times, installed two new engines

Thats not even 85K an engine or overhaul. The original, 9 overhauls and 2 new ones = 12 engines.
Nothing great there IMO.
The only thing more pitiful is, there hasn't been a metric bike that even came close to that. None, nada,zip. You would think with all the hype they spew about how much more advanced they are over the "outdated" Harley, at least one would at least make it close. LOL.,,


Seriously? Just so I can get this straight: you are no claiming-with a straight face-that NO metric bike can manage 85,000 miles without rebuilding the engine?
 
There is a guy on the Triumph forums with 135k miles on his 865cc Triumph with nothing done to it outside a replacement clutch and valve shim adjustments. Id say that is a pretty darn good testament to how long those engines can last if cared for. That is a lot more miles with no major rebuild than that "miracle Harley". That Harley owner with one million miles is really just stubborn on giving up on the bike more than the bike is a marvel of engineering.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Now for something that proves all the Harley hater's wrong. You won't find a metric bike with these miles on it. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/46024032.html

Quote:
To get to a million miles, he refurbished or overhauled the engine nine times, installed two new engines

Thats not even 85K an engine or overhaul. The original, 9 overhauls and 2 new ones = 12 engines.
Nothing great there IMO.
The only thing more pitiful is, there hasn't been a metric bike that even came close to that. None, nada,zip. You would think with all the hype they spew about how much more advanced they are over the "outdated" Harley, at least one would at least make it close. LOL.,,


Seriously? Just so I can get this straight: you are no claiming-with a straight face-that NO metric bike can manage 85,000 miles without rebuilding the engine?
Don't be silly. Of course not. I'm claiming they can't make it a million miles.,,
 
Cruisers/Tourers/metric bikes are a lot different by design to appeal to different types of riders. I think metric bikes could go a million miles but the rider would have to have a pain threshold that would be through the roof.
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Anything will make a million miles if you keep rebuilding it every 85K!
Except a metric bike.It hasn't been done yet.,,


How many riders do million miles in their life time ?

Originally Posted By: gman2304
Cruisers/Tourers/metric bikes are a lot different by design to appeal to different types of riders. I think metric bikes could go a million miles but the rider would have to have a pain threshold that would be through the roof.


The same pain threshold as the guy who went a million miles.
 
Hardly....The Harley is like sitting in a Barcalounger....the metric is like a visit to a proctologist.
 
Originally Posted By: 29662
Originally Posted By: Franklim
HD has too much vibration for long distance travel.


They have too much vibration for any distance of travel. It is ridiculous that a "modern" machine should shake like they do. My riding buddy rides an '07 road glide, and on longer trips (50+ miles)he is constantly shaking his hands out because they go numb from the vibrations.



Thats ridiculous. Hes got issues with that bike. We ride two 4 thousand mile trips each summer on a 04 FLHT and the wifes 2010 Street Glide without any issues with the exception of crazy fuel costs. My advice is to see a mechanic or attend a AA meeting.
 
The rubber mount bikes shake at idle but are as smooth as silk once moving.

I just can't believe the garbage I'm reading in this thread. Obviously there are many who are commenting that haven't put many miles on a modern Harley. And it shows.
 
Quote:
and of course other bike manufacturers have service bays, though they are rarely as full as Harley's.


Faulty logic....not as many sold...rusting in salvage yards.
 
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Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Anything will make a million miles if you keep rebuilding it every 85K!
Except a metric bike.It hasn't been done yet.,,


Posted below are the names and respective mileages of BMW riders who have logged over 1 million miles. All are on BMW MOA. You can check them for yourselves. And none that I have read needed 11 rebuilds to reach that milestone. David swisher at last report has 1.4 million miles on his BMW. If you go over to VFRdiscussion.com you will find numerous VFR well into the 6 figure range that have never had to be rebuilt and some are even tracked occasionally. There are also numerous CBR that are well over 100k without a rebuild including one on the cbr forums that has over 350K WITH NO REBUILDS. How about the number of Goldwings and ST's over 100k without a rebuild, or FZ1's. How about a bandit 1200 with over 100k. Last I read he was at over 120K.
http://forums.banditalley.net/index.php?topic=12227.0

BMW's over 1 million miles on bmwmoa.org.
Grimes Lyle 1,000,000
High, Thomas 1,000,000
Klas James 1,000,000
McHugh Kenneth 1,000,000
McQueeney David 1,250,000
Randolph Ray 1,000,000
Sewell Ray 1,000,000
Swisher David 1,250,000


There are many metric bikes out there that are very high mileage. They're easy to find if you don't have blinders on. And they all have higher specific outputs than Hardley's.

For the record I myself plan to buy an American V-Twin in the not too distant future, but it won't be a Hardley. It'll be an EBR, a properly engineered bike.

Heck even the Victory guys turn their noses up at Harley's.
 
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