Topic.

New to riding (own a honda shadow, current light of my life) and I want to get further into it with a HD. I really like the Dyna, but I can't really figure the differences in the models.

Anybody got any info / opinions to share?

3/22/2010 11:26:03 PM

Just get the shiniest one. Or the antishiniest one. I can't really remember which the Harley crowd is jerking off to right now.

3/22/2010 11:34:15 PM

Before you buy a Dyna you should check out the 81-94 FXR. It handled better than the Dyna that replaced it and you can find them cheap because the harley guys hate triangulation for some reason.

In fact, test ride anything other than a harley, as many bikes as you can. If after that you're still comfortable settling for a harley, then that's the bike for you.

3/22/2010 11:39:10 PM

I really wanted to have a soft spot for HD. They look cool, sound cool, and are an American cultural icon (even if they are very often owned by at least a couple different varieties of Class-A douchebag).

...then I rented one (a late model, low mileage Heritage Softail Classic from a HD dealership) and took a weekend trip on it.

They absolutely suck the beef. Fucking garbage motorcycle...I don't see how they'd sell at a $10k price point, much less double that. Do yourself a favor--spend half as much and get a better bike.

[Edited on March 22, 2010 at 11:57 PM. Reason : ]

3/22/2010 11:55:55 PM

How about get any other motorcycle instead?

There are so many better bikes, I never understood why Harley's are so popular?

Moto Guzzi California, V7 Classic
Honda 1300 Customs, Fury, Shadows, 1300VTX
Suzuki Boulevard's
Indian Chief, Dark Horse and Bomber
Star (yamaha) Roadliner, Raider, Road Star and Warrior
Kawasaki Vulcan line
Triumph America, Rocket III, Speedmaster, Bonneville, Thunderbird and Scrambler
Victory 8 Ball series and Customs

Most of the bikes I just listed have a hell of a lot more character, are more reliable, and cheaper than a comparable Harley. Seriously, just go look at Honda's cruiser lineup ALONE and you'll never look at a Harley again.

3/23/2010 12:32:04 AM

HDMSJ

3/23/2010 12:41:26 AM

Not to hijack, but what are the opinions about Buelle motorcycles?

3/23/2010 1:00:32 AM

they are owned by Harley Davidson. hence they have gone to shit.

3/23/2010 1:01:51 AM

^^ yeah, Dad had a Valkyrie. For a gigantic cruiser, it was great.

Granddad was a Moto Guzzi dealer (primarily BMW, which is a fantastic brand in its own right).




Desirable cruisers (in my opinion):







(Dad's looked just like this one)

3/23/2010 1:08:16 AM

^^^^ yeah, Dad had a Valkyrie. For a gigantic cruiser, it was great.

Granddad was a Moto Guzzi dealer (primarily BMW, which is a fantastic brand in its own right).


^^ Buell is now defunct.




Desirable cruisers (in my opinion):







(Dad's Valkyrie looked just like this one)

3/23/2010 1:09:33 AM

Love that yellow Moto Guzzi.

I'll go ahead and post some pictures too, damnit I need a bike

2010 Honda Sabre ($11,799) 1312cc v-twin


2010 Honda Shadow Phantom ($7,999) 745cc v-twin


2010 Honda Fury Chopper ($12,999) 1312cc v-twin


2010 Suzuki Boulevard C109R ($14,799) 1783cc v-twin - fucking beeast... to fat for me, but damn


2010 Suzuki Boulevard C50 SE ($7,999) 805cc v-twin


2009 Star Roadliner Midnight ($14,090) 1854cc v-twin


2010 Indian Dark Horse ($27,999) 1700cc


2010 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom ($8,349) 903cc v-twin


2010 Triumph Rocket III Roadster ($16,999) 2294cc inline 3 cylinder - ~170hp, this is another beast of a bike

3/23/2010 4:14:39 AM

i rented a harley v-rod for a day last fall. had lots of torque but the forward feet controls and lack of wind protection sucked

3/23/2010 7:09:21 AM

this is why I like the wolfweb. I ask a fairly specific question, and the only answers I get towards it are "that is a completely stupid idea, gtfo..."

Thanks everybody.....

I will however, say that Shadows are great ( have a shadow spirit )

Just as often as I hear from the Harley is crap crowd I hear from the Harley is great crowd. So it is all about personal preference. It is also getting more and more popular to hate Harley and more difficult to inquire about it in public. I wasn't asking what is better than a Harley, I was asking about a specific Harley model.

3/23/2010 8:40:23 AM

^ if the man wants a harley the man wants a harley.

Hes not paying for the bike hes paying for the name and the culture, and the lifestyle.

That being said, i would be scared of buying an indian motorcycle, who knows if they will even be around 10 years from now.

That being said i would just get a super glide or a wide glide. What kinda riding do you do? plan on commuting, going on weekend cruises?

How tall are you? how heavy, i would really go sit on them and see how they feel, especially if your going to be riding long ways. Do you plan on fitting a windshield?

What customization if any are you planning to do? would buying a cheaper bike allow you to put on the custom parts you really want?

3/23/2010 8:51:27 AM

I ride just about everyday, so this is a bike that has to be comfortable for both long and short rides. I am 5'11" around 180 so more or less average. I am not really into customizing much beyond exhaust and a visor (like a cowl around the headlight) So I am looking for something that will be great stock. One thing I know about the Dyna's is that there is plenty of customization for the Dynas so if I get so inclined it won't take a lot of effort.

My big question is in what the differences are out of the box between the street bob, low rider, wide glide, etc.

Thanks

3/23/2010 9:14:11 AM

The super glides are roughly the same plus or minus some chrome

the bob is stripped and probalby wont be as comfortable for longer rides

The wide and fat are goign to have bigger gas tanks,

both will be more comfortable, the and the wide glide will be lower.

That being siad go to ray price and sit on them for an hour.

3/23/2010 9:29:47 AM

Quote :

"I ride just about everyday, so this is a bike that has to be comfortable for both long and short rides."

dude

BMW

3/23/2010 9:35:15 AM

And you'll look like a classy mother fucker the whole time you're riding, too.

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 9:41 AM. Reason : the BMW]

3/23/2010 9:41:42 AM

AntecK7 thank you.

also,

ITT: haters gonna hate

3/23/2010 9:59:56 AM

i think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who likes a wider scope of cars and motorcycles than i do. i dig just about everything. you ought to see my list of cars/trucks/bikes I want to buy. It's so extensive that I have to write them down so I don't forget any of them when I go vehicle-hunting.

I don't like Harleys, though. They're outside the circle of trust, not to mention the circle of things that ride worth a damn.

3/23/2010 10:25:57 AM

if you want to learn how to fix broken shit, buy one of these

3/23/2010 10:30:26 AM

I learned how to fix broken shit with my honda shadow....there I said it.

That and my mustang....

my life has been full of fixing broken shit. At least I am not talking about buying a 15-30 year old harley. I know that life is all about fixing broken shit.

3/23/2010 10:40:01 AM

Quote :

"Hes not paying for the bike hes paying for the name and the culture, and the lifestyle."

exactly. And that is stupid as hell. It'd be one thing if they were actually well made bikes. Or if they were even reasonably priced compared to the competition. But they aren't either of those things. It's a little different talking about name recognition and culture for shoes or clothing, but when you are talking about dropping 15-20k on a purchase that could kill you, I just don't get it.

3/23/2010 10:45:25 AM

you can slip on a banana peel, as cartoonish as that sounds, that could kill you, too

3/23/2010 10:46:51 AM

I haven't seen anything that shows me that comparable bikes are priced so much lower. That and yeah, I got bit by the bug. I bought my shadow because to me, it has that iconic Harley styling and it was cheap cause its got a tiny engine. I have been asked by plenty of people if it was actually a Harley. I know these people are ignorant, but that is the feeling a rider like me goes for. Right now I am a poser as a rider with a honda, but I hope to change that. People talk mad shit about everything, hearing that HD makes shit motorcycles is nothing new. In the past this was true as for a long time HD was in the slums of money making and cut a lot of costs. Now though, they have thoroughly re-engineered their motorcycles and produce serious quality.

but in any case haters gotta hate. Have fun on you ugly italian or german motorcycles.

3/23/2010 10:52:22 AM

Quote :

"Right now I am a poser as a rider with a honda"

and, you're an idiot.

3/23/2010 10:53:26 AM

well, I have always been an idiot. So maybe you should enlighten me with what you mean.

3/23/2010 10:57:02 AM

Quote :

"that is the feeling a rider like me goes for."

Quote :

"Have fun on you ugly italian or german motorcycles."

hahahahahaha

3/23/2010 11:24:30 AM

yall niggaz postin in a troll thread

3/23/2010 11:27:25 AM

opinions are fact ITT

However, after re-reading my last post I do sound like an idiot 15 year old.

What I am saying is that I don't like the look or feel of any bikes outside of the cruiser range. That being said, like most riders I have a specific desire for the bikes I really like.

Oh and I only post as a troll in political party threads/ religion threads

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 11:30 AM. Reason : .]

3/23/2010 11:29:18 AM

Quote :

"this is why I like the wolfweb. I ask a fairly specific question, and the only answers I get towards it are "that is a completely stupid idea, gtfo...""

These guys just showered you with knowledge like R-Kelly at a whore house. I know jack shit about motorcycles, and purely based on the people that posted responses and thier reputations, I wouldn't buy a Harley.

3/23/2010 12:12:38 PM

^stater edition of most people ITT

If you really assume that anything they posted was news / something I hadn't heard before then I hate to be the one to break it to you.

3/23/2010 12:28:24 PM

^^They golden showered him with knowledge about non-Harley bikes, while only saying Harleys suck and they hate Harley riders.

At the same time,

Quote :

"However, after re-reading my last post I do sound like an idiot 15 year old."

3/23/2010 12:30:46 PM

3/23/2010 12:33:14 PM

3/23/2010 12:39:44 PM

Quote :

"they have thoroughly re-engineered their motorcycles and produce serious quality"

I loll'd

3/23/2010 1:02:19 PM

Like everyone has said, Harley is just about the image. If you want the image, just say so. Most everyone here is about value/dollar in terms of a quality machine. HDs are not quality machines by this metric. They cost more than anything else and you can easily find jap cruisers that perform better, are more comfortable, or cost less, if not all three, at literally half the price of the equivalent HD. HD's are underperforming, overpriced, and unreliable compared to their competition. I feel comfortable calling that a fact.

Like Duke said, I just fucking love bikes, practically all of them. My favorite bikes are the v65 magnas, Duc 848s, and BMW K75s. How much more diverse does it get than that? We aren't telling you not to do this because we are narrow-minded, sport bike riding, HD hating, squidly mother fuckers, we're telling you this because, as motorcycle enthusiasts, we feel an HD is one of the worst motorcycles you can possibly buy for that kind of money.

But alas, you, like everyone else who consults the garage on a purchase, do not want opinions, but validation of whatever you've already chosen to do. Best of luck with your shitty motorcycle. You should probably put straight pipes and a giant fucking carb on it.

3/23/2010 3:46:37 PM

this thread is devoid of serious responses long ago

3/23/2010 3:51:25 PM

This thread is win and full of truth

3/23/2010 4:10:11 PM

I would love for you to show me a jap cruiser equivalent to a harley for half the price

I'll be waiting.

3/23/2010 4:36:46 PM

suck a dick

3/23/2010 4:37:50 PM

By the way catzor, you stupid fuck. If you spent the five seconds to read my initial question. Then you would understand that I was simply inquiring about something specific. I never said that I gave two shits about what other bike brands I needed to look into.

3/23/2010 4:53:41 PM

folks can post whatever advice they want to man

don't pitch a bitch over it

3/23/2010 5:03:41 PM

3/23/2010 5:28:36 PM

Quote :

"I would love for you to show me a jap cruiser equivalent to a harley for half the price I'll be waiting. "

2010 Honda VTX1300C.

Virtually identical proportions, ride stance, weight, equipment to the 2010 Harley DYNA Super Glide.

The only appreciable difference is the Honda has a 1312cc engine, and the Harley has a 1584cc engine. Which translates to 90.69ft-lbs of torque to 96 ft-lbs of torque.

And the Honda costs $2,000 bucks less (which is 15% cheaper) and has ungodly better reliability, better servicing, and better warranty coverage.

I can go down the list of every bike I suggested at the top of the thread (except the Indians), and they will come out 10-20% cheaper than the comparable harley model with better reliability ratings.

3/23/2010 6:36:56 PM

he's about to say something to the effect of 15-20% != 50%

3/23/2010 6:45:30 PM

Scale of Stupid

Jesus--->Jap bike owner--->Mr. Hands--->Guy trying to spend money on HD


The VTX is a good comparison. And if you want to bitch about the power difference, for the same money, you can get a M109 which has 60ish more hp and 25 more ft/lbs of torque.

[Edited on March 23, 2010 at 6:56 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2010 6:46:44 PM

Quote :

"2010 Honda Fury Chopper ($12,999) 1312cc v-twin"

Seriously?

3/23/2010 6:57:27 PM

I'd sure as hell be furious if I paid 13k for one of those things.

3/23/2010 7:31:33 PM

To Harley's credit, I was ordering parts for one this week and stressing about getting the model number right. Then I saw:

Part #12345: Fits Harley-Davidson, all, 1951-1999

3/23/2010 10:02:19 PM