WHY YOU SHOULD BUY A HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE

Here is another article from James Russell Pub.

He makes some good points as you will see, but I have injected some comments as to my opinion on different things he has said.


WHY YOU SHOULD BUY
A HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE

There are logical reasons why you should buy a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.



Here's a few of those reasons:



1. Harley's are made in the USA and that is good enough reason alone.


The Harley Davidson Motorcycle is assembled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but not all parts are American made.
The basics are made in America: Engines (casting are made by Mercury Marine in Wisconsin) & frames are made at the factory.
Any other parts that are not made in America can be replaced by Aftermarket upgrades that are made in America.
Be advised that not all aftermarket parts are made in America. Do your homework before you buy to ensure that you get a genuine Made In America part if that is what you want.

2. You can have the engine remanufactured (rebuilt) by the factory. You just ship the engine to Milwaukee, they completely prefabricate the engine back to OEM specifications, dyno test and tune the engine and ship it back to you or they dealer of your choice. You can't do this with other brands and it is cheaper to do this with Harley-Davidson than it would to pay anybody else to overhaul your engine. This service is not available for the Sportster engine, reason being there is no call for it, the engines do not fail like the Twin-Cam engines do.



Sending the engine to the factory for Refurbishing is possible, and in my opinion only an option if the engine is still under warranty, where the cost of such should be covered by the factory or dealer.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Media/downloads/Engines/engine_reman_broch.pdf

Most riders are not happy with the factory performance of the stock engine, so why send it back to rebuilt to stock specs? If the warranty has run out or if you just want to get more performance now would be a good time for an internal upgrade of parts. There is a host of better products to give your ride more power & dependability. (Pistons, rods, cams, adjustable push rods, valves, valve springs, etc). The crank should be re-trued and welded as to not shift under load. Factory specs say that .012 is an acceptable runout on a twin cam crank. If you want to go to gear driven cam & oil pump upgrade, it is advised that the crank runout be less than .005. Other cam chest upgrades are not as precise, but why wouldn't you want your crank as smooth as possible?

3. You can buy anything you need or want for a Harley. Just look at the accessory catalogs and see what you can buy. No other motorcycle brand has such a huge selection. This is one good reason to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as hundreds of companies support the bikes making all sorts of goodies. For Example: You can buy complete handlebar sets with all the electrical wires and cables ready to just bolt on. Other brands? You got to cut the wires and void your warranty (or make extensions with matching harness connectors) and you may be surprised to find risers or handle bars that will not work with your bike. You can buy different size pulleys, wheels, seats, brakes, luggage, racks and the list is really extensive.

4. The engines (except the V-rod model) require no routine valve lash adjustments. This saves you hundreds of dollars in servicing expense each and every year.

5. Harley riders have the most reasons to ride to gala event destinations and meet with each other like no other group of riders. Each month there are dozens of advertised locations where bikers are riding and meeting for lunch, charities and just fun rides. Ain't nothing like it!

6. No matter which Harley-Davidson dealership you visit, you are always made welcome and there is hot coffee waiting for you with snacks. James Russell says he dreads going into other brand dealerships only to be not greeted, no coffee, no snacks, no friendliness at all and being unwelcome and being assaulted with obnoxious loud music where you can't think or talk to anyone in comfort. He claims to have traveled all over the nation and the Harley dealers are destinations in themselves just to ride to and many riders do just that visiting dealers as a hang-out and to meet other riders.

7. If you break down in your travels there are many mechanics who can fix your Harley-Davidson in every town you happen to be. This is not so with other brands of motorcycles where you may have to tow your bike hundreds of miles to get the bike to a dealership or independent shop that can fix your bike.

8. James Russell claims to have seen and heard and read endless stories of a rider breaking down and the Harley-Davidson dealer bending over backwards to get the rider back on the road in just hours, even keeping the entire shop open so a mechanic can work on the bike after hours and giving the rider a discount on top of it all to ease the pain of the breakdown. You won't get that royal treatment with other brands of motorcycle dealers, no way! They will not treat you well and that he claims to know from personal experience.

I have also heard stories & experienced the generosity & brotherhood of the Harley family. Not having the experience of riding other brands, other than some english bikes when I was younger, I can not attest to the kindness of the of the general non riding public towards the other brands of motorcycles. But I have experienced some interesting situations, like having an 18 wheel gas tanker stop to give me some gas when I stupidly underestimated my range. Another time, I blew a front wheel bearing & an empty 18 wheel flatbed with a dropnose helped me back to town.

9. The Harley Owner's Group (HOG) also has thousands of rides, events and meets nationwide. No other manufacturer has so many loyal members.

10. The Harley-Davidson Sportster is a good bike for one rider at 1200cc engine. The engine is reliable and quite bulletproof in design. Just add an oil cooler (all air-cooled bikes should have one), a touring seat, pull-back handlebars, extended controls, saddlebags, rack and sissy bar and other options if you wish and away you go. Get a model with cast wheels so flat tires will not leave you stranded, or option to install tubeless spoke rims.


Tires will go flat, tube type or tubeless. A piece of debris on the highway plays no favorites. Bikers used to carry the necessary tools to repair a punctured tube on the side of the highway but now with tubeless tires you generally just need a cell phone.

11. There ain't nothing like the Harley-Davidson experience for pure cruising! The bikes have a "soul" and that's something the other brands just don't have. When you ride one, you'll feel the difference!

12. The 45 degree V-twin engine is the improper firing angle for an ideal engine that creates a lopsided thrust on the crankshaft generating awesome vibration and that is why other manufactures just won't do it. However, that 45 degree wallop gives the Harley-Davidson that kick in the seat of the pants torque and a feel that just can't be duplicated. Some Twin-Cam engines have internal counterbalance weights and others have the engines rubber mounted to the frame to shed the severe shaking effect that engine produces. It may be wrong, but it ended up being right. Just listen to the engine's explosive, crisp detonating effect from the exhaust. No other bike has that most perfect sound millions of riders love.

13. Many Harley-Davidson riders just accept the fact the Twin-Cam engine has its defects and is just the price to pay to ride. You got to look at that way to ease the pain in the wallet. The price is high, but to many the fee is worth the ride, every dollar of it.

14. Another way to look at things is to buy a used Harley-Davidson Twin-Cam motorcycle and the money you save can be used to repair and upgrade the engine and components.

15. Don't forget to look at the new 2012 and later Sportster models. They have fat 16" front tires, better suspension and are way better than the earlier models by far and most of all they have none of the awful engine defects the Twin-Cam engine bikes have. They also run cooler, are quick, sporty to ride, good gas mileage and they have that Harley sound that you like. Test drive one!  

16. Are you being shortchanged on oil changes? You might be. Many shops are now employing a suction oil extractor device that instead of allowing dirty oil to drain as it should from under the bike from the oil drain plug, the suction device has a metal "wand" that is inserted into the oil filling plug and the oil is vacuumed out.

Why?

Because it is wickedly fast to remove the oil from the engine, primary and transmission.

Why is it bad?

Because a lot of dirty oil remains inside the engine compartments in "pockets" that were designed to be drained out by gravity.

And to make matters worse?

You may be charged for gaskets, o-rings and labor that was never used in the oil change!

Plus, you never really know for certain the quality of the oil put into your motorcycle. Just because you paid for synthetic oil you may have a blend or none at all as mineral oil was inserted. You are way better off learning how to change your own oil. 

17. You just had your bike serviced by the dealer. There is no way you can easily tell if the oil levels in the bike are where they should be. There are still too many instances where people drive off with their bike with no oil in the primary case or transmission! Mistakes happen because mechanics are not doing the oil changes, inexperienced employees are often used behind closed doors where you can't observe what is really going on. This is something you need to be aware of at Harley-Davidson dealerships. Upon delivery of the bike you should check the oil levels, even on a brand new bike. The primary chain case is more difficult as you need to remove the derby cover to check the oil level. These nightmares can happen as customers bring back bikes in a destroyed condition and you can be just about certain the dealer is going to blame the problem on "mechanical failure" not "mechanic failure" and bill you a huge repair bill or even deny the warranty if you have an extended warranty (if the dealer is a bad one they will play dirty rotten tricks on their customers). Search the Internet and you'll see what I am talking about. Hang around dealership and repair facilities long enough and you'll see it happening.


"And if you think switching to a metric bike will solve your problems you will be sadly mistaken."

18. With all these defects should you still buy a Harley? James Russell says yes, but keep it under a reliable and trustworthy warranty and even then, expect a fight to keep your coverage. Many dealers will fight you, so appeal to H-D Corporate for assistance. Learn to perform your own oil changes as having "others" do it for you can still void your warranty.

How?

There is no proof the quality of the oils sold was actually used. Buy Harley-Davidson oil and filter, keep receipts and a log book and you will have closed that door solid that voids warranties.



EXTRA ADVICE

James Russell says he often gets inquires asking that if the Twin-Cam Harley-Davidson engines are so defective then the older EVO (Big-Twin Evolution) engine should be bought. His answer is a big "NO" as that engine is defective too and unreliable and that is one reason why Harley-Davidson junked the thing and created the Twin-Cam engine. The Evo crankshaft can fail, the valve angles are so severe the push rods bend, etc. That engine is history so leave it be. The Twin-Cam engine is no better for all it does is trade one defect for another so it still has detrimental defects. Frankly, it is a disaster. However, you should consider buying a S&S engine for it is beefed up and does not have the engine defects for it has been redesigned in many critical areas. That is the route he would recommend for you can get a real big-bore engine too that will not fall apart on you.



With the introduction of the 17 digit VIN number on the neck of the frame, and having the bike registered by that number, leaves the option of putting any aftermarket engine in the bike & still being able to register it as a Harley Davidson.


Harley Davidson Motorcycles are unreliable if neglected. If you care for your ride then search out possible problems with your model. If a lot of riders are having problems with a certain part then upgrade it immediately. You may never have the problem, but are you willing to take the chance, besides upgrading to a reputable american made part makes your bike better.



If you love to ride Harley's then start learning how to fix them yourself. Stop making excuses. If you have to, take a small engine course or a motorcycle repair school class or buy repair manuals and learn as you go. Subscribe to V-Twin Magazine and other motorcycle magazines as they have many articles on how to fix and upgrade Harley-Davidson motorcycles. You can start by learning how to change the oil. Then you can learn to change your own tires and save hundreds of dollars. James Russell is not saying Harley's are unreliable as they are more reliable than ever, but when an engine or transmission or frame defect arises you can fix it yourself or at least the majority of them. If you do not learn to fix the bike, the bike will fix you so you have to give up riding, for the cost of ownership will eventually become too much to bear.

Some people just like to ride, while others consider the bike a part of their lives.


If you do not have the aptitude, not all riders are mechanically adept, or don't have the time to learn how, or maybe you just don't have the time to spend doing the maintenance & repairs, then find someone who can do it for you. Find someone who lives & breaths motorcycles. Someone you can trust not to scam you or charge large to do repairs. If you find this someone, make them your best friend!


That advice is not just for Harley-Davidson bikes, it is all motorcycles! The cost of parts and labor is crippling rider's financial ability to pay.

Example: It is straight-out dishonesty to charge $500 for a set of tires or to pay $350 for an oil change! 

While these prices are still a little high, they are closer to todays rates.


Dealers are getting rich at your expense. Learn to do it yourself. You can do it. If you only knew the idiots who are actually working on your bike at the dealership you would be alarmed. Mechanics are not changing oil or tires, its the kids or parts people they pull to do those jobs. And the horror stories taking place from these unskilled employees is frightening like delivering bikes with no oil in them, improperly installed tires, loose axles and brake calipers, etc. It is safer to do it yourself than to blindly trust questionable characters behind closed doors in the service department.

Do not ever trust a mechanic or a dealership to do you right. Be vigilant and be on high guard dealing with anyone who has the power to remove money from your wallet. Never believe for a moment these employees, managers and owners are your "friend" for this is just "good business" to treat you with very special attention. If you have ever run a business you know what I am talking about. It is awful just how many people are being robbed by the repair industry. They will lie to you with a smile on their face while shaking your hand telling you that you need expensive repairs when you don't. The repair community is also "close knit" so go out of town to get second opinions and the further away the better, like 100 miles. Even then, they all know each other! They all play the same game! Even shops and dealers with many good referrals from riders have been found to be cheating the majority of their customers. They cheat so much they have no fear of exposure. They cheat so blatantly nobody will suspect any wrongdoing. With total arrogance they operate their price inflation scams. They may even do fine work, but the price you pay will be higher than you bargained for, one way or another. When you begin to work on your own bike you will begin seeing how the industry inflates simple jobs into bigger and more expensive jobs.

Buyer beware.  

Many times it is the owner of the dealership or repair shop that is the problem & not the employees or mechanics. It is hard to be truthful & fair when you are told what to do with the possibility of termination if you do not comply.




Well that wraps up the excitement for today.
Stay turned for more.
There are lots of articles out there that are worth looking at for the information, whether it be right or wrong, good or bad, fabricated or just exaggerated.
I will try to present some of them and point out the misleading parts.
If you disagree with something I have written, then don't be shy, let me know.
I have been working on bikes and living the lifestyle for a long time, but I don't know everything and something's I think I know may be wrong.




Happy Trails.....