It’s quite amusing sometimes how far people will go to hate on Harleys… never really understood where the chip on the shoulder comes from.

Not saying there aren’t Harley riders with an attitude problem but there are a lot of people on the road with an attitude problem…

Ride what you wanna ride!

Something that does get my back up though… people who drive while on their phones… texting, scrolling, Tweeting or whatever. I rode back from the southwest yesterday, and the number of people looking down, sitting at lights when they turn green as they’re too busy on their phones.

I’d be in favour of an instant ban for anyone caught.

    Ernie1 It’s quite amusing sometimes how far people will go to hate on Harleys… never really understood where the chip on the shoulder comes from.

    In the olden days, we would all go down to box hill and marvel at the variety of machines…never would anyone hate on a bike. If we all rode the same bike we wouldn’t gone to box hill to look at the variety of machines. which was what made it interesting.

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        Norvin

        Yep! Can’t read about Boxhill without thinking of that song.

        I’ve been to Boxhill a few times over the years, weirdly never seen Richard Thompson or a 52 Black Lightning 😄

          2 months later

          -Mac

          Nice, looks like you could ride it all day long, proper mile muncher!

          I’ve just put my last Harley up for sale. Spent the winter riding the Bonneville and as much as I’ll always have a soft spot for ‘old’ Harleys up to about the mid-90s, I think my days of obnoxious noise and bone shaking engines are behind me. I’d love a Panhead one day but it’s likely to be a while before I’ve got a spare £20k…

          I also cringe a bit every time I see the blacked out 883 Sportsters roaring up and down the high street with the guys all kitted out in black clothes and a perma-frown.

          I’m going to get a new Triumph Scrambler to complement the Bonneville, always liked the look of the scrambler style Triumphs and I think they’ve done a good job with the new ones. I actually prefer the looks of the Street Scrambler but need to try the 900 engine to see if I’ll miss the extra pull of the 1200.

              11 days later

              Ernie1
              Damn, when you said Street Scrambler I thought that they had finally made a triple Scram with legitimate horsepower.
              I’ll keep my 06 SpeedTriple and continue to lust for a 900 Tiger.

                  Amberale

                  Sadly not! It’s a measly 900!

                  They do the 1200 Scrambler but a totally different bike and I like the geometry of the little Bonneville frames for negotiating Soho and a gridlocked A40 on my work trips into London.

                  Having had a STriple, the idea of that engine with single front discs and knobbly tyres terrifies me 😂

                  Agreed on the Tiger, although I do wish they made an updated version of the 1050 Sport.

                    Well my Stripler has been in the shop waiting for the fork stanchions to be rechromed after one started peeing oil everywhere, not weeping, I mean total dripping, seal totally gone and the chrome too. Silly money for new legs and because they’re upside down forks it’s even worse apparently, so I’ve been bikeless during all the nice weather. I would be thinking of changing to a T120 or a Tiger but seeing as Sadistiq Khan is wanting to extend the ULEZ right out to fairly near me and in between mine and somewhere I visit frequently, I may be forced to chop in the old oil burner for a newer car, which I am not too chuffed about, not just cos I would rather spend it on a bike, but because I can’t afford to right now anyway, and besides I actually rather like my Tiguan even if diesel is rapidly approaching the price of beer.

                    So I sold the Harley and got on the phone to a couple of dealerships about finding a new bike. Firstly what happened to decent service when you want to buy a vehicle? I’m there trying to spend £10k on a bike and I may as well have been a nuisance caller…

                    “Hi there I’d like to try ‘x’ bike please, would it be ok to make an appointment?”

                    “Sorry we don’t have that on demo and we can only get two of them new before the end of the year and they’re both ‘insert unappealing colour here’”

                    Looks like I’ll be buying used!

                      Ernie1 “Sorry we don’t have that on demo and we can only get two of them new before the end of the year and they’re both ‘insert unappealing colour here’”

                      I see motorcycle dealers have not changed much in the last 25 years…some used to be good, but too many like that.

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                        Amazing. You would think they don’t have targets to meet. I suppose if the manufacturer won’t allocate enough units then they can’t sell them, but I don’t understand the logic of that. Mind you almost every bike I’ve had has been a couple of years old and low mileage, I’ve never had new, and can’t see much reason to spend the extra, especially with that sort of customer service!

                          Hotmetal

                          Totally agree, especially with how much some new bikes depreciate in the first year. Although that gap has closed with production shortages pushing used bike prices up.

                          I usually just buy new if I can’t find a used model in the colour/model variant I want. The warranty is also a nice bonus. Although most manufacturers sting you for a first service after you’ve barely ridden it home these days so that’s another £250 to add to the cost!

                          Our current car’s first service was due at 12,000 miles or two years (we haven’t even done 12,000 in three years) and I think my Bonneville was 500 miles…

                            Trouble is, £10K only gets you a 600cc these days and they’re more interested in selling £18-25K 1000cc+ bikes. The manufacturers are still feeling the effects of loss of production from COVID/Ukraine too.

                              Covid tax down under.
                              It is almost impossible to buy a new car/bike/jetski/caravan etc.
                              With covid stopping interstate and international travel, those with $$ have raised the prices of used models above that of new ones as the new ones are unavailable for up to 2 years.
                              Car yards are almost empty, numpty salespeople don’t have to work for a sale.

                              -Mac indeed, I suppose £10k isn’t a lot of bike money these days.

                              I noticed Harley’s Lowrider ST (which MCN surprisingly quite liked!) is £20,000 in its base spec… I notice their CVO Road Glide starts at £39,000…

                              I would say that’s car money but the Road Glide basically is a car.

                                  Yeah, but Harleys aren’t about the bikes themselves (Milwaukee pig iron), it’s about the perceived lifestyle of non-bikers ;)

                                    -Mac

                                    I can laugh at this now I’m no longer a Harley owner!

                                    It’s true though, I remember the big London showroom, you’d almost see more worsted-wool coming through the door than leather. Still, that’s probably because bankers are the only one’s who can afford them.

                                      Ernie1 IMHO, it’s partly envy and blind prejudice…. For me, ever since seeing Easy Rider at an impressionable age, always desired a Harley.

                                      I’ve owned over 50 motorcycles in my past, from a 1949 Matchie 500 (First bike, barn find) through a host of Japanese, several boxer twins and a couple of Harley’s - an evo 1200S and a customised Evo Springer, the only bike I’ve ever enjoyed doing the speed limit on. Corners how I like them were just off the menu, but while all my mates rode HDs, I could cope. When they all started giving it away bought a 1200 Bandit, which was a lovely bike, but a licence killer. Last bike was a monolever R100RS which I ended up trading for a boat (beach life)..

                                      Gave it all away years ago and although I do miss the fun, getting too old and rusty and sure don’t miss the rest.