Last foriegn bike

[pantablo]

i also have one more question, if the harley is so outdated and such crap as you seem to describe it, why does every single japanese comany make a mimick of it. its because thats what sells, and thats what the majority of people want. something comfortable, loud, stylish.

japanese companies are selling into the "Lifestyle" that HD created, and that is so popular. Unfortunately we have Marlon Brando to thank for that...

[jake42]

just go buy your goddamn Harley and quit trying to tell us about how great they are.
A bike's a bike. Buy it, ride it, fix it.  Don't come and make stupid ass statements and then get pissy when people tell you about it.

[frankieG]

owen is a good guy he was just upset, as any of us would be, about his bike

[Mandres]

It sounds to me like the dealer is stepping up and doing the right thing.  All machines have the potential for problems, that's why they have a warranty.  Maybe the valve seats were improperly machined at the factory?  Maybe you got a dirty load of gas that left grit deposits on the valve faces?  Maybe the synthetic oil you used came from a bad batch and was the wrong viscosity?  Who knows?  What's important is that the dealer honors their commitment and fixes the problem, which it sounds like they are doing. 

If you really want a Harley that's cool, but understand that these kinds of things happen on every brand.  Buying American isn't a guarantee that you won't have any problems.

[DrtRydr23]

If you really want a Harley that's cool, but understand that these kinds of things happen on every brand.  Buying American isn't a guarantee that you won't have any problems.

Gotta agree here.  Every brand of bike comes with horror stories about mechanical problems that shouldn't be there, no matter what country appears to produce them.  You probably just had some bad luck, and if you're an unlucky guy you'll probably have bad luck with a Buell or Harley as well.  I think that if you average it out Jap bikes would be more reliable than Harleys or Buells, but I'm not saying you shouldn't get a Harley if you want one.  Harley reliability seems to going way up in the last 5 to 10 years.  Most people I talk to that own newer Harleys say that they've had little to no problems with them with regular maintenance (is that spelled right?).  I say buy what you want, and don't worry about people on here telling you you're making a mistake.  You've got to be happy with what you ride.....and if you don't like it, Harley resale value tends to be pretty high.

If you're looking at Sportsters, you should consider the 06-07 Roadsters.  They're 1200's with blacked out motors and are set up for more of a sporty ride (for a Harley that is).  They are making them for 08 as well, but they changed the tank so that they don't look as good.  However they do have a larger fuel capacity in 08.

[xb9ser]

Compareing a Buell to a Harley is like compareing apples and oranges.I have both a 93 GS500 and a 03 Buell xb9s. The buell gets ridden a lot more. The gs is a fun bike but the Buell has twice the HP and the same weight and gets the same mileage or better.If you get a XB model they have very few proplems but most dealers suck. They are very easy to work on just get the factory manue l If intrested in buells check out Badweatherbikers.com. By far best Buell site.I'm not kocking  the gs it is is fun but i like the buell better.I mainly use the gs now to ride to work and the Buell to play.

[xb9ser]

My 18 year old daughter is wanting to learn to ride , so she is starting out on the gs. great for this

[owenh]

what are your opinions on the xb9sx. are a you tall? because im 6'1" and they look pretty cramped for taller people.

[xb9ser]

owenh I have 03 xb9sl which was the lowered version that  year never rode a X.I am 5ft 8 and it fits great.You might want to check out XB12SS the long version.Or maybe the XB12STT. it is based on long with a slightly taller suspension.Even though it is set up for no passenger all you have to do is add mounts and foot pegs holes are allready there

[yamahonkawazuki]

owenh I have 03 xb9sl which was the lowered version that  year never rode a X.I am 5ft 8 and it fits great.You might want to check out XB12SS the long version.Or maybe the XB12STT. it is based on long with a slightly taller suspension.Even though it is set up for no passenger all you have to do is add mounts and foot pegs holes are allready there

the xb9s is an 883 with higher compression, ( and a few cubes), and teh anti harley bias here, is like the anti jap bias on a harley site. ( mostly uninformed. or opinion sharing) i had put teh heads from an xb9s on my 883c, and it performed flawlessly. and i AM a certified hd tech so i DO know what im talking about , some hd's i dont like ( at all) some jap bikes i dont like at all either. but comparing them is liek theother poster said, comparing apples to oranges , and complaining about the pushrod engine, ( why do it?) or the engine being an old design, well hell complain that the gs engine ( with VERY FEW mods) is unchanged. as are most. also nothing wrong with a pushrod engine. if you want to rev it to 12k then prolly NOT the right engine for you. but a good sprited cruise? great tehn

[MrDan]

Go for a harley if you're up for low quality at a WAY too high price... JMO

+1

I will NEVER EVER buy any vehicle car, truck or bike made in america 

So Toyota's out eh?  And some Hyundai, BMW, etc.