Harley and bmw motorcycle question.

T

TOMAHAWK70

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Oct 26, 2004
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33
5 years ago i was looking at harleys and there was a waiting list of a year to get one. Now you can walk into a local harley dealer and they have them on the showroom floor and are giving discounts; is the fad kinda over?? The other bike i see with a huge fan base is that bmw that looks like a dirt bike for the street, people rave about it , like it was a sebenza. Does anyone own one and why is it so awesome; it sure does look comfy.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums! I'll move this thread to the Gadgets & Gear forum for you ...
 
Howdy! You know, in my area it depends what model you want as to whether there's a waitlist or not for Harleys. I'd have to say that the popularity of Harleys are cyclical. Its sort of like when different makers get hot here. The maker suddenly can't make enough product for the demand, the prices skyrocket and then their product becomes valuable and scarce. Then, with most makers, you have a cooling off period. Example: Tom Mayo's knives. Tom makes a great knife, and for a while you couldn't get people to part with their TNTs for love or money, but now you see some on sale. The same thing goes for Harley Davidson. Then again, I know a lot of people who aren't buying them since the V-rod came out because they think HD sold out. Bottom line, you can get a Hyabusa (sp) which will do nearly 200 mph off the lot for half the price of a high-end HD. About the BMW I know nothing, but its probably just the next model heating up. Thanks for reading the rambling.

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
Which BMW? The R1200GS or the F650GS? If you're talking about the R1200GS, it's because it is a do everything motorcycle. It'll do hard dirt duty, but easily handle sweeping curvy highways. And works great for city potholes. Those wide handle bars are great for leveraging that bike around most anything. The new version is lighter, more powerful, and has a bullet-proof 6 speed tranny.

I would have bought one, except they're made for tall people with long inseams named Hans or Gunther (33" minimum). Something my Asian build sorely lacks. I test ride them whenever I can, I just can't see it as my daily ride.
 
BMW's bikes, like their cars, are the best engineered road bikes, hands down. It is a bike that will last, as long as you take care of it.

I personaly have no respect or love for harleys in any sense. Old engineering that people buy to try to prove something. (uh oh, I better prepare for a response on this one)
 
Tony, you could get one of the special seats that they sell on BMW's here in Japan. Most Japanese don't have a 33 inseam either. Plus the seats on BMW's will adjust somewhat.

Plumber, I don't care for HD either, give me a Naked Guzzi anyday! :D
 
I think people are finally coming to thier senses about Harely.

They are overwieght

They are Underpowered

They are overpriced

They leak oil

They vibrate NONSTOP

Need I go on?

BMW makes AWESOME bikes, I want one so terribly bad.
 
Tony, you could get one of the special seats that they sell on BMW's here in Japan. Most Japanese don't have a 33 inseam either. Plus the seats on BMW's will adjust somewhat.
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It is probably a very fine seat
 
Harley's sales are still strong, judging from their financial records, stock, etc.

I think the main reason there isn't so much of a wait for them is that their are more custom bikes for sale. Discovery Channel has made West Coast Choppers and Orange County Choppers very well known, and many small builders are out there as well.

Used customs cost the same as a new, loaded Harley. So why buy a Harley with more chrome, when you could get a custom with a 110-120ci engine that doesn't look like everything else on the road?
 
It's also interesting to note that virtually every manufacturer makes a Harley "clone" of sorts. The new Yamaha I just saw a review of doesn't even have a Yamaha logo on the tank....

Havn't ridden in years, but I never was a fan of the Harley, or the big cruiser either. To me, motorcycle meant "sports car". If I was still riding, I'd no doubt have one of the good handling cafe-racer types. (And be wrapped around an oak tree somewhere!)
 
Buy a BMW if you want a solid, dependable bike to ride for years.

Buy a Harley if you also want to buy a matching jacket, bandanna, t-shirt, beer cozy, key fob, boots, chaps, underwear, sticker for your car, bandanna for your dog, etc; and if you only want to ride your bike on nice sundays with a group of attorneys.

I still miss my '89 R100GS Paris-Dakar. *sigh*

From everything I've read about the current GS, it's an awesome do-anything STREET bike, but that it's too heavy for really serious off-road use. It will go further afield that any of the normal street bikes out there, but it's not made to be a dirt bike, really. That having been said, if the most "dirt riding" you'll see is the odd gravel or dirt road, it's supposed to be the best bike you can get (according to several magazines). A good alternative would be the R100R, which has many of the good features, and is usually about $4000 cheaper than the GS model. Sure, it won't go offroad as well, but it's also a lot kinder to your inseam.
 
tonyccw said:
....I just can't see it as my daily ride.
Click to expand...


What's your daily ride?

I'm currently sporting a Vintage 1984 Yamaha Venture, spent most of the summer on it, put 8,000-9,000 miles on it since June, first touring bike, everything else was Jap sportbike :D Limey sportbikes :cool: and a homeland cruiser :( .
 
FoxholeAtheist said:
From everything I've read about the current GS, it's an awesome do-anything STREET bike, but that it's too heavy for really serious off-road use.
Click to expand...
That was the case with new R1150GS. But they trimmed a lot of weight off with the new R1200GS. Still, at 497lbs, it's no lightweight dirt bike...
T. Erdelyi said:
What's your daily ride?
Click to expand...
'93 BMW K75A. Excellent around town bike. Needs a little more omphh for long distance....
 
tonyccw said:
...'93 BMW K75A. Excellent around town bike. Needs a little more omphh for long distance....
Click to expand...

When I was younger my mothers boyfriend had a R69 US.

10.jpg


Not his bike but looked just like it.
 
My favorite look wise is the R75/5

"I think people are finally coming to thier senses about Harely.

They are overwieght

They are Underpowered

They are overpriced

They leak oil

They vibrate NONSTOP

Need I go on?

BMW makes AWESOME bikes, I want one so terribly bad."

That's why people buy them
 
Ive had a few jap bikes and they just never break. a 95 cbr900rr with 23,000 and 22,500 of them were hard miles and never a problem. also no problems with my 96 magna and a 98 shadow 750. Then i bought a ducati and the snout on the crank shaft broke at 7,000, so i sold it. Now from what i hear the bmws are awesome bikes.
 
I can't comment with any authority on Harleys or BMW's, I haven't owned one. Have ridden a few Harleys, they are not precision, but are fun to ride and they pull the women better than any other 2 wheeler.
This is my bike, Ducatti 1000SS - it gets from A to B in a blink and also pulls the women. :cool:
DUC-SOUTH1.jpg
 
I've got a BMW R1100S and if I had to do it all over again, I sure wouldn't buy it. I fell for the BMW name and looks. It's sluggish and doesn't handle all that well. To top it off, I could have darn near bought a Ducati for what I paid for the BMW. A month after I bought the brand new BMW R1100S, I bought a brand new Honda CBR 600RR. At almost half the price of the BMW, it's about three times more nimble and way faster. The Honda is smooth all through the powerband, the BMW has a vibration that rattles my teeth. I ride with a group that prefers fast Japanese bikes. I can barely keep up on my BMW, so any riding with them on my BMW is out of the question. My BMW redlines at 8,000 RPM, my Honda redlines at 15,000 RPM. I can't understand where all the power on the BMW's boxer motor goes.

Don't get me wrong, I think my BMW is a beautiful bike... I do ride it still now and then, but most of the time I prefer taking my Honda into the canyons and up the coast. I'll tell you something funny.. I take my BMW if I am going somewhere I can't keep a constant eye on my bike. Around here, no one messes with or steals BMW bikes, but a nice crotch rocket will be stolen in 60 seconds.

bmw.jpg
 
I bought a Yamaha Seca II in 1993 or so, sold it in 2000 with 55,000 trouble-free miles on it. Used the bike as primary transportation through almost all of that time, too. They say it's hard to buy a bad bike these days, and I tend to believe that.
 
Having had both a '83 R65, a '87 R80, a'92 K75 BMW's to compare with my '95 1200 sporty, and '97 FXD superglide, The Harley is a obsolete second rate, overweight exuse of a bike. I'm still in love with my '67 R 60.

I'll never stray from my beemers again!!!
 
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