Harley reliability.

**Motig** · 28th January 2006, 17:05

Well Harley should just about have it right now. After all they been building the same bike for about 90 odd years

**sennandy** · 3rd February 2006, 01:27

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

I run the rentals at AMPS, for those that don't know. The bikes are 1 - 2 years old and average 2000 - 3000 k's per month. In nearly 2 years the sum of failures has been 2 broken drive belts through stones getting trapped in them. Plus one mysterious case of a clutch cable coming loose and wearing a hole in the oil filter. This wasn't a mechanical failure, someone had loosened the clip.
What's made me mention this was an English guy on a tour from ChCh, he and a mate have the only two Harleys. All the others are on Beemers, ALL the Beemers have had some sort of problem during the tour - Harleys nil.

I was chattin to a guy the other day who has 2nr new Ducati's one 999r the other his everyday bike a 998monster, I asked him how he was gettin on etc, having the craic and he said he had a harley wide glide for 3weeks brand new out of the box, took it back to the Harley shop for an oil leak it had a porous engine casing, and was told it would take 8weeks to mend, he told them to keep their bike and give him his money back and went for the Duc's, now that was a close call.

They should stick to the old days and massey fergusson engines, sums up a harley.

**Rashika** · 3rd February 2006, 04:31

Originally Posted by sennandy

I was chattin to a guy the other day who has 2nr new Ducati's one 999r the other his everyday bike a 998monster, I asked him how he was gettin on etc, having the craic and he said he had a harley wide glide for 3weeks brand new out of the box, took it back to the Harley shop for an oil leak it had a porous engine casing, and was told it would take 8weeks to mend, he told them to keep their bike and give him his money back and went for the Duc's, now that was a close call.

They should stick to the old days and massey fergusson engines, sums up a harley.

me for one, am glad they didn't or else the Buell never would have been... and that would have been a huge shame for me.
So does he think italian bikes are reliable then?

Sorry mate i know 2 people that have made warrenty claims in new eyetie bikes, one 3 so far, the other 2... seems to be a common thing with bikes that have a bit more individual attention when built

**dangerous** · 3rd February 2006, 05:18

Originally Posted by sennandy

They should stick to the old days and massey fergusson engines, sums up a harley.

'All' brands have the odd rotten apple in the barrel mate....... even Suzuki had a problem with the k5 frames, SV water leeks, VTR cam chains... mate list goes on, so what ya mate got a dodgy Hog, my new Itialian bike has had 3 warantee clams and 1 break down in 6000k's........... thats motoring for ya

**98tls** · 3rd February 2006, 05:38

thats interesting reading dangerous,i have a few mates with older guzzis and they keep on keeping on with no problems,out of interest were they very serious problems or just niggly annoying things?

**dangerous** · 3rd February 2006, 05:47

Originally Posted by 98tls

thats interesting reading dangerous,i have a few mates with older guzzis and they keep on keeping on with no problems,out of interest were they very serious problems or just niggly annoying things?

Guzzi probs..... older bikes have been sorted by now (dodgy wiring) but ECU controled bikes have a few extra probs, nothing big relays need replacing and I had a speedo cable bust (pissed Iti hadent had enough Coffee in the morning after a night on the Vino) and put the wrong one in.... the other isent a Guzzi prob as it was the Ohlins fork seal leaking.

**98tls** · 3rd February 2006, 05:56

good looking bike i reckon,hows it go through somewhere like the hundalees,i only ask as i am from up that way and its a great bit of road,the only guzzi i ever rode through there was a 1100 sport found it nice and torquey,i could just about own a guzzi i reckon its just that i like my vtwins facing the other way.

**buellbabe** · 3rd February 2006, 06:05

Generally speaking Harleys ARE reliable, but like any brand there will be the odd lemon. Hey I don't mind admitting that I have heard of quite a few Buells that fall into the Lemon category (mines 1 of the good ones!!!) but when you consider the sheer number of units that Harley produces per yr I think their successes outweigh the failures... Lou? you would have an idea of those stats??

**Troll** · 3rd February 2006, 07:55

Originally Posted by 98tls

,i have a few mates with older guzzis and they keep on keeping on with no problems

strange I had a guzzi once, most unreliable piece of junk I have ever owned

compared with the iron sporty I had had previous to the guzzi the harley was more reliable, had better gas mileage, higher top speed, better acceleration

guzzi had better brakes but it usually broke down before you needed to use them anyway

problems with the guzzi shrunk in sleeve in the rear wheel to hold the bearings in place unshrunk itself, two piece mainshaft in geasr box decided to grow and push a gear out into the gearbox casing

have a friend who has the misfortuine to own a new breva, its now almost 3 years old and still having warranty claim after warranty claim, he should have bought a sportster and if the guy in the shop had told him about the rubber mount sporties due out the next month he would have bought one instead of the breva he now has

**tracyprier** · 3rd February 2006, 08:03

Having worked in the automotive industry for my first 6 years of work (mechanic at Schofields) I learnt that no matter what badge is on a car (and bikes are the same) you will always get dodgy ones. Mass production + budgets + human involvement means there will always be a percentage of "dogs" rolling off the assembly line and that it's unfair to write off a whole brand because of it.

On a different note; a while back I was looking at buying another bike and was thinking about Harleys. In the end I decided that it wasn't what I wanted BUT the thing that really struck me was the totally negative, derogatory comments I got from biker mates when I mentioned Harleys.

Once they had wiped the rabid foam off their mouths I asked them one question, "have you ever actually RIDDEN a Harley??"... and they ALL said no!

Funny how some people allow others to dictate their opinion on things, things they personally have no experience of.

Personally I like Harleys, I just think they are overpriced for what they are, which is no reflection on the bikes themselves.

**buellbabe** · 3rd February 2006, 08:08

Originally Posted by tracyprier

Once they had wiped the rabid foam off their mouths I asked them one question, "have you ever actually RIDDEN a Harley??"... and they ALL said no!

Funny how some people allow others to dictate their opinion on things, things they personally have no experience of.

So so true. Don't knock it til ya try it I reckon. Know a guy who was Ducati mad and 1 day 1 of his HD riding friends said why don't you try a Hog?. Ducati sold, now happily getting around on a Nightrain. And LOVING it

**Rashika** · 3rd February 2006, 08:33

Originally Posted by buellbabe

So so true. Don't knock it til ya try it I reckon. Know a guy who was Ducati mad and 1 day 1 of his HD riding friends said why don't you try a Hog?. Ducati sold, now happily getting around on a Nightrain. And LOVING it

yeah, nice bike that is too!
Is it this one BB?