I hate Suzukis!

[vifferman]

No they don't. They sell because of "brand loyalty". Big difference. I've never spoke to anyone who said, "I'm buying a Harley because I've never heard of any other bike"

That's not quite right.
"Brand loyalty" is what keeps people buying a particular brand after their initial purchase. Name or brand recognition (or profile) is what makes a potential customer think of that brand in the first place.
And that is why so many people (including non-bikers) know about Harley Davidson - because the name now has a very high profile and brand recognition is good. Harley Davidson as a name has a much higher profile amongst the general populace than other motorcycle brands, and is probably more likely to be associated with motorcycling than other brands.

[vifferman]

No innovation????
[Harley Davidson was] The first bike to have telescopic forks,the first bike to have disc brakes,the first bike to use mono shock suspension,the first bike to use safty levers,the first bike to use a Vtwin.

Found this by Googling the Interweb:
"The traditional telescopic fork came from a 1935 BMW design that included hydraulics. After BMW, Norton developed a similar system in 1939, Matchless in 1940 and Ariel in 1941."
And:
"Phillip Vincent built his first production motorcycle in 1929, under the HRD banner. ... but Vincent's first motorcycle, and every one thereafter, used an innovative rear-suspension system, similar to a monoshock (in 1955, he introduced a true monoshock on the fully faired series-D machines). "
And:
"Honda adopted a front wheel disk brake for mass-produced motorcycles for the first time in the world in 1969 and realized high braking performance required by the trend for larger size and higher speed motorcycles."

[scumdog]

When I bought my first H-D I had hardly even seen one close up let alone ridden one, I just decided to buy one (probably watched too many re-runs of Easy Rider as a child).

I sure as hell had Brand Identity but no Brand Loyalty.

All bikes are o.k. with me (can't say the same about some of their owners) but it just so happened I wanted a H-D.

To me slagging off another brand of bike makes as much sense as slagging of in a Holden vs Ford opinion.

I note that not many (any at all?) H-D riders slag of the other brands except maybe in a little bit of leg-pulling, having said that, as you all know there are two types of bike owner:

Those that own a Harley and those that want to own one!

[vifferman]

I note that not many (any at all?) H-D riders slag of the other brands except maybe in a little bit of leg-pulling, having said that, as you all know there are two types of bike owner:

Those that own a Harley and those that want to own one!

If I could have only one motorcyle, it wouldn't be a Harley.
If I could have as many motorcycles as I wanted, a cruiser would be one of the bikes in my stable, and it would almost certainly be a Harley.

[idb]

Those that own a Harley and those that want to own one!

You know...you've written that before and I'm starting to think that you really believe it!!!!
right back at ya!

[idb]

I ended up with Ducs cos I wanted a bike that was a bit different and interesting, something that would start a conversation in the pub car park or at the rally but also needed a bit of maintenance from time to time to keep me interested in the garage.
The Darmah came up and seemed perfect. And so it has been.
Over time it happens that I know more about Ducs than any other bike (note that I didn't say that I know a lot about them) so I felt more confident in choosing another when it came to a new purchase.
For me they have the ideal blend of performance, history, interest from others, maintenance requirements from the owner, looks, sound and, lets be honest, pose value.
Let's face it, most bikes are toys so they are seldom bought for their functional value only.
Mind you, I still can't learn to love the Multistrada.

Well, that was boring....let's all talk about ME!!!

[scumdog]

I ended up with Ducs cos I wanted a bike that was a bit different and interesting, something that would start a conversation in the pub car park or at the rally but also needed a bit of maintenance from time to time to keep me interested in the garage.
The Darmah came up and seemed perfect. And so it has been.
Over time it happens that I know more about Ducs than any other bike (note that I didn't say that I know a lot about them) so I felt more confident in choosing another when it came to a new purchase.
For me they have the ideal blend of performance, history, interest from others, maintenance requirements from the owner, looks, sound and, lets be honest, pose value.
Let's face it, most bikes are toys so they are seldom bought for their functional value only.
Mind you, I still can't learn to love the Multistrada.

Well, that was boring....let's all talk about ME!!!

All the above could apply to a Harley too!

[Funkyfly]

All bikes are o.k. with me (can't say the same about some of their owners) but it just so happened I wanted a H-D.

To me slagging off another brand of bike makes as much sense as slagging of in a Holden vs Ford opinion.

I note that not many (any at all?) H-D riders slag of the other brands except maybe in a little bit of leg-pulling, having said that, as you all know there are two types of bike owner:

Those that own a Harley and those that want to own one!

Pretty much all bikes are cool in some way, but some people can be a bit one eyed when it comes to certain brands, and i find it a bit antaganistic myself.

The whole elitest thing gets up my nose. Whether its sportbike riders, HD boys, BMW pilots, there always seems to be someone rattling on about how their particular brand is better.

A bit of ribbing is all good though.

[Teflon]

[Teflon]

When I bought my first H-D I had hardly even seen one close up let alone ridden one, I just decided to buy one (probably watched too many re-runs of Easy Rider as a child).

I sure as hell had Brand Identity but no Brand Loyalty.

All bikes are o.k. with me (can't say the same about some of their owners) but it just so happened I wanted a H-D.

To me slagging off another brand of bike makes as much sense as slagging of in a Holden vs Ford opinion.

I note that not many (any at all?) H-D riders slag of the other brands except maybe in a little bit of leg-pulling, having said that, as you all know there are two types of bike owner:

Those that own a Harley and those that want to own one!

If you be nice, i will send you a copy.

[WINJA]

I fucken hate Hondas.

I can't really give you a good reason why, I just do. BMWs are right up there too.

In fact I've changed my mind. Hondas aren't that bad but BMWs do nothing for me. They're all "clinical" and just plain boring.

I've seen stunt riders wheelie or stoppie every brand of motorcycle, even an Electraglide Ultra Classic, but never a BeeEmm.

They make my skin crawl. Although an F650 makes a little sense.

I HATE HONDAS TOO AND I HATE BLUE WING THEY SUCK AND DONT HONOUR THEIR WARRANTYS AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD. LONG STORY SHORT NEW HONDA FIREBLADE PAID CASH NO BIKE FOR SUMMER AS IT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR MOST OF THAT TIME. AND THEY STILL DIDNT FIX IT . SO I TRADED IT AND LET ANOTHER DEALERSHIP DEAL WITH IT. AND HONDAS BUILD QUALITY IS A MYTH.

[WINJA]

Hey good to see you back WINJA.

How was solitary confinment??

Missed your posts dude

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE MISSED MY POSTS , I WAS BANNED B4 I EVEN BECAME A DISREPUTABLE MEMBER.
BEING IN THE SIN BIN GAVE ME MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH SPUDS MUM, SO IT WASNT ALL BAD

[Jackrat]

Found this by Googling the Interweb:
"The traditional telescopic fork came from a 1935 BMW design that included hydraulics. After BMW, Norton developed a similar system in 1939, Matchless in 1940 and Ariel in 1941."
And:
"Phillip Vincent built his first production motorcycle in 1929, under the HRD banner. ... but Vincent's first motorcycle, and every one thereafter, used an innovative rear-suspension system, similar to a monoshock (in 1955, he introduced a true monoshock on the fully faired series-D machines). "
And:
"Honda adopted a front wheel disk brake for mass-produced motorcycles for the first time in the world in 1969 and realized high braking performance required by the trend for larger size and higher speed motorcycles."

Bloody spoil sport,I was having fun treating this thread with the respect it deserved.
Now I'll have to get all serious.
Nah bugger that I'd have to get the spelling right.
And anyway I thought somebody was suppoused to be picking on Suzuki.
Always comes back to HD,bloody Kiwi's an their tall poppy disease.
Ya' reckon they'd pick on HD if it wasn't the most popular motorcycle in the world??
Guess we'll never know huh.

[Teflon]

I HATE HONDAS TOO AND I HATE BLUE WING THEY SUCK AND DONT HONOUR THEIR WARRANTYS AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD. LONG STORY SHORT NEW HONDA FIREBLADE PAID CASH NO BIKE FOR SUMMER AS IT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR MOST OF THAT TIME. AND THEY STILL DIDNT FIX IT . SO I TRADED IT AND LET ANOTHER DEALERSHIP DEAL WITH IT. AND HONDAS BUILD QUALITY IS A MYTH.

Problem with Honda's, they lack 'rawness', Blackbirds and VTR's spring to mind, just to nice.

[Biff]

Problem with Honda's, they lack 'rawness', Blackbirds and VTR's spring to mind, just to nice.

You're presuming that everyone out there wants arse aching, wrist breaking missiles. My Bird accelerates faster than an R1, has a top speed of a little under 300K's, 160+ bhp at the crank (depending on where you get your figures), yet it's smooth and perfect for touring, fast riding and for carrying pillions. Just what I wanted.

If I'd wanted to ride something raw I would have bought a carrot.

I know what you mean though. I think that Honda takes the approach that they would prefer to offer a higher degree of real world comfort (to varying degrees), build quality and reliability as opposed to stock, crazy fast performance for their road bikes. But don't be misled by the fact that at first they may appear somewhat sedate compared to the likes of their competitors. Honda only ask that you pay them a few more $$$'s before they sell you the add on's that enable the bike to perform like world class track bikes.

In fact, there appears to be a growing backlash against bike manufacturers in Europe. 2004-5 sales figures strongly indicates that people appear to be getting fed up with the lack of comfort offered by race replica sports bikes, and that they're switching to naked bikes, sports tourers and cruisers in their droves. I think this may well herald the beginning of a shift by bike manufacturers from uncomfortable sports bikes, which they have to make in order to qualify for the likes of WSB and Moto GP, to comfortable and economical models. :spudwhat: