Honda Vs. Harley

[hunnus2000]

Originally Posted by ButchA

Wow... This is turning into a real barn burner of a thread!

I like Harley, always have. But, I just don't like their prices. Yeah, okay, they are legendary and all that. They all have that famous Harley vibe and image and whatnot.

BUT... In all honesty, there are so many other varieties of V-twins that are quite capable of blowing HD right off the road, in both performance and price.

The two cruisers/tourers that I have really looked at close are:


Which one would be very comfortable riding 2-up, get the best gas mileage, and has the best performance and best "bang for the buck"???

IMHO... The Kawi Vulcan Nomad would smoke the HD Heritage Softail Classic right off the road.

Hands down, the Harley.

You forgot to mention that the Harley has 6 gears and a 103ci engine.

And as far as blowing Harleys off the road, I was recently in the Hill Country with a fellow rider who has a Vulcan (not the Nomad). We were talking one evening that he assumed my Low Rider (96ci) would blow his Vulcan away. I told that this wasn't the case. From 0-60 he would eat my lunch but from 60 to 90 he would have trouble keeping up with me because this is where Harley's shine. He admitted that he didn't have much torque after 75mph which I have plenty of at this speed plus one more gear.

So, who has the better bang for the buck?

[CrazyDave]

Originally Posted by hunnus2000

Hands down, the Harley.

You forgot to mention that the Harley has 6 gears and a 103ci engine.

And as far as blowing Harleys off the road, I was recently in the Hill Country with a fellow rider who has a Vulcan (not the Nomad). We were talking one evening that he assumed my Low Rider (96ci) would blow his Vulcan away. I told that this wasn't the case. From 0-60 he would eat my lunch but from 60 to 90 he would have trouble keeping up with me because this is where Harley's shine. He admitted that he didn't have much torque after 75mph which I have plenty of at this speed plus one more gear.

So, who has the better bang for the buck?

I have grown quite comfortable agreeing with you on things but it should be noted that the Kawi mentioned is also 103 ci

[JBourquin]

Originally Posted by hunnus2000

You forgot to mention that the Harley has 6 gears and a 103ci engine.

I was actually hoping someone was gonna come back and try to tell me the Nomad is better because it has a larger engine with the 1700cc's. The 103 converts to 1688cc's.

Even the 2007 models I compared earlier were similar. The Nomad was a 1600 at the time and the Heritage a 96' (which is a 1584cc).

[ButchA]

Originally Posted by JBourquin

I'm glad that's just your opinion because I'd say you're dead wrong. I've ridden alot of bikes and I can say "in my opinion" the Heritage is the most comfortable bike I've been on. I've taken mine on multiple trips from Maryland to NY and everywhere else in between and loved every minute of it. And as far as people bitching about the price difference, when you're spending >$15K on a new bike, does $1,550 really make that much of a difference? You'll lose 3x that in resale the first year on your Kawasaki.

Check out KBB for the same bikes 5yrs down the road:

2007 Nomad

2007 Heritage


Here's a 1yr old Nomad.

OMG... I am hereby humblized, spanked, and sent home crying like a little school girl.

2007 Kawi Vulcan Nomad in excellent condition = $7,985

2007 HD Heritage Softail Classic in excellent condition = $14,565

[JBourquin]

I knew you'd see it my way..

[Hondaguy]

Originally Posted by ButchA

Wow... This is turning into a real barn burner of a thread!

I like Harley, always have. But, I just don't like their prices. Yeah, okay, they are legendary and all that. They all have that famous Harley vibe and image and whatnot.

BUT... In all honesty, there are so many other varieties of V-twins that are quite capable of blowing HD right off the road, in both performance and price.

The two cruisers/tourers that I have really looked at close are:

2012 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1700 -- $15,799 MSRP



2012 HD Heritage Softail Classic -- $17,349 MSRP



Now, which one would you rather take on a really nice long summertime vacation/cruise? Richmond, VA ---> head north to Route 17&15 near Fredericksburg, VA. Pick up Route 15 and take it all the way up through MD and PA and all the way to the NY border in Elmira, NY and up northward to the Finger Lakes region to visit some relatives. Then head northeast towards Syracuse/Utica area and visit your sister & bro-in-law's big 125 acre horse farm.

Which one would be very comfortable riding 2-up, get the best gas mileage, and has the best performance and best "bang for the buck"???

IMHO... The Kawi Vulcan Nomad would smoke the HD Heritage Softail Classic right off the road.

Not to mention you can get a huge discount on the Vulcan.

Harley makes 250K bikes a year and sells them world wide. In their best year maybe 300K. Honda sells nearly 200K in the US alone. 12 million worldwide. HD is and always will be a niche bike builder. They don't own any market except their own. They have been making "copies" of their own bikes for decades.
The metrics have been making copies of Harleys for decades. The advantage is they are not constrained by "heritage and tradition." But you don;t get to be part of a special group of like minded people.

They sell a "lifestyle" A home for HD enthusiasts who share something in common that goes way beyond simply two wheels and a motor. Not too long ago an more "exclusive" club when people had to wait months for them and used bikes were selling for new bike prices.

It's a special kinship only those who belong will understand. Kind of like a Corvette club or Mustang owner. Honda, Yamaha, and the rest of the brands are just motorcycles two wheels and a motor, they don't have the diehard brand loyalty or pride in ownership to form such a cohesive and proud owners group who will buy millions of dollars of trinkets or toilet paper emblazoned with the Honda red Wing. Yamaha tried to capture that "logo ID" with Star and failed. Victory doesn't even have that kind of fellowship.

Harley is far more than the bike. Once people get that they either want to belong and cannot, or choose not to. Anyone who can spend $8- $10K on a bike can buy a Harley Big twin used and become and instant member. There was once a day not too long ago when that wasn't possible. Now the used market is alive and well and very affordable for far more people.

[Iconage]

I like how this thread has progressed, a lot of valid points have been made... not only are some of them simply valid areas of comparison, some are down right deciding factors for many people when considering what brand of motorcycle to purchase. I didn't want the overhead of a used harley for my first bike, but I certainly would have purchased a harley if I had seen one for the right price... for me it was an 1100 sabre, or an 883 sportster... I decided the honda was the smarter buy for a first time bike. My goals are set to own a dyna, or maybe even a street glide, who knows.... I am 100% pleased with my Honda... but as one member already stated, if it has two wheels and a engine, I want one.

[damian.garcia83]

They all have their place, they all have their favors. Enjoy as many as you can, our lives are too short to get caught up in this crap.

Damian

[onewholovesrock]

Come on, its fun argueing with strangers. This has been one of the best threads I've seen. You can't go wrong with a thread that starts out, Honda vs Harley. The reason I joined this site was to interact with like minded people that ride, but don't ride HD. Basically everyone I know around here where I live rides a Harley besides my dad and I. All we hear is Harley, Harley, Harley. My dad and I get a lot of kicks out of watching these people. My dad feels the same way I do. He likes Harley motorcycles but not everything else that goes with it. So he recently bought a Bad ass Truimph Rocket III. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[C.W.]

It's a special kinship only those who belong will understand. Kind of like a Corvette club or Mustang owner. Honda, Yamaha, and the rest of the brands are just motorcycles two wheels and a motor, they don't have the diehard brand loyalty or pride in ownership to form such a cohesive and proud owners group who will buy millions of dollars of trinkets or toilet paper emblazoned with the Honda red Wing.

I agree, but that's not an excuse to treat others like s**t. Lets face it. Not all, but a lot of Harley riders think just because they ride a Harley, they are above, better, and beyond all others (disproportional ego inflation). AND, THIS IS NOT MY OPINION, IT'S MY EXPERIENCE! Then, they wonder why all the stigma. They can be a maverick, or special all they want, but don't discriminate against others. It's wrong and it's harmful.

If that is required of me to own one, then count me out.

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