Like the title says, my wife thinks I am a Harley guy and I can't shake that notion from her head. I am definitely a Cruiser guy... Yes, I own a Harley. Yes I am putting a lot of Harley parts on my Honda Shadow. Yes, I am saving up to buy another Harley... But I'm not a Harley guy, I've never been that myopic. However, I can see that at face value it may look as though I am a Harley guy...
But;
My first bike was my Shadow, and I love it, and I refuse to get rid of it no matter how many problems my particular bike has. I'm modding and repairing my way through them one at a time. I admit I am changing all of the handle bar mounted controls to Harley parts, but I'm doing this for three justifiable reasons... I hate the seating position and am putting taller bars on to change that and I happened to get a fantastic deal on a set of Road King take-offs ($32), I want to mirror the controls on my Harley as I genuinely like them better than the hand controls on the Honda and I'm sick of accidentally pressing the wrong button because I forget which bike I'm on (not literally. But I do keep hitting the horn thinking its the blinker), and I hate the fact that the bike does not have hazard lights.
I did buy a Heritage Softail. I was looking to step up from the 750, and yes at the time I was looking for a Harley, But I only ever planned on buying one Harley. I needed something smooth and comfortable to commute to work in and the Softail fit all of those bills...there was also the fact that my best friend would not shut up about my need for getting a Harley, so even though I absolutely did not get it for that reason, it did shut him up. But I've always loved the look of the Heritage and its the one bike that I always said, "If I buy a Harley, its going to be a Heritage." That said...for some odd reason I still want a Road King....but I want to put a VT1100 water cooled power plant on it to, or maybe a Vmax Motor, so, whose a Harley fan now, lol.
I decided I was ready to take the next step up in power and start looking at muscle bikes. I was intent on a Triumph Rocket III for a long time (over a year) and the Honda Valkaryie was a mainstay in my thoughts for months...But as I searched I came upon the VRod...AND I AM IN LOVE!!!!. I did not even realize that it was a Harley when I first found out about it...I absolutely loved the look and that prompted me to look further into it. The rest is history. That is the bike I am saving up for. I do not want the V-Rod because its a Harley, I want the Harley because its a V-Rod.
I also have plans for a Vucan 750 and a Honda Fury in my stable... Both of which will end up with Harley controls...for the same reasons as the Shadow...I just like them better. But at the end of the day, I definitely prefer liquid cooled bikes, which Harley is not known for, and my favorite thing about the Shadow is that it is light and nimble...something else Harley doesn't do...or do well. I've ridden the Street models and they really kind of suck. for the price tag, I feel that they are laughable at best.
But no matter how hard I try, the wife will not believe me when I say that I am not a Harley fanatic. I don't know why it irritates me so much...maybe cause she seems to think that I also fit into the 'Harley man' reputation...which is an image I try to fight constantly... I don't know, I just had to rant about it for a bit. Anyone else deal with this kinda crap?
But;
My first bike was my Shadow, and I love it, and I refuse to get rid of it no matter how many problems my particular bike has. I'm modding and repairing my way through them one at a time. I admit I am changing all of the handle bar mounted controls to Harley parts, but I'm doing this for three justifiable reasons... I hate the seating position and am putting taller bars on to change that and I happened to get a fantastic deal on a set of Road King take-offs ($32), I want to mirror the controls on my Harley as I genuinely like them better than the hand controls on the Honda and I'm sick of accidentally pressing the wrong button because I forget which bike I'm on (not literally. But I do keep hitting the horn thinking its the blinker), and I hate the fact that the bike does not have hazard lights.
I did buy a Heritage Softail. I was looking to step up from the 750, and yes at the time I was looking for a Harley, But I only ever planned on buying one Harley. I needed something smooth and comfortable to commute to work in and the Softail fit all of those bills...there was also the fact that my best friend would not shut up about my need for getting a Harley, so even though I absolutely did not get it for that reason, it did shut him up. But I've always loved the look of the Heritage and its the one bike that I always said, "If I buy a Harley, its going to be a Heritage." That said...for some odd reason I still want a Road King....but I want to put a VT1100 water cooled power plant on it to, or maybe a Vmax Motor, so, whose a Harley fan now, lol.
I decided I was ready to take the next step up in power and start looking at muscle bikes. I was intent on a Triumph Rocket III for a long time (over a year) and the Honda Valkaryie was a mainstay in my thoughts for months...But as I searched I came upon the VRod...AND I AM IN LOVE!!!!. I did not even realize that it was a Harley when I first found out about it...I absolutely loved the look and that prompted me to look further into it. The rest is history. That is the bike I am saving up for. I do not want the V-Rod because its a Harley, I want the Harley because its a V-Rod.
I also have plans for a Vucan 750 and a Honda Fury in my stable... Both of which will end up with Harley controls...for the same reasons as the Shadow...I just like them better. But at the end of the day, I definitely prefer liquid cooled bikes, which Harley is not known for, and my favorite thing about the Shadow is that it is light and nimble...something else Harley doesn't do...or do well. I've ridden the Street models and they really kind of suck. for the price tag, I feel that they are laughable at best.
But no matter how hard I try, the wife will not believe me when I say that I am not a Harley fanatic. I don't know why it irritates me so much...maybe cause she seems to think that I also fit into the 'Harley man' reputation...which is an image I try to fight constantly... I don't know, I just had to rant about it for a bit. Anyone else deal with this kinda crap?