There is a HUGE amount of hype around Harleys, and the "image" and all that....
Harley-Davidson has a wildly successful marketing campaign, too....
But just my $0.02, from a guy who has never owned a Harley, in fact a while back swore I would NEVER own a Harley just due to all the hype/hatred factors around the brand, I had an interesting experince about a year ago.
There was a demo day at the local Harley shop here, and I had never ridden a bike bigger than my SV650 up to that point. So, taking advantage of the opportunity, I though I would just see how "bad" these bikes really are.
I rode a 1200 Nighster (slammed Sportster), and a 2011 Super Glide.
Not so impressed with the Nightster, it shook hard at idle, had very very little give in the saddle, and the suspension was non-existent in the back. Oh, an the throttle was stupidly touchy....couldn't even move my thumb to turn the right turn signal without the bike lurching all over...right hand turns where just dangerous, I gave up on using that side turn signal, lol
But as soon as I got the Super Glide on the road, I understood.
Harley has an image, true. But that's not the main attraction for me. It's not the flashy paint, or the very heavy, solid feel to the controls and switches (which I loved). It's not even just the "sound"....
It's presence.
Like, not intimidating, or offending. But, ask any guy who loves the classic muscle cars (Camaros, Vettes, Mustangs, Chargers, Barracudas, etc). Many new cars can go faster, farther, stop and turn easier, use less gas, require less maintence, etc, but there is just SOMETHING about the old cars that draws us in. Back to where chrome was king, where the engines were as big as a desk, and fit in cars so big you and your buddy could BOTH fit in the engine bay along with it. No computers, tune-ups used screwdrivers and timing lights, and you pulled your plugs every weekend to read them and tune your 3 carbs.
These cars didn't have "performance" handling, could really run only in a straight line, and stopping could be as much of an adventure as turning. But those cars "spoke" to you, you would go cruising just to hear the engine run, feel the night air, and the vibrations through the wheel and the floorboards.
Those cars could run fast, and they were "real" cars. They were rude, crude, loud, uncivilized, and could scare the pants off you! 100 mpg really "felt" fast, with a 4:10 rear end, straight pipes, and zero sound dampening. Today's cars can do so much more, yet are just applicances (generally speaking), with no real "feel" to them. (Though there are exceptions...Boss 502 Mustange comes to mind.)
Anyway, back to the bikes. That's the appeal to me for the Harleys, at least the big twins. Start the engine, and the whole bike jumps, and vibrates, you can "feel" the bike wake up. Rolling down the highway, there is less vibe, but still, the "feel" of the machinery working is there. And then the carefully tuned Harley sound, again, brings back the feelings of those old cars rumbling along.
Only car guys might understand what I am trying to say, but that's what Harley is trying to capture, and they have, for quite a bit of us. It's a classic car feel, only you can buy it brand new, and find parts easily for it. Harleys are also a lot cheaper than those cars...Have you seen the going rate for a really nice '69 Hemi Charger these days? not many people can fork out 1-2 million for a "like new condition numbers-matching" classic musclecar just to cruise with on the weekends.
Ok, long post, but just trying to explain the unexplainable here.
It's Intake filter, Pipes and a Jet kit, then you're beat. With my 96", the possibilities are endless..:-D
