Sure they are over priced, but Harley has made lots of innovations and improvements on their bikes and most of the models from the late 90s onwards are fairly reliable and simple to maintain. They dont leak oil as they used to. Vibrations are still an issue. But all said- these bikes have character and thats what its all about.

And for those of you, who have not heard of 'Harley Tax', well thats another story. When you buy a new Harley, the dealer will also give you a 400-500 page book of Harley Accessories. Many times Harley owners will end up spending an additional amount equivalent to the price of the bike on genuine Harley Accessories and that is never ending coz many times that is the topic of discussion among the HOG members on their weekend ride.. (who did what to his bike). Similarly, when HOGs travel to another city, the dealer in that city will have its own set of T-Shirts, pins, patches etc and they end up buying that as well, for a sovenir (My old Harley half-jacket has more than a dozen of those patches & pins).

where did u guys get that face-mask pls do let me know

Fully agree with whatever you said there. I experienced those things whenever I went on Harley rides. I was exposed to a whole new world; and there is amazing camaraderie... it is a different ambiance altogether!

Well of course I had to use google to figure out that it was thanks!

Dismount and re-fuel! Wow!

When its a cult bike,people don't mind paying. Just like in the case of the Royal Enfield. And as far as the newer breeds of HDs are concerned, they are way better in terms of reliability and quality. If you are comparing this to a Japanese motorcycle, then you got it all wrong!

Wonderful job guys! Nicely written.

Since these bikes are best suited for touring ,I think thats the exact reason many ppl are going to buy it.And Indian highways maynot be truly world class,but they are not like Mongolian steppes either.Surely the bike can run on these roads.

Totally agreed on this point.
How do u reach the conclusion that those who will buy these bikes will go for "insecure" showoffs. I think showoff is something that very deeply related to us human beings.Thats why women wear jewelleries,men wear a rolex.Theres nothing wrong with that actually.
Regarding the 'feel good factor' I must ask do u want to buy something and feel bad 'bout it?? If yes then go ahead.
Well ,lets say it is the kind of bike which is made for the sake of riding only.If u r planning to fetch ur grocery with it then u may go ahead and buy a splendor..its a nice bike too,aimed at different needs though
No comments

Some photos from the Harley Founders ride:

Thanks for the pics from the Founders ride Sunny. Waiting for more.......

Sunny, you are mistaken. The quote in question hasn't been deleted. I can still see it. See post no. 31

Guys, I am happy to see Harley Davidson for various reasons, despite having no plans of owning it.

Also, seeing the earlier posts, I say If you do critisize anything, make sure you see the silver lining on the cloud too.
We might have 2-3 points to critisize about HD, but do we count in the several other benefits/ advantages??

A thing I learnt from my xbhp experience, is that NOT all bikes are released for you/ me.
Just clap, appreciate like a gentleman and move on, if you're not purchasing it... Like I did!

It all depends on the POV...a guy on a tvs xl would think of you on your karizma as an insecure showoff ..
I would love to own a proper sports bike anyday, even though it is not practical , i cant use an MT-01 to get eggs and milk from teh store..
infact even my R15 is hideously impractical for shopping so invariably i end up taking my car to the store even though i have a bike..
NEEDS and WANTS are 2 different beasts..
Sadly money does make the world go round and all i can do is try to work harder and save more so that i can go the whole 'HOG'

COming back to the topic.. from the press accounts it seems that their dealership network is not ready..any confirmed dealers whom we can pester for info...
Night rod+ Golden quadrilateral= NIRVANA..
maybe the next GIR??????



P:S i even buy my underwear so that i feel good about myself and i am sure so do you.
no offence meant but i mean every thing i do is to feel good about myself..

Any idea 'bout the prices and actually when can ppl get their hand on one such in India???

I think the Auto Expo 2010 will be a good place to find some concrete answers. As per Anoop Prakash's interviews to different magazines, the prices will range from 6.5-7 lakhs to 20 lakhs. My guess is that HD Sportsters will be the ones which cost 7 lakhs, followed by the ones from the Dyna/Softail/V-rods family at 12-15 lakhs and then full fledged tourers and custom HD's at the higher end. In the latest interview with Bike India, Anoop is targeting to have the bikes available before next Diwali...so we have around a year more to go if you take that statement into consideration.

Just by looking at the bikes (I have not had a chance to ride any), I think perfect bike for India would be the Sportster Iron 883. Is not too big, looks mean and cool at the same time, has a neutral riding position and does not have raked out front forks. Should be relatively cheaper too - if the Base XL883 is around 6.5 lakhs, the Iron 883 should be around 7 lakhs or so. If I buy it in Bangalore, it should cross 8 lakhs easy after the killer road tax of 12%. Nice bike, but too much of extra money on account of duties and taxes.



Image source: www.thekneeslider.com

I also like how the night rod looks, but seems to have an extremely uncomfortable riding posture, especially for guys like me who are less than 6 feet in height.

Read the reviews it was fantastic and great