Me again! What are the disadvantages to owning/ riding a Harley Davidson in the UK?

Question

Maddog- sorry if I have offended you. I am a complete beginner, you see, and some people have told me that H-Ds are made for loooong open roads and are no good at all for riding around on the smaller UK roads!

Answer 1

The only disadvantage might be the limited number of dealers for this bike in the U.K. Other than that; ride on.

Answer 2

You will be forced to dress like the village people and live that alternative lifestyle.  Other than that the bikes do not handle very well nor do they make much power, but some people just have to have that noise.  Do you guys not have alot of great road racing over there?  If I wanted a great roadbike the first thing I would do would be to check out what they are using.  The better bikes out there would also be the better more powerful, manuverable bikes on the street.  I live in WI where Harleys are assembled (no longer made here, parts come from all around the world now-funny the quality has also improved somewhat) and would love to like the bikes but they simply do not behave the way a motorcyle should- handle, accelerate, and stop quickly, many often compare them to a lawn tractor.  Sad really that the US does not make any real motorcycles for actual riders.

Answer 3

None at all, you ride what you want to ride and the way you want.  Theres plenty of VMax's on the road and Moto Guzzi's a bit similar to harleys all cruisers too

Answer 4

If you are going to ride in congested areas in really hot weather, the Softails (07 in particular) run really hot. You will need heat deflectors. As long as the weather is less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, this is probably not a problem. Harleys are more fun to ride in great open spaces, but most police bikes here in the states are Harleys, so stop-n-go riding, congestion, short-hops, etc., are not problematic. Nor do they dress up as Village People, either on or off duty.

Mushki, if a person is asking about a Harley, he is obviously not looking for a sport bike. It's a whole other animal. As for the jerks that view Harleys as anachronisms, you obviously are into sport-type bikes. I average 10,000 miles a year on my Harley. Having my knees bent up for 200-400 miles a day, having my shoulders pulled forward, and hearing the sound of a loud sewing machine wind out just doesn't cut it for me - or the millions of Harley riders out here. I'm glad you like your bike. Until you have ridden my bike, how dare you assume you know how it handles or performs.  

Answer 5

One thing I would have to advise you is that I had a small cruiser with lots of chrome. I live in Northern Ireland and it was a nightmare to keep clean. If you drove it all all, and it rained (which was all the time) then with the spray from the road it meant that the bike looked bad and needed to be cleaned.

I know a few people with Harley-Davidsons and they do agree that they are not the most manoeuvrable bike when it comes to driving in narrow twisty roads.

It all comes down to what you want though. If you want to drive fast or weave through traffic they aren't for you, but if you want to cruise along and look good then they are a great bike.

If you want them to look their best though, then you have to like cleaning.  

Answer 6

The ludicrous styling and looking like a complete prat!

Answer 7

NONE!!!!!!!  

Answer 8

No problems if you dont mind pushing the bloody things

Answer 9

The same as the disadvantages of any bike.

People ride a bike they like, I've had a couple of Harleys and didn't really get on with them but that is purely my personal taste. Never had any real problems riding them.

Ride the d**n thing and see if you like it, if you don't then either modify it or change it.

It took me a great number of years to get exactly what I wanted and I couldn't get it all in one bike so I have 3 on the road all pretty different and I ride each one depending what mood I'm in.

The only problem I have with Harleys is the born again bikers in there 50s who buy their Harley, bolt on every custom fitting in the catalogue and think they are Peter Fonda in Easy Rider with all their "official" Harley gear on, some of them only ever ride when the sun is out and spend the rest of their time polishing them [and their bald heads].

I am not against middle aged bikers, in fact I am 52 but at least I have ridden continuously since I was 17 and ride in all weather.

Go on, ride the bike and bloodywell enjoy yourself.

Answer 10

its the same as any other bike,

in your other question,someone answered that a harley is no good in the uk because of the congestion,you want to see congestion,try riding in toronto,canada,!

you will have no problem riding a harley,if you have no problem riding any other make of bike,why do people think h.d.'s are any different ?they are made in the u.s.a.,not some distant planet....some people are just clueless when it comes to thier answers

the 883 would suit you perfectly,get used to it for a season or two,then put in the big-bore kit(1200)for an increase in power/performance,you wont be disappointed in your decision....no offence taken bud

Answer 11

Well, the 1st dis-advantage is that its american, the 2nd, is that its american.

Answer 12

dont know dont live theree never been there

Answer 13

I am going to get screams of outrage here, but a Harley is an anachronism. It is really a cult machine, part of an image thing, because it just does not cut the mustard performance or handling wise in comparison to the big j*p bikes.

Answer 14

Whenever you park it people come up to you and want to tell you about how they onced owned a motorbike and it was a BSA Bantam...blah blah blah, bores the pants off you after a while.