Is it just me or does it seem harleys break down ALOT?

id take my xj or honda over a harley any day, who else see's the same and agrees and why/ why not?

 

I just don't like the sound of a harley especially at idle. Sounds like it is missing a cylinder. I run with a few Harleys on occasion and they are all good running bikes.

 

Never had any breakdowns on the 3 I had....I put over 20k in 3 years on my dresser and most of them were hard miles.

 

They sound like they miss so much at idle I can't believe they pass emissions tests !!

My brother has a Dyna Wide Glide 2006 for 2 years now and it's been reliable.

 

It all depends on which era you're talking about.

Pre AMF: solid as any bike of the era.

AMF HD: Umm.........Ya, but with a bit of work on the owner's part they can be reliable.

Post AMF: Not without fault, but no worse than any other make, particularly since the introduction of the twincam engines.

That sound you hear isn't a misfire. It's a feature of the odd firing order of a 45º V twin.

 

Never had any trouble with the few I had as long as I was riding them consistently. If they set, the usual gremlins took over as with any other motorcycle.

 

As with all mechanical things they break everything has its weak points or years. I don't think the brand ( having owned 2 and building 3 others ) are any worse than a Honda Yamaha Suziki or anyother bike out there they all have there weak points and bad years, models.

 

its more a feature of a single crank pin...

both piston rods are hung off the same crank-offset...

the pistons are on the power stroke about 310o apart with about a 410o gap before they come back up and fire again...

the spark plugs fire twice (wasted spark system). once on compression and once on exhaust. they both fire at the same time as well and this 'extra' spark while 'wasted' in that it doesnt contribute greatly to the power stroke, it also helps burn any residual fuel during the exhaust stroke...

this single pin crank is also why theres a "whole lot 'o shakin' goin' on" the crank isnt exactly balanced...

 

I tease my buddies with Harley's. I tell them I can make my Maxim sound like a Harley, all I have to do is pull off a spark plug wire.

 

Ditto the comment about the sound. Just don't like the "Harley rumble". And they all shake; I haven't ridden one yet I'd want to own. I also don't like that the metric cruisers are trying to sound that way as well.

Although there are some twins that sound great: Ducati, RC51, SV Suzuki. Sorry, never liked the Virago but a well tuned XS650 with an open exhaust is right up there.

My Harley buddies don't seem to break down any more than the rest of the pack. A well tuned and taken care of bike should run just fine.

 

Har"d"ley runs is how I think about it. What's that adage about form and function?
The beauty for me is in the engineering and design. Triples really had it right and ever since Triumph started back with the 675s, there's a lot of interest in them. I used to run an XS850 and loved the thing. Something about that 120o firing angle that just makes sense.
As far as I understand, the modern fuel injected HDs don't even fire the rear cylinder on idle. Supposed to save heat. That's alright if you're used to your handlebars having an inch worth of excursion anyhow.
However, tastes aside, some HD guys just like to play with the bikes as much as we do.

 

Well, I'm definitely not a "Harley Guy", but I am a "Buell Guy" (which is a sport bike with a highly modified Sportster Evo 1203 motor. I've had my share of mechanical issues, but the same applies to all my bikes, including my Seca. It's a matter of "fix it and move on". Nothing like the grunt torque of a V-twin, let me tell you!
And, yes, the "lumpy idle" is caused by the offset firing of a 45 degree engine, and in my case, long duration cam lobes. Either you like it or you don't.....I happen to like it myself.

 

I actually haven't listed my *other* bike here, I wasn't interested in being flamed for owning a FLSTN, but, too bad, I LOVE the bike. And yes, the pipes are SOOO loud, it'll scare the crap out of you if I rapped on it, even *with* your window rolled up.
This is not a religion for me, it's riding. I don't care what you ride, I only care THAT you ride. Sweet Buell.

 

that is one crazy frame.

 

On modern Harleys, if they do break down, likely the owners are likely to blame: they take the bike, knock the mufflers off, put straight pipes on, screamin' air intakes, electronic doodads, red hot plugs, etc etc.

 

AMF years are the worst( same company that makes the Huffy bicycle). My brother has 3 Harleys (80's Sportster, 03 Dyna and a 06 Heritage Softail), Just the usual repairs form use and age.
Don't like the shaking, but love the sound.
There's a lot of Harley haters and a lot of Japanese bike haters. Neither have much of a leg to stand on. If Harley was so bad, they wouldn't have been in business for 110 years.

 

Yes, even more so when you realize the swingarm pivots off the back of the engine case, more or less...
I love all the older tube (trellis) frame Buells. Definitely "outside-the-box" thinking, and Harley owners all hate you for owning a red-headed stepchild. This thing will run rings around any stock Harley

 

Well, my Harley and my Yamaha sit side by side in the garage, and I haven't caught em fighting once yet..

 

I like harleys BUT thre are soo many out there that ya they are done up nice they look awsome.But personally I would rather see somthing that isnt seen all the time.10 bikes go by they are all Harleys.I would rather somthing different.......A.K.A my Maxim not ver many around.I like to have somthing not everyone in the parkinglot has.

 

Awesome discussion dudes. Harley is an american icon but like said above doesnt matter what you ride just That you ride

 

Agreed

 

That's true, this is why I had to make my Harley mine..

 

but also why I'm building a Maxim.. I guess I just like ALL motorcycles..

 

And that's a GREAT mindset to have!
Never met a bike I didn't like!

 

[/quote]

That's true, this is why I had to make my Harley mine..[/quote]

sharp lookin bike love the bars :lol:

 

Thank you! This is the very first bike I ever bought over the phone, without riding or seeing it in person first. Kind of a gamble, but it really paid off. The guy who I bought it from incorrectly listed it as a 5-speed, and had it priced accordingly. Imagine my surprise when a little green 6 lit up on the speedo when I shifted one too many times... This is also the first Harley I've ever owned that will pick the front tire off the ground and keep it there until you hit 3rd.. I *LOVE* this bike.. It *looks* all cool and nostalgic, but has a security system, a proximity key, and a V&H fuel computer to go with the short-shots.

 

Yes they are horrible I'll never waste my money on another one.

 

When I bought my XJ in 1985, it was the Japanese 'riceburners' against the Harleys..

Do you know why Harley riders always wore black clothes?????

A. The oil doesn't show when you wipe your hands on your shirt after working on it....

Or....

What do Harleys have in common with women?

A. You have to work on them for an hour to ride them for 10 minutes.

1970's motorcycle humor....

 

Bikes I have owned:

1980 Honda CB750K

1969 Triumph Bonneville

1979 Suzuki GS1000E

1999 Harley Davidson FXDXT (Dyna Glide Sport Touring)

1993 Suzuki VX800

2006 Honda Shadow 750 Spirit

The only one that ever left me stranded was the Triumph, and that wasn't really the bike's fault. Treat them well, maintain them properly, and they run like they were meant to run.

 

No Yamaha?

 

Kind of-sort of-not until now-ish...

I took my rider's test on my father's V-Max, and rode it quite a bit after as well. I also have a '75 XS650 in the garage, but it's a project.

And then came yesterday--Just brought home a 1982 Yamaha XJ550 Seca. Can't comment on its reliability though as I haven't started riding it.

 

Hmm.. My neighbor's H-D doesn't leak oil, break down, or ride on a trailer. The same goes for his neighbor's H-D.

That reputation was born during the AMF years, which are (thankfully) long gone.

If you're going to hate on H-D, at least do it over how they treated Erik Buell.

 

I've always liked the narrow look of a Sportster. The 70s Frisco style choppers are pretty badass. Also, the v-rod looks pretty rough. That's a Porsche designed engine in there! Can you imagine how long I've waited for Porsche to make their own version?

PS I just looked down, and I'm wearing a Harley t shirt.

 

Wasnt Porsche a glorified Volkswagen, though?
That would essentially make them Harley Davidson Beetles, right?

 

Call it a modern version of Von Duch's XAVW.

 

I really loved my Sportster, and while it was kind of a POS, I attribute a good portion of that to my own lack of knowledge.

To be completely honest, though, I prefer riding my XJ750. It's not as pretty, but it'd walk the sporty, and handles way better.

Also, it's nice to be able to get parts that don't cost a ridiculous amount because HD.

 

Several mentioned the infamous AMF days....and while their management and lack of innovation & QC contributed, the Ironhead made babies of master mechanics everywhere<LOL>! For those of us that owned one, no matter how briefly, we know!

As an aside, one one long trip on Rt 95N I kept "trading places" with a Harley..you know...he would stop for gas, I would pass, then I would stop for lunch, then catch up to him again a hundred miles further. Finally, we both stopped at the same rest/gas stop in NC and I walked over and we began to shoot the sh*t. I asked him why so many HD's were on trailers. This grizzled old guy riding a bike that was tagged from, and looked straight from the swamps of Louisiana says "they are all posers and I'd piss in their gas tanks.." We both got a good laugh then mounted up and said our goodbyes....THAT guy was a rider!

As a rider who loves riding long distances, and loves all bikes, regardless of the make I'll tell you that on Rt 95 or Rt 70, I won't see many bikes and out of those, most Harleys are on trailers. That's fact based on a couple of hundred thousand touring miles on various bikes.

Now, a couple of my friends were discussing the reasons for this one night and one came up with a really insightful reason. He surmised that when I bought my Vstrom1000, my plan was to ride distance on it...but when I bought any of my vintage bikes (11 total, 6 presently tagged & insured), I bought them to blast around where I live, generally within 100 miles of home. In the same token, many Harley riders are not buying a bike to tour with. While some undoubtedly are, many are not.

That absolutely made sense to me....and it well explains why I see them on trailers when on the highways of our country. These guys will trailer them to the meet or track, then ride them around before loading them back up to go home but it has nothing to do with their reliability. We can say disparaging things about these guys and call them various names but I don't think it fair or nice. They bought their bikes with their own money and their reasons don't have to make sense to me...it isn't MY bike. They just aren't the same type of rider as I am....no better or worse, just different!

jeff