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Cruiser
Posts: 118
Capitol Region of NH | Found this Hardley (sorry Harley) froum bashing the Vision. Some of the comments are priceless.
http://hdforums.com/m_3043493/tm.htm
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Cruiser
Posts: 59
| Wonder how many other bikes these people have owned in order for them to have any kind of expertise on the subject. I agree, I two thought the Vision was Ugly when looking at all the articles before it's release. When I saw it on the showroom floor all those thoughts disappeared. The bike looks much better in the flesh. Also, the bike is huge. Much bigger than I anticipated. I was at the dealer to buy a windscreen and highway pegs for my 05 hammer. After the free test ride I went home with the Vision and left the Hammer behind. Just goes to show you people change there minds. Kind of like women....haven't you met a girl before and thought she was just kinda of plain looking, but after spending some time with her and after getting to know her you find yourself thinking about how beautiful she is. Same thing applies here. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 110
| I posted on that forum last week. (had access due to the fact I had a Harley) posted pics of the vision, commented on how it handled, the power, the topic turned heated and Poof the thread was deleted and now I have been blocked from the site...
Seems I may have hit a nerve........ |
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Cruiser
Posts: 294
rhode island | The best word these guy's can come up with is Fugly over and over and over again, It's embarassing reading their drival.
let's go for a nice 500 mile ride and see if their butts are still talking to them. 
Edited by sandman 2008-05-06 5:24 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | az rob - 2008-05-06 2:23 PM
I posted on that forum last week. (had access due to the fact I had a Harley) posted pics of the vision, commented on how it handled, the power, the topic turned heated and Poof the thread was deleted and now I have been blocked from the site...
Seems I may have hit a nerve........
Hit it? I think you drove right over it then backed up over it to make sure it was dead. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | I dont understand why the HD riders feel threatened. You think they would welcome another american made motorcycle to the fold.
Was the new Indian accepted because it was a special construction using HD style parts? Bigdog, OCC and the rest may use aftermarket HD style parts, but none of those parts came from HD. Technically they are not Harleys.
How about S&S's new X wedge motor engineered from the groung up? Is that OK because you need aftermarket HD style parts to build a bike?
I think its more of a closed minded opinion than it is a typical HD riders opinion. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | I especially like the comment from the sportster rider about the practicality of the side bags. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 154
| That's pretty funny..I wonder if the guys girlfriend with the sportster knows he has her bike.. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 619
Southeast Iowa | Imagine that.............a HD forum that bashes what they don't understand.
My brother rode mine the other day (rides a HD Road King) and when I asked him what he thought he complained about the vibration in my left mirror (under hard exceleration) and the color of the arms that raise and lower the windshield. Go figure. I had to ask him about the power, handleing, comfort, smoothness, and features to get a compliment out of him. With a little proding I got him to admit that it rode very well and was smooth. On the way to his house I passed him about 80 MPH in a corner to prove my point. When we stopped I asked him if he would like to try that on his bike. He looked at me a little funny and said "no" I look back at him and said "I didn't think so" Nothing else needed to be said...........he got my message. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 28
| I have several HD riders say the bike looks like a large scooter. I simply point out the "106 cubic inches" placard and walk away. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I don't even concern myself what others think anymore, I know what I ride and it is one bad ride! Thanks Victory for finally building the bike I've pictured in my mind I wanted the feel for, for years. Thanks for having the Vision to make the look that didn't herd with the rest! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 137
Houston, Texas | I was an HD rider for many years, took the STARSHIP to the local HOG chapter meeting several weeks ago and all my buddies raved about the STARSHIP.....but the last thing they ALL said was "but its not a Harley." My stock reply is "I've stepped into the 21st century....you're still riding 105 year old technology." At that point the crowd grew very quiet.
Edited by STARSHIP 1 2008-05-07 12:19 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I think we have to understand that a harley rider will NEVER come away from an HD. It is them, it will always be them and nothing will take them away. A biker, cruiser, tourer, enthusiaist will come around when the mood or dollar strikes them. I've past a few HDers on the road and they won't even so much as acknowledge I'm within a hundred miles of them and will even accelerate to space themselves from me. I say, let them go. It's their culture that they identify themselves with and cannot seperate from riding a Harley Davidson. A biker will even lower themselves to ride a Suzuki (just a reference, nothing against them personally) just to be able to ride, longing to ride something better when they can. An HDer would die before they would even admit that there is something better that's not HD. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 52
Park City, Utah | STARSHIP 1 - 2008-05-07 10:11 AM
I was an HD rider for many years, took the STARSHIP to the local HOG chapter meeting several weeks ago and all my buddies raved about the STARSHIP.....but the last thing they ALL said was "but its not a Harley." My stock reply is "I've stepped into the 21st century....you're still riding 105 year old technology." At that point the crowd grew very quiet.
BRAVO.... they really love it when you explain how many 'parts' of their bikes are NOT American. I have heard several stories about parts on a Harley that are subbed out. I wonder what the facts really are about that. anyone know?
We have... American bikes, V-twins, modern styling, awesome engines and trannys.... so what is it they don't like? DUH. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Here you go, Harley is trying to mimic Victory in comfort, they still have a problem with the styling though. Check this out... http://www.armchaircruisers.com/videos.htm |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | bret272 - 2008-05-07 8:11 AM
I have several HD riders say the bike looks like a large scooter. I simply point out the "106 cubic inches" placard and walk away.
Theyre right, it is large and boy oh boy does it scoot. |
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Tourer
Posts: 550
Tacoma, WA | It is just a few fools of the "me too" crowd. Many of my friends have HD's and think my scoot is way cool. Especially when we have rides on cold days, and they freeze, while I end up....a bit under dressed. Jealousy is a terrible thing. But the bottom line is, it isn't a bike for everyone. Just like HD is not the bike for everyone, as the same for any brand. I will not bash HD...I may end up with one some day. I really liked the 105th anneversary screaming Eagle dyna they had in Lacey....My G/F wanted to buy it for "us" ------Metalguy |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | The guy who turned me on to the Vision last summer is die hard Harley. He really likes my Vision and knows how great it is but he said that his whole life has been spent buying H-D stuff; clothes, riding gear, lamps/furniture, window stickers, you name it. He says he's stuck and literally can't afford to start over. Just bought an '08 Ultra for about $5K more than I spent on the Vision. I'm guessing he's not alone. Definitely not a basher though. Very open-minded and supportive of my ride.
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Cruiser
Posts: 297
VA | The Harley crowd is very similar in some ways to NASCAR fans I think, they are either a Chevy guy, or a Ford guy, and they just think you're stupid if you don't like what they like. Not all Harley guys are like that mind you, but you get those in every crowd. There are probably Victory guys that act the same way too. My buddy rides a nice Harley Ultra Classic and I've riden it, it's a nice ride. He came out with me to do the test ride of the Vision, and raved about how well it handled. He even joked his wife that he bought one.
I agree with varyder above about a true rider. I think that some die hard HD'ers are not really riders. They are Harley guys, which is fine for them. But I believe that a rider will sit his butt on a Honda Shadow 250 if that's all he had. I rode a Kawasaki before this, and while it wasn't comfortable on long rides, I really liked the bike. The handling was good, and it had plenty of get up and go. It's funny because a few of the Harley guys I know, they'll go out for a 20 minute ride and spend two hours cleaning it. I think it's more of a status thing for them rather than a means of transportation or recreation. But, that's just my opinion...oh, and I dont like cleaning that much. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | I dont give a s@#t what someone rides, as long as they ride. Im not talking, ride 15min. to the local hangout and BS for 8 hrs. But at the same time, Im not going to let some closed minded SOB pick on my girl or my ride without giving a little back. By giving him/her a taste of their own medicine, I hope to make them realize that their view of things is way off base. I have HD stuff all over the place and Im not giving it up because I no longer own one. Its a part of who I am. The great rides Ive been on. Not because I was on a HD, but because I was out there riding! I bought a new truck a year ago so my wife would have dependable transpotation while Im at work. I kept my car for rainy days, just in case. I just sold my car and bought some rain gear. Sure, its cheaper than paying reg, & insurance for something I rarely use. But the truth is, Id rather ride than drive. If your dumb enough to pay $60-$100k for a custm bike you rarely ride, dont bitch about what I ride. |
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Tourer
Posts: 548
Mount Vernon, WA United States | I read a great commentary from a friend on another site. I hope he posts it here, but essentially, the hdforum folks are "Harley People". It's more than owning a particular brand bike. Even the most reasonable and open-minded as pointed out will admit the Victory (or other brand) may even have a better bike... "but it's not a Harley." If you don't understand the "It's not a Harley" than you will just frustrate yourself.
I deal in guitars a lot. So for some out there, this will make sense... others it will make about as much sense as "It's not a Harley".
The Fender Stratocaster (or Gibson Les Paul but I'll stick to one example) is the "Harley" of the guitar world. There are MANY MANY better built, better playing, better sounding, more affordable guitars. There are even copies by most of the major manufactures, it's one of THE most copied guitars available. Everyone that builds guitar widgets has aftermarket parts for them. In most cases the copies are FAR SUPERIOR to the original, Made In USA, Stratocaster. In the scheme of ALL major guitars, the Fender Strat is probably one of the technically... well... it's 50 year old technology.. Sounds familiar doesn't it. Give a dyed-in-the-wool strat player ANY guitar that is superior in every way to his strat, and guess what his response will be. Nice guitar, too bad it's not a strat.
There are people, many people, that buy a bike to have a bike. They love to ride, or they love the technology, or they just need transportation and prefer two wheels. You won't generally find those people on a H-D forum. When we decided to buy a bike, we went shopping for a motorcycle. They in most cases decided they wanted a Harley. They refered to it as a Harley, not as a motorcycle. They started out at an early age to buy a Harley. They've dreamed about it, and lusted for it. It's not a motorcycle to them, it's a Harley. Don't even try to understand it. You'll just hurt yourself. Instead, just go for a ride.
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | Well said Miles.
Ride what ya got, ride what ya like, but above all. . .just go ride. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | You hit the nail on the head Miles. Its not about what others think. Its about whats right for you! I used to envy those that knew only black and white. Now that Im older (hopefully wiser) I realize there is no black and white, only grey and color. No matter what you think, there will always be an oposite opinion. The people you hang out with, not because you agree, but because you can disagree and still be friends. Understanding a diffrent point of view, and being able to talk civilly(?). My way of life cany be changed by anyone but me. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 257
Under the Rule of Jedi - Masshole | This cracks me up...I love doing this.
When walking thru a parking lot, and you see a guy getting out of his vehicle with the "Wings" on the back window, ask if if he rides. Of course he will answer yes. Ask him what it is. After he tells you, acknowledge "Cool"! Then ask him why H-D. I'm sure he will go on and on, then chime in "Plus it's American Made right?" Of course he will agree. (This is where is gets good) Then ask him if he is so hell bent on riding an "American" motorcycle, why do you have a H-D sticker on the back of your Nissan Pathfinder (insert any foreign car company here)?!!!
See I don't bash the H-D, it's the riders that have the oil leak.
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Member No. 1 - 2008-05-08 6:08 AM This cracks me up...I love doing this. When walking thru a parking lot, and you see a guy getting out of his vehicle with the "Wings" on the back window, ask if if he rides. Of course he will answer yes. Ask him what it is. After he tells you, acknowledge "Cool"! Then ask him why H-D. I'm sure he will go on and on, then chime in "Plus it's American Made right?" Of course he will agree. (This is where is gets good) Then ask him if he is so hell bent on riding an "American" motorcycle, why do you have a H-D sticker on the back of your Nissan Pathfinder (insert any foreign car company here)?!!! See I don't bash the H-D, it's the riders that have the oil leak. I work with a guy that wears a H-D shirt every single day; he must have Hundreds of Dollars invested because I rarely see the same one twice in a month. They are not T-shirts but the button up, semi-dress shirts. He has a 100 year addition Harly, don't remember the model, but it is chromed fairly good and does look very nice. He very, very rarely rides because of his back. He's big on Harley because they are American made and used to rag on me when I rode the Wing. However, he drives daily his Toyoyo Tundra, which I've not pointed this out to him yet, but it has always amused me. |
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Check out the Hardley riders bashing the VISION!
