Topic: why I bought my SOHC

[rotortiller]

 Honest Harley Davidson Commercial

Honda old tech can still be new compared to these chunks of cast iron or aluminum-they look kinda Russian to me. Is the USA  infiltrated with Hardley-Commie-suns?
You'll laugh you ass off at this!

[flybox1]

haha   

[Damfino]

#$%*. Really? This again? 

[jason41987]

you know.. i dont judge people for what they decide to ride so long as it doesnt effect me... but what i cant stand is these deafening loud v-twins going by, so frickin loud you can actually feel feel it as it shakes your windows and chips your paint as they ride be... that is what i cannot stand most

as for reliability... i found out my CB550F i just purchased hasnt ran since before the year 2000... after replacing the plug caps and cleaning the carbs, then pouring a little gasoline into the carbs and bypassing the ignition, it fired up on the third kick.... a well maintained, often ridden bike usually takes three for a cold start, doesnt get much colder than over a decade of zero usage...

when i got it to fire up on just the third try with the kickstarter.. that struck a cord with me.. i stopped for a moment and had to think... "wow.. really?" thats the biggest testament ive seen to reliability so far in ANY vehicle.

i decided on a honda CB because, by chance, i got a great deal on a CX500 when i was younger, and i sort of got used to the honda tech and the brand, wanted something lighter so i had decided on a CB, but it was actually this forum, the people here, and the support for the SOHC/4 specifically that lead me to get a CB550

[LesterPiglet]

  Hardleys have their place, i.e. long distance stuff. Why oh why are they so popular where I live? FS the island is smaller than most US states.

[bjatwood]

I ride "Too Long and Too Far and Too Fast to ride a Harley"

[Schnell]

Why I bought my sohc 750:

When I was 15 and shopping for my first brand new motorcycle, my dad wouldn't let me buy the cb350, but a cd175 instead. It left a hole/need that needed to be filled/met.

[Bailgang]

I don't make judgmental calls either, it's your money so ride what ever you want. If you're happy with it then I'm cool with it too. However I must say that HD does have a very clever ad campaign, if that jacket or shirt says HD on it then the price of that jacket or shirt just jumped considerably compared to the same without the HD logo. Who would've thought that people would actually pay you to advertise for you? I thought it was supposed to be the other way around? No blame on HD's part, they're just taking advantage of it so all the power to them. Besides they're not the only manufacturer that does it.

[jason41987]

well, i should say one of the reasons i dont want a harley is also one of the reasons i didnt get a CB750... lightest weight harley is what? 550lbs, and thats the sportster, CB750 is close to that weight... and for daily commuting i wanted something much lighter.. my CB550 feels like a bicycle compared to my old CX500

[72 yellow]

I had a new 78 CB750F and liked it.  When I found out about the 72 CB750, I had to go look at it.  Besides, for a $150 price, how could I go wrong ?  I put about $800.00 into it and have fun riding it.

[Magilla]

I've had several Harley's and loved them.  Some were reliable and some were not.  The ones that were not we're highly customized so it makes sense that they would be tepermentle.

I've also owned Honda's, Kawasaki's, Suzuki's and a Victory.  Each had its purpose in life. This year I decided I wanted a project bike to work on with my son.  A Harley would be too expensive for this.  The Honda's that I've owned in the past were rock solid and familiar to me so that was my reason for buying one.  I chose an old SOHC bike because I like the retro English style to them.  Flat seat, low, chrome fenders no frills machine.

Someday I will get to ride it more than 35 miles.  So far that is my longest ride.  Once I finally got it up and running the crank seal blew and filled my points with oil.  The motor is out now and it will be running in October.  Just in time to put it inside for the winter.

[wardenerd]

At work yesterday a Harley owner was looking at my 650 and said I just don't like to ride whimpy bikes.  The guys sitting with us jumped and moved away in a hurry.  I just laughed at the arrogant ahole.

[Magilla]

At work yesterday a Harley owner was looking at my 650 and said I just don't like to ride wimpy bikes.  The guys sitting with us jumped and moved away in a hurry.  I just laughed at the arrogant ahole.

Compared to most Harley's, my CB is wimpy. Harley's are bigger, louder and brawnier. Plus they have a cool factor that can't be beat.  With that said there is still a place for other bikes.  Ride what YOU want and want what YOU ride.  In the end that is all that matters. 

[cb650PK]

[quote author=Magilla Harley's are bigger, louder and brawnier. Plus they have a cool factor that can't be beat.     Loud and overweight they may be, but I do not see any cool factor.

[tango911]

 for the price of one harley you can have 10-20 cool vintage hondas

[bjbuchanan]

Some of the smaller less gaudy harleys are nice. They aren't retarded loud, are a bit smoother and don't have more chrome embellishments than a 50's winged wonder from detroit

I like my 750. rough around the edges but pretty smooth running and not god awful heavy

Did i mention $$$$$ and oh yeah more $$$$$$

[wvshooter]

I live about 200 feet from a large Harley dealership. I've been here long enough to remember when the dealership was in a very small building. Harley was way way down on it's luck. You couldn't give one away. Long story short, a very smart man bought the dealership at that time and I'm sure paid next to nothing for it. Today he is wealthy. They have two large modern buildings and two large lots that take up about half a city block. The place is crawling with customers all the time.

The good thing about owning a Harley is it gets you instant membership in a like minded group and there's always people to ride with. The bad thing is... well, the bikes. But that's a personal thing. To each his own.

[Dave K]

When I started riding in the mid '60's there were in my area, 3 different kind of riders. There were the few, but older rider who just grew up in H-D. Then there were the bad a$$ H-D biker types that gave motorcycles a really bad name. Then there were the other riders who just loved motorcycles from anywhere else around the globe. While Honda was promoting you meet the"Nicest people on a Honda", Harley was attempting to tell you that H-D was for real men with poor hygiene and the woman who ride with them had no hygiene. Motorcycling went through a really rough time in this time period. Actually my first motorcycles were Bridgestones, but because of the way I was treated, not because I rode something other than a H-D, but that I rode a motorcycle. I swore then and there, I would never own a H-D. Of course the years have passed, but the feelings that H-D tried so hard to create and they accomplished it in me, I just can't own one. Anyone here remember the fights at motorcycle events at that time? Signs posted at race tracks (No colors allowed". This meant no display of Outlaws, or Warlocks, etc. Or the thugs that would chase girls down the street to act tough in front of their cronies? Some things die hard and this is one of them for me. I do think they make a good product today, I just can't give into H-D.

[JeffSTL]

The good thing about owning a Harley is it gets you instant membership in a like minded group and there's always people to ride with. The bad thing is... well, the bikes. But that's a personal thing. To each his own.

Exactly why I don't want one.  I wouldn't want to be mistaken as part of their club.  Zero cool factor.

An old vintage HD would be different. Cool. Modern Harley, no thanks.

[CycleRanger]

Why I bought my sohc 750:

When I was 15 and shopping for my first brand new motorcycle, my dad wouldn't let me buy the cb350, but a cd175 instead. It left a hole/need that needed to be filled/met.

That side cover is big enough to fill almost any holes....

[Schnell]

Yep.

[bjatwood]

I rode with a heard of H-D last weekend. I was on my Wing. We cross over the river into Iowa, the group pulls over. All the guys but 1 (me) take off there helments. All the ladys left theirs on. One of the wives said to me, look there's one smart guy riding today. (pointing at me) The guys jsut gave me dirty looks.... we have 50 miles to get to our destination, a small ride for a Goldwing. The group stopped twice for beer!
Last time I will try this "group" riding! 

[madScientist]

Last year I had it in my head I wanted a dyna wide and I would sell the Suzuki intruder. I'm glad I didn't end up selling the 'truder since I sold the dyna this spring.

It was heavy, loud, slow, vibrated like crazy, wouldn't corner worth crap, and I just didn't enjoy riding it that much. It's bright point was that i never had to work on it and it would always start. In the year I owned it i put 4k miles on it and 9k on the truder (56k on the engine rebuild).

Now I have my F with me...its going to be rebuilt and then I'll for reals sell the intruder because I love my honda...had it for 14 years and just realized in the past few months how much i missed it...

[Lefty337]

I used to love the ducatis (still do) and love the style of the naked "sports" bike.  A friend offered me an old CB750K model that her mom had in her garage rotting away.  I went and looked at it and saw that it was missing a few parts and the frame was rotting and stupidly passed on it.  She gave it to someone else before I had a chance to do some research and I found out about the cafe racer style.  I instantly fell in love with the style of bike and started looking for one in the area.  I've had my '76 CB750F for a couple of years now and wish I could ride it more than I work on it, but when it runs I absolutely love riding it.  I've run into many people that want to chat about the old bikes that they've had or just ask about it in general.  It feels good having a bike that's this much fun and this easy to fix when it brakes.

[Bailgang]

I live about 200 feet from a large Harley dealership. I've been here long enough to remember when the dealership was in a very small building. Harley was way way down on it's luck. You couldn't give one away. Long story short, a very smart man bought the dealership at that time and I'm sure paid next to nothing for it. Today he is wealthy. They have two large modern buildings and two large lots that take up about half a city block. The place is crawling with customers all the time.

The good thing about owning a Harley is it gets you instant membership in a like minded group and there's always people to ride with. The bad thing is... well, the bikes. But that's a personal thing. To each his own.

That very smart man who is wealthy now most likely bought the HD dealership at the tail end of when AMF owned HD. AMF quite literally almost put HD out of business due to all their penny pinching which resulted in junk bikes that nobody wanted. There is an HD dealership about 30 mins from here called Kerstings HD and they also have a separate shop on their property that sells Kaws and Yamahas. The owners grandson told me that if it wasn't for the Kaw/Yam shop they most likely would've went out of business during those AMF years.

[cb650PK]

AMF also payed for the development of the EVO engine, without which I doubt Harley would have survived. It is practise to blame every Harley trouble on AMF.

[Magilla]

Saying that a Harley is not cool usually comes from someone that has never owned a Harley.  Most people that own or have owned one would tell you that there is a cool factor to them.  Its part Hollywood, part mythology and part exclusivity.  In Easy Rider they rode Harleys.  Marlon Brando and Elvis rode Harleys.  Steve McQueen even owned a few Harleys.  Are you going to tell me that Steve McQueen was not cool?  Don’t even try.
I am not going to try to tell anyone that Harleys are the most technologically advanced bike on the market.  They are not the most nimble or the most powerful but they are cool.  Thinking so does not undermine the SOHC4 world.  You can like both.  It’s OK.  Most (but not all) Harley guys would say that all Jap bikes are $hit.  Are they right?  Nope.  Just like any Rider-of-Rice would not be correct is saying that all Harleys are $hit.  Both have a place in the world.  Both have strengths and weaknesses.  Why does everyone think they need to choose one or the other?  Coke or Pepsi?  Ginger or MaryAnn?  Wilma or Betty?  Coors or Budweiser?  Why can’t you like both?  Why can’t you prefer one over the other without hating one?

I don’t care for crotch rocket bikes.  They just aint my bag.  I don’t have any desire to ever own one.  Yet I don’t hate people for buying them or hate the bike itself.  It’s just not for me.  What’s my point?  I trying to tell you that it’s OK not to want to own one without hating them or the people that do want to own one.

Ride what you like and like what you ride.

[madScientist]

But...i thought it was cool to hate...

[754]

 Well said.. I can't even spend the time to look at most Japan models built after 1980.
 And I liked the fact that we got my buddies Sporty into the 12,s easier and cheaper than doing it to a CB 750.
 It's hard to explain to people hat have only ridden Japanbikes, but consider this;
 The main reason BMW and HD core products has enured so long, is there is an ongoing demand for what they...aether you like it or not..

[JeffSTL]

My problem with HD's are not the bikes, although they are not my sttyle.  It's that probably 9 of 10 bikes are newish Harleys around here. If you go to a bike night event the lot will be filled with virtually all pretty much identical machines. Everyone ridden by apparently the same guy with a flat black half helmet, goatte, and head to toe harley gear. Again, no cool factor.

One event is an exception. Went to the monthly vintage bike night last night and out of 75 or so bikes thete were 4 harleys. A flathead, knuckllehead and two ironhead sportsters and they were  cool.

[JeffSTL]

Let me clarify. It's not that I look down my nose at Harleys, it's just that they are as common as strip malls in this town. For example, while I'm sure  Ford  Explorers are nice vehicles, I never catch myself saying "Cool! An Explorer!" because they are everywhere.

[splitt]

I don't really care what people ride, as long as they ride, I own both. I'd just rather ride my imports.

[750K]

I saw a pic of a pin the other day, it said "I'd rather have a sister in a whorehouse, than a brother on a Honda". It's not the Harley itself I think is lame, it's 90's of the idiots that ride them. I'd prefer not. To be lumped in with that group. I would however love to own an xr1200, for the most part that's the only Harley I will check out if I see one.

[Bailgang]

I saw a pic of a pin the other day, it said "I'd rather have a sister in a whorehouse, than a brother on a Honda". It's not the Harley itself I think is lame, it's 90's of the idiots that ride them. I'd prefer not. To be lumped in with that group. I would however love to own an xr1200, for the most part that's the only Harley I will check out if I see one.

+1
It's not so much the HD bike itself that bothers me but the attitude many of their riders bring with them and in a way the same goes for many crotch rocket riders. My brother inlaws stepson has a sharp Hyabusa and he has an attitude like he's king of the road. I once mentioned to him that I was kicking the idea around of getting a Vmax but my wife nixxed the idea when she found out how fast they are and he said "oh they're not that fast". Say what?! A Vmax might not be able to outrun a Busa but they definitely aren't slow.

[Magilla]

Let me clarify. It's not that I look down my nose at Harley's, it's just that they are as common as strip malls in this town. For example, while I'm sure  Ford  Explorers are nice vehicles, I never catch myself saying "Cool! An Explorer!" because they are everywhere.

Harley's aren't cool because they are everywhere, they are everywhere because they are cool.  And so is my CB750.  Also to say they are all the same is insane.  HD has to be the most customized piece of transportation on the planet.  That or a close second behind the 32 Ford.  Because they still make new HDs, unlike 32 Fords, you tend to see many stock appearing bikes.  Look closely and you will see that they have already begun the change.  A friend of mine bout a new FLHX on Monday.  When he rode it to work the next day it was already modified.  Small changes but still changes.  He has big plans for it too.

I'm sure he does not think my bike is anything special and that is HIS mistake.  Any bike or car that still runs and looks good and is 30+ years old is something special.  Hell I saw a Pinto at a car show this summer and it had a cool factor.  I would never have thought that but it was cool to see one on the road.  But I guess I'm quirky like that.  I own a 72 Ford Maverick with a 400hp 351 bolted to a 4 speed.  Quirky and cool. . . . To me.

[dhall57]

I bought my 750K6 in 2009 and my 750KO in 2011. And has nothing what's so ever to do with trashing Harleys or any other type of bike or rider. I went to a estate auction sale in 2008 and one of the items up for sale was a CB750. I hadn't seen or even thought about these bikes for 35 years. But right than and there I was transported back to the early 70's as a teenager when these bikes were sitting in dealers showrooms and I fell in love with them. I didn't get the 750 at the auction, but it put the excitement back in my soul for them and I knew I had to get me one. Lo and behold I ended up with two. By the way the bike at the auction in 2008 was a all original 2/70 CB750KO with 5000 miles. It had been parked in a garage 20 years earlier and forgot about. Not until I found this forum after the fact did I find out what these KO's were and what they were worth. Oh well
Here's some pics: the auction KO and the KO I got several years later strapped down on the trailer to bring it home.