Topic: I should know better than to ask about HD's on here but...

[my78k]

OK, like I said I should know better but am going to ask anyways...and this is not an invitation to HD bash but I am looking for honest feedback here...

My brother just bought a 2008 Street Glide...and now he is going to be selling his 96 Dyna Glide. I went over for beers last night and in the shop we got to talking. Well it still needs some work but the motor is fine etc. Mainly stuff like re mounting the fenders and calipers, controls, bleeding the brakes and painting etc. He has a guy lined up to do the work for him (my bro has ALL the skills but no time since he drives for a living and his summer months is when he makes most of his cash). If the other guy does all the work and paint etc he could easily sell for between 9-11 grand. He says if I do the deal with him first and I do the work I could have it for $6000. Plus I can have the extra parts such as the stock bars and rims (he put on new chrome rear wheel, drag bars and ordered a solo seat).

Of course in order to finance this I would need to sell the CBR and the CX500 project (plus come up with a few bills as well).

I am looking for those that have experience with these bikes for a recommendation!

I had always planned on moving more to the cruiser style eventually but wasn't really expecting to do it this quickly. The deal seems pretty good to pass up tho...plus I can likely talk the wife into letting me take a short term loan so that I could purchase and fix the HD BEFORE selling the CBR so I wouldn't have to go bikeless now that the nice weather is here!

Come on boys...hit me with some feedback here...especially guys like Dusterdude etc who ride HD as well (not to mention knows how much fun the CBR is). What am I looking at in terms of regular maintenance cost of repairs as they come up....any known problems with these bikes etc etc.

Thaks in advance,
Dennis

[kghost]

Well they hold thier value.

Doesn't sound like a bad deal and you'd prolly get your money back no sweat.

HD's aint bad bikes (just some of the folks that buy a little to deeply into the marketing mystic) its just a different kind of riding

[nickjtc]

When all is said and done you'll end up with a bike that won't be particularly unique, will be indistinguishable from all of the other v-twin clones out there and won't be as much fun to ride. At least with your Japanese bikes you are into econo-riding, on machines that are fun to work on and which, in the overall scheme of things, are quite eyecatching. Especially the CX.

Just my 44 cents worth.  (4 cents + inflation)

[754]

Go for it.. at that price you are not going to lose.

If you later decide it is not for you, you will get most of your investment back..

[DarkRider]

You would probably be better off keeping the CBR to go along with the HD...because chances are you will need a speed fix every once and awhile..

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Your brother's 08 is nowhere near the same bike as the Dyna! You should ride both to see what I mean. 

I have a 2003 Fat Boy with 21,000+ miles that I bought new. I HAD a 2001 Fat Boy but got taken out on it hence the 03. The bike took such a good head on hit that I bought another.  I didn't consider the Harley early on (in the 70's) due to dependability issues. I moved to Colorado in 99 and wanted to start doing some serious rides throughout the western US and Canada. Got a wild hair up my old ass and bought the Harley. Both bikes have been VERY dependable. NO issues whatsoever irregardless of what some will say. The '01 would get up to 65mpg but wasn't much of a performer. The '03 is a non stock performer and gets 40 - 45mpg if I keep if under 80mph. Some of the advantages I enjoy (which you won't be able to) are no spokes, no carburators, fuel injection, no chain, counter balanced rubber mounted engine. As far as spare parts go there are a million take off parts available for a song and dance (look in my basement). After market parts are endless. Performance upgrades are endless. You can just about take these engines as far as your billfold allows. As far as maintenance goes, I did my initial recommended services which seemed kinda expensive but I wanted to preserve my warranty. Now I put it in the shop at 10,000 miles for a new rear tire and 21,000 for both. I change my oil. I switched to synthetic at 10K and noticed much improved shifting as far as finding neutral goes. Couple spark plugs every 10K or so. Gas and go is my motto. I have been totally impressed with my Harleys.

Now if it were me I'd keep that fine looking CBR for blitzing around and somehow manage to get the Dyna too. 2 totally different bikes you will appreciate but I'll bet that you would miss the CBR. I have never ridden a CBR for 2 reasons. 1 - I'd probably kill my fool self  and 2 - my garage is too small and I'd probably bring one home if I rode it. I think my wife would get pissed if I asked her to park her Pilot outside     

[my78k]

Thanks for the input guys...I am racking my brain trying to figure out how I can keep the CBR but the math just doesn't add up. Between my house needing tons of renos and my 8 year old daughter starting down the path of orthodontics I just don't see how I can swing it (nor does my wife!).

I am so torn....

Dennis

[kghost]

Sell the kid 

[ofreen]

Sell the kid 

Good advice.  They only get more expensive to keep as they get older.

$6000 seems like a lot of money for a bike that is disassembled, but if you want a Harley it is probably one of the cheaper ways to get into one.  How many miles on the Dyna?  How much more money are you going to have to put into it before you can actually ride it?  Around here, the price of Harleys is starting to tumble, especially older ones.  I believe that trend is going to continue.  Odds are good if you keep your eyes peeled, you'll be able to find one that you don't have to dink with for about the same money when you are ready to transition to a Geezer Glide^(TM).

And RxmanGriff is right, Harley's have come up a ways in the last 10-12 years.

[Uncle Ernie]

Tough to sell kids today- the market is flooded again.

All Harleys are good or bad- it just depends on how they were gone through (even AMF models).  Given your finances, try black-mailing your brother.  maybe you saved him from drowning?  Anything you can hold over him>

I really prefer a couple of bikes.  The bigger ones are great, but in town on short rips, all that extra weight seems to make it more of a "production".

I don't care if you have a Harley or a Nimbus- run what ya brung.  Reverse snobism is still snobism.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Harleys do not hold the value like they did when the supply and demand was leaning to the demand side. There's a zillion of them on the road (or in the old geezer's garages) that will one day be available for a really decent price especially when the geezers can't ride or die. An example, my ex soon to maybe be divorced neighbor decided his wife needed to ride so he bought her a 2007 1200 Sportster Custom. That was really to kiss ass considering he wanted to come home and bring his newly acquired Big Dog that she didn't know about. Now her 600 mile Sporty has a few scrapes on it and he wants $9200 for it. 600 miles and a few minor unnoticable scrapes are worth a $2000 discount. Of course we have to see it in his rental storage unit now that he's living at his sister's house.     

[333]

There are some cool bikes out there, but nothing is worth not having multiple bikes.  I'd always choose a stable of 3 or 4 over one cool bike.

[my78k]

Thanks as always guys! Even for the suggestion of selling the kid...a great idea but she is already 8 years old and they just don't heve the same resale value!

I am a little disturbed over the geezer comments as I am only 33!!! Sure I am fat and balding but I am not quite a geezer....yet!

I figure I can hold him off for a day or 2 and see what my insurance company says. That may just break the deal right there if it is too much (I am paying 1200 a year for 600 cc's so I am curious what they say about those roughly 750 extra cc's I will be insuring!). Also, I have decided I would keep the CBR atleast for the remainder of the season. For a couple of reasons really...first it is only going to cost me a couple hundred in interest for the summer so a cheap way not to make any rash decisions. But the big one is that I still have to finish my next round of testing to go from my M2 to full M license. I know, up here north of the border one MSF class isn't enough we get the joy of doing 2 of them! I have no interest in using the Dyna for the 3 day course and tests.

I really want to have something for longer distance riding and that is what is pushing me here. I am leaning towards finding the 6 grand and taking on the project of getting it finished up and then deciding what I want to do at that point. Worse case scenario I break even (hopefully make a couple of bucks!) and learn more about another form of 2-wheeled fun! I just need to have a talk with my brother as I don't want hard feelings if I decide to sell it (he is 6'2" and 240 lbs so I prefer to keep him on my good side!!)

Dennis

[DarkRider]

You should have really expected at the very least a response in the form of keep the CBR lol. Given its your brother whats stopping you from seeing if you could make some sort of arrangement to make payments on the HD?

[nickjtc]

I don't care if you have a Harley or a Nimbus

Cripes. Haven't heard that name in a long time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimbus_(motorcycle)