• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Blockhead.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Guest
I've noticed a trend on this and other vintage sites: when a poster includes a list of current rides which includes a harley, it's invariably a later model in a slough of old Jap bikes. Are vintage harleys not as desirable as vintage fours? Are new Japs not considered to be worth spending money on? Are there no vintage harleys to be had?
I'm hoping one of the guilty parties can speak up and sort me out on this.;)
 
I'd love to own a '70's Sportster - just for the looks, if nothing else. Probably due to my advanced age.
 
I agree with that. Sportys aren't real harleys though.:) (Cringing).
 
I dunno. Vintage Harleys weren't exactly renowned for handling, and when you look at the spindly frames, you can see why.
For me, the Harley appeal started and ended with the Evo engine - all else before that seemed to fall apart and leak badly, and I don't recall any owner of my acquaintance having a trouble-free ownership - or any single ride, come to that.
Perhaps the Evo was over-hyped too, but it seemed to be better made and reliable and once the market for them settled down a bit, I gave serious consideration to importing an Evo engine and 'box and having a decent-handling frame made by Harris or someone of that ilk. It wouldn't have been cheap, but worthwhile, I think.
 
If by Blockhead you mean EVO, I don't really consider those Vintage. They actually work like real motorcycles, and went out of protection less than 10 years ago. 1997 was the first twin cam year I believe? Designing and tooling up for the EVO was the best thing AMF did for HD (besides not letting them go out of business, which is where they were headed when AMF bought them), and one of the last.
 
Last edited:
GSR member "Zim" has one fine vintage Harley Davidson. A 1949 FL Truly a beautiful motorcycle.
 
Last edited:
Killer Canary said:
By "blockhead" I mean my inability to understand.
Click to expand...


Well, I may have no knowledge of Harleys to offer (have never been on one) but with the self-effacing attitude you just showed, I am sure you will fit into this forum very well.

Oh.....wait a minute. I just noticed you misspelled Honda..........:wink:
 
Years ago, I questioned a co-worker who belonged to a good sized Harley club. I asked his honest opinion of them. This was before the twin cam stuff, btw. He said that in any given off season, about 1/3 of the bikes were in total engine rebuild. Last time I saw him, as I've retired, he was riding an 1100 Shadow. Didn't want the hassle anymore. My son has a 2004 Sportster 1200, good or bad I like the look and the low seat.
 
Personally, I like knuckles and pans. If I'm going to ride a lawn tractor it needs to be a classic
 
I have no opinion on this. Just curious why I never see " 2013 HonKawSuzYam, 1979 flx, 1973 Dumboy wtf, etc" in anyone's ride list.
 
I agree, my cousin has a 68 electra-glide, dealer special, it's all original. Man that is a BADASS sounding bike...the torque is insane, much faster then I expected. He tosses it around like a mini-bike, I think he's been around the USA Twice on that bike.

I have no problem with Harleys, it's just the riders that dress hardcore but are actually a ****in software engineer for their day-job or something, ya know...That's when I have a problem...you're putting on a fake persona, trying to be cool. I'd rather talk to someone All Day about their Harley, if they know every Bolt on that bike, rather than someone riding a Jap bike, that bought it fully restored and knows nothing.
 
Last edited:
1_v8_merc said:
I agree, my cousin has a 68 electra-glide, dealer special, it's all original.
Click to expand...

I had a '68 Electra-Glide for 15 years...Had to restore it and paint it, but it was a fun bike...sold in 2005...


Also had a '78 Sportster for 20 years...sold it about 5 years ago...
 
I like Shovels. I had a '76 FXE and would still have it except for the German guy who walked up to me and offered twice what I had paid for it.
 
Nice man! Last time I checked, those electras were going around $15-30k. I've also seen some rough ones for under 10k.
I really dig the 60's and 70's harleys, you just Don't see them anymore, they just have a madmax character to them.
 
Killer Canary said:
I have no opinion on this. Just curious why I never see " 2013 HonKawSuzYam, 1979 flx, 1973 Dumboy wtf, etc" in anyone's ride list.
Click to expand...
I'd still love to see a direct answer or two to this statement.
It's impossible for me to believe that anyone with the type of ride list that I originally posted about don't even know why. The silence from them so far is deafening.
I imagine the silence is answer enough.
 
Killer Canary said:
I'd still love to see a direct answer or two to this statement.
It's impossible for me to believe that anyone with the type of ride list that I originally posted about don't even know why. The silence from them so far is deafening.
I imagine the silence is answer enough.
Click to expand...

There is a consensus around motorcycling that when your done with the Jap bikes you graduate up to a Harley. That's why they are on the top of the list you are seeing. At a family/friends party I attended about a year ago there were several Harley riders. An older lady asked if I ride and I said yes, I have several bikes. She asked what they were and I told her what I had. She asked why have 3 bikes when I could sell those and buy a Harley. I said no thanks, I'm not interested in a Harley and she had the most perplexed look on her face and it was totally sincere. She just could not understand why I would not graduate up to a Harley Davidson.

There is a top or pinnacle to everything and in motorcycling the vast majority of riders and even people who have nothing to do with motorcycling believe Harley Davidson is the peak. I have a friend who has never owned a bike and just turned 54. He took the safety class about a year ago and many of us have told him to just pick up a bike and start riding before he forgets what he learned but he refuses. Says he will ONLY own a Harley Davidson. This from a guy who have never ridden before. Totally ridiculous in my view but people aspire to it I guess

EDIT:

To answer the question of why no old Harleys ...they all ended up in the scrap yard. There was a time when they had little value and got sold for scrap. The survivors now are worth a mint in literally any condition. Hard to start a budget build when just a rolling frame can cost you a $1000 to $1500
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top