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Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 05:05 pm: | 
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Don't get me wrong, I loved my '76 and wish I still had it. Compared to my '06, however, my old Shovel could've just as easily been painted green and yellow and said "John Deere" on it.  |
Patches
| | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 05:12 pm: |
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Agree 100%.... Still LOVE my Old Shovel though. |
Court
| | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 06:23 pm: |
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I'm not sure, and I think some of the stories of eroded quality are unreliable coming from many of the disgruntled employees that HD has dismissed, that Harley-Davidson has seen quality diminish.
But what has happened is that others, Victory in the instant case, have seem tremendous improvements and are now, themselves, world class products.
The defining thing, and this may be what's creating the fabulous market for Victory, is that the Victory costs a great deal less than a similar Harley-Davidson.
I've enjoyed all my Harley-Davidsons but the only one I miss would have been my FLH. I think (although I'm not sure) I'm game for another . . . but at $20,000 my interest goes to zero.
They are still charging, or attempting to, for the "cache'" that has subsequently evaporated. There was a time when owning any "dresser" other than a Harley-Davidson was blasphemy . . . that's now, like HD profit, a distant memory. |
Court
| | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 06:26 pm: |
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By the way . . . in looking at the title of this thread . . . I'd not make a move, not avoid making one, based on what HD did or did not do for/to Buell.
In my eyes . . . what they did for Buell (completely unintentionally) was akin to forcing someone to disembark from the Titanic and the last stop before the iceberg. |
Patches
| | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 07:23 pm: |
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What Buell did for Harley-Davidson was give the world an (Verry Kool)American SportBike!
What Harley-Davidson did for Buell was a dealer network, name assaocation and a big bank roll.
I would love to see Victory become a mager player in the american motorcycle market, Indian is great but they cost too much.
Victory should build a sub Ten Grand American SportBike. There is alot of Money in it!
I Still LOVE my Old Shovel. |
Berto
| | Posted on Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 08:21 pm: |
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The defining thing, and this may be what's creating the fabulous market for Victory, is that the Victory costs a great deal less than a similar Harley-Davidson.
I would say that statement is not entirely accurate.Went and looked at them today at my local dealer and prices were just about the same as Harley(13 to 20+ thousand)the only thing that made them a great deal less was the factory rebate and finance deals. |
Road_thing
| | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 09:47 am: |
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I like my farm implement. The idea of a John Deere logo has run through my head a number of times.
I also like my '96 Road King. 93,000 miles on the original bottom end, 2nd top.
But, if it dies (and it doesn't feel like it's going to anytime soon) the Victory bikes look like great machines and good value for the money.
rt |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 10:00 am: |
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I took my first "major" motorcycle tour on my '76 Shovel, something like two weeks, ten states, 5000 miles give or take. It got it done, but not without some drama (an exhaust valve hanging up in the middle of the Mojave, that sort of thing). Rude, crude and full of 'tude, that motorcycle was.
The difference between it and my '06 Twin Cam, pretty much visually identical bikes save for color, is, well, night and day.
I very much respect what Victory is doing/has done. I've not ridden one, and there are some aspects of their overall appearance that leave me cold, but I bet I could be happy as a clam on a new Cross Country.
In the meantime, my Road King has been, and continues to be, my dream bike. I've owned my share of motors, and ridden a few miles along the way, and it continues to satisfy.
Looking forward to some real-world feedback from JB2 on his new Vic... 
FB |
Rbbiggs
| | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 08:12 pm: |
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I was going to say, I looked at Victory's the other day too, and didn't see that much difference in price vs HD. |
Mermark
| | Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2012 - 08:14 pm: |
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What an interesting thread I have a Victory 09 Hammer and I love it what pushed me in that direction was I had a warranty on my 06 firebolt Buell and after riding everything Harley makes well suffice to say I got a Victory |
Woodnbow
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 09:19 am: |
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I have considered it but I won't finance any motorcycle so the cost difference isn't enough for me to overcome the visual shock. I just don't like the Victory look... I'm leaning towards the Switchback for my next Harley, it looks traditional enough and with suspension upgrades and the usual pipes air cleaner and map it ought to run just fine. |
Mermark
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 10:02 am: |
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What's even more interesting is how we are all so different yet share so many similarities , but once we share it's mind blowing I've never felt closer to a bunch of people I don't know but there's not abueller on here I wouldn't open my home for , weird huh ?and there's friends I wouldnt do it for maybe there not friends but I know them but you guys will always have hospitality from me at least free room n board while u visit Calley lol sorry did get weird but this sites been good to this soul brother |
Sir_wadsalot
| | Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 12:16 am: |
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Y'all are gonna hate me, I think. I'm a hardcore sportbike guy, but....this is what I think.
My first bike was a Sportster, and I loved it dearly. Kept it (beside my SV1000) right up until my PTSD/Divorce phase of life, after Iraq.
LOVED IT. Only sold it because I had to, and I was always the only sportbike guy that defended Harley as a company (though I agree with all the Polaris statements), I explained the rise in quality, all that sort of thing. It was a constant battle, as HD has a rep of being a horrible Douchbag of a company. I fought the good fight, spread the love of flat track racing, tried to promote the XR1200 as a viable knee dragger/super standard, and of course tried to keep up visibility of the Buell models.
After what they did to Buell, and the way they did it? I wouldn't piss on Harley Davidson to put out a fire. The XR1200 is the best handling HD ever, and they didn't even offer it here in the states it's first year. (I know a guy who worked at the testing grounds in FL where they shook it out pre production) The 1125R is the best bike they've EVER built....it's phenominal, better than anything Japanese I've ever ridden, & I'de put it up against a Ducati any day......it won it's AMA class....and then they killed off Buell. Not even politely, didn't even entertain selling off the division to keep the nameplate alive.
That was spiteful and childish, I used to wonder why HD was so poorly run for so long, now I can only guess stupidity. Three years on (now) and I think HD/Buell would've made serious inroads into the supersport market share, it really is a phenomenal machine, with phenomenal track day capabilities. The japanese build the fastest, most reliable sportbikes in the world, and they don't have ANTTHING like the 1125. It is simply disgusting, this lack of forsight or vision.
Coming from the non HD side of the fence, they killed off what little good will they had with the rest of the moto-world with that move. You couldn't pay me to buy a new bike from them now.
I'll still roll the Buell into a buke show, and help a brother out whose run outta gas on the side of the road...I'de buy a used bagger from a private seller.....but give money to Harley Davidson as a business entity on a new purchase?
I can't support HD's dumbassery any more than I can support GM's comportment during the whole bailout mess. I'm a GM guy, but they're just slimey the way they operate... we keep supporting HD because they're American, no matter how stupid the things they do, we will continue to have a stupid, stunted American motorcycle industry.
We are AMERICANS by God, and Harley Davidson should rule the world, they should build the finest sportbikes in the world, and give japan the finger at every AMA race.....but I guess that's too ambitious when you can keep building the same bike for 50 years & add jap parts to it once in a while to raise quality. I bleed red, white and blue, but HD disgusts me.
Never again. Polaris all the way.
Besides that, EBR's sponsor Hero Motors is the current owner of Indian. Wouldn't that be stupid on HD's part if they've given a revived Indian the A-bomb and they make serious inroads in the industry in the next ten years or so?
Damn, but the people running Harley now are stupid. Speaking of stupid, how stupid is it, that for the past 8 years, I can't even find a Harley dealer that would either have a few Buells on the floor, or even pretend to give a crap about them at all? How can you all, as Buellers, support a company that has treated you and your brand like crap for all these years? You shouldn't HAVE to know where the Buell friendly harley dealers are, that's just a •••••• up corporate mindset there. If Toyota salesmen treated Scions like that, Scion would be cut too. I've only known two guys who owned Buells, and they both sold them due to their shoddy treatment at HD dealers (where they BOUGHT them), and difficulty with or outright refusal to honor warranty work.
I know a guy who was gonna buy an 1125R, but walked out of the dealership after being treated like an idiot and pointed to a Fat Boy, and I myself was looking into a Ulysses at one time.... I went to two different HD dealers & they looked at me like I had sh*t on my face. Suffice to say I quit looking. How do you all stay pro HD after being treated that way?
So to answer the question, yes. I would definately buy a Polaris over a Harley because of what they did to Buell. |
Mnscrounger
| | Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 11:39 am: |
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I actually wish Victory built a sport/tour bike like the Buells. A tube frame in my dreams, but an XB style would work for me too. (Victory cylinders are boxier looking to me, so I'm less bothered hiding them behind an XB style frame.) |
Buellerxt
| | Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 10:18 pm: |
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na
(Message edited by buellerxt on June 18, 2012) |
Ratman
| | Posted on Monday, March 11, 2013 - 09:00 am: |
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I bought one of the first numbered V92's. It was the biggest pile of problems Ive ever owned. Polaris was out in force at one of the local Toys for Tots events and I asked for some tech advice and questions regarding dealer support. They could have cared less and had the balls to tell me I had no legitimate complaints about when the bike as it died on the way home caused by a failed charging system.Then there was the trans shaft Circlip issue locking up the trans,the warped rotors,the injection system problems all denied by Polaris,yet every one of the failures mine suffered were also documented by other owners. When I screw something up I take accountability and fix it or pay for it to get fixed,wish i could have said the same for Polaris and the V92. |
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