| Author |
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Prof_stack
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 11:00 am: | 
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Yeah, 55 hp and over 600 lbs, not counting the (perhaps) heavier rider.
However, being fortunate enough to own an XB9S and a ('89) Big-Twin (see photo above dated June 20), I have to say that it is nice having two types of rides: one for maximum fun, the other for longer distance crusing/touring. They complement each other. Both "give" me a smile at the end of a ride.
Prof |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 12:52 pm: |
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Trip,
Please tell me you are NOT dissing others for their motorcycle of choice, and especially over HP! Or should I start telling you about the $8,500 Hayabusa sale of which I recently learned? |
Nevco1
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 03:37 pm: |
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Court...What ever happened to the Harley's? I went to college with John Harley in the 60's but lost track and never see any mention of them in the articles. A bunch of us just assumed they simply took the money and ran when AMF come along. Any input? |
Mikej
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 03:46 pm: |
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Word I heard indirectly was that the last "employed" Harley was let go well before the AMF days. Some Harleys still own stock in the company, but I don't know how much, from a different indirect source. I don't know if today there are any Harley namesakes employed at the Orange&Black, let alone any Harley direct descendents. Would be an interesting trinket of knowledge to learn of though, for no particular reason. |
Mikej
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 04:13 pm: |
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The following relates to nothing directly in this thread but I didn't know where else to stick it. Snagged from another site far far away. Enjoy, flame, moan, or groan as you may....
quote:On the farm lived a chicken and a horse, both of whom loved to play together. One day the two were playing when the horse fell into a bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, he whinnied for the chicken to go get the farmer for help!
Off the chicken ran, back to the farm. Arriving at the farm, he searched for the farmer, but to no avail, for he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spotted the farmers' new Harley. Finding the keys in the ingnition, the chicken sped off with a length of rope hoping he still had time to save his friend's life.
Back at the bog, the horse was surprised, but happy, to see the chicken arrive on the shiny Harley and he managed to get hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the farmers' bike, the chicken then drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful bike, rescued the horse!
Happy and proud, the chicken rode the Harley back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned.
The friendship between the animals was cemented; best buddies, best pals. A few weeks later, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon , he too, began to sink and cried out to the horse to save his life!
The horse thought for a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his "thing" and he would lift him out of the pit. The chicken got a good grip and the horse pulled him up and out, saving his life.
The moral of the story?
"When you're hung like a horse, you don't need a Harley to pick up chicks!"
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Bomber
| | Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 04:23 pm: |
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I was trolling for tech writer jobs in the mid-70s, and H-D was one fo the firms I approached . . . . I was told that they had just recently decided to outsource all their manual writing/illustrating/layout work, and that John Harely had just been laid off as a result . . . . .. . the quote was something along the lines of "we just laid off John Harley, do you think we'll hire you?" or words similar . . .could be a crock, could be true, I have no idea
interestingly enough, a much more recent exchange with the HR folks from H-D was handled with exactly the same tact and attention to public relations . . . . I attributed the first exchange to a bad business climate (for them) and, perhaps, a bad day for the HR person . . . I put the responsibility for the second exchange to great business environment (for them) and a bad attitude on the part of the recruiter . . . .. however, recent tales told with others dealing with HD recruiting arm lead me to believe that it's a cultural thing, and that they all me be, ehem, people with whom I would not wish to socialize |
Libnosis
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 09:59 am: |
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Mike- Funny.
I think it is disrespectful to call a Buell a Harley. They may end up with Harley badges on the tanks (air box) some day, but not today. Harley has too much riding on its image to risk putting it's name on a "crotch rocket". Look at the stink the VRod caused with the radiator.
I have seen (countless times) people use the term "Harley Crotch Rocket" to try and describe a Buell. Selling Buells in Harley dealerships further clouds the issue. What other brands are sold in HD shops?
I ride both. I always call them what they are; a Buell and a Harley. (Willie G, eat your heart out).
Whatever happened to the Harley lineage anyway? |
Mikej
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 10:24 am: |
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"Look at the stink the VRod caused with the radiator. "
What stink? I haven't heard one single derogatory comment from any H.O.G. badged vest wearin' rider about the V-Rod radiator, not one.
And I don't consider a Buell to be a crotch rocket, and I've corrected a few sales critters and higher-ups on that point.
As to your final question, a book may be in the works. Jean Davidson may enjoy going on local book tours and giving lots of talks on "Growing up Harley-Davidson", but there is more to the story. Much more. 
For anyone in the region, Jean will be giving another talk on her book in Port Washington tomorrow I believe.
And with that I just noticed this morning that the 100th anniversary ticket packages have been sold out. Looks like I ain't gettin' in the gate on Saturday. Oh well, life goes on. |
Piggos
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 12:42 pm: |
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Anyone who has not experienced the pleasures of the big V-Twin is missing an experience just as substantial as the brutal rush of a Buell. Pick your favorite female companion, put her on the back, and spend a quiet afternoon in touring mode. Peter Egan once referred to time on an Electra Glide as a walk in the park with a friendly gorilla. Well said.
Is it disrespectful to refer to a Buell as a Harley? No. But it is first and foremost a Buell. Shelby's Cobras in the 60's had a "powered by Ford" emblem, and that was not considered derogatory. Everyone knew where those cars came from! |
Dynarider
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 01:02 pm: |
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What stink? I haven't heard one single derogatory comment from any H.O.G. badged vest wearin' rider about the V-Rod radiator, not one.
Me neither, the radiator doesnt bother me at all. Its the all silver look, the headlight, the solid wheels & the pipes people will bitch about, but the radiator is a non issue.
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Libnosis
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 04:22 pm: |
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I guess it was my imagination that there was some backlash in the HD community when the Vrod came out  .
In "reality", everybody fell in love with it, and ran to their nearest dealer to trade in their Evo to get one. Well, everybody except me (and everyone I know) that is  .
I guess that's why they're so hard to find in the showrooms these days. NOT! 
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Dynarider
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 04:35 pm: |
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Around here I will say that I see V-rods on the road on a daily basis.
However I have only actually seen 1 Firebolt in private hands being ridden around & that was only for the last 2 weeks & wont be seen anymore. The kid ran into the back end of a parked SUV & died. |
Stubby
| | Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 10:54 am: |
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Yup. It really pisses me off when I go to the ebay and find descriptions of "Harley Buell". I won't even look at those posts. I have carefully inspected the outside of my bike looking for anything that says HD on it, and dremeled it off. Generally speaking, Harley guys are not very friendly, and one of these days when one of them refers to my bike as a "girl's bike", I don't know what I'm gonna do. Last time I heard that I told the blankety blank iron horseman, "tell you what... let's go on down this twisty mountain road (to a destination about 20 miles away) and see who gets there first?" He shut up and went away. Harleys are for poseurs, IMO.
So it goes. |
Sickquad
| | Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 05:02 pm: |
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This discussion is kind of like one of those questions your girlfriend asks you, and there is no correct answer. Just, in her mind, degrees of stupidity of your answer.
I'm proud to own a Buell, which is owned by Harley. That's my answer. |
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Is it disrespectful to refer to a Buell as a Harley?
