NBR

Curtis Jenkins curtis_j@pacbell.net
Wed, 28 Sep 2005 12:09:12 -0700 (PDT)


Thanks, Rob.  The Harley is more than just a personna for me.  Out
here in California, none of the metric dealers (at least none of the
dealers anywhere near me) know anything about cruisers - they're much
more into sport bikes and dirt bikes.  I can't get any advice or help
with mechanical or service issues, and that was one of the biggest
problems with the VTX - the mechanics at the dealership had no clue
what to do to work on the problems it had.  The dealer didn't even
have a test harness to check the ECM and he wasn't willing to buy one
from Honda because they only sold a dozen VTX's a year.
 
On the other hand, the Harley dealer is only a couple of miles away
from me and his service bays are open 7 days a week.  Every mechanic
and their dog out here knows how to work on a Harley, and there is
tons of service support in the immediate area.  The other issue is the
dreaded 'resale'; metric cruisers lose almost half their MSRP value
the minute they leave the showroom floor, and the extras you put on
become absolutely worthless.  A brand new Nomad would cost me
$16,000-$17,000 out the door naked, and I couldn't sell it for $10,000
the very next day if I had to.  And any extras, including pipes, racks
or chrome, wouldn't add one penny to the resale price.  Harley's,
however, sell for 75-110% of the MSRP, and the add-on parts actually
will bring more dollars upon resale.  I am not in the position to just
forfeit resale value, and I really don't know if I ever will be.
 
I rented a Road King a few weeks back and rode it for two days - I was
impressed by how well it handled and how easily it turned.  The VTX I
had was damn near impossible to turn - it wanted to go straight all
of the time!  The RK was uncomfortable on my legs and my arms, and I
am sure it would need (and could be easily cured with) a new seat and
some different bars.  I haven't yet ridden an Electra-Glide, and I
certainly will before attempting to purchase one.  The bars would be
more expensive to change on the EG due to that batwing fairing, but I
really like the look of the EG.  The bike that fits me the best right
out of the box is the Road King Custom, but I seem to have an
aversion to paying the same price for a 'stripped-down' bike as for a
bike with more bells & whistles.  If I had unlimited cash, I would
get the Road King Custom then put on an aftermarket fairing and H-D
hard bags - it would look very much like the new Street Glide with a
lot more versatility (and ease of changing ergos).
 
Anyway, that's more of my thought process than anyone needed or wanted
to know.  If I got another 'lemon' bike that couldn't be repaired I
think I would just blow my brains out - that's what I'm trying to
avoid at all costs.
 
Hope you all are enjoying some great early fall weather, wherever you are.
 
CJ
San Leandro, CA
 
MIG #2006