What is it about Harleys, anyway?

I had a revelation the other day.  Not everyone likes Harley-Davidsons.  There, I've said it!

Shocking as it may seem, it's true - for a whole lot of reasons.

Over the years, I've heard lots of negative comments about Harleys.  Comments about handling, price, speed, brakes, technology or even their appearance!  I once overheard two guys on anonymous-looking Japanese bikes describe Harleys as "spanner attractors".  Never mind that the truth these days is generally pretty different. 

Harleys DO handle pretty well.  You don't see a lot of Harleys wedged under the Armco on a corner because the rider has tried to go round it at double the posted speed.  They DO stop.  These days, Harleys are very well equipped for braking with double discs, ABS, new frames, and so on. As for technology, you've only got to look at the V-Rod, designed with help from Porsche engineers to take on and beat the crotch rockets.

As far as price goes, surely value is a very subjective thing.  Many people are quite happy to buy cheap, nondescript clothes at their local discount supermarket. Others, though, prefer to buy particular brands for reasons of style, fit or durability, and they are prepared to pay a premium for that.  The same applies to Harleys.  Sure, a Japanese bike is cheaper - stands to reason, really.

I once had a guy say to me, "I don't need a Harley.  I haven't got a boat big enough for an anchor that size".  Of course, the guy was a real estate developer who went bankrupt six weeks later.  Karma.

When all is said and done, none of those things really matter.  The real joy in owning and riding a Harley is in the intangibles.

Like style.  Once you get past all the advertising guff that the ponytail guy churns out, the reality is that Harley-Davidson is consistently stylish.  They've managed that almost-impossible trick of evoking the past without looking old-fashioned or out of date.

Like people knowing and loving Harleys.  It's one of the best-known brands on the planet.  If you tour on your bike, you will have had the old guy come up to you and start reminiscing about the old days.  When you ride on the highway, kids wave at you from the back seat of their parents' car.  The guy in my local fish and chip shop says, "You ride a Harley?  That's my dream."  I just can't imagine someone saying that about a Suzuki.

Like the sound - that rumble as a bunch of Harleys approaches, and the Doppler-like effect as you hear the echo long after they pass by.

But the thing I love most of all about Harleys is the brotherhood.  The 1-percenter clubs have it in spades, but they're not alone in the desire to belong, to share experiences.

Harleys ride together.  In wet weather, you will often see other bikes struggling through the rain, cold, wet and alone.  You'll see Harleys in the rain, too.  Cold and wet, but not alone.  They're still riding with friends.  Sure, the lone biker escaping society on the highways is not a myth, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.

If you see more than three bikes together on the road, the odds are pretty good that they're Harleys.  Where the group size is 10 or more, it's almost certain that they're on Milwaukee iron.  To my mind, there's nothing more enjoyable than riding your Harley with your mates, sharing those "How good was that?" moments - from the meeting point, where we repeat the ritual of welcome and inclusion, to the Thor-like roar as a bunch of throaty v-twins screams into life, to the sheer joie de vivre of owning the road.  I love it!! 

You know, it's just possible that those who profess to dislike Harleys just haven't ridden one.