To buy a harley
I have conversed with many other motorcycle riders about what motorcycle is the best.
Many riders had wanted, ordered or already purchased a Harley. Reasons I hear from other
riders and potentially interested persons as to why they have to have a Harley:
It is the only real American made motorcycle. A Harley is the best motorcycle on the road.
Harley Davidson is the oldest motorcycle company. A Harley Davidson is a good
investment. American riders do not want to ride “Jap Junk.” Riders do not want to start on
something small and have to trade up.
Fact: Harley Davidson is not the only American made motorcycle. There is a myth that
Harley is the only American made motorcycle. To believe that, you would need to
overlook the Honda of America plant in Marysville, Ohio and the Kawasaki Plant in
Nebraska. Both are manufacturing plants, not assembly plants. That means that Honda
does not ship in boxes of parts and put them together here as part of some evil conspiracy.
Simple fact, it makes good business sense to manufacture their motorcycles in the USA.
Manufacturers will be the first to tell you that the work force here is skilled, the U.S.
suppliers and vendors produce excellent pieces. Take a good look at the contemporary
Harley Davidson; it has quite a collection of foreign made parts. I do not have a problem
with this; lets just keep it in perspective. Finally, manufacturers cannot just claim
something is “Made in the USA.” The Federal Trade Commission has specific criteria for
what percentage of the parts must be made and sourced in the USA. There have been years
where a larger percentage of a Honda Goldwing was USA made and sourced than a Harley
Davidson.
Everyone wants to think their motorcycle is “the best.” I have owned several different
brands of motorcycles. I would not call any of my former motorcycles “the best.” Yes,
maybe they were the best sport bikes in a given year, or touring model, or trail bike at the
moment. Each and every motorcycle I have owned had room for improvement. What
would make a Harley Davidson the best? Best should be defined as a motorcycle that suits
you and your primary use for it. I think if you got right down to it, most of the people that
were saying this to me felt it had the best image. Image is part of it but image should not
