I wasn't hurt as much as my car. I was just pointing out that sometimes you just can't do anything about what's going to get you.  I'm not vindictive, I just want my car fixed and my shoulder's doing well so it's cool.  Yesterday I went on a >100 mile poker run for the MDA.  So all is cool... 8)  AND I kept in mind the tidbit about not standing at intersections in neutral.

There were about 250 HDs, 1 MotoGuzzi, 1 BigDog, a couple BMWs, a half dozen or so big metric cruisers, a couple old inline four UJMs from days of yore and 2 count'em two- Savages.

A friend's wife rides a 2004 Sportster and keeps ragging about me not riding a HD.  I finally told her that I can pay cold cash today for any Sportster in that Harley dealers's.  That I can finance without a hitch any bike they sell.  That I researched Harley, Honda, Kaws, Yahama's and Suzuki's, new and used. I never felt that the HD had anything to offer other than membership in self-congratulatory "fraternity" of suckers that are willing to way too much for way too little.  That I was considering the Volusia, Ace  or 800 Drifter until I found out about The Thumper.  From that point on that is what I pursued until I found one, and I bought -it-.  I got exactly what I wanted, rather than what someone else told me I should buy.

I think she's pissed at me now.  

Yup, I was in the grocery and someone had a 100th anniversery Sportster, used, asking $9100. ???
I imagine that she is mad cause she knows she still has to wrestle that boat anchor around, and I bet  a Savage/40  w/ the same state of tune as Greg's  and same size rider would go right by a stock Sporty and they would have a fat wad of $100s in their pocket from all the cash they saved when they did it too.  

Gitarzan wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:08:


You know, Harley is really just like any other bike.  They have good models and bad ones.  They have a distinction of being one of the oldest manufacturers and being American made once upon a time, the rest has become a self-serving marketing thing.

Those really die hard HD riders don't know and don't like to think about other tidbits about HD.  A few decades ago, HD employed consultants from Japan to learn how to make them not leak oil.  In the 50's there were some 2-stroke Harleys made in Italy (Ducati?).  Of course the V-rod is a collaboration with a German manufacturer.  The bikes are filled with electronic devices made in Japan.  Now Harley is having their road clothes "made in China".  And to cap it off, from 1930 to about 1956 there was a Harley factory in Japan because it was cheaper to build them there.....that same factory was abandoned by HD during WWII, but the Japanese kept it in production and even built motorcycles for their military during the war.  The made in America thing is just an inaccurate out-dated theme and most of those that shout "orange and black" don't even know.