Anyone commute on a Harley ?

[Baron Von Crowder]

There are alot of variables in your question:
Will it be used mainly for commuting
Will you perform your own maintenance
Is resale a determing factor in selection

I daily commute on a HD Road Glide between VA and DC and also like to take it on trips, my farthest so far was DC to KS in two days which was actually very comfortable. When in Texas I daily commuted on a 05 Busa between Midlothian and Dallas and would love to have had my Road Glide then.

If you are looking at mainly a commuter and taking it to the shop for maintenance I would look at a Kawasaki Vaquero or a Yamaha Stratoliner Deluxe. They both are good commuter baggers, have decent range, the Kaw is water cooled, they both have large bags.

The problem I have with Harley is the cost of service, the wait time to get a bike serviced and the horrible service I have recieved at 75% of the service counters I have been to.

Also, it seems that when you hit 30K on your miles the resale just drops through the floor.

Before you buy one research the differences by year 07 vs 08 vs 09-13 vs 14. Also, buy a detachable tour pack.

I believe detachable tour packs are an option on the Kaw and Yamaha as well, but not 100% sure.

yum

[O.C.]

There are alot of variables in your question:
Will it be used mainly for commuting
Will you perform your own maintenance
Is resale a determing factor in selection

I daily commute on a HD Road Glide between VA and DC and also like to take it on trips, my farthest so far was DC to KS in two days which was actually very comfortable. When in Texas I daily commuted on a 05 Busa between Midlothian and Dallas and would love to have had my Road Glide then.

If you are looking at mainly a commuter and taking it to the shop for maintenance I would look at a Kawasaki Vaquero or a Yamaha Stratoliner Deluxe. They both are good commuter baggers, have decent range, the Kaw is water cooled, they both have large bags.

The problem I have with Harley is the cost of service, the wait time to get a bike serviced and the horrible service I have recieved at 75% of the service counters I have been to.

Also, it seems that when you hit 30K on your miles the resale just drops through the floor.

Before you buy one research the differences by year 07 vs 08 vs 09-13 vs 14. Also, buy a detachable tour pack.

I believe detachable tour packs are an option on the Kaw and Yamaha as well, but not 100% sure.

[dsrtuckteezy]

Since sport bikes generally appeal to more youthful, less established customers I would presume far more sport bike customers would finance than cruisers, which appeal to older more established buyers.

in your line of work, that makes sense. think about all of the bikes people buy on CL with cash from private sellers.

there are a ton of sprotbikes in dfw, probably just as many as cruisers. i think it's just coincidental that i run into more cruisers than anything else.

mainly just making a point saying that just because you experience more people financing one style of bike over another doent really prove that "most people dont want to ride that style of bike"

[89stangGT]

Since sport bikes generally appeal to more youthful, less established customers I would presume far more sport bike customers would finance than cruisers, which appeal to older more established buyers.

the financing part is really true, but we do get a pretty big amount of younger people in looking at HD's. They mainly tend to like the Sportsters, V-Rods, and Breakout.
Had a guy a bit older than me calling the Street Glide a "geezer glide" today. He bought a Fat Boy Lo. I'm 32 and really like the Street Glide. I hate wearing a backpack (it has bags), hate using headphones (it has a stereo), and like the fairing to block colder air during the winter.

[CJ]

what about all of the people who dont finance bikes? i do see more cruisers on the road usually, though.

Since sport bikes generally appeal to more youthful, less established customers I would presume far more sport bike customers would finance than cruisers, which appeal to older more established buyers.

[89stangGT]

I have been really wanting another bike for quite a while since I had to sell my last one when I was in the car accident back in 2010.

I have my heart set on a Street Glide and will be riding to and from work, Allen to Sherman, which is about 45 miles each way.

I wanted to see if anyone else commutes on a bagger and see what their thoughts were. What kind of gas mileage do you get, etc. ?

I will probably realistically be looking to buy a used one in the next 6 months or so, and figured when it was cold may be the best time to buy one.

Thanks for any insight you can give.

-Aaron

find a used '14 Street Glide. A world of difference from the previous model.

[NTexas_V-Star]

i'm just giving shit. i'll have a cruiser of some sort one day, but will always have an organ donor in the stable.



split lanes. i refuse to sit in traffic, your clutch hand is hurting after any sort of stop and go.

Agreed.

[tribaltalon]

I don't commute on a harley, but I do try and ride my Vrod as much as I can. I'm already getting bored of the thing though, and REALLY wish I would have just bought another sportbike like I wanted. Dragging pegs, exhaust and everything else through the corners is getting old. Wifey loves the damn thing and riding on the back, so I guess I'll just keep it and when its paid off I'll get another literbike or maybe a hypermotard.

[dsrtuckteezy]

About 70% of the bikes I finance are harleys, the other 30% are goldwings, vulcans, and sport bikes. So yes, I'd agree wholeheartedly, even go as far to say as most people don't.

what about all of the people who dont finance bikes? i do see more cruisers on the road usually, though.

[dsrtuckteezy]

Not everyone wants to ride a sportbike.

i'm just giving shit. i'll have a cruiser of some sort one day, but will always have an organ donor in the stable.

Especially 90 miles, through heavy road construction.

split lanes. i refuse to sit in traffic, your clutch hand is hurting after any sort of stop and go.

[CRASH]

When I'm going to work, the bad traffic is going the opposite way, and when I'm coming home it's pretty much the same.

I rarely run into traffic on my way home that I have to slow down much below the speed limit for.

I had a sport bike, and while they are fun, I have a fucked up back and riding hunched over kills my back nowadays, so I figured riding a comfy Street Glide would be good to put a lot of miles on.

[NTexas_V-Star]

I rode a 2007 Harley, Dyna StreetBob, for about 6 years and change. Everywhere, in most weather conditions.

[Baron Von Crowder]

I attempted it, but the weather + traffic killed it for me. I cant stand to sit in stop and go traffic with the heat of the other cars, plus the engine. Or strong winds, rain or storms, etc.

[CJ]

Not everyone wants to ride a sportbike.

About 70% of the bikes I finance are harleys, the other 30% are goldwings, vulcans, and sport bikes. So yes, I'd agree wholeheartedly, even go as far to say as most people don't.

[Sean88gt]

Not everyone wants to ride a sportbike.

Especially 90 miles, through heavy road construction.