All American motorcycle company. While the models of the 70's lacked quality, giving them a bad name, the company came under new management in 1981, and quality dramatically improved over the last two decades. Harley's are all about customization.
Instead of directly competing with their high speed Japanese rivals, HD exploits the retro style of the motorcycles to sell them. And if you take into consideration that even though Japanese bikes go approximately 50000000 times faster then a Harley, most roads have speed limits. This means that it doesn't matter a damn thing that your Honda or Yamaha can do 700000 mp/h, since you're only allowed to go 90, a speed no Harley has trouble reaching as well.
One thing that is a valid argument against Harley: the official Harley merchandise is ridiculously overpriced. A couple of hundred dollars for an official SD-card mp3 player? No memory card included? No thanks. However, if you're a millionaire, this shouldn't stop you from buying one of these bikes.
Well known models include the Fat Boy, Road King and V-Rod.
Alas, other Harley Davidson definitions still presume we live in the 70's. We don't. Welcome to the 21st century, where Harley's are good quality motorcycles again.
by Bas September 12, 2005