Mortor Cycles?

[cm-happy]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

[matter]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

Edited October 25, 2007 by matter

[PeaceBlondie]

Sally, as much difference as grapes and tang mo, as much difference as jin joks and monitor lizards. One is the real thing, huge and heavy and with more mystique than a belly dancer; the other is just a ridiculous cheap imitation of a Harley. As much difference as a samlor to a Lear Jet, like comparing.......

[HDRIDER]

Are you joking?????????????

i hope you are...............

[Lusifer]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

You must be joking, comparing honda against REAL BIKE.

[keemapoot]

I too, am awstruck at this question. However, lucky boyfriend!

[Thanh-BKK]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

You must be joking, comparing honda against REAL BIKE.

Yeah, REAL BIKE..... my @ss.

The major difference is: The Honda will be reliable, affordable in terms of spare parts and won't be needing such spare parts as often. Sorry, but Harley-Davidson riders are like Mac-users - conveniently overlooking every fault of their bike and thinking everything else is inferior. NOT SO.

When you buy a Harley-Davidson, you pay for the image. You get a motorbike for free, too, along with it.

Harleys are HEAVY, POOR PERFORMANCE and shake themselves apart while riding. Yes i actually DID ride one, a 1.200 cc Sportster. It lost bolts and nuts faster than i was able to replace them, and the parts that these nuts and bolts held too (specially indicators). Almost all parts are special (handlebars are larger diameter than any other bike, hence you need specific "made for Harley" brake and clutch units and electrical switches etc.... don't know the english word for "Armaturen", sorry, also nuts and bolts are american system (inches) vs. the rest of the world with standard metric measurements.

Nothing against Harleys, guys - but there are other and BETTER bikes out there. I'd take the Honda over a Harley any day, based on actual experience.

Best regards....

Thanh (feels flames coming, reaches for asbestos suit)

[misterme]

At 600,000thb, how long before it's stolen.... ask yourself that.

Then if you want to sell it, who's going to buy... ask yourself that.

Drive around at 60km/hr and all the things to watch for, how much more dangerous it it at 120-160km/hr.... ask yourself that.

What else could you do with 1/2 a million baht...

I know what my answers to all these would be.

Keep the Honda

[HDRIDER]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

You must be joking, comparing honda against REAL BIKE.

Yeah, REAL BIKE..... my @ss.

The major difference is: The Honda will be reliable, affordable in terms of spare parts and won't be needing such spare parts as often. Sorry, but Harley-Davidson riders are like Mac-users - conveniently overlooking every fault of their bike and thinking everything else is inferior. NOT SO.

When you buy a Harley-Davidson, you pay for the image. You get a motorbike for free, too, along with it.

Harleys are HEAVY, POOR PERFORMANCE and shake themselves apart while riding. Yes i actually DID ride one, a 1.200 cc Sportster. It lost bolts and nuts faster than i was able to replace them, and the parts that these nuts and bolts held too (specially indicators). Almost all parts are special (handlebars are larger diameter than any other bike, hence you need specific "made for Harley" brake and clutch units and electrical switches etc.... don't know the english word for "Armaturen", sorry, also nuts and bolts are american system (inches) vs. the rest of the world with standard metric measurements.

Nothing against Harleys, guys - but there are other and BETTER bikes out there. I'd take the Honda over a Harley any day, based on actual experience.

Best regards....

Thanh (feels flames coming, reaches for asbestos suit)

Must be a girl, 1200 is a girl's bike

We went to Chaing Mai, from Phuket 2 bikes gave up, both Honda

[Thanh-BKK]

No i'm in fact a gay male.

And that Sportster wasn't mine but belonged to a work colleague, construction worker and member of Bombholders MC Germany, if that rings any bell. I only borrowed it for a weekend, which was enough in terms of "riding experience" and "wallet drain" (two indicators, a handful of bolts and nuts, a fender holder (or waddayacallit) and a chrome cover for the tail light, parts which went missing during a 250-kilometer ride.

Oh and i would have smoked that Sportster with my 175cc two-stroke Zuendapp, performance-wise. Plus those Harley-Parts that went missing due to excess vibrations cost more than i invested in said Zuendapp in three years and 70.000 kilometers in combined maintenance and spare parts.

But i have to say those Kuri-Akyn intake thingies look great

Best regards.....

Thanh

[dave_boo]

No i'm in fact a gay male.

And that Sportster wasn't mine but belonged to a work colleague, construction worker and member of Bombholders MC Germany, if that rings any bell. I only borrowed it for a weekend, which was enough in terms of "riding experience" and "wallet drain" (two indicators, a handful of bolts and nuts, a fender holder (or waddayacallit) and a chrome cover for the tail light, parts which went missing during a 250-kilometer ride.

Oh and i would have smoked that Sportster with my 175cc two-stroke Zuendapp, performance-wise. Plus those Harley-Parts that went missing due to excess vibrations cost more than i invested in said Zuendapp in three years and 70.000 kilometers in combined maintenance and spare parts.

But i have to say those Kuri-Akyn intake thingies look great

Best regards.....

Thanh

I think the proper name of the intake is "spam can"....sure a Harley buff will correct me if wrong.

[Sojourner]

A new Road King in Thailand is well over 1.8 million baht. That's after all taxes are paid, so this one must be used. If Power Station is the one selling the bike then you may be getting a good one. PS is the only authorized Harley dealer in Thailand and their techs are trained by the company. Harleys are designed around using them on American highways which, with the exception of highways in Louisiana, are smooth and well maintained. Handling is secondary to the look and the sound. Your boyfriend should know what you want to do because a Harley is a radical departure from the bike he's now riding. He may suggest something else.

Sportsters used to have solid motor mounts and vibrated so bad your hands would get numb on extended rides but now the new ones have rubber mounts. What took them so long to figure this out? The frame is now beefier because the engine is no longer part of the support design so the weight of the bike has gone up too.

[Hog Head]

Save 27,000 and buy him my BMW instead

There are several nice Harleys at Richco Motorsports on Whulahi Rd in your price range. Go take a look as FL's are not for everyone, and may seem a bit big for some in CM traffic.

Skirtsters are girls bikes, but the older ones vibrate nicely.

Thanh - if I had to explain what Harleys are all about, you would not understand anyway.

[Etrigan]

You could always go Japanese Superbike.

Imagine it, those twisty MaeHongSon roads on a Kwak Ninja, pure bliss. Hard to imagine a fat heavy obese harley do that!!!!

Anyhows, PM me coz i got one for sale and it's much sexier and way faster than a harley. Plus you'll save a fortune!

[MarcoH]

Save 27,000 and buy him my BMW instead

There are several nice Harleys at Richco Motorsports on Whulahi Rd in your price range. Go take a look as FL's are not for everyone, and may seem a bit big for some in CM traffic.

Skirtsters are girls bikes, but the older ones vibrate nicely.

Thanh - if I had to explain what Harleys are all about, you would not understand anyway.

Hog Head

That is one ultimate touring bike,,,if one wanna do cruiing aoound Thai,, one should get R1150RT

[MarcoH]

Save 27,000 and buy him my BMW instead

There are several nice Harleys at Richco Motorsports on Whulahi Rd in your price range. Go take a look as FL's are not for everyone, and may seem a bit big for some in CM traffic.

Skirtsters are girls bikes, but the older ones vibrate nicely.

Thanh - if I had to explain what Harleys are all about, you would not understand anyway.

Hog Head

That is one ultimate touring bike,,,if one wanna do cruiing aoound Thai,, one should get R1150RT

[jackcorbett]

We have a guy living up the street from my condo who drives a big Harley. Great looking machine. It's long, heavy and wicked looking. That being said, when you hear him returning to his condo that Harley sounds like a locamotive without a muffler of any sorts. In the real world of condo living here in Pattaya everytime I hear that "nice only Harley makes sounds like that" the following thoughts go through my head, "Selfish loud prick. He's got hundreds of people listening to that thing go by. He must be crying out, "Look at me! Ain't I cool? Now where did I hide my dick? Oh....I left it in my saddlebag." I mean that thing deafons all conversation taking place on my deck. Too bad it won't go very fast. And it's got to be a real hog trying to get through Pattaya traffic. And man, it's so big, it's gotta be hard to park in a lot of places. Too bad he's not enjoying it one tenth as much as my pal, David, who's driving an Air Blade, a real motorcyle for handling what Pattaya's got to dish out.

On American roads to each his own and those who enjoy Harleys, well okay. It's just a matter of personal preference. But I'd much rather drive a BMW, perhaps that new 800 c.c. model. But for Pattaya, all that chrome and an engine that's tuned to deliver maximum decibel level and not much practical performance all a big Harley spells this thing's all about show because it sure isn't a good choice for driving under these conditions.

[bobbin]

The poster who said HD riders are the motorcycle equivalent of the Mac users of the computer world is on the right track.

I have owned many motorcycles. Several Japanese models, one British Triumph 650 and a HD Sportster 883.

At the end of the day they are either transportation, recreational vehicles, or an image. The HD is an image vehicle. The Japanese figured out several years ago how to build a big V-twin that is better engineered and half the price, but they did not slow HD sales because so many are more concerned with the image they project than the machine they are riding.

And here in Thailand, unlike N.America, where many H.O.G. owners are professionals, most of the Farang owners have opted for the "outlaw" image. If the Thai people were aware of the negative connotations associated with color's wearing riders, I doubt they would be happy to see so many of them here..

Stick with the Honda, You get just as dead if you are hit while riding a bike that would pay for a house in this country as you would if riding a Honda Phantom.

HarleyDavidson = over-kill...over-priced.

[jackcorbett]

There is a bar in my neighborhood where the owner owns a black Honda Phantom with a hard shell storage case on the back. Once in awhile one or two Harley owners will ride their bikes to this bar and park. The Phantom looks pretty imposing sitting in front of this bar appearing much larger than it really is. Certainly by no means a three quarter size Harley which will outweight it two to one. And I certainly enjoyed giving this bike a test spin. So let's see----65 miles per gallon I've been reading about this bike, a three gallon plus size fuel tank so you have ample cruising range and a price of around $2500 U.S. or so with Japanese reliability. For driving around here it seems like this is a mini Harley except it's much better, and if it seems that it is a fake imitation of the genuine article, just how genuine is a Harley anway? dam_n thing is engineered to be loud but not fast, to conjure up image but not performance and it's a real slouch in the handling department.

[Thanh-BKK]

Save 27,000 and buy him my BMW instead

There are several nice Harleys at Richco Motorsports on Whulahi Rd in your price range. Go take a look as FL's are not for everyone, and may seem a bit big for some in CM traffic.

Skirtsters are girls bikes, but the older ones vibrate nicely.

Thanh - if I had to explain what Harleys are all about, you would not understand anyway.

Dear.....

No need to explain since i have watched "Easy Rider" and loved it. One of my dreams is to take the Route 66 under two wheels, and THEN it would have to be a Harley, just like if it were four wheels, it had to be a '58 Plymouth convertible. But please, for everywhere else, a Harley is no more but a show-bike....... have you tried to wriggle one thru Bangkok traffic jams? My old RXZ does a good job there, and a Honda Wave does an even better job. Harley? Will be stationary like a bus, because it shares the bus' handling abilities.

About the loud pipes, i have to admit that no motorbike, ever, will sound any better than a Harley Davidson. But there's those riders (yeah, those outlaw-wannabes) who think that completely empty pipes sound good too. No, they don't. They only create a heck of a racket, which is no more than annoying noise for everyone but the rider. But out of the showroom any Harley-Davidson has this "magic" sound which will make everyone fall in love with it - even those that have never seen a Harley before.

I have nothing AT ALL against Harley-Davidson nor fans of this make nor it's riders. Just for myself a motorbike has to be a practical means of transport, and Harley's aren't that. My RXZ goes faster than a Harley and guzzles less fuel, it snakes thru the traffic and won't lose parts during the ride. Plus, for the price of one new Harley i could get like...... 150? second-hand RXZ's.

By the way, altough i ride a Yamaha RXZ here, my personal all-time favourite brand of motorcyles is extinct since 1984 and is called "Zuendapp". From Germany, the largest i owned was the KS 175 and the one i loved most was the KS 50.

Best regards......

Thanh

[HDRIDER]

Hi Guys

This is what its all about, dont tell me a Phantom look like this.

[keemapoot]

damm, that baby is sweet.

[gregybn]

OK... my 2 satang's worth...

I've been riding all kinds of motorcycles for over 40 years... in 3 continents and 5 countries.

(... and have lived to tell about it)

I owned about 5 different BMW's over the last 15 years... and always swore that if I could "afford" a second bike it would be a Harley.

But I could afford only ONE...

And if YOU want ONE good bike - GO BEEMER

[keemapoot]

OK... my 2 satang's worth...

I've been riding all kinds of motorcycles for over 40 years... in 3 continents and 5 countries.

(... and have lived to tell about it)

I owned about 5 different BMW's over the last 15 years... and always swore that if I could "afford" a second bike it would be a Harley.

But I could afford only ONE...

And if YOU want ONE good bike - GO BEEMER

Yes, you're right if what you want is performance and handling. If you want to enjoy an experience, a lifestyle, a superior way of life...well, then Harley's the only choice.

[gregybn]

If you want to enjoy an experience, a lifestyle, a superior way of life...

Yo... sounds like "ego" to me???

Hey, man... I like Harleys for just those reasons... and one day (if I live that long) I'll probably buy one.

But when push comes to shove... and you want to put many, many serious, comfortable, reliable kilometers on, or off, the road... (as opposed to cruising to the corner beer store to impress the chicks)... assuaging one's fragile ego with some American Iron just won't cut it.

Back to the OP... if ya got the cash... and he wants the bike... a guy can only live once... flaunt if if ya got it?

Ego, be damned.

[keemapoot]

If you want to enjoy an experience, a lifestyle, a superior way of life...

Yo... sounds like "ego" to me???

Hey, man... I like Harleys for just those reasons... and one day (if I live that long) I'll probably buy one.

But when push comes to shove... and you want to put many, many serious, comfortable, reliable kilometers on, or off, the road... (as opposed to cruising to the corner beer store to impress the chicks)... assuaging one's fragile ego with some American Iron just won't cut it.

Back to the OP... if ya got the cash... and he wants the bike... a guy can only live once... flaunt if if ya got it?

Ego, be damned.

I agree entirely with you. Harleys are purely bling.

[mikethevigoman]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

is this for real ? its like comparing a dartmoor pony with an elephant !

[mikethevigoman]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

You need to be at least a 44 waist and have a beard to ride a harley furguson, i just cant grow the beard !

[mikethevigoman]

A few years ago bought my b/f a Honda Phantom (which he loves) for about 86,000 B.

Am thinking of upgrading him to a Harley Davidson model FLHTC Electra Glide classic (as a birthday present) cost about 627,000 B according to Harley dealership in Bangkok.

Is there a BIG difference between the Harley and Phantom other than the "mystique" and status of driving a Harley? Is the Harley worth it??

I know nothing about motor cycles other than I'm afraid of driving or even riding on them.

Anyone knowledgeable & experienced with Harleys out there that would like to comment about this upgrade??

You must be joking, comparing honda against REAL BIKE.

funny i thought the opposite !

[mikethevigoman]

The poster who said HD riders are the motorcycle equivalent of the Mac users of the computer world is on the right track.

I have owned many motorcycles. Several Japanese models, one British Triumph 650 and a HD Sportster 883.

At the end of the day they are either transportation, recreational vehicles, or an image. The HD is an image vehicle. The Japanese figured out several years ago how to build a big V-twin that is better engineered and half the price, but they did not slow HD sales because so many are more concerned with the image they project than the machine they are riding.

And here in Thailand, unlike N.America, where many H.O.G. owners are professionals, most of the Farang owners have opted for the "outlaw" image. If the Thai people were aware of the negative connotations associated with color's wearing riders, I doubt they would be happy to see so many of them here..

Stick with the Honda, You get just as dead if you are hit while riding a bike that would pay for a house in this country as you would if riding a Honda Phantom.

HarleyDavidson = over-kill...over-priced.

And over here !