Thinking Of Buying Harley....

[CroBiker]

First of all, I am still 100% in heart and soul sport/sport touring bike rider but been thinking of adding Harley to my arsenal.

I guess, there is a time and place to ride these and enjoy in what they got to offer. Don't get me wrong, I always admired certain Harley models but my preference usually went to "sporty" bikes.

There are two particular models that I like:

1. FLHX Street Glide and

2. Night Rod Special

As you can see, these 2 are world apart. One is classy top of the range, brand flagdhip cruiser, the other sport power-cruiser.

Of course, there is a big difference in price, not really concerned about that but friends telling me if you gonna go for Harleys, go all the way and get the best one (Street Glide). On other hand, I love power cruisers too and Night Rod can be customized easily into really good loking highway monster.

I would like to hear from existing Harley riders what are the main differences, advantages or disadvantages between these 2 models. My knowledge of Harleys is bellow limited so any friendly and conctructive input would be highly appreciated.

Also, I am unable to find how much each of these cost here in Thailand. There is no mention of price on

www.harley-davidsonbangkok.com

Thanks!

[Tigersachsclub]

Hi crobiker,

My vote goes for the Nightrod special...it is a power cruiser which i like and with this nice looks its gotta feel great too . A while back i saw one of those in real too looked like the kind of bike what i want to have once i have a bit more time for riding .

Can't really tell you much about harley really...i haven't owned one before.

happy trails,

Tiger/Sachs Club - Mbox

[Tigersachsclub]

Forgot to add...

Here the Harley pricelist ...time to save up for the nightrod

Tiger/Sachs Club - Mbox

[CroBiker]

Forgot to add...

Here the Harley pricelist ...time to save up for the nightrod

Tiger/Sachs Club - Mbox

Thanks for your imput MBOX!

So, price difference is only 125,000 baht? Interesting....

Are there any TV members that own either of these 2 models? Sure would like to hear what they have to say.

[Tigersachsclub]

I believe this could also be a nice toy...Bard is riding something like this (i think) and loves it.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Tigersachsclub

[Zzinged]

If it were me, I'd be going for the XR1200X

[HDRIDER]

Hi

if you want touring, look at the floor board on the street glide, then look at the fwd control on the night rod, what do you think, i have fwd control and its not a touring bike, oohhh the night rod is not a HD,,, is watercooooooled, come on, get a real harley...

kidding but i like the "old" type HD, they also sound better.

i am looking to buy a street glide, very nice bike and i want to go touring, you try to go to CM on mine, oohhh my Buddha, jeb dut mak mak

[JohnLeech]

No offence (some of my friends even ride Harleys here, and I was a member of the Chelsea and Fulham HOG many years ago), but judging by most of those riding Harleys around Pattaya the "time" would be when you have to wear a bandana to camouflage your bald patch and you need a 4XL T-shirt and to import your jeans (and, if at all possible, not after you have showered), and the "place" would be any bar within an hour's drive.

Judging by the particular choice of bikes, I can't help thinking that you are choosing the brand and all that is associated with it rather than the bike for its own value/ability. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are 100% a sport/sport touring bike rider and that's how you like to ride then a Harley may not be what you want as a bike.

[HDRIDER]

No offence (some of my friends even ride Harleys here, and I was a member of the Chelsea and Fulham HOG many years ago), but judging by most of those riding Harleys around Pattaya the "time" would be when you have to wear a bandana to camouflage your bald patch and you need a 4XL T-shirt and to import your jeans (and, if at all possible, not after you have showered), and the "place" would be any bar within an hour's drive.

Judging by the particular choice of bikes, I can't help thinking that you are choosing the brand and all that is associated with it rather than the bike for its own value/ability. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are 100% a sport/sport touring bike rider and that's how you like to ride then a Harley may not be what you want as a bike.

I did not see he was asking about that, did i miss something, then i am sorry i did answer about the 2 bikes.

John,,, grow up, or better down, some people really like to ride you know...

[basjke]

Or you could buy one of these......

<

It's about a mix of both the bikes you pictured in the OP but it's not a harley.

At the end it is cheaper,more exclusive ( haven't seen another in los yet however I know there are some),more powerful,more reliable,more comfortable,cheaper in maintenance,.......................

Ok like I said already,it's not a harley but I never understood why it has to be a harley if there is better available.Think it is the same reason as why it has to be a gogo gal sitting on the rear seat

Edited April 25, 2010 by basjke

[CroBiker]

If it were me, I'd be going for the XR1200X

Looks same as bike in post 5, no?

No offence (some of my friends even ride Harleys here, and I was a member of the Chelsea and Fulham HOG many years ago), but judging by most of those riding Harleys around Pattaya the "time" would be when you have to wear a bandana to camouflage your bald patch and you need a 4XL T-shirt and to import your jeans (and, if at all possible, not after you have showered), and the "place" would be any bar within an hour's drive.

Judging by the particular choice of bikes, I can't help thinking that you are choosing the brand and all that is associated with it rather than the bike for its own value/ability. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are 100% a sport/sport touring bike rider and that's how you like to ride then a Harley may not be what you want as a bike.

Well John, to be completely honest, you are right about brand importance but as I said, my technical knowledge (value & ability as you said) about these bikes is next to nothing, hence this thread to find out more. I am not considering buying one of these just for sake of owning a Harley. Like it or not, Harley is probably most recognized bike name today, surely there is something good about them. Availability of legit dealership in LOS is another positive point. My preference goes to Night Rod because of it's sporty features but my wife is pushing me to go for Street Glide but that is another story. If latest Vmax was available here, I'd go for it in a jiffy. Perhaps, people would suggest another power cruiser available here, Truimph Rocket III but I am not fond of British bikes. What kept me away from HD's all these years especially here in Thailand was paranoia not to be associated with what you just described above: old, bald, fat, bandana wearing, girly bar hopping dudes with oversized patches on their backs declaring alegiance to 1% clubs etc....I mean no disrespect to all HD riders out there, but there are elements who do no favors to this bike image....

There are people who ride these just for their own pleasure without caring much about being members of such clubs, like to be remembered as one of them. But that is another story, completely off-topic anyway.

Looking forward to hear some input on tech abilities of these models, preferably Night Rod.

[seedy]

Just checked the Bangkok HD prices re: N American prices - OUCH !! Somebody is making a good profit.

[HDRIDER]

If it were me, I'd be going for the XR1200X

Looks same as bike in post 5, no?

No offence (some of my friends even ride Harleys here, and I was a member of the Chelsea and Fulham HOG many years ago), but judging by most of those riding Harleys around Pattaya the "time" would be when you have to wear a bandana to camouflage your bald patch and you need a 4XL T-shirt and to import your jeans (and, if at all possible, not after you have showered), and the "place" would be any bar within an hour's drive.

Judging by the particular choice of bikes, I can't help thinking that you are choosing the brand and all that is associated with it rather than the bike for its own value/ability. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are 100% a sport/sport touring bike rider and that's how you like to ride then a Harley may not be what you want as a bike.

Well John, to be completely honest, you are right about brand importance but as I said, my technical knowledge (value & ability as you said) about these bikes is next to nothing, hence this thread to find out more. I am not considering buying one of these just for sake of owning a Harley. Like it or not, Harley is probably most recognized bike name today, surely there is something good about them. Availability of legit dealership in LOS is another positive point. My preference goes to Night Rod because of it's sporty features but my wife is pushing me to go for Street Glide but that is another story. If latest Vmax was available here, I'd go for it in a jiffy. Perhaps, people would suggest another power cruiser available here, Truimph Rocket III but I am not fond of British bikes. What kept me away from HD's all these years especially here in Thailand was paranoia not to be associated with what you just described above: old, bald, fat, bandana wearing, girly bar hopping dudes with oversized patches on their backs declaring alegiance to 1% clubs etc....I mean no disrespect to all HD riders out there, but there are elements who do no favors to this bike image....

There are people who ride these just for their own pleasure without caring much about being members of such clubs, like to be remembered as one of them. But that is another story, completely off-topic anyway.

Looking forward to hear some input on tech abilities of these models, preferably Night Rod.

HI

do no but look like you dont know if you want a HD or not, i rest my case

[barrybike]

hi cro ...i dont this the street glide would suit u ...it would be ok for long rides touring etc...but i think you might soon get fed up of it ...i went from sports bikes all my life to a harley and i went and bought a gsxr 1000 last year to have as a second bike . i presume u like good handling ,cornerering ,braking atc ..well stay away from the touring models then i think ..i rode a v rod a few times and they are very quick and yet still fairly comfy and you can add acessories to them if u want to go touring ...screen ,bags etc...

i went for a dyna model tho myself...they have the original harley sound and are fairly good to handle....v rods engine were designed by porsche,watercooled....all then new harleys nowa days are really reliable ...im riding mine new since 06 and never go a days trouble and i never had to tighten the belt on it once...i ride comfortably at 80 mph crusing ...top speed leaves the clock if u want to ...120 mph on clock....vrods can be customised too fairly well ...the night rod you are looking at now comes with a 240mm back wide tyre..here is a few pics plus some pics of my hd....a friend of mine has a rocket 3 triumph ...im not too fond of them but they go like hel_l and are really comfy as well ..pic below......but be warned .....once u buy a hd ...a bug will bite you and you will want to change loads of stuff as you go along ....customising bug.....as a guy said to me once the harley is just the deposit ....he wasent far wrong i think..i think you should take a test spin off of each first n then this will give u an idea of what i mean ....

[ajahnlau]

Just checked the Bangkok HD prices re: N American prices - OUCH !! Somebody is making a good profit.

DAH! Little knowledge would help. Ever heard of duties,taxes,emissions testing.

[thrilled]

That price list doesn't sound right.I believe hd of bangkok quoted me A price of 700000 to A million baht for A softail.I might be wrong,or maybe the prices have came down from 08.

[thrilled]

Yeah I looked at the list again 1million + 1/2 for A softail

[barrybike]

That price list doesn't sound right.I believe hd of bangkok quoted me A price of 700000 to A million baht for A softail.I might be wrong,or maybe the prices have came down from 08.

ya the prices did come down since 08..a street bob was 1.18 million they are now 975,000

Edited April 25, 2010 by barrybike

[barrybike]

heres a new v rod from harley called the v rod muscle............

[Tigersachsclub]

That price list doesn't sound right.I believe hd of bangkok quoted me A price of 700000 to A million baht for A softail.I might be wrong,or maybe the prices have came down from 08.

The pricelist was sent twice on a single request from the following persons on February 13 & February 16, 2010- assuming it should be right - but maybe they changed price meanwhile?:

Boone

(Harley-Davidson of BKK)

Boone Avasadanond

Associate Director of Communications

……………………………………………………..

Harley-Davidson of Bangkok, Thailand Co., Ltd.

628 Soi Sahakarnpramoon

Pracha U-Tit Rd., Wangthonglang,

Bangkok 10310 Thailand

Mobile : +66 87 682 2636

Tel. +66 (0)2 934 - 4855 #132

Fax. +66 (0)2 539 – 5384

Bank

(Harley-Davidson BKK)

Krittin Bhichaisornplaeng

Sales Manager

……………………………………………………..

Power Station Motorsport Co., Ltd.

628 Soi Sahakarnpramoon

Pracha U-Tit Rd., Wangthonglang,

Bangkok 10310 Thailand

Mobile : 081 549 8999

Tel. +66 (0)2 934 - 4855 #132

Fax. +66 (0)2 539 – 5384

[Haggis52]

Just checked the Bangkok HD prices re: N American prices - OUCH !! Somebody is making a good profit.

DAH! Little knowledge would help. Ever heard of duties,taxes,emissions testing.

Around AU$35,000 here in WA (1015000 Baht) for a Softail and my machine, the Electroglide Ultra Limited is AU$39.500

[Dave the Dude]

The owner of our local Izusu dealership has had one of those black NightRods (Great Name BTW ) sitting in his showroom for years and its never moved!

Make him an offer?

[seedy]

Around AU$35,000 here in WA (1015000 Baht) for a Softail and my machine, the Electroglide Ultra Limited is AU$39.500

$24,000 for Street Glide, $21,000 for a Night Rod. Whitehorse, Yukon.

Still lots of markup to Aus eh ? I SeaCan'd my Dyna to Aus and back, $1500 bucks so it ain't freight pushing up the price

[CroBiker]

heres a new v rod from harley called the v rod muscle............

Yeah Barry, agree...this one is awesome. Seen one of these, exactly the same color (2009 year model) at west coast riders showroom in Phuket, asking price was 1.2 mil baht I think. It's gone now.

[Travelmate]

If I was buying a Harley.

I would get the cheaper models. And go from there.

Happy shopping.

[thaicbr]

I think Bard has a Harley for sale.

[H2oDunc]

Cro Hi, If it is the brand you are buying into then buy the Harley you like the look of. If you are after a bike to ride and that you will get lots of attention everywhere you go, A bike with more torque than you can shake a stick at ( more torque at tickover than a Honda Blackbird at 8,500 rpm )and a proper mile munching smiles for miles bike and something you can still fling about then go for a Triumph Rocket 3. 2,300cc's of British engineering excellence. One of the best bikes I have ever had and I have had a few. 110 kph it was sat at 1500 rpm. I rode mine all over Thailand to the shows and never saw another. Everywhere I went it brought lots of attention and admiring looks.

I gave a guy a try of it at Hat Yai bike show who had just bought a fat boy and was awaiting delivery and he came back nearly in tears. He said he wished he had ridden this before handing over 1.6 million baht for the Harley.

Enough said!

As said if you are buying a Harley for the brand and the lifestyle then no other bike can compete. If on the other hand you actually want to ride it as a bike should be ridden go for something other than a Harley

[SpaceKadet]

"....v rods engine were designed by porsche,watercooled...."

I have to disagree with your statement there Barry. The V-ROD engine was originally designed by HD factory for the Harley-Davidson VR1000 Superbike. The VR1000 came out in 1994 and was racing with mixed success, more due to internal Harley politics rather than technical capabilities of the bike. VR1000 came in a striking paint scheme, the right side of the bike being red, and the left black. The Harley Superbike racing program was put to rest in 2001 and the remaining VR1000 bikes are a real collectors item now. What Porsche did was to help Harley to develop a manufacturing process for what was originally hand build racing engine. There was a documentary made about the birth of the V-ROD motorcycle couple of years ago, I think by Discovery Channel.

There isn't much to say about the Street Glide. It's a typical H-D bagger, big, heavy and underpowered, although quite comfortable on long slow rides. Harley redesigned the frame and put on real (as in Brembo with ABS option) brakes for the 2009 models so it's now quite comfortable on faster rides too, but still underpowered. I'm not a bagger person, no matter what manufacturer, so the only bagger that would grace my garage is the CVO 110CID version, and that just ridiculously priced...

Now to the Night Rod Special.... That is a different kind of animal altogether... It's Big, it's Black, it's Bad, it's Intimidating. It clearly shows its drag racing pedigree with the fat rear tire and long wheelbase. It is one of the longest bikes on the market so don't expect a nimbleness and corner flicking ability of a sports bike. But it's very stable and comfortable bike on fast long runs. The V-RODs are very popular on the drag strips around the world. A stock V-ROD in capable hands will consistently do 11 seconds on a quarter mile, and I have seen times in the mid 10's. To give you a comparison, a stock old style VMAX will do about the same.

If you are used to sports bikes and want a power cruiser from Harley, Night Rod or its brother Muscle is the one to go for. The engine characteristics of the V-ROD are quite similar to other sport bikes. The power builds up slowly from low rpm and then explodes around 6K rpm with socket pulling force. The engine redlines at 9K rpm, again similar to the old VMAX. The factory rates the engine at 125bhp at the crank, quite low but the figure doesn't tell the whole story, the engine is quite nice. If you want more power, put a turbo charger and with standard pressure get 170+ rear wheel HP! Then you can pop wheeles in 3rd gear doing 140kph. Not bad for a Harley "tractor". Search youtube for V-ROD, you'll be surprised what you find. Oh, and the brakes are best of all the current Harley models.

And I disagree with people that say it doesn't sound like a Harley. It doesn't sound like anything else, it is a Harley, therefore it sounds like a Harley. With a good aftermarket pipes, this oversquare big displacement V twin will give out a growl that will make your hair stand out in the back!

And despite being a Harley whore all my life, I will agree with you on one thing. If somebody drops the new VMAX on me, I'll take it. And I'll ride it like I stole it!

On a more personal note: It is against my religion to allow my wife to influence the choice of my ride...

[vision]

Don't be at all surprised if even coming from a Sportbike background you find yourself actually preferring to ride/modify the Harley. yes they are lumbering and heavy compared to a Sport bike and even the V-Rod is no match for an equally priced Sport bike in the straight drags, the twistys or braking. But the nice thing about them is you will find you appreciate the stying the more you look at it and they do actually produce a good bit of torque without taking the revs through the roof. Then, as an earlier poster wrote you will get bitten by customizing bug and begin to style it the way you like. This is much easier then with a sport bike not only because so much more is available but because when you have a bit of power in the low end and you do know you are not going to be riding it at breakneck speeds and needing to stop on a dime you can focus on styling that might even detract a bit from the handling without feeling like you are ruining the bike.

I love Sport bikes and i love customizing but the reason i prefer to work with the Harley style bikes is because a Sport bike is so optimized from performance that it always seems a shame to try to make it my own. It is still a blast to ride full bore on a bike that is all about performance but sometimes you just wanna ride for pure freedom and enjoyment of riding a motorcycle.

[Tigersachsclub]

"....v rods engine were designed by porsche,watercooled...."

I have to disagree with your statement there Barry. The V-ROD engine was originally designed by HD factory for the Harley-Davidson VR1000 Superbike. The VR1000 came out in 1994 and was racing with mixed success, more due to internal Harley politics rather than technical capabilities of the bike. VR1000 came in a striking paint scheme, the right side of the bike being red, and the left black. The Harley Superbike racing program was put to rest in 2001 and the remaining VR1000 bikes are a real collectors item now. What Porsche did was to help Harley to develop a manufacturing process for what was originally hand build racing engine. There was a documentary made about the birth of the V-ROD motorcycle couple of years ago, I think by Discovery Channel.

There isn't much to say about the Street Glide. It's a typical H-D bagger, big, heavy and underpowered, although quite comfortable on long slow rides. Harley redesigned the frame and put on real (as in Brembo with ABS option) brakes for the 2009 models so it's now quite comfortable on faster rides too, but still underpowered. I'm not a bagger person, no matter what manufacturer, so the only bagger that would grace my garage is the CVO 110CID version, and that just ridiculously priced...

Now to the Night Rod Special.... That is a different kind of animal altogether... It's Big, it's Black, it's Bad, it's Intimidating. It clearly shows its drag racing pedigree with the fat rear tire and long wheelbase. It is one of the longest bikes on the market so don't expect a nimbleness and corner flicking ability of a sports bike. But it's very stable and comfortable bike on fast long runs. The V-RODs are very popular on the drag strips around the world. A stock V-ROD in capable hands will consistently do 11 seconds on a quarter mile, and I have seen times in the mid 10's. To give you a comparison, a stock old style VMAX will do about the same.

If you are used to sports bikes and want a power cruiser from Harley, Night Rod or its brother Muscle is the one to go for. The engine characteristics of the V-ROD are quite similar to other sport bikes. The power builds up slowly from low rpm and then explodes around 6K rpm with socket pulling force. The engine redlines at 9K rpm, again similar to the old VMAX. The factory rates the engine at 125bhp at the crank, quite low but the figure doesn't tell the whole story, the engine is quite nice. If you want more power, put a turbo charger and with standard pressure get 170+ rear wheel HP! Then you can pop wheeles in 3rd gear doing 140kph. Not bad for a Harley "tractor". Search youtube for V-ROD, you'll be surprised what you find. Oh, and the brakes are best of all the current Harley models.

And I disagree with people that say it doesn't sound like a Harley. It doesn't sound like anything else, it is a Harley, therefore it sounds like a Harley. With a good aftermarket pipes, this oversquare big displacement V twin will give out a growl that will make your hair stand out in the back!

And despite being a Harley whore all my life, I will agree with you on one thing. If somebody drops the new VMAX on me, I'll take it. And I'll ride it like I stole it!

On a more personal note: It is against my religion to allow my wife to influence the choice of my ride...

Very interesting post and i also think the V-max can be compared to the night rod ..although i don't know how the nightrod rides but i sure know about the older V-max which i used to have (in US specs). I recall the nightrod i have seen & heard ...and it had a great sound too. More torque , power, and better looks along with being a "muscle" bike is what the nightrod makes it my favorite. I must say the water cooler on the nightrod should be considered an asset , specially in thailand's warm climate.

happy trails,

Tiger/Sachs Club - Mbox