The Harley Sucks Website
Clayton Koenig bought a Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster in 1999 from Bartels Harley-Davidson in Marina Del Rey, CA, and ever since then has ...
http://www.bikernewsonline.com/2008/05/harley-sucks-website.htm
Clayton Koenig bought a Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster in 1999 from Bartels Harley-Davidson in Marina Del Rey, CA, and ever since then has had nothing but problems with it.
Not only that, he's had frustrations dealing with the dealer wrench. Haven't we all?
So dissatisfied with his ownership, over 5 years and 20,000 miles, he decided to publish his story on a website called, "Does Harley Suck"...
http://www.doesharleysuck.com/
Since then, other people have submitted their "Harley Sucks" horror stories, and Clayton now envisions himself as the "IT guy" towards providing the slighted Harleysuckers owners a place to vent.
Well ok, I'm a Harley owner too. I've had warrantee work done on it twice already, and experienced other minor problems that were easily remedied. But if you go through the NHTSA recall database, you'll find just as much recall notices filed by Honda and Yamaha as you will Harley-Davidson. And there are just as many bad metric wrench shops as there are Harley shops.
Yeah, I know metric owners are going to say lots of great stuff about their bikes. I own a metric cruiser too. But the fact is that no company produces a well-made motorcycle anymore.
Props to Clayton for not sitting quietly and taking his lumps, however. But my advice is to change the format of the website to an actual forum, like phpBB, it'll probably be a lot easier to manage.
Not only that, he's had frustrations dealing with the dealer wrench. Haven't we all?
So dissatisfied with his ownership, over 5 years and 20,000 miles, he decided to publish his story on a website called, "Does Harley Suck"...
http://www.doesharleysuck.com/
Since then, other people have submitted their "Harley Sucks" horror stories, and Clayton now envisions himself as the "IT guy" towards providing the slighted Harley
Well ok, I'm a Harley owner too. I've had warrantee work done on it twice already, and experienced other minor problems that were easily remedied. But if you go through the NHTSA recall database, you'll find just as much recall notices filed by Honda and Yamaha as you will Harley-Davidson. And there are just as many bad metric wrench shops as there are Harley shops.
Yeah, I know metric owners are going to say lots of great stuff about their bikes. I own a metric cruiser too. But the fact is that no company produces a well-made motorcycle anymore.
Props to Clayton for not sitting quietly and taking his lumps, however. But my advice is to change the format of the website to an actual forum, like phpBB, it'll probably be a lot easier to manage.
Hola a todos les escribo desde Mexico, solo quiero preguntarles a los que tienen ultras si estas no les hacen un "extraño" en velocidades altas (150 km/h), a lo que me refiero con "extraño" es que la moto se le mueve el manubrio de una manera oscilatoria, como que si estuviera desbalanceada la llanta delantera, mi moto eso hacia y causa de eso el dueño de la agencia de harley donde la compre tuvo un accidente probandola, en estos momentos estamos en platicas con la fabrica de harley davidson en estados unidos para determinar que procede, presuntamente se cree que el motor no estaba alineado con el cuadro de la moto, aqui en Mexico ya paso un caso similar al mio, si alguno de ustedes tiene ese problema en su moto, no se confien y llevenla a que la revisen, eso les puede salvar su vida, si requieren informacion adicional mi correo es requesg@hotmail.com saludos a todos!!!!
ReplyDeleteThere are few recalls because they don't admit there are something wrong with their bikes.
ReplyDeleteWe have two Buells 2006/2007, both with damaged wheel-bearings and damaged belt. Both also had to change front brake-disc also. The same thing happend to both bikes!! Haven't seen any recalls on that.
I've been riding Harleys since 1970...started out on a 1958 Sportster and own an '04 Road King Classic now. The last two Harleys I've owned have been as good as I think would be possible. I had an '02 FXDWG that I put 62,000 miles on before I sold it. Only problem it ever had was a stator went out at 5,000 miles. replaced under warranty and that was it. The Road King has 51,000 miles on it with nothing but regular maintenance. So, this is one rider who has no complaints about H-D's bikes.
ReplyDeleteyou should see all hte bullcrap i had to put up with at motheroad harley in kingman,arizona.i bought a new bagger 2008 and there service dept sucks
ReplyDeleteyes they suck and so dose the dealers. sell you all this b.s but when you need then they fuck you... I DON'T SUPPORT MITCHELL HD IN MODESTO ,CA THE BIGGEST RIP OFF AROUND. DON'T BUY SHIT FROM THESE PUNKS
ReplyDeleteThe guy lives in one of the best riding area's of the country, year round riding, and in 5 years, he has 20,000 miles? LMAO
ReplyDeleteThe guys not a rider ok, period. His opinion frankly doesn't mean squat. There are bad Dr's, bad bankers, and, bad motorcycle dealerships. There are plenty of ways around a bad dealer. Buy the parts and do it yourself. Get riding buddies that wrench to help you, all sorts of ways to avoid anything but the parts counter at a dealership.
4,000 miles a year on a bike in paradise for riding?
He's a whiner not a biker, who cares what he thinks, he don't know squat.
Having a bike with such a short warranty does not help. Having friends who can wrench should not be required if you have a good warranty. As far as riding we all can not just spend our days out riding,(though that would be great) some of us have to work for a living. I have a 2006 1200 Sportster Low and live in Las Vegas Ionly have 12000 miles as in the summer115+ get the road temp up to around 165+ even a night the temp can be a factor.
ReplyDeleteYes Harley sucks. I should know, we make parts for their bikes and if you knew what kind of crap that harley accepts, you wouldn't be caught dead on it.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Honda sells over 21 MILLION, yes MILLION motorcycles each year. About three times what harley does in the US alone. And thats only Honda. You really want to compare there recall to Harleys? Give me a break. If it weren't for the posers Harley would be out of business. They have become what they once despised. Pretty sad when guys on sportbikes have stolen your hooligan image, rightfully so to.
ReplyDeleteI can only go from experience. 6years and 76K with my Suzuki 1500 Intruder. Failures? Nothing I would not consider routine, never an engine problem at all. Tires, brakes, headlight (flying rock). Bulbs in the instruments, and regular maintenance. Traded it on the dream 2007 Duece. Now have 10K on the Duece. Tires, brakes, headlight, wheel bearings, speedometer, steering stem bearings, primary cover, hose in the fuel tank, belt, shifter linkage issues, front brake hose, horn. Rim corrosion (rear) Having the fuel issue again, seems like the hose in the tank has gone bad again. Also appears that squeaking sound is bad swingarm bearings. Warranty has now expired. I have had more problems in 10K miles and 2 years that I did with ANY of my other bikes, but I am only comparing to the other bike I bought new. My payments end in October. Oh, and by the way - the bike, like the Intruder, is stock. Harley has been making bikes for over 100 years, and what they make now for quite a while with minimal (compared to other manufactures and in my humble opinion, given the breadth of machinery in a Honda or Suzuki gathering) changes - by now it should be right. I find it funny that I found the same guys in the shop with me having issues too. So I know it's not just me having problems. I hardly knew any other riders before my Harley experience by meeting them at the shop - I usually met them on rides! I really wanted to be a fan. I love the look of my bike and feel of it. But - it didn't happen. To those that own Harley's - and have good luck - good for you. I won't buy another and I won't recommend one to anyone. The riding season in NJ is way too short!
ReplyDeleteHarley doesn't suck, they make some decent bikes, and QC is probably better than it's ever been, but until they make one that can pop the occasional wheelie, go 140 MPH+ with more to go, not stop for gas until 300+ miles, have enough room to carry home the groceries, have ABS and an electric windscreen, I'll stick with my Honda ST1300 :)
ReplyDelete20,000 miles is a light year of riding, NOT five years worth...
And I hate to say this, but the bike you are looking for from HD is actually a Buell. I am not a big HD fan, but friends who can actually *find* a Buell bike are quite satisfied with the performance and reliability. Unfortunately, the HD "community" still looks at them as the bastard child rather than a viable, and well engineered sport bike.
ReplyDeleteAlso unfortunate is HD's attitude when marketing these things. They do have a decent website, and decent resale value, but when you walk into a HD showroom, the staff has no idea how to encourage the product. In 2009, we have showrooms for Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki, who sell both ends of the spectrum, and lead you to what you want. Even Triumph has seen success using this tactic, but HD dealers still cannot understand the street/sport bike market, even though they offer some of the "baddest" looking and equally performing stock.
It bewilders me.
You gotta love clowns that bust on how much people ride....these are the same goons that refuse to wave at certain bikes and consider themselves better than everybody else on the road....just bad "bikers"....
ReplyDelete2006 Yamaha Roadstar (cost: $12,000) 102ci, K&N Air Box, Competition Ignition Module, 200 Carburetor Jets, Samson Exhaust.
ReplyDelete50,000mi in 3½ years with only normal maintenance service (oil, tires, plugs, brakes, etc). Absolutely no engine, transmission, suspension, or drive train issues (it still has the original drive belt).
I cant stand Harley! I have owned them road them and I cant say as I have one nice thing to say about the company or the product. my first Harley was a 77 Sporty. Bought it from a HD dealer and got raped on it (big surprise right?)when they said the only thing wrong with it was the carb needed adjusting. $500 later and a new carb re jetted for my area and a filter to fit said carb. Well the problems didn't end there. Needless to say I pretty much rebuilt the whole bike. I did more wrinchin than riding and that's BS if you ask me. and don't forget HD don't stand for Harley Davidson its stands for HIGH DOLLAR! You cant buy a Harley without a stock pile of duckets and then to customize it well take out a 3rd mortgage on the home and rent your rug rats out to the sweatshops to pay for that idea! Now I own a very reliable always ride-able 02 Yamaha VStar 1100 custom. It sounds just as nice as a Harley. Its for damned sure faster and if ya ask me it looks better than most anything HD is putting out now. So hey Harley Davidson Suck my Metric's rice fumes!
ReplyDeleteGotta agree... Bought a Buell in Oct of 09. Been in the shop since I bought it, water pump WILL NOT hold water. Have been back and forth to the dealer many times.
ReplyDelete1: Golden Gate Harley of Corte Madera. Shady of the Shadiest. Worst customer experience of my life (and I have had some doozies) They actually asked that I contact a different dealer because they were incapable of wrenching on the bike. This place sucked so bad, so so so bad. I truly hope they FAIL as failing seems to be the only thing they are capable of.
2. 2nd dealer, what can I say they kept mis diagnosing the problem, 2 weeks at a time. I finally bought a service manual ID'd the problem, now the part to fix it is out of stock, no ETA.
So much for HD standing by the Buell product. I sincerely hope the Harley folds. I will be seeking a buy back of my Buell under Cali lemon law and will be purchasing a Jap bike (which I sold to buy this POS, I SOOOOO wish I had kept my Honda. I could be riding my Moto and not the phone looking for help with a company that could give two shits about its customers.
I HATE HARLEY....
2007 lowrider owner.bought it with 2000 mile on it.some small issues with the bike nothing major.I owned a honda for 4 years.I cant say it was not a money pit.1200 in parts first year.never realy right.Harley runs good looks good more room.3 more years on payments and still satisfied.honda got me to work ok but was more Cheesy Rider than Easy Rider.dosen't really matter if your Honda Yamaha ....is the most reliable bike.the fact remains Harleys are #1.ask a girl what kind of cruiser your on,dosen't matter she will say Harley.you can be faster,more reliable,less money.....on your metric.but it still ain't no Harley.love'em or hate'em its true and you know it.you can rationalize all you want.I'll still get half of what I paid when I sell.and every girl loves a Harley.not every girl loves a crotch rocket and most metrics are smaller.my neighbor has one every year he tries to make it more Harley less Honda.I still belive thier are 2 kinds of people those that own a Harley and those that wish they did.peace out Ohio rider
ReplyDeleteHarley is for false-patriotic sheep. Its nice to see they are slowly destroying themselves. They fail to market to the new generation of rider while their stocks continue to fall. The only decent looking Harley is the V-Rod, and thats because it looks more like a VTX or an M-109. HD has been so arrogant for so long and, if there is a god, it will be the death of 'em. But, americans are too pre-occupied with image, and that is why Harley is still around. What a shame. HD owners also love to talk bad about Victory bikes too because they are 'metric'. Who cares!? God I hope HD goes under. I wonder how the racist HD owners would feel about Obama bailing them out? I have yet to meet a Harley owner who is not a racist. I would rather strap a Briggs & Stratton to a Huffy than ride an over-priced rattle-box Harley. There is nothing rebelious about owning American made crap. Die Harley Die!!!
ReplyDeleteI have had both HD and metric bikes for the last 40 years of riding. Have seen a lot of riders come and go over the yrs. The average HD rider has transformed in the last 20 yrs. HD has become more of a fashion statement than anything elese. HD products are better now than in the past but still not up to the jap. (68 shovelhead, 99 1500 Vulcan, 71 Honda 750, 05 883 sportster, 68 BSA,)
ReplyDeleteOhio rider you are a typical Harley owner,you admit you ride an inferior product. Girls like Harleys ? So sorry if you have to overpay for a 700 pound vibrator to get laid. Some people buy a Harley because they think it makes them a badass,others ride whatever they like because they are a badass.
ReplyDeleteStay away from Harley Davidson World in Oklahoma City if your a Scooter Tramp, That place will treat you like shit unless your wearing pennie loafers.
ReplyDeleteLets look at it this way.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who knows anything about bikes knows who makes a far superior motorcycle hands down. When it comes to performance, handling, mechanical reliability, user friendly, huge diversity of selection, and most of all price point.
Yet alot of HD riders will argue and start a fight over whos better. I guess thats to be expected from a retard who will drop anywhere from 20-30K on a new hog. Then spend $500 on a leather jacket thats embossed with HD's logo on the back thats made in the same Pakastani leather jacket factory as my $100 leather jacket. Not to mention all the other stupidly overpriced gizmos and gadgets made in a shit hole sweat shop in China or Mexico. All just because it says "Harley Davidson" on it.
Now we get into the HD service department. As I have read in the above comments, several people have major complaints with HD service......imagine that! First off, the dealer can't even begin to staff enough mechanics. Not to mention outragous labor rates, mechanical work and repairs that are done half ass so you have to come back and spend more money in repairs because HD is doing so poorly the dealers can't make any profits in sales to they fuck everyone with the piss poor service. YEAH! Sign me up for a new 2010 Screaming Eagle that still after all the performance work has been done can't get out of it's own way.
Harley Davidson can take their motorcycles, service, and over priced parts and accessories and shove them up their ass.
I have an 02 elctraglide. The left bracket inside broke 3 times. The third time i was told it was now a "reinforced bracket". So this time instead of bracket braking, the inner fairing what the bracket is screwed to broke. I spoke to the cooperate hq. Chris w. said there must be a problem with my bike. Said the bike is eight years old and has 18,000 miles on it. he stated there was no problem with the bracket design. Bullshit! I am very surprised HD is still in business. HD, this message is for you. Don't piss on my back and tell me it's raining.
ReplyDeleteYou guys need to go to I HATE ST AUGUSTINE HARLEY DAVIDSON on facebook.You can vent there.Cj
ReplyDeleteHarley Davidson in a nutshell, screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice, shame on me. Harley, like John Deere, suck the people dry for a shit product.
ReplyDeleteHarley does SUCK....hard!! I own a 2007 sportster XL883L. It's been 3 years and only 9,000 miles (2 seasons of riding in Rhode Island). Already I have had oil leaks at the heads(first year), oil tank seam split(cheap plastic two piece tank), and sounds like and feels like the front suspension is going(bangs over bumps like the suspension is shot). I, like others, originally bought into the image and thought that a cruiser would be more comfortable on longer rides. I test rode a ninja 650r last week (sports bike, not supersport). It had a nice upright riding position that still allowed you to tuck in and the suspension was much nicer over bumps than my sportster. Just wish I rode one before buying the harley.
ReplyDeleteEvery brand has bikes that are cool. None is that much better than the other. I like all brands. I have a Star Venture and love it. My Valkyrie was cool, dependable (had 234,000 miles on it), comfortable and ran like a bat out of hell. Then some asshole stole it. My old BMW RS90 was a great backroad bike. My Harley SuperGlide was a great errand runner. And my Royal Enfield is a fun club racer. My old Penton was a blast to ride on trails. I'm a motorcyclist, not a biker. A motorcyclist is someone who truly enjoys and appreciates the attributes of all brands and types of bikes, rides as much as possible, learns about the inner workings of them, constantly keeps up on safety trends, and rides in a socially responsible manner. A biker is someone who is after an outlaw image; shaved head, tattoos, long unkemopt beard, piercings, chaps, beanie helmet or no helmet, owns generally a V-twin cruiser, (usually a Harley), and has little or no riding skills. Riding fast in a straight line does not make you a skilled rider. You have to know how to corner and brake as well. Bikers also prefer to park in front of bars and show off their bikes rather than ride them. And then ride home after drinking! Dumb!
ReplyDeleteI can buy any bike, from $500 to $50000, because I am educated and wealthy. So are all of my biker friends.
ReplyDeleteWe avoid Harleys like the plague.
Baby-boomer toys.
We also don't watch Jay Leno, drive PT Cruisers, or eat at Chili's.
I don't know anyone who owns a Harley. We laugh at the irony of the middle-class, especially the worn-out icons.
There are 3 classes of riders:
1. Those who own Harleys
2. Those who wish they owned Harleys
3. Those who would never even think of owning a Harley because the "lifestyle" seems contrived and ready-to-wear.
That being said, I respect anyone who can restore and keep a Harley from the 50's and 60's well-running.
That takes skill and dedication.
By the way, we all ride European bikes (BMW, Triumph, Ducati) for road rides and Jap bikes for motocross.
What a bunch of petty whining. Quit being so self righteous and quit trying to justify your decisions. Love your bike, ride yor bike, be yourself. Live life and be glad you’re breathing.
ReplyDeleteHarley davidson sucks on so many levels,I've worked for the motor company for more than 20 years and I'm just as sickened as many of you at the downward spiral they have taken. I, like many of my union brothers and sisters, have proudly worked for and served these arrogant, selfish, Greedy-Bastards who have outsourced our manufacturing jobs to 3rd world sweat shops who have no experience or quality standards and forced us to lower our quality standards and cheapen our raw materials for what? to make a buck at the customers expense and our reward for going along with this rip-off scam? job cuts and layoffs, and as for me, I was "Kicked-to-the-curb" and left fighting for my pension because I'M 50 years old and unfortunately had a work accident, disability, which resulted from the unsafe work conditions that exist inside their "world-class" plant. The new CEO,IS DESTROYING our once proud company, His Motto is Screw-the-Customer while I ride!(and collect 6.8 million every 8or9 months! FU Harley-Davidson!!!
ReplyDeleteIn the 80's when I was in college I wanted a new bike for reliable/economical transportation. I remembered from my adolescence all the time I'd spent pushing the older guy's Harleys up and down the block because they just couldn't kick the kick start anymore when it refused to run. It became my impression that a Harley was something you bought used/cheap and spent more time repairing and customizing than riding. This was the deal, like an old hotrod or truck you tinkered with. No one bought "new" Harleys except the Police. Anyway I went to a dealer to check one out and discovered that it would be cheaper to buy a new car. I wound up with a Yamaha 600cc 4cyl. It ran without a hiccup for 60,000 miles over the 4 years I was in college. So flash forward to 2006. Now I can afford the Harley I always wanted, even though it still costs as much as a car. I have had it for 17,000 miles in about 4 years. I take it to the dealer for all the regular service at around $300 a pop and have some kind of minor dissatisfaction every time I go there. Now, Harley Corp. is aware of a manufacturing defect in the inner primary bearing of my 2006 Dyna but has decided not to do a service bulletin. Well guess what, mine failed at 17,000 miles. After calls to Harley corp. and the dealer, they are going to give me the parts but I have to pay about $300 for the labor. Bottom line, I guess Harleys are still the "Fix Or Repair Daily" of motorcycles. I'm going to spend about $300 on special tools and a service manual and start working on it myself.
ReplyDeleteharleys are garbage
ReplyDeleteThank god for Indian , Triumph and Victory motorcycles. I hate Japanese ,German and Italian products. Harley Davidson even with a good bike you could not own one. You have to deal with there mentally ill dealer ship . A Triumph dealer a hundred miles away will help you . A harley Dealer one mile away will not,or will sabotage your ride. They are so mentally ill they destroyed there own sport /sport touring bike Buell . When Harley dies i will smile. To many friends over the years crapped on by them to mention .
ReplyDeleteI rode Yamaha dirt bikes as a kid. I now own a 1999 Honda Shadow Spirit VT1100C. For me the best bike ever built. As god as my witness I will never own a Harley Davidson, or a piece of crap Buell. I wish I had never heard of harley davidson obama bail out sons a bitches. Economics is about supply and demand, you make shit products and don't listen to or take of your customers you will lose them. ie you don't deserve a bailout if you poorly manage your products.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that there are allot of people that are harley riders who would not be able to afford one if it were not for the sizable competition that Jap bikes bring to the table. If you don't understand this then understand competition lowers prices of everything we use and consume. Wait a minute America had a serious influence on rebuilding japan. Hell they buy warships from America. We have an economic partner in Japan.
Jap bikes? Well they are as american as harley I say this because Honda and harley are pretty much assembled here and thats about it. Honda is proud of their bikes and so is our economy, as well as I the consumer who demands competitive products.
Harley is one of the unfortunate burdens the american tax payer has had to bare. If you cannot succeed in business and did not manage your business properly you do not deserve to survive. Take a lesson from Honda, make a good product and stand by it.
I wonder how they squandered the bailout money the tax payers gave them.