Ok, here is my situation. This was my first summer riding (yes I took the MSF course). I picked up a Suzuki Boulevard S40 (Savage) and it has been a really great 1st bike. I knew I would be going bigger but I wanted a good 1st bike to learn on. Now I'm selling Suzi and have narrowed my choices down to 3 for the next bike, they are: HD Roadster 1200cc Honda Shadow Sabre 1099cc Honda Shadow Spirit 750cc Not sure which to get. Heart wants Harley, head wants Honda, wait, head wants Harley too..shucks, you see my problem. About me: 38, live in NYC. Old enough to remember the 70's when HD was for Hell's Angels and Hollywood so there is the pull of the Harley mystique, but I don't want to pay for mystique. That I think would make me a poser. Don't get me wrong, I'll pay more for a brand name for no good reason, I am just not looking to buy a bad boy image which I think a lot of people do when they get a Harley, all reaction and no research (not trying to offend anyone, I'm sure all the HD owners here researched the heck out of the bike before they bought). HD, overpriced I know but it's not an argument. Heck, everyone pays more for a brand name these days so you can't make that argument unelss you live a no frills life. If you have one brand name in your life then you can't bring up 'overpriced' as a reason. If the HD was really an American made product then the choice would be easy but the thing is made in Japan and Germany and just put together here so American made is not an argument. I also know that the quality of the HD's are a lot better then they used to be. Maybe not as good as the metric cruisers, but quality is not much of an argument for or against these days as both HD and Honda are very well made. So it comes down to... Do I want over a liter or will 750 be enough? Belt vs Shaft drive Liquid vs Air cooled. The bike will be mostly for commuting and maybe 2up riding next summer (if the wife gets the nerve). I'm not going to go crazy moding the thing but I will do someting (not sure what) to make it mine. I know HD has a ton of aftermarket but for what I would do, I'm sure Honda has enough parts for me. Oh yeah, I have learned (and forgive me cruiser crowd) that I hate chrome so that is an advantage for the Roadster. Sabre - Nice big bike but doesn't feel too big and looks good on paper. Have only sat on it and ready about it. Roadster - Think it looks great on paper. Have not had a chance to ride one. Test drove a custom 1200 though so I'm thinking it will be similar but handle a bit better. Shadow 750 - Smaller but felt comfortable when I sat on it and again, looks good on paper. Not enough power? I don't know, when I speak to people I see riding a shadow they say it has enough power, plus it should be even less maintenance then the HD. Looked at the 883 Roadster but I hate the small tank and if I'm going to get that then might as well get the 1200. The 08 has the 4.5 gal tank which I think makes the bike look much better. So, this is where I am. Thought I would post here to see what people think so I can absorb, digest and hopefully decide. Thanks in advance everyone.
Orignal From: Harley vs Honda
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