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emmissions regulations forced Porsche to give up air cooled engines. The flat-six engines had been developed to produce enormous amounts of power reliably, but they could not go much further with cleaner emmissions. With the switch to water cooling, a host of other benefits are also reaped. It was inevitable that Harley would have to go to liquid cooling in order to stave off tightening emmsions laws.



That said, I hold no hopes. Harley will stay loyal to its heritage of making shoddily built, underengineered, poor performing and handling rattle traps.

 

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Tom,



you are very right. Anybody who rides should be my brother. However, I live in York, PA and there is a harley plant here where all the softails, sportsters, and tourers are built. I ride a Ninja, and the amount of crap I get from people here because its not a harley is shocking. A harley riding superior at work said to me, " Rather my sister in a whorehouse than my brother on a Ninja."



My problem with Harley is the company's explotation of the unreasonable obsession that so many people have with the brand. Harley sells more streetbikes in the US than any one else, they spend little money on motorsport, on R&D, their engineering and construction quality is indifferent at best, and yet they keep charging exhorbitant prices because their customers are happy paying big $ for a thoroughly mediocre product to be part of a cult, for something that is ephemeral.



I am an engineer,a consumer, a rider, and an observer. I disapprove of Harley Davidson because they undermine everything that I, as an engineer, hold sacred. As a consumer, I disapprove of their charging exhorbitant prices that cannot be justified considering the R&D, quality, and manufacturing scale. As a rider, I resent the aggression that most harley fans (owners and not) direct toward me. As an observer, I am disappointed in people's obsession with something that is undeserving of it.



All that said, i would still love to ride with any Harley owner if he/she left the attitude behind.

 

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Tom,



you've made a very good point. I guess I should not judge harley riders. In fact, I rarely do. Over all, my disappointment is with the harley phenomenon, not the bikes or their riders as such.



That said, its not something that I obsess with as so many others do. It is merely something that I thought about and expressed. In the end, I guess, my concern solely should be how I get treated by other riders. I always wave at other riders, regardless of what they're on. Harley riders rarely wave back. When they do wave, it makes me very happy because here is some one who doesn't have his head up his butt. like I said, I'll ride with anyone who'll leave the bad attitude at home.



I just moved here a couple of months ago and haven't gone looking for good roads yet. I moved from Blacksburg, VA.



I think the skyline drive/blue ridge pkwy would be awesome if it didn't have the 45mph limit or droves of retired folk putzing along its length all the time....



I am often in NoVa. In fact I bought a Miata in Arlington last night and I am going back today. We should hook up some weekend once riding weather returns.

 

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Tom,

why don't you email me sometime? its [email protected]