First off this is in no way meant to be a bash against Harley. I do really like them.

I know most run a long time (100k miles) with little to no problems, but there does seem to be problems with things like crank run out on the recent models and cam chain tensioners on older ones.

The Roadstars seem overbuilt by comparison with gear drive and the tigher tolerances it requires. There seem to be many cases of 100 to 150k miles with no problems. I know there are SVS issues, but these seem minor compared to crank problems.

My question is why wouldn't Harley build a better or equivalent engine to Yamaha given they charge a premium price? I suppose it could be intentional forcing guys to spend more money for "upgrades" down the road. Could also be down to the patents other companies hold - I suppose there are only so many optimal narrow V engine configurations.

What say you?

The most expensive does not necessarily mean the best quality. However they did break ground along hte lines a few times on convenience and comfort factors.

Also, I don't know what HD engine you're looking at, but every one I've seen is pushrod, cams driven off the crank via gear. I'm no HD expert though, so I may be wrong.

ok, I'll chime in on this......

You talk about H-D build quality...... The engine are almost the same engine they have been producing for over 100 years. Naturally, there have been refinements over the years.

I'm just glad AMF doesn't own them anymore! Seems like EVERYTHING went downhill when AMF owned them.....

In my area the service HD offers is outstanding compared to Yamaha. When I go into a Harley service center I know I will be greeted with Harley Experts. When I enter the local Yamaha service center I am greeted by clowns in big shoes and rubber noses
Seriously, the Yamaha dealerships in the area suck. Because of this, I was forced to learn how to do all mechanics on my bike. In the future when I have the desire to purchase a new bike, I am leaning towards the Harley just because of the available service in my area and there are times I'm lazy and don't want to work on my bike.

nasomi wrote:
The most expensive does not necessarily mean the best quality. However they did break ground along hte lines a few times on convenience and comfort factors.

Also, I don't know what HD engine you're looking at, but every one I've seen is pushrod, cams driven off the crank via gear. I'm no HD expert though, so I may be wrong.

Twin Cams (produced from around 2000 I think) still have pushrods, but have a chain driven cam.

greenpus wrote:
In my area the service HD offers is outstanding compared to Yamaha. When I go into a Harley service center I know I will be greeted with Harley Experts. When I enter the local Yamaha service center I am greeted by clowns in big shoes and rubber noses
Seriously, the Yamaha dealerships in the area suck. Because of this, I was forced to learn how to do all mechanics on my bike. In the future when I have the desire to purchase a new bike, I am leaning towards the Harley just because of the available service in my area and there are times I'm lazy and don't want to work on my bike. You left out that they never give out Hot Dogs DANG''''''''''''

greenpus wrote:
In my area the service HD offers is outstanding compared to Yamaha. When I go into a Harley service center I know I will be greeted with Harley Experts. When I enter the local Yamaha service center I am greeted by clowns in big shoes and rubber noses
Seriously, the Yamaha dealerships in the area suck. Because of this, I was forced to learn how to do all mechanics on my bike. In the future when I have the desire to purchase a new bike, I am leaning towards the Harley just because of the available service in my area and there are times I'm lazy and don't want to work on my bike.

You're right that Harley has one of the best dealer networks in the world. You are certainly much better off on a Harley as opposed to a Yamaha if you do have a problem when on the road in North America.

greenpus wrote:
In my area the service HD offers is outstanding compared to Yamaha. When I go into a Harley service center I know I will be greeted with Harley Experts. When I enter the local Yamaha service center I am greeted by clowns in big shoes and rubber noses
Seriously, the Yamaha dealerships in the area suck.

I, too, am amazed how at some m/c dealerships the staff seem to know nothing about the brands they sell. I dropped by our local Honda dealer to browse & check out the new Shadow RS. After looking around & not seeing one, I asked a salesman if they had one. He pointed to a Shadow Phantom & said, "There's one right there." I tried to explain to him the difference in the RS & Phantom (RS: chain drive, rearset footpegs, "peanut" fuel tank, gauges on handlebar / Phantom: shaft drive, forward-mounted footpegs, cruiser-style fuel tank, gauges on tank) but he wasn't hearing me. He said, "Well, that's the RS on the sales floor." I finally pulled up a pic on my Blackberry (gotta love 3G!) & showed him. He pulled put a few model guide books from behind the counter, looked up the RS & said, "Huh, guess you're right, haven't seen that one yet." Idiot!

Around here it's a toss up. Got 1 HD dealership and 3 Yammi dealerships. Gotta say the HD guys were honest when my daughter was testing the buying waters. While at the other camps... one Yammi dealer was way too friendly, another was putoff while the third was great. And they were mostly repairs versus sales. No wonder these forums are so popular.

GP

I get the same kinda atmosphere at my local Yamaha dealer. Harley dealers sell Harleys pretty much exclusively so they know there brand and Yamaha dealers have a world of other products that there involved in like 4 wheelers, jet skis, dune buggys, scooters, heck my dealer even sells all of the Polaris line as well. There is no way a dealer can have that much diversity in equipment and be able to be the best at all of it.