That's something I never thought I'd hear.
You're telling me. I could not have been more surprised when I consulted for a local H-D dealer. They were quite professional, very competent and good to work with. They're also hard-core bikers all the way - nobody gave me any flack for riding a Honda. Spare parts are very reasonable too. They do make nice bikes, but they underwhelm me. V-twins just aren't all that exciting. H-D makes their money off merchandise - clothing, chrome and "performance" upgrades are quite expensive. OTOH, their riding gear is a joke, IMHO. It was all made of very high-quality materials, here in the US, and looked great. However, my bargain-basement $40 Fieldsheer textile jacket gives better protection than the $300 Harley leather jobbie.
They also speak a different language. Here's an example:
I needed some fork oil. It's made in single viscosity types (5wt, 7.5wt, 10wt, etc.) so you can 'tune the forks.' Thicker oils will stiffen up the front forks, all other things being equal. It's also pretty expensive oil. So it's important to know exactly what you're getting. I asked the parts guy what weight it was. He looked at me like I was daft, picked up the bottle and read the label to me. "That's Heavy Duty fork oil."
Well then, I stand corrected! I'll just fill up my "Screaming Thunder" "Performance Racing" H-D forks
(made in Japan) and
make the potholes
scream for mercy under the thundering hooves of my Harley!
Speaking of that, you might not believe this, but my Hondas also use the EXACT SAME 41mm Showa forks that most Harleys use. They have some additional chrome (of course), and less tech, but they're the same mechanism. I've considered swapping 41mm tubes from a Harley, because they're cheaper than the Japanese equivalents.
I've been to a good many Honda parts counters...let me tell you, Harley's service & parts guys left them all in the dust. Having said all that, I'll leave H-D riders for a different day...they are quite the mixed batch!
