I just came across this web site

http://www.doesharleysuck.com/

I have to say I was surprised. I always thought that Harley was the paragon of quality and a showcase of just how great American engineering is. Then again, with the way their economy is going, perhaps this *is* showing how great their engineering really is… Enough with the politics already.

I always thought Ducati was the one with the engineering problems. I remember talking to one owner back in the 90’s who always seemed to have his bike in some workshop or other which given that it was only a few months old was particularly galling for him. After speaking with the local dealer, they seem to have a far better reputation today and have even offered programs to cut the cost of servicing to offset this dated reputation. That can’t be bad.

Then again, if Ducati’s were bad, what about British bikes from the 60’s and 70’s? Admittedly, most British marques were all but dead and buried by that era but the ones that survived seemed to leak oil with alarming regularity and require their carbs be rebalanced before just about every single outing. At least, that’s what the guy over the road told me though I still fancy buying his bonneville.

At one time, fixing your own machine was the norm. Anyone that bought a bike or even a car for that matter would expect to do their own maintenance and gleefully looked forward to a weekend spent rebuilding a top end. Nowadays, this seems to be an arcane art. You can blame it on technology: With engines becoming increasingly complex and engineering a damn sight more reliable there’s not a lot to actually be done to an engine. That and prices for vehicles are comparably lower and people better off that we think little of buying something new when problems develop. Sure, most of us may change their oil and maybe sparks but beyond that?

Personally, I’m frightened to death of dealing with anything that requires more than two bolts to be removed, mainly as the chances are I will strip at least one of them. It’s something I confess I am deeply, deeply ashamed of, hence my interest in acquiring my neighbors Bonneville. Just like evilmonkey buying britney (if you don’t know check his blog here) I feel I need a project. It’s partly that I feel I need to learn something about engines and partly that I want to own something older than me. I know this is a pipe dream and something that if I pursued it would likely wind up with me having a garage full of lots of discarded pieces of machinery where once a motorcycle stood.

Maybe I’ll stick with new bikes. I know my local dealers will appreciate that but first I better go see how much Dave want’s for the Bonneville…

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