It comes down to what you buy a bike for.
I rode crotch rockets for years, and Suzuki did well by me. The Italian bikes are better off the showroom floor, but they cost a mint to buy and upgrade compared to Japanese bikes.
If I wanted a "cruiser" style bike that was comfortable to ride with no other requirements then I would never have looked at HD bikes. The truth is I wanted a bike that was comfortable, looked great, held value, I could work on, had lots and lots of different parts available, could really become "My Bike," and... here is a big one even thought it shouldn't be... I would not have to explain to every single person I ran into why I choose it instead of a "real bike."
If I see you on the street I could care less what you are riding. I give respect to anyone willing to get into traffic with cars on a vehicle with two wheels and no protection. You do not have to ride anything specific for me to acknowledge you as a "biker." The basic fact is that most people riding this type of bike would own HD products if something did not prevent them from doing so. I wanted to go to toy runs, poker runs, and just take a roundabout cruise home after riding it into work in the morning. If I had bought something metric then I would have had to put up with some people ignoring me at best and hassling me at times, or worse.
Even with all that... I would have bought a metric in a second if one had caught my attention and soul like my Heritage did. So how about less hating on what people ride, and more love for the fact that they do ride. HD used to be a brand, but now it is nothing more than another Corporation with a board that will move design, production, and any other cost center to whichever country can produce the highest profit margin once lost sales due to the move are factored against the savings.
