Safety feelings

[cowboywildbill]

I think it is the design and type and not so much the manufacturer of a brand and a of bike and it's intended use that counts. Kind of like a Corvette is going to stop in a shorter distance than a passenger car and a passenger car is going to out manuver a pickup truck or SUV usually. Same pretty much goes for motorcycles also like sport bikes verses cruisers and so on. Wieght counts for stopping distance. There is so much great advice on this page it is worth it's wieght in gold.
I rode for a living for about 4 years and had the honor of going thru Motor Officers school also. I had been riding for 20 years before that. The school changed the way I rode for ever. I learned so many valuble skills. I also learned how to pick up a motorcycle a few different ways. Trust me when you are learning slow riding manuvers and turns you will drop it a few times.
They are skills that have to be practiced often to stay sharp at and retain. If you don't use it, you will lose it.
In the old day's while riding British bikes and old American made bikes with drum brakes especially front drums..The brakes were not that great as compared to today's bikes that have disk brakes. A 60 MPH or higher hard use of the brakes would often heat them up and they would fade like crazy.
Todays bikes are so much more refined and safer in my opinion.
Main thing is like many have said before, ride in your skill level and don't push the bike more than it's intended use was designed for. Sorry to ramble there but to answer your question, I think Harleys are ever bit as safe as any other brand of bike with the exception of the other riders around you on a sunny day being blinded by the reflection comming off of all of our chrome.
Ride safe and enjoy

 

[Stormrider51]

Okay, I blabbed about riding safety. Here's my two cents on Harleys. Harley got a bad rep back in the 70's when it was owned by AMF. AMF wanted to maximize production and profit. There were true stories of pieces falling off and of bikes arriving at dealerships with things missing. That was then. Things are different today.

I ride a Road King and previously owned an Electra Glide. A lady down the street rides a Sportster. We are both believers in our bikes although she does limit the length of trips she takes on the Sporty because of the comfort factor or lack thereof. Neither of us worries about reliability because our bikes have been trouble-free.

I have owned bikes made in Japan, Russia, England, Italy, and the U.S. My Harleys have been as good as any of the others. The least reliable was a Russian Ural. The second least was a Honda. The worst handling was a Kawasaki. (That one was a bear at slow speeds.) My RK rides and handles so well that it is a real pleasure. It's an '09 and Harley really did make improvements this year in handling.

Good luck with your study.
John

 

[cowboywildbill]

Well said.

 

[Stormrider51]

Hobbit,
Mine kept blowing alternators. They were expensive and the dealer, who also sold lawn mowers, never had one in stock so there was always at least a two-week wait for a replacement. It was a good looking bike but it spent more time sitting in the garage than it did on the road. Or at least it was good looking until the rust began to pop up under the paint around welds. I wrote it off as an educational experience and sold it to a guy who had two Urals and wanted mine for spare parts.

John

 

[scrinch]

Hobbit,
Mine kept blowing alternators. They were expensive and the dealer, who also sold lawn mowers, never had one in stock so there was always at least a two-week wait for a replacement. It was a good looking bike but it spent more time sitting in the garage than it did on the road. Or at least it was good looking until the rust began to pop up under the paint around welds. I wrote it off as an educational experience and sold it to a guy who had two Urals and wanted mine for spare parts.
John

:bigsmiley22: My 2005 Ural Tourist wasn't too bad. It only needed a rear drive seal and 2 horns. I put on 12k miles before I sold her for slightly less than I paid. Of course "the rest of the story" is the retail price jumped from $8K to about $12K from 2005 - 2009. She required lots of periodic maintainence, and was straining at 55mph, but a fun rig just the same. .