Harley fanatics can blow ass

I suppose that title is a little... inflammatory.  Truth be told, I've met some very cool Harley riders.  When you talk to them they are more than willing to help new riders out and share tips on keeping your bike running smoothly (including adjusting the oh-so-difficult rear sprocket).  Most of them tend to take the view that it doesn't matter what bike you are on, just as long as you're on a bike.  Which is cool.

However, the last thing I want to hear (really from any fanatic) is that my bike is inherently inferior due to the fact that it was constructed by Suzuki and lacks the "feature" of a misfiring engine ("It's not a bug!  It's a feature!").  That's right, the big draw for a lot of Harley fanatics (and the more mellow Harley riders) is the distinctive sound that the Harley-Davidson V-Twin makes.  That rumbling, somewhat cacophonous, burble (similar to the V8 burble, more on that later) so tied with the Harley sound is caused by 1) a low-resistance baffle in the exhaust (leading to the volume level) and 2) a misfiring cylinder pattern.  Listen to the timing on a Harley engine, and it misfires constantly.  This also adds to the ever-present vibration.

After taking that in, listen to the timing on, say, a Yamaha V-Twin, or a Suzuki V-Twin, or a Ducati L-Twin.  Guess what, they're timed properly.  It may not sound as blatant, or quite so raucous, but it extends the life of the engine and keeps the maintenance time down.  And don't think that there is any advantage to the misfiring Harley V-Twin, *every* V-Twin produces power in pulses, allowing for a much smoother application of power through corners (it's the reason Ducati went back to a V-Twin design for its superbike racing bikes).

Every piece of literature I've read on non-Harleys, particularly those that come from Japan (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki), is that they run damn near forever.  And they long ago fixed the "problems" with shaft-drive motorcycles, further reducing intermittent maintenance requirements.

I want to make something perfectly clear, Harley-Davidson makes some gorgeous bikes.  The Fat Boy is one of the greatest looking bikes I have ever seen.  I love that type of styling for a cruiser.  Dyna Glides and Road Kings are among some of the best-looking heavyweight bikes I can think of.  Would I ever buy one?  Probably not, since I could get a Triumph Rocket III Roadster for about the same price and get the largest production road bike in the world.

So, Harley fanatics, get off your high horses (or low horses, if you've got a Fat Boy), and realize that while, yes, your motorcycles are iconic, they aren't the greatest horses in the stable.  Because, in the end, we're all motorcycle enthusiasts and what make of bike one rides should hardly matter.

P.S.  Oh, that classic American V8 burble is caused by an imbalance in the engine timing design.  While it is very easy to keep them from misfiring, the burble exists because of the cylinder firing sequence that is needed to produce the greatest amount of shaft horsepower.

P.P.S.  It is not my intention to offend through false statements regarding mechanical and technical matters.  If there are any inconsistencies, inaccuracies, or outright errors, please feel free to contact me and I will gladly revise my mistakes.

My point on Harley fanatics being a large group of thick-headed morons stands regardless.