In de Volkskrant was a story about the disappointing sales at Harley-Davidson. A dealer realizes that his brand is not innovative and that the market is aging. Fortunately, 500 and 750 cc Harley-Davidsons are now being made. In India… And: "A Harley-Davidson is an investment." Yes, you get that cuckoo. The purchase of a half of white or a set of socks is just that.
Hard times
By the way, it is not the first time that things have gone bad with the brand that used to be made in Milwaukee. But much good and the last miraculous resurrection is due to the rightly legendary Willie “G” Davidson, the man who later took part in the management buy out at AMF, the steel giant that lowered Harley's quality well below the legendary Russian motorcycle level .
Let modern Harley pay attention to the Davidson line, but for what it is: A soulless company full of managers, marketers and sellers of all lifestyle attributes conceived by the name Harley-Davidson. And a silly source of inspiration for entire tribal tattooists.
Real Harley's
Back then, there were still real Harleys. In addition, every new development within the brand was seen as objectionable by enthusiasts. Most recently, the Shovelheads were the last true Harleys. Now these are the Evolution models (1983-1998). And those Evo's are the best bikes. Of course, chances are the Evo of your dreams has been serviced or tuned by a would-be mechanic and ridden by a Harley poseur. So stay away from all customs, choppers, personalized bikes and machines with wild exhaust systems without carburation or injection modifications.
But a well-maintained Evo? That's a nice motorcycle. It easily turns a ton. And is an investment. But I don't believe that such a machine will ever be worth a lot of money. At best, you're less likely to write off on it than on a new one.
Many flavors
Harley does not only use names, but also letter codes for his products. A Harley-Davidson Softail FXSTSSE CVO Softail Springer Screamin 'Eagle really exists. And it's just one motorcycle.
So the Softails
But 'ST' stands for Softail, which is of course a 'registered trademark'. Harley employs more lawyers than factory personnel. The frame has the looks of a 'hard tail', an unsprung rear wheel, but of course it is not. That is very clever. Regardless of the year of construction: such a Softail always looks very classic. So if you choose that approach, then you are set.
STs are available as FXST, FXSTC, FLST and FLSTF. They differ in looks, but share the 1240 cc block that in Europe after 1990, after environmental strangulation, still delivers such a tight 50 pony powers. These are roughly 63 sturdy draft horses. The environmental restrictions are easy to remove. The consumption is about 1 to 15. The driving comfort on longer distances is limited by the lack of possibility to switch. Road handling is 100% American and geared to speed restrictions and long straight roads. The braking force does not remain. The link requires a firm approach.
The trustworthiness
The Evolution blocks are regarded to this day as the best engine blocks that Harley has ever built. Provided it is maintained according to the regulations and ridden with normal sense, such a V-twin is really good for a ton. Our advice is: buy as original as possible and check the maintenance history. Blue exhaust corners are suspicious. Also leave the motor at stand if the no-load speed is regulated too much on the 'potato, potato' sound. A too low static speed is disastrous for the big ends. No strange noises should come from the primary transmission box. The paint and chrome work on these Harleys is actually nothing more than mediocre.
The world has two icons namely Mercedes and Harley Davidson. No small child will say Later when I grow up I want a goldwing. So negative dick stories all come from characters who haven't had HD but it doesn't impress. Investment?… Then you have to be patient and I think EVO will be the last classic. We wait and look forward to the next stories
The world has two icons namely Mercedes and Harley Davidson. No small child will say Later when I grow up I want a goldwing. So negative dick stories all come from characters who haven't had HD
And not 1240cc but 1340cc and those 100.000 kilometers I already had on my 1986 lowrider in just over 2 years and the thing was still new !!
Wanted to buy one from 1998, but because of the picture that is sketched here, I start to doubt whether it is a best purchase.
1998 Evo's are pretty good, better than the twin cams that came later.
That the Evo is made to 1998 is also incorrect.
My own is from 2000.
Must first read his own carefully before the gentleman posts an article that he clearly does not understand
What he says is right, the evo is made 1999 the last to come out of the factory. Will only be delivered to the rest of the world the following year
What he says is right, the evo is made 1999 the last to come out of the factory. Will only be delivered to the rest of the world the following year
Has been made 1998 in the USA, is numbered here in 1999. For Dutch law it is from 1999 unless otherwise stated in the registration certificate. Probably yours has been stored somewhere for a year and is put on license plate in 2000.
And not 1240cc but 1340cc and those 100.000 kilometers I already had on my 1986 lowrider in just over 2 years and the thing was still new !!
It is EVO and not ECO. 1340cc and no 1250cc. Mr. clearly understands?
1340 ...