Harley-Davidson

Estimating and Project Management

In October of 2005, after racking up over 25,000 miles on my poor KLR650 in about 2½ years, I decided it was time to get something that I could ride for longer distances and still be comfortable. I settled on the Harley-Davidson Road King Classic.

Frankly, I'm not that crazy about the whole Harley thing, especially the "Harley lifestyle" idea that so many folks seem to cling to. I think that Harleys are reasonably good bikes, but not really any better than Japanese bikes. Besides, all the Rich Urban Bikers (RUBS) I see are frankly embarrassing. You've seen them. They've got some midlife crisis going on, so they get all dressed up in their little biker outfits and ride their $20,000 penis extensions a couple of blocks for everyone to see. I hate that. But then again, maybe from someone else's perspective, I'm a RUB. Who knows.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles do hold their value well. After checking some resale values on Japanese cruisers compared to Harleys, I found that despite spending more on the Harley, I'd actually lose less money if I had to resell it after 5 years. In addition, Harleys are just downright better looking than any Japanese bike. And to cap it all off, it IS a Harley. Oh my God, now I'm starting to sound like a RUB.

No matter what you think about them, Harleys do garner a certain bit of attention. Did I buy a Harley for that? I'd like to think not, but maybe on some level I did. Most of all though, I just want to ride. A lot. I want to leave work every Friday evening and ride till Monday morning. I want to pick a direction and ride that way till I run out of money or luck. I want to take my wife with me on rides sometimes. I want to see places I haven't seen before. This bike has what it takes to ride all day in comfort and look good doing it. It even has cruise control and a security system. Cool.