I've owned several HDs and loved them immensely. My riding changed over time and the C14 is now in the stable. Harleys are great for what they are and have a great following. Peace be with them........................
I will say, after watching the videos, reading the threads, and knowing what HDs do well, this is all kind of misguided. For 1/8th, or even 1/4 of a mile, the HDs may compete (sometimes), but I don't ride 1/4 of a mile at a time. The 45 degree V-twins simply run out of air at anything higher. My Wide-Glide with carb kit, upgraded ECU and a few other mods ran out of air at about 115 mph. The Ultra-Classic was even lower. And even to get those numbers I had to run them up in 4th gear and in 5th, I would need a mile or more to get to top speed. The C14 will cruise all day long in OD at similar speeds and not even need a downshift to almost immediately be 20 mph faster. Bottom line, even though they have great torque, it is hard to keep the twins spooled up high enough to make the kind of power needed to make big mph. Hell, as discussed on this forum, rev limit in 3rd gear on the Connie is in the 125 area.
One last thing, and don't get me wrong, I like HDs, but they don't turn worth anything. So take that 1/4 mile track and add a slight turn at the end. That would surely change the dynamic. I once had a motorcycle salesman tell me the Yamaha V-Max was a great bike in a straight line, but people think that because it was fast, it should handle. It doesn't. He said that a large number of V-Maxs were brought in wrecked within the first few hundred miles because the speed v. cornering capabilities.
At the end of the day, we're all on two wheels and its unfortunate there is animosity between brands. To each his own and everyone should be applauded for finding the right bike for their riding needs.
