Dang, this thread has morphed from a simple oil analyses results to something better seen somewhere else! At least y'all play nice, and don't slit throats and gut the folks who might disagree!
To answer this: And how is a Japanese HD knockoff bike like a transvestite?
It ain't the real thing, baby!
Here's what I call my "Canned Response #1":
I really don't care what make of bike anybody else rides. It's their choice, their money, their problem. I don't care if some steenkin' RUB Sidewalk Commando Drugstore Cowboy Nose Pickin' Wannabe can't tell the difference between a Harley and a YamaSuzKawHon. They have the right to exhibit their ignorance any time they choose. Hey, it provides a bit of entertainment in a sometimes dull day!
I know HDs are generally more expensive to initially purchase. I rode 'em when they weren't considered all that reliable. When I started riding the "normal" choice was between HD, Brit twins, strange European bikes, or somewhat more reliable, but really cheesy lookin' Japanese bikes. I almost chose a Triumph for my first bike, but the owner wrecked it a week before I was going to buy it. In 1973 I looked at Honda 750s, Kawasaki 900s, and new Sportsters. I ended up buying a year old Sporty for about the same price a new one cost, and about $700 - $1000 more than the others. Ten years later I sold it to a brother for what I paid for it. It was a good deal for both of us.
I had a 1978 FLH dresser with a 3 speed hand shift and foot clutch for almost 19 years. It never once stranded me, and had one top end job on it. It had 200,000 miles on it when I sold it, completely torn down and in boxes, ready for its second rebuild. I sold it for $900 less than it cost new. Again, it was a good deal for both parties.
I now have a 1987 FLST with over 100,000 miles on it. I bought it used and maybe a wee bit abused, but it has been a pretty good bike, needing nothing more than the normal maintenance. Of course, a couple times I didn't do that "normal" stuff, and the bike let me know about it. Nothing to do with the quality of the bike, just the dunderhead riding it!
Choosing an HD was a visceral thing. I'm a product of a motorcycle riding Dad, weaned on old Indian Scouts and Chiefs, taken to see a friend's collection of Panheads every chance we got. I'm also someone that simply has to mess with things to "improve" 'em. And of course, I came of age with Easy Rider. What chance did I have but to choose HD?
In the cruiser world of motorcycling, which is the largest segment of motorcycling, HD reigns supreme. They define what a cruiser is. They sell more than the other brands combined. HD and the others are in the cruiser market to make money, and the only way to make money is to pay homage to HD, either in engine design, or sometimes only in the general look of the bike. That is indisputable. Look at the roots of the cruisers and they all stem from HD. And HD got its start in what we call cruisers by copying what individuals were doing to their bikes.
So much for why I like HD. I can throw in other stuff like parts availability, but for most people that cuts no ice 'cause they generally don't keep a bike long enough for it to matter. The other companies that build cruisers don't interest me, as a whole. I do like a few of the individual pieces that are used on them. They become fodder for my imagination, and sometimes these pieces fit into the design of whatever I'm working on. But, and this is just my opinion, though I'll admit it ain't exactly a humble one, every one of the foreign cruisers somehow misses "it". There is always something that pulls my eye off the totality of the bike, and makes me wonder why?
Truth be told, even the HDs miss "it". And that's why I have the bike I have, and why it looks like it does. And for me, that's all that matters.
And now it's time to drop this line of thought and get back to oil!
I've shared the results of these analyses with quite a few people on various motorcycle boards. Everyone was surprised to see the relatively insignificant differences between the car and mc oil, and were disappointed at seeing what their beloved HD oil had to show.
Most of these people are relatively new to muttersickles in general, and especially new to HDs. They have tended to believe exactly what the local dealer told them. It ain't helpful to them, and to muttercycling in general, to be that way, so I decided to play Devil's Advocate on many issues. Finding this site was one of the best things to help that process. I ain't out to bash anything in particular, just like knowing what "is", and not "because I said so". So, thanks to everyone who has helped in my education; I truly appreciate it!
