There are a lot of things about Harleys that are stupid: a bazillion different fastener types and even mixing of English and metric, air-cooled engines, high prices, and so on. Japanese bikes are better in these aspects. My Hondas require only several socket sizes to work on the entire bike.
The thing about Harleys is that everything is "real". Real chrome, not that fake plasti-chrome stuff, "real" gas tanks with no visible weld seam, real leather seats, etc. They are very comfortable, sound great and hold their value. I've owned a myriad of bikes from Japanese manufacturers and I'll take a Harley any day over them. Hondas are insanely reliable and a tremendous value but they're built to a price-point and the compromises required to obtain that price-point are not acceptable IMO.
All that said, riding a motorcycle is a very risky hobby these days. Cell-phone use is one of the biggest dangers. I've had several close calls recently all due to distracted drivers and I rarely ride anymore. It's a shame that people are so impatient and have such disregard for the safety of others these days. They've passed a hands-free law here in NH but I constantly see people breaking that law, texting, and generally being oblivious to the world around them.
