I like the Vrod and it's derivatives, but most of the rest of them are overweight, underpowered and unreasonably loud, and not that reliable. Which can probably be said of most of their owners too. I once saw a Harley at an indoor motorcycle show that actually had a plastic container on the floor under the sump because it was leaking oil.
That reminds me of the episode of Weeds when Dean (a lawyer) buys one, and buys all the leather gear, then ends up on the road with some real bikers who see right through him and run him off the road.
True, but when it comes to Harleys, they don't really have the performance to pack up all their noise and drama.
I think their performance is comparable to other bikes in the cruiser category. I've only ridden a sportster, which had a ton of torque, and admittedly a lot of fun to listen to. I thought the riding position was OK. Another funny thing is that my kawasaki would probably be considered not a "real" bike by the HD biker crowd. But when I rode that sportster it had all the frills my bike doesn't have...speedometer, mirrors, front turn signals, and turn signals that turn off automatically.
Id never buy one, cool to look at though. Id say a good percentile of people who ride motorcycles on the street are looking for attention regardless of it being a harley or a crotch rocket.
I love Harleys. Everything about them, like you say, the look, the rumble. They're cruisers. Unfortunatly, a lot of their riders are wankas. I'd still ride one though, hoping that the Rebels or Hells Angels steal it, which, that would more than likely happen. I love old Triumphs too. And Ducattis.
I love harleys especially the dyna wide glide, the night train, the electra glide classic, the fat boy and the road king. They are very unique motorcycles offering something different compared to other brands.