My Harley experiment - a wrap up.

[atadaskew]

 Guess it's because I just don't give a damn what others think.  
 

Nor did I which is why I rode in ATGATT.  Maybe the only dood in LA to do so on a Harley..

Anyway, I get what you're saying.  Which is why I'm still digging the XR.. Cuz changing bits on my Street Bob to make it ride like a 'normal' bike, the XR needs nothing.

[Geoff]

Brakes? They were ok.  Stopping power was fine given the single front disc.  Knowing that a bike like this needed a lot of rear brake, and felt balanced doing so, really helped.

I guess my tastes are just more aligned with what the Italians have to offer, which is why I keep on looking at Guzzis..

My Ultra Classic has Brembos with ABS. The brakes significantly better than the previous type.

I've owned a couple Guzzis over the years, including a California III and 850 LeMans. Both were reliable and easy to service. The Norge is a great sport tourer.

Guzzis are solid bikes, but they just don't sell in the states. Many say it's due to the small and diminishing dealer base.  The Chicago area lost two Guzzi dealers in recent years.

[falconati]

One part is the dealer network, one part is that they're not well known, another yet is that Americans are all about bigger/badder/faster, and Guzzi's power numbers aren't usually attractive to that kind of buyer.  If they had the first two items fixed, I think you'd see some of the aging motorcyclists choose Guzzi - as that buyer is not usually as concerned about the power figure.