How much performance do you need?

To tell you the truth, this is a stupid question. No really, because there is no smart answer. I'm with snOOp on the performance issue. I don't have a need, to ride like my hair is on fire. I don't think of riding, as a sport. I think sport bikes, handle like crap. To much power, on a bike that is unstable and unsafe. Because my Harley, handles so well. I can spend more time, watching out for cars and other road hazards. When I do, encounter a road hazard. My Harley stands a much, better chance. Of staying on it wheels, not falling over and crashing.

Performance is much, much, more, than just going fast.

I agree that you don't need to go much faster than that on any public road, and all of the bashing on either side of the fence only comes from people that ride for image, not the love of the sport, so to me those opinions are meaningless. I will say though that some people may prefer the improved handling and suspension you get on most sport bikes even if you never go over 80 MPH. I have owned both and they are so different that I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would ever compare a Harley, or any cruiser, to a sport bike. But yes, my experience with Harley's are that they are a rock solid machine that is incredibly fun to ride. But to say a Harley handles better than sport bike, that's pushing it a bit Scooter.

I own three Harley's and as for sportster performance you can get just about all you want if you try hard enough ..Mine grew from a 883 to a 1200 then to a 1450 and yes it runs like a bat ..Both my big twins have built engines .. Hey if a bike don't scare you just a little you don't have enough performance is the way i see it .. it is all about the rush and if you can't get that out of a bike then drive a pickup and be comfortable ...Bike is a poor mans ferrari

It's not about "need". Some just want more--in many cases, more than they can handle and more than they'll ever use. Certainly more than what is prudent. More to brag about.

Harleys are perhaps more limited in terms of handling and chassis performance than in terms of power. Personally, I have found the lack of cornering clearance and quality suspension to be a source of frustration on every model. But I am more into leaning waaay over than most riders, and spend time on the track with some of my bikes.

The bottom line is that people buy different bikes for different reasons.

My Buell 1125R has way more power than can or should be used on the street. Personally, I enjoy street ridng MORE with my bikes that have less than 100hp.

Did you ever notice that it's mostly squids and children riding sports bikes? As they get older (and maybe smarter) people who ride motorcycles are more likely to ride cruisers or touring bikes and are looking more for comfort than speed. Sure, I've had my BMW K1200LT up over 100 MPH too, just to see if it could be done, but I'm much more comfortable riding closer to the posted speed limits.

Ah well just for fun and adrenaline. For instance if I was in a hurry to get home on my Yamaha R1 and didn't care if I really lived to get there or not I could go 186 miles per hour and I can take most smooth corners marked 40mph at 90mph. I don't ride like that, but if I wanted to I have the power. I also like to go to the track and a HD just wouldn't impress me there. I am not sure why everyone is so defensive about their Harley's you guys make fun of our plastic death traps too lol. Hey man HD's are nice looking bikes they used to be really high quality and I am not saying they are horrible now. It's just that for the MONEY you can buy a Japanese Harley look-alike that has more power, better mileage, runs smoother, leaks less oil and is superior in every way and that can be proven on paper. American products in general have fallen behind, It sucks, you have to admit its true. Most reason people buy HD is for the name and the looks not the performance or reliability or reputation. If that's what you bought it for, then that's great for you man. I don't mean to sound harsh or like I am some kind of hater, because I'm not. This is just my honest opinion, I like rice burners, if you like HD's that's awesome for you and if I see you out there i'll still wave cause we are all bikers and we gotta stick together out there. Have a great one man, don't worry about the bashing, just laugh at it because for the most part its all in good fun. You can poke fun at my plastic aerodynamic escape pod anytime you like, I will probably be laughing with you. "Life is to serious to be taken seriously."

P.S. JetDoc it's not that sport bike riders grow up and buy some slow bike that weighs a ton and doesn't corner, it's just that the stupid show off ones tend to get themselves killed or injured enough to never want to ride again, and the squids are about the same when they get caught in a bad wreck with flip flops shorts and no shirt on. lol. There's a few older responsible riders out there, you see there's just a higher rate of weeding out the stupid ones in our culture.

Define performance?

Performance to me is low end (usable) torque, reliability, low maintenance, stylish, comfortable, value.

A harley is the highest performing bike in those categories.

A harley is not the fastest or the cheapest or the quietest, but those things are irrelevant to me, just as they are to the majority of others out there that own them.

The more the people push the manufactures for better preformance the better quality a product is. The stronger the parts, the longer the life, the better then fuel economy. You may not need that performance but having people who desire it and push for it, over the years, has made things more reliable. Thats why your Harley has over 100k and still runs strong.

sounds good to me... i love american performance best. screw that plastic wizzer crap... a harley has a very universal performance quality about them... a harley can be used in all types of riding situations and perform rather well, as alot of foriegn bikes are designed for specific "riding situations" , like try a crotch rocket off road... wipe out city... my sporty would eat'em up... i love that kinda all around riding quality harleys provide, they can be built up and unstoppable on the drag strip, complete beasts, lol..... also great blastin down the freeway doin 80+, speed, style, raw power, strength, universal quality, parts available at reasonable prices. bikes can be built over and over to fit the owners taste of riding.... i like all bikes, but harleys are the best, really, the old ones are the best best, lol

Sane riders don't.

(BTW: 100+ on a 'Hog', unless they've gotten a lot better handling since the last one I tried, isn't.)

Harleys have gotten alot better than they used to be when all those jokes were written,

but 'my bikes better than your bike' is still a favorite game.

Face it, we wouldn't be riding if it wasn't a 'boys with toys' thing.