[wambotron]

I bought my first bike here earlier this year aged 35. I took the MSF course at a Harley dealer and talked a bit about what bike might fit me best for riding as a casual/weekend rider (up to maybe 5k miles per year if I ride a lot). No one really recommended a Harley. I got a couple Indian recs, but mostly it was Yamaha and Honda. I ended up with a 2017 Honda Shadow Phantom after sitting on it for a while in the show room of the Honda dealer and I'm quite happy with it.

Harley absolutely feels like a fashion thing to me. I know a few folks who really like them, but it doesn't seem to be based on anything other than "they're Harleys, man." I don't think the Harley brand is going to die off, but it does feel a bit pigeonholed right now as the rough and tumble, leather & dome helmets type of rider right now. Honda doesn't feel like any particular type of bike. I don't feel like I should be wearing anything in particular on it, and I haven't had anyone look at me oddly for riding a matte black cruiser with a high-vis helmet yet. I feel like I would've if I were on a Harley.