I always thought that when i got too old i would buy a Harley and just cruise and it would be the last bike i ever owned so, in 2006 i bought a new Softail Standard. I was 45. I hated the gearbox because it would be revving it's ring of in 2nd and then die in 3rd if i was in the twisties. I would have to line a car up for 1 km before deciding to overtake it if there was any sort of hill ahead of me so, when i got an offer to trade it in and spend $4000 to upgrade to and 09 with 6 speed box and 95 cube engine, i took it. It was better spacing in the gearbox and the engine worked much better but, i could never get my head around not being able to lean it to any angle worth speaking about before i was grinding the pipes or primary ???? This and the fact that spokes rusted, master cylinders leaked and it was not as comfortable as my S3 made me decide to get rid of it. I have since bought a Thruxton so i can ride a lot slower than when i am on the S3 but still have fun in the Twisties. I will never own another Harley and my opinion of my softail is that they are overated, over priced, heavy bikes, that do not handle, have no brakes, bad suspension, are uncomfortable and have bad quality control with some parts. Also, there is no fun in riding them unless you enjoy heavy bikes that are only usefull in a straight line and you get off on image. Owning a Harley made me realize what an old guy (older than me) once told me was true, which was, a bike should be light and nimble, otherwise, you might as well own a car. I can honestly say that the only bikes i have ever regretted buying were my 2 Harley softails. And the image ???? Well, when i was young, if you owned a Harley it meant you knew about bikes and you could handle yourself. These days, just the yuppy image alone is enough to make you puke or burst into laughter. Riders wear brand new Harley jackets, Harley boots, Harley scarfs, Harley helmets, and my alltime favorite - those veeeery scaaaaary skull masks, they are just friggen hillarious. These days the image alone is a good enough reason to never own one and the longer i owned mine the more embarrised i felt. The Thruxton on the other hand is a joy to ride and you don't see them on every street corner. JMO. In fairness to Harley, i will never buy another cruiser of any brand because some of them don't go round corners as well as a Harley, i know, because i have overtaken them on my Softail.