its like in the sixties and seventies people use to drag race magazines, I always raced cars and bikes the real things not stats. The same with touring bikes, I see what I see on the road traveling and it is mostly Harley dressers, and whenever I stop I always talk to whatever is there and when I look around it is Harley, when I see other makes I will go out of my way to talk to them. All I know is this Country and it is the only one I want to know, and here it is Harley. Talking to people I meet in the company that I work for and they all say in their country the desired bike is the Harley Davidson. The company I work for has just about every country covered with employees from those countrys. Do you get what I am trying to say? Harley #1 like the patch from 1971
Don't think I have to sign this but here it is anyway, DEERSLAYER

And thats your emotional stand on the matter. Not everyone has that feeling about it. That doesn't make you right and them wrong.

HD touring bikes are definately the #1 touring bike on the road but that doesn't necessary qualify it as the better bike. HD has the emotional and historic push behind it as you have posted. And thank God for that. Technologically HD is still light years behind the competition. Thats just a fact, thats not drag racing magazines.

Your both right. I think that Harley has come a long way recently. I was just in the dealer and saw some of the new things that they have come out with like the new hard bag cover latches and the new infotainment center. I like technology, Harley needs to go further. I have just ridden a victory cross country, nice bike. I like the idea of air cooling less to go wrong but the victory has a lot more technology in it like 106 cubic inches and 100 horse. No primary chain and 4 valves per cylinder. I have friends that have these bikes and were die hard harley guys, they ride 10k + per year, they don't rework the engines and just do regular maintenance on them. Harley is starting to loose some of these people. One day they will catch on.

I do like the styling of the harley better but at this point in my life I just want to turn the key and go with no worries.

The GWs are definitely good bikes. I've had two of them in the past that I put over 150,000 miles on....along with a first year '99 Victory V92C. The main reason I bought my 2012 FLHTCi is because I now try to buy American with the economy the way it has been over the last decade. I would have considered the Victory Vision....but still can't get past the looks. Anything other than a tourer was out of the question because my wife doesn't ride her bike much anymore due to lack of confidence with a couple of accidents she's had. Doing 2-up put us back in the category of tourer for comfort.
Ride alert,
AJR

Those Victorys catch my eye...but thats all. There is a dealership here and I've stopped to give them an honest what for, no test ride. Like you say, many owners swear by them, some owners swear at them. They are by no means a turn key machine either.The

HD styling in so ingrained into me that anything else pales in comparisson. That'll happen after a life time on one brand I suppose. I try to be open minded, didn't always use to be. Use to would only tide with HD only riders, not anymore. I find many older HD riders in my area anyways aren't as interested in traveling long distance as much as they just, like DS said, always wanted an HD. And I don't blame them, visual they are a work of visual art..

Yup, us too, touring for comfort and as much storage as possible,lol.

My wife tried the whole I want a bike thing and prefers leaving the driving madness to me.