The V-Star is not the biggest piece of shit I have ever ridden. A Vento 250 gets that honor. <G>
The V-Star 650 is one of the few bikes I have ridden that I don't like. I pretty much like all motorcycles, but this one is lackluster in every category.
Harleys have over a 50% market share in the US for a reason. For those who are math challenged, that means Harley sells more motorcycles in the US than ALL OTHER BRANDS COMBINED. Yes, there are a lot of stupid people out there, but not that many. <G>
The fit and finish of Harleys is the best in the industry. They are a very satisfying ride. No, they are not race bikes. They are not intended to be, but it takes very little modification to get plenty more power out of them. Unmolested, or only lightly modified, a properly broken-in Harley with give 150,000 miles of reliable service before cracking the engine open for a rebuild. They can be rebuilt in a couple afternoons without removing the engine from the frame, and they can be rebuilt indefinitely. Parts are reasonably priced and readily available for ANY year, and they have the most awesome dealer network in the World.
The World is your oyster on a Harley. They will eat up the miles day after day, year after year. I know people who have over 200,000 miles on their Harleys. If you do break down on a road trip, the nearest Harley dealer will take you in and fix it the same day if they have the part needed. Next day if they don't, and they will give you a ride to a nearby motel. You will be back on the road and resume your vacation like nothing happened. Burn out a stator on most metric bikes, and your vacation is over.
They are the motorcycle to own when you are ready for total satisfaction in your ride.
If you ever visit Harley forums, you will never see the seasoned Harley riders bashing the metric bikes. Many of the Harley forums actually forbid brand bashing. They all had metric bikes, and loved them. When they grew up, they graduated to Harley. You never see a rider go back.
There's an old Harley joke.
More than half the Harleys ever built are still on the road.
The other half actually made it home... ;D