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I am looking to get into motorcycles and know nothing about them. I want a work horse to travel through the south american continent. I was under the impression that Harley was considered great for that purpose, I guess their propaganda worked on me. Can someone enlighten me on models or places to learn what I want?
I say this as a former Harley owner. Anything but a Harley. Id you want to ride through South America I would look at some of Japanese bike. Honda makes a good adventure bike. Ewan McGregor a long tour rider and he uses a BMW. If you can afford one of those then that is what I would get.
Ewan McGregor was followed by the team of BMW mechanics for one film, he used other brands in other films. Japanese bikes are reliable and fixable. BMWs are neither.
I use to ride with a guy that was a BMW lover. He has 2 r75s and one other. The r75 he rode the most had like almost 200k miles on it. It ran like a top. I have never owned one but know several people who do and they love them. However, you are correct Japanese bike are world wide and easy to get parts for when they break which would be the biggest consideration if I was going a bike tour. I have looked at getting an adventure bike but I find the standover height to be too high.
Personally I'd recommend a Honda. They are cheap and durable. The most important thing is to learn to ride defensively and wear a helmet. If you take the time to understand positioning, other driver behavior, and how to handle hazards you'll do great
As for all-rounders, they aren't the sexiest bikes but any upright dual-sport or adventure type are going to be the most fun and most versatile. Sport bikes are quick, cruisers are sexy and comfy, but damn did I love ripping around on a XT250.
I've never known anyone who said Harley's were good for anything besides"style"
... This includes several people who owned Harley's.
Never had one myself so I can't speak from personal experience.
Harley is a few years away from broke. Dealers are closing everywhere. They catered to one demographic and it's dying fast.
Yeah, unfortunately they lived by the boomers with extra cash, and they'll die with those same boomers. I don't remember the last time I've seen someone under 55-60 on a Harely. Maybe the occasional kid whose dad bought him one?
I'm not an expert, but anyone I've ever seen doing transcontinental rides has some kind of 'touring' bike. BMW is a pretty common brand.