Tim,
Good point with the Johnson thing...
Ya know, 20 years from now,when you walk through the Shelby museum, I'll bet there WILL be a CSX 4000 car there. If you ask the guy walking around to keep the fingerprints off the cars: "Hey, is that a REAL Cobra?", he'll say, "Nah: this is one of the cars Shelby built later; the REAL ONE is in the back. It's too valuable to put out on the floor."
Like it or not, Harley Davidson did what they needed to do to compete in today's market. I also rode bikes years ago, when you had to be a mechanic to keep the freakin' things on the road. My last bike was a Royal Enfield and I have one (well, OK: more than one-and not the ones made in India, either) today, along with a Buell and my wife's Sportster, which she never would have bought if it were anything like the Sportsters of the '60's! Yeah, they're mainstream now and that helps sell Harleys but it does kinda take riding a motorcycle in a different direction. Very few motorcycle shops anymore with
oil puddles on the floor...
What's my point? Oh...I dunno...no point except...uh...hey, reach in that cooler and toss me another beer, will ya?
Lowell