Being somewhat mechanically inclined I could and did easily tune into the Harley aura I thought the vintage aspects of the Springer Softail were particularly attractive when in my fifties... I really liked the sound of potato-potato that the exhaust played, but ultimately I never much enjoyed cruising on my m/cycles, I was far more into twists and turns on a somewhat more nimble machine of reasonable CC and the R850R seemed to hit the sweet spot for me at that time in life. I was ever a solo performer on the road, as opposed to the large groups culture associated with Harley.
I had the pleasure of riding the first Gold Wing when it arrived in Scotland at my pal`s dealership... Boy was that a very different machine from anything I had ever ridden before, it was a bare bike, no fairings, just as a like my bikes to be... Amazing power at the time, though with Jap tyres it would squirm over every white line. I have seen the fully faired modern versions where the disco sound was way louder than the exhaust...! Definitely not my kind of thing, but each to their own..
