Go ride more. Bikes with "soul" break. Do you have any rally experience at all?
I asked a polite question. One that was never answered. Preconceived notions indeed. Sure, not everyone is trying to win. I do get that. But at some level, you might as well skip rallies and just tour if you're not going to even try and are going to set yourself up for failure.
Instead of just accepting that you are a lost cause, I'm going to try again from a different angle. I honestly believe that you are capable of understanding what is going on here.
Yes, bikes with soul break. But that's not the end of the story. Bikes without soul break too. In the 2021 IBR, a BMW DNF'd because of mechanical reasons (assuming
@lakota is correct). That's a soulless bike breaking right in front of your eyes. It should also be pointed out that 68% of all Harley-Davidson bikes that start the IBR finish it. Only 75% of BMWs finish, so HD is not far off. That's a 7% difference (by simple math). Yamaha has an 86% finish rate. That's 11% better than BMW (again by simple math). Why aren't all those BMW riders trading up to a Yamaha? Why are BMW owners now giving themselves the best shot at success? Why would they chose a sub-optimal platform with an 11% higher chance of failure? If everything was about getting the best chance at winning, everyone would just ride the same bike. Clearly, there is more to rallies and long distance riding in general than winning.
Why is there a Hopeless class in the IBR? If it's all about winning, such a class shouldn't even exist. Clearly, the IBA itself understands that there is more to the IBR than getting your name on the top of the leader board. Why don't you? There are plenty of people who like a challenge. Heck, everyone here in the IBA know about enjoying challenges. That's kinda what the IBA is about. Don't you think some people in the IBA want a bigger challenge, like using a bike that isn't quite the ideal long distance bike for long distance duty?
When you understand that the bike is a tool, then you might start to understand why you pick the correct tool for the task. You don't pick an Elise for a commuter car, you pick a Corolla. Could you commute in an Elise? Sure, but you'd be a damn fool to do so. Wasting money and beating up a car suited better for track days. Not to mention being uncomfortable as hell for a commuter task. The list goes on. Just because you can, doesn't make it a good choice.
Let's explore that analogy a bit. The first sentence is extremely important, and I think it demonstrates the issue. Yes, bikes are tools. Yes, you should pick the correct tool for the task. But you don't always fully understand other people's intended tasks. Perhaps my vehicle's task isn't only to commute from Point A to Point B. Perhaps my vehicle's task is to provide driving enjoyment via stark contrast with my F350 diesel dually pickup truck. I may want something light weight, sporty, a good choice for track days, and it has to turn heads, but not cost a small fortune, and can do double duty as an occasional commuter when I don't want to take the big truck. An Elise is a good choice for such a vehicle. I can replace the seat in it in favor of something more comfortable, add carpeting, and tune the suspension for a bit more compliant ride and have a vehicle that still works well on the track, but also does okay as an occasional commuter and will definitely turn heads. Sometimes, the less popular less ideal choice
is the best choice for the intended task.
My point here is that you are misunderstanding the task. You are missing the most important parts of the OP's intended task. It's not about buying the most popular rally bike. It's about building his rally bike out of the bikes he loves. A Japanese liter plus bike is the wrong tool for that job. He's a Harley guy and wants a Harley rally bike. When you understand the job, then you might start to understand why a different bike is the wrong tool for that job.
That's what I've been trying to tell you. Winning a rally isn't the only task, even for a rally bike. In the OP's case, the actual building process is probably far more important than winning the IBR. The physical journey of building the bike is a huge part of his task. You can see this in cert rides. You start at home and end up at home (for most of them). The task is the journey, not where you end up.
Intervention is when you educate someone that their preconceived idea isn't really a good choice and maybe they should open their eyes and look around a bit before they spend far more money to get far poorer results.
Consider this your intervention. I am educating you that your preconceived idea that a mainstream rally bike isn't really a good choice for the OP's intended task. Maybe you should open your eyes and look around a bit before suggesting that he spends money on something he isn't looking for, i.e. spending far more money to get far poorer results. Your preconceived idea that the OP is just looking for the best possible rally bike is wrong.