I'd be surprised if you "got to him", but if you did it's a sign he's already several steps above the average HD rider who can't ride a bicycle and $30000 later straddles a 1700cc motor. Which I guess isn't saying much, since it only puts out like 60hp. Still, it'll be mighty tough for some guy set of a gaudy, loud, chrome encrusted Harley to "settle" for a Vstar 650 or something to learn on. Usually because the whole reason for buying a bike is so they can say "I own a Harley" and hang out with other people who own Harleys.
I've definetly seen first hand that clubs or even circles of friends who ride predominantly/all H-D's do not take kindly to someone going for an import, even though a lot of the import cruisers look/sound virtually the same. You just can't be a "real" badass riding a Honda. And think about how bored that Honda rider will be! 1 weekend of riding, followed by 2 weeks of all his friends making repairs and dumping cash at the HD dealer for spare parts, while he sits at home lonely because his Honda is sadly still running perfectly.