Biker gangs and Harleys

[bettingpython]

Uhmmm have you seen which builders bike/rider won the AMA points championship this year? Buell did and their rider Danny Eslick is a hometown boy from good old Broken Arrow he hangs out with a lot of local riders.

The best thing they did was go to the liquid cooled rotax motor, harley bought a big chunk of KTM and Rotax so they could get into the european markets, which gave Erik a new motor option. I would own a Buell now. The other smart thing they did was the V-rod motor. Only other bike they have I would consider.

[tt_four]

Yeah, I'd be really hesitant to pick up one of the older buells, but I think they've made a ton of progress over the past couple years, and would consider a newer one. There was a video of one idling on youtube that I was going to post earlier but didn't. The entire bike was shaking so bad I swore parts were about to fall off.

Even if you don't want to say it, I will. 95% of guys on sportbikes are asshats. I've met a couple guys I really liked, but for the most part, the second the helmets came off was the second the fun ended. It wasn't so much bike related. A lot of guys with sportbikes are either cocky 20 year olds that are full of themselves, or rich overweight middle aged guys who just had an extra $15,000 they wanted to spend and ended up in a motorcycle shop.

[bettingpython]

Yeah, I'd be really hesitant to pick up one of the older buells, but I think they've made a ton of progress over the past couple years, and would consider a newer one. There was a video of one idling on youtube that I was going to post earlier but didn't. The entire bike was shaking so bad I swore parts were about to fall off.

Even if you don't want to say it, I will. 95% of guys on sportbikes are asshats. I've met a couple guys I really liked, but for the most part, the second the helmets came off was the second the fun ended. It wasn't so much bike related. A lot of guys with sportbikes are either cocky 20 year olds that are full of themselves, or rich overweight middle aged guys who just had an extra $15,000 they wanted to spend and ended up in a motorcycle shop.

Middle aged fat guy FTW!!!!! Not rich though... Been doing this since I was 14 though. King Kenny was my hero and inspiration, watching him work a bike was just amazing.

[frankieG]

harleys are over priced, over weight, under powered, expensive pieces of shaZam!.   so are most of the riders lol.    most riders buy them for the "americana" bull shaZam! as well as just the noise of the things.   our little gs500 can just destroy most harleys.  as for gangs? well heaven help them riding a "jap" bike.  ti is mostly prejudice that keeps fat ass losers on harleys.  some are so fat if you look at them from behind when they are on their bikes it looks like a unicycle.

[Honu]

Out here, Harley guys are a bit of a contradiction.  As much as they still personify the bad-ass biker dude image they also organize and are majority riders in quite a few charity biker events.  There recently was the HogWild for Reading Ride.  Over the course of the year there was the Ride for Dad, the Firefighters Burn Ride, and a few others.  Towards Christmas there will be the Toy Ride.  The vast majority of riders are Harley riders.  Speaking to my brother-in-law he's said the reason there aren't many sport bike riders at these events is because they don't feel welcome.  I'm new to the riding game, he's been riding for 14 years.

There was an article in one of the local newspapers recently about an accident that occurred on a stretch of local highway and one of the two sport bike riders involved was killed. Apparently they were riding side by side.  Later that week there were editorials in the paper about how many people hated sport bike riders - because they're always riding side by side.

Funny thing - since I started riding all I've ever seen is Harley and custom chopper guys riding side by side.  I've yet to see sport bike riders riding side by side.   

I tried a Nightster after I got my Class 6 because I still wasn't sure what it was that I wanted to ride.  The vibrations were intense.  The salesman couldn't stop grinning - I was wearing a tank top.  There is no way I could ride one of those things.  I tried a Buell, too.  That was even worse!  I don't know how these guys can ride them for long distances.  My hands were numb just from the short idle in the lot - never mind an hour's ride out to Harrison.  By body was still vibrating even after I got off the bike.  It was very unnerving.

And the greeting thing - I've noticed that, too.  I greet everyone.  But not everyone greets me back.  I get greetings back from a wide variety of people - even burly Harley  and custom chopper guys.  At the same time I get no greetings even from my own crowd.  I guess it's all in their attitude.  The way I see it we're all on two wheels - what difference should it make what brand we ride?  Shouldn't it all be about the joy of riding, the wind in your hair, the bugs in your teeth and the freedom of being on the open road?    (I wear a full face helmet, but you get the idea... )

[jserio]

i hear people say all the time about how bad harleys shake. the 2009 i demoed did not bother me one bit with "shaking".

[birdman561]

Thank you.  

People say a lot of stupid things, especially as it relates to HD's.
Funny, you only hear ppl who dont own Harleys saying this stuff.

When I was younger , I thought gurls would give you kooties
and beer was all icky.....I thought H.R. Puffnstuff was a real dood
and the toof fairy would give me more for my green teef.

As I got older, I realized all this stuff wasnt true, little by little.

Most of the kids that comment on HD's have been riding for 5 or
6 years., never been on a HD, worked on one or  owned one.  
When they get a little older, learn a little.... they will get it.
They'll come around.


I wonder why it is you never see "Sportbike Suck" threads started on
HD boards.......Hmmmmmmmmmmm

[bettingpython]

But I owned a Harley once... does that qualify me to talk smack? I've also owned suzuki's in the past and talk smack about them too!
I also detest Moto Guzzi. Really don't care for BMW's either would totally rock a KTM though. I am however extremely interested in the new Beemer superbike like homer simpson drooling on myself interested in one! Un fortunately I want a wing, I've had one before and it may be the worlds most perfect bike, and a sportbike which means no beemer for me, I have to sell the 954 if I want a new sportbike but a GL I can add to the stable.

If I wanted a chopper I'd totally rock an old school trumpet trident.

[The Buddha]

Ive owned a few Harleys and have really come to hate these anti-Harley threads that always pop up
on any bike forum, so Ill reply just one time, here.

Out of all of those bikes  HD's are without a doubt, item for item, overall, the best bikes made in
my opinion, quality-wise. My opinion. The resale and the number of really, really old ones still on the
road bear this out. Some are faster, some are more hi-tech, and all have more plastic, but none
item for item, are better. I really cant understand why BMW's escape the wrath Harleys get given their
constant reliability issues. electrical glitches and over-the-top dealer yankage when you get one
serviced, but I digress, so back on topic......

Ummm wrongo bridman -
In the 70's HD was getting killed by all 4 jap makes.
CB honda, KZ kawi, GS suzuki, and xs yamaha - no way any HD would hold a candle to these.
The only time the HD quality has put it a leg up over the jap IMHO, is the last 5-8 years.
Not that the HD quality has improved, jap quality has dropped cos they have started designing bikes that make you buy more and more crap from them.
Cool.
Buddha.

[tt_four]

I wonder why it is you never see "Sportbike Suck" threads started on
HD boards.......Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Do they know how to type? I assumed all the bashing was going on at the bar by a bunch of drunks!
(that was a joke by the way, I wasn't the one who started harley bashing)

[jserio]

personally, i think that the only bikes that are/should be thought of as true "crap" bikes would be ones no longer in production. my thinking is that no manufacturer is in business for any other reason to make money. and if they aren't making money off a bike, you'd think they'd just scarp it. so, the bikes that are selling today that have been around for awhile can't really be all that bad if the manufacturers are still producing them and they are still selling. 

[yamahonkawazuki]

Yeah, I'd be really hesitant to pick up one of the older buells, but I think they've made a ton of progress over the past couple years, and would consider a newer one. There was a video of one idling on youtube that I was going to post earlier but didn't. The entire bike was shaking so bad I swore parts were about to fall off.

Even if you don't want to say it, I will. 95% of guys on sportbikes are asshats. I've met a couple guys I really liked, but for the most part, the second the helmets came off was the second the fun ended. It wasn't so much bike related. A lot of guys with sportbikes are either cocky 20 year olds that are full of themselves, or rich overweight middle aged guys who just had an extra $15,000 they wanted to spend and ended up in a motorcycle shop.

i used alot of the buell parts on my sportster. ( engines virtually identical)

[The Buddha]

There were some extraordinary bikes that were scrapped cos the manufacturers weren't making any $$ off them in parts. Those models were either re introduced as others with defects (a clear case of fix what isn't broken and ignore what is ... Vstar from virago 1100 is a good example here) or aww crap someone else is better than ours - eliminator 1000 killed by Vmax, except eli1000 is 1000 times easier to fix, but who cares ..., or jeez, if the people all buy this, we'll never sell them any parts ever again - 84+ Maxim 700's, radians etc or our bike is so cool we want XXXX for it. Oh, OK you wont pay XXXX, we'll discount that to YYYY but wont make any more. Honda hawk.

There is many many more, bikes that were dated, the public's view changed, or the competetion changed the game or rules changed .... many many extraordinary bikes went to the DOA line.
Cool.
Buddha.

[dohabee]

RC51?

[tt_four]

RC51 what? It looks and sounds like it would be a great bike, but all I ever hear about it is that it makes an awful street bike, and that the fun doesn't start to kick in until at least 80mph(which doesn't make sense to me considering it's a twin and I would think it would have plenty of low end for the street, but i've never ridden one, so I can't say).

Don't take that as me saying I wouldn't have fun on it, and that I wouldn't think it was a great bike, but I think it's reputation is that it's too serious of a race bike to make a good street bike compared to everything else that's out there, so just because it's a great bike, doesn't mean it it didn't sell poorly enough for Honda to want to discontinue it.

I personally miss the zx7r  but I have hope that they'll make a new one eventually, I am kind of worried though, I haven't liked any of their ZXRs since the 2003-04 636, so I hope that if they do remake it, it doesn't just look exactly like a 3rd version of the bikes they have now. A little bit of variety is good. I like GSXRs a lot, but I do get bored with the fact that they're all the same exact bike.

[The Buddha]

RC51?

Nope, fugly, hard to work on, weird sheite computer glitches, fuel injectors that somehow come loose inside the housing or TPS does or something, and V twin garbage ... WTF ... why is everyone jumping on the V twin bandwagon. Parallel twin with a 270 crank works just as well if they need primary balance and V twin sound.

SV1000 - another one that is justly delegated to the garbage pile ... till you factor in the fact that it uses all the 650 body bits, all GSXR sheite is a swap in for its suspension and wheels etc and it looks super cool with trellis frame.

TL is another one which was killed by a weapon of different category. Public ignorance.

Cool.
Buddha.

[tt_four]

RC51?

... WTF ... why is everyone jumping on the V twin bandwagon.

I would love a V-twin sportbike. Sounds like a much better engine for the street, and would let you use more of the power just riding around as opposed to revving a sportbike up to 9krpm in traffic. They just don't make too many twins I really like. I do like the TLS and TLR, but that's about it. I wish they'd make a nice 750 v twin. If I'm going to spend that much on a bike I'd like something with more power than the sv650, and I don't need something as big as a 1000. All of this leaves a Buell at the top of the list of bikes I think I'd have the most fun on, and it's a shame that the japanese companies let that happen.

[The Buddha]

I am comparing V twins to parallel twins. Not to 4's.
V twins are idiotic ... need primary balance, do 270 crank on a parallel twin. Heck do 277 degrees and you lose a lot of secondary and get a little primary imbalance back in.
Cool.
Buddha.

[bill14224]

Uhmmm have you seen which builders bike/rider won the AMA points championship this year? Buell did and their rider Danny Eslick is a hometown boy from good old Broken Arrow he hangs out with a lot of local riders.

The best thing they did was go to the liquid cooled rotax motor, harley bought a big chunk of KTM and Rotax so they could get into the european markets, which gave Erik a new motor option. I would own a Buell now. The other smart thing they did was the V-rod motor. Only other bike they have I would consider.

Agreed.  If Harley put a Sportster-size version of the V-rod motor into a standard-type frame with pegs below the seat I would lust for one.

Good opinions here without much hate.  I like that.  Yes, I've ridden Harleys, and as it stands now they're not for me because I can't ride cruisers with forward pegs because of my back and I prefer lighter bikes because they're more fun for me to ride.  I don't like heavy steering either.  My XS 750 is great to tour around with my g/f on the back but it isn't half as much fun to ride as my GS because of its weight.  I could slam Harleys because they're not for me, but I could say the same things about BMW's, Guzzis, Gold Wings, Ventures, or any of the metric Harley clones.  They are equally not for me.  Boxer twins and Guzzis are also ugly as hell.  How's that?  Harleys are beautiful and sound great, no doubt about that.

I really liked tt's questions and birdman's answers.  My uncle's a Road Vulture and it bought back several memories.  I was just a boy back then.  But he left something big out.

There are old Harley riders and newer ones.  Guys who have been riding Harleys a long time, like my uncle, don't like the new guys because many of the new guys are accountants and such who bought the Harley image in an attempt to shed their nerdy image in middle age.  The old guys are also mad at Harley for concentrating on selling the image.  They view the whole thing as crass commercialism, robbing them of the uniqueness riding a Harley once had when riding motorcycles in general was less popular.  Now they're associated by many against their will with a huge crowd of people who are in their minds part of the "system".

I don't really share that opinion although I understand it.  Harley saved an American company and jobs by doing what they did even though they contain a high percentage of foreign parts.  Their sales numbers speak for themselves.  Although I wish they'd make a bike for me I can't blame them for what they've done.

[GeeP]

SV's aren't V-twins, they're L-twins.

L-twins have excellent primary and secondary balance for two-cylinder 4-stroke engines.  Plus, the shaking frequency remains below the threshold that cause "tingling" in humans.