... I rode a Harley and enjoyed it :icon_lol:
My father recently bought a '96 Road King and '63 Duo Glide with a Pan Head motor. He had to buy both to get the Pan Head so will be selling the Road King but he let me spin it around town. I will say for a big bike its comfortable to ride, I really enjoyed it. You sit higher up them some other HDs, the bar are right where you like them and having floor board sure does beat pegs. Ive always wanted a HD some day, but after enjoying a ride a big bike, that day may come sooner. If only there werent so expensive.
PS - My dad isnt your typical HD guy. He actually knows how to work on a bike and does all his work.
Does the air filter for the thing hit your right knee ?
I see them with huge air filter assemblies and they always look like and of course they do get in the way of your leg.
Cool.
Buddha.
It didnt seem to bother me, but it was a normal sized one. There are some out there that do look huge.
On the 750s Shadow I rode it hit my leg. I mentioned this to a Shadow Owner and he said, "you don't ride them with your legs in, you ride them with your legs out." I guess for toughness :dunno_black:
Michael
Right. So all your weight in on the seat, and none on the bars. And, if you go through water/sand/gravel/pine needles, you just press down on the outside peg, so the front wheel wont slip out from under you.
Quote from: scratch on July 11, 2011, 04:05:44 PM
Right. So all your weight in on the seat, and none on the bars. And, if you go through water/sand/gravel/pine needles, you just press down on the outside peg, so the front wheel wont slip out from under you.
Thats not how you ride anyway.......
I rode my buddy's 883 last week, much more comfortable to sit on than the GS, but I didn't like how it handled at all.
Quote from: ryott52 on July 11, 2011, 07:45:57 PM
I rode my buddy's 883 last week, much more comfortable to sit on than the GS, but I didn't like how it handled at all.
ive ridden both an 883c which i owned and an RK. no even the large aircleaners dint hit. nor do they fall apart or break. plus can be overhauled in hte frame lol. trans changed without splitting cases etc. Oh and increasing displacement by chaging 4 parts. now the sporties. they have a narrow front and wider rear tire. thats why they feel like htey are falling into a turn. a wider tire/wheel. aka fatboy conversion solves this. and is cheap to do as well
My dads soft tail is just about at 30k, no real problems what so ever. Of course he keeps it in good condition.
If you go to HDs website they have some cool stuff, throttle by wire, self canceling signals..... I cant wait to own one now!
Quote from: Twism86 on July 11, 2011, 10:32:52 AM
... I rode a Harley and enjoyed it :icon_lol:
Fare the well our wayward GS500 son. You shall be missed...
(http://images.zaazu.com/img/male19-male-crying-tears-smiley-emoticon-000061-large.gif)
... for about 3 milliseconds
:cheers:
Okay. So what's the next topic?
:icon_mrgreen:
Michael
I dont mean more to you Michael :icon_lol: :icon_lol: Hahaha. I aint going no where ;) Not like I can afford a HD anyway :laugh:
Quote from: Twism86 on July 12, 2011, 01:03:24 PM
I dont mean more to you Michael :icon_lol: :icon_lol: Hahaha. I aint going no where ;) Not like I can afford a HD anyway :laugh:
You do mean more. You'll never know how much I am holding back the tears at the thought of your leaving :kiss3:
GS riders never disappear. You can take the rider away from the GS but you cannot take the GS out of the heart of the rider :thumb:
You're staying :woohoo: :woohoo: :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen: :D
Michael
Quote from: mister on July 12, 2011, 02:56:58 PM
Quote from: Twism86 on July 12, 2011, 01:03:24 PM
I dont mean more to you Michael :icon_lol: :icon_lol: Hahaha. I aint going no where ;) Not like I can afford a HD anyway :laugh:
You do mean more. You'll never know how much I am holding back the tears at the thought of your leaving :kiss3:
GS riders never disappear. You can take the rider away from the GS but you cannot take the GS out of the heart of the rider :thumb:
You're staying :woohoo: :woohoo: :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen: :D
Michael
WELL SAID ! ! ! ! ! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
I see no reason to even sell my GS when I get a new bike some time in the future. Its not worth enough to justify putting that $ to a new bike anyway. I would possibly just give it to my brother so I can still use it/ take it back when I want, or leave it in NJ with my parents so I have a bike when I visit.
I think you summed-up why H-D's aren't for me. They're great if you like what they give, but I need a bike I can sit-up on and when you throw-in the price and heft of H-D's they don't make sense. They don't want my business. If they did they'd offer a lighter, more standard machine with about 50HP. They could do it if they wanted to. They could make a mid-size twin with an offset crankshaft and DOHC and fuel injection. Bikes in the performance window of the GS500 (400lbs, 50HP) are the essence of motorcycling to me. I just love 'em to death! The only reason I can think of (since they never answered me) why H-D doesn't make a bike like I describe is because it would cut substantially into Sportster sales.
Quote from: bill14224 on July 14, 2011, 05:19:17 PM
I think you summed-up why H-D's aren't for me. They're great if you like what they give, but I need a bike I can sit-up on and when you throw-in the price and heft of H-D's they don't make sense. They don't want my business. If they did they'd offer a lighter, more standard machine with about 50HP. They could do it if they wanted to. They could make a mid-size twin with an offset crankshaft and DOHC and fuel injection. Bikes in the performance window of the GS500 (400lbs, 50HP) are the essence of motorcycling to me. I just love 'em to death! The only reason I can think of (since they never answered me) why H-D doesn't make a bike like I describe is because it would cut substantially into Sportster sales.
Well their bikes are FI, most of them I think.
Yes, now they are. My uncle bought a new Sportster two years ago because he can't kick his old Sportsters over anymore. It has electric start and fuel injection and he loves it.
Wanna hear about how time can change your perception? My uncle is now 69 and has always hated anything foreign, even though he was born in France and was almost deported once due to citizenship papers his mother never filed. I guess she thought marrying an American Army Lieutenant and him adopting her children was enough. Not quite. He is now a citizen, but not without kicking and scratching. Never mind that, he has always ridden Harleys since he was 17. He won't look at anything else. I would say he's as American as it gets despite the fact he was born in a foreign land and I was born here. He's a lot like my father-in-law who fought in WWII and also hated anything made by the Axis powers. (rest his soul)
My uncle thinks his new Sportster is fast, and he was once (40+ years ago) the #7 Harley top fuel drag racer in the nation. He was paid an appearance fee each time so he made out OK whether he won or not. The more rounds he won the more he made, and he won plenty. He made hundreds of quarter-mile passes at 155-163MPH, and all these years later he thinks his heavy Sportster that can't outrun a GS is fast. I'll never forget what he told me many times back then. "I'm trying to turn myself inside-out!"
How time can change things!
Quote from: bill14224 on July 14, 2011, 05:19:17 PM
I think you summed-up why H-D's aren't for me. They're great if you like what they give, but I need a bike I can sit-up on and when you throw-in the price and heft of H-D's they don't make sense. They don't want my business. If they did they'd offer a lighter, more standard machine with about 50HP. They could do it if they wanted to. They could make a mid-size twin with an offset crankshaft and DOHC and fuel injection. Bikes in the performance window of the GS500 (400lbs, 50HP) are the essence of motorcycling to me. I just love 'em to death! The only reason I can think of (since they never answered me) why H-D doesn't make a bike like I describe is because it would cut substantially into Sportster sales.
Harley did make bikes that you describe (though they did have more power than that)...they were called the Buells...but they tried to sell Buells to Harley buyers in Harley show rooms, so it wasn't a sales success...now if they had done separate stores and advertised as much and supported the bikes as much, the story might be different...a buddy of mine has a Ulyses...really nice bike and it can almost keep up to me... :icon_twisted: (damn foreign bikes anyway... :flipoff: )
Later.
Quote from: bill14224 on July 16, 2011, 01:53:34 PM
Yes, now they are. My uncle bought a new Sportster two years ago because he can't kick his old Sportsters over anymore. It has electric start and fuel injection and he loves it.
Wanna hear about how time can change your perception? My uncle is now 69 and has always hated anything foreign, even though he was born in France and was almost deported once due to citizenship papers his mother never filed. I guess she thought marrying an American Army Lieutenant and him adopting her children was enough. Not quite. He is now a citizen, but not without kicking and scratching. Never mind that, he has always ridden Harleys since he was 17. He won't look at anything else. I would say he's as American as it gets despite the fact he was born in a foreign land and I was born here. He's a lot like my father-in-law who fought in WWII and also hated anything made by the Axis powers. (rest his soul)
My uncle thinks his new Sportster is fast, and he was once (40+ years ago) the #7 Harley top fuel drag racer in the nation. He was paid an appearance fee each time so he made out OK whether he won or not. The more rounds he won the more he made, and he won plenty. He made hundreds of quarter-mile passes at 155-163MPH, and all these years later he thinks his heavy Sportster that can't outrun a GS is fast. I'll never forget what he told me many times back then. "I'm trying to turn myself inside-out!"
How time can change things!
i had rigged a supercharger onto my 883c with parts assembled over time jetting was a Buddha Loves You. BUT used a donor carb. 15 bucks at a swap meet. had to do that because bike was under warranty. so if anythign went south. i could restore ti factory spec in 2 hours
BURN THE WITCH!!!!!
Not gonna lie if I could get a good deal on a 07+ 1200 sporty roadster, I'd be all over it. No chain, fi, hydralic valves. I think not having a tach on most of them is kinda dumb though.
Quote from: PachmanP on July 18, 2011, 06:32:14 PM
BURN THE WITCH!!!!!
Not gonna lie if I could get a good deal on a 07+ 1200 sporty roadster, I'd be all over it. No chain, fi, hydralic valves. I think not having a tach on most of them is kinda dumb though.
You just wait for the violent shaking of the motor tearing itself apart to know when to shift.
Quote from: ryott52 on July 18, 2011, 08:12:09 PM
Quote from: PachmanP on July 18, 2011, 06:32:14 PM
BURN THE WITCH!!!!!
Not gonna lie if I could get a good deal on a 07+ 1200 sporty roadster, I'd be all over it. No chain, fi, hydralic valves. I think not having a tach on most of them is kinda dumb though.
You just wait for the violent shaking of the motor tearing itself apart to know when to shift.
Ehh pay no atention to this. shift LONG before this would ever be an issue.
Yeah, but they redline at like 3k so do you really have a lot of time to wait?
Quote from: ryott52 on July 18, 2011, 08:57:12 PM
Yeah, but they redline at like 3k so do you really have a lot of time to wait?
shaZam! mine didnt. was between 5500 and 6k. besides it makes as much power as many gixxers down LOW in the rev range. so no need to ring it out. whereas you HAVE to ring out asportbike to get all of its advertised power
Quote from: PachmanP on July 18, 2011, 06:32:14 PM
BURN THE WITCH!!!!!
Not gonna lie if I could get a good deal on a 07+ 1200 sporty roadster, I'd be all over it. No chain, fi, hydralic valves. I think not having a tach on most of them is kinda dumb though.
Yes, belts are soooo the way to go!!! Very little maintenance. No one out there likes cleaning and lubing those things. You can get a tach too without much hassle.
They are geared for the torque and lower operating rpm...my bike redlines at 5500rpm, but will still do 220kph (138mph)...it just pulls like a freight train from 1800rpm to 5000rpm...the hardest adjustment is tuning your ear to the new shift point (I ran into my rev limitter about 10 time in the first week :embarrassed: )
And watch out for power wheelies in first...surprised me the first time (didn't think it would do it with a 270ish lb rider :icon_eek: ) :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted:
Later.
Quote from: madjak30 on July 19, 2011, 07:43:01 AM
They are geared for the torque and lower operating rpm...my bike redlines at 5500rpm, but will still do 220kph (138mph)...it just pulls like a freight train from 1800rpm to 5000rpm...the hardest adjustment is tuning your ear to the new shift point (I ran into my rev limitter about 10 time in the first week :embarrassed: )
And watch out for power wheelies in first...surprised me the first time (didn't think it would do it with a 270ish lb rider :icon_eek: ) :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted:
Later.
aye i DID do a PW when i rigged up the super. on my sportie. NEVER again. the FE was NOT built for that. claiming warranty on blown fork seals would NOT be easy
I may have made it sound more impressive (or stupid, depends on your view ;) ) than it really was...the front tire just came off the ground, not like I had it two or three feet up...we're talking an inch or two...still surprised me... :icon_twisted:
Old habbits from the GS500 die hard... :embarrassed:
Later.
Quote from: madjak30 on July 20, 2011, 11:10:24 PM
I may have made it sound more impressive (or stupid, depends on your view ;) ) than it really was...the front tire just came off the ground, not like I had it two or three feet up...we're talking an inch or two...still surprised me... :icon_twisted:
Old habbits from the GS500 die hard... :embarrassed:
Later.
lol you werent acting squidwardly so we can forgive lol
:embarrassed: :dunno_black: :cheers:
I wonder if converting a GS to belt drive would be feasible without lots of money or chopping cases?
I guess you can look at some Buell's for ideas possibly. I think it would be quite a challenge.
Quote from: ryott52 on July 22, 2011, 11:46:17 AM
I wonder if converting a GS to belt drive would be feasible without lots of money or chopping cases?
Yes it is ,and well, its not.
You need a front pulley off a marauder/vulcan 800 made by scootworks. They have been willing to sell me one way back when, but I have not been willing to pay for it especially when there is other small problems. The sproket retaining clip design on the GS is garbage, I would at the very least drill and tap it for a bolt and a washer to retain it.
Then of course the pulley can be no larger than ~3.6 inches if memory serves, 14mm pitch gates polychain in the 21mm wodth will work just fine, that is what the marauder and the vulcan use, and if you get a pulley from scootworks you can just bolt on and get a rear pulley made and a belt measured and buy it and be fine. I dnt believe it is any wider than the stock chain, so you will well be safer, cos a belt doesn't move around as much.
Cool.
Buddha.
Hm, that actually sounds relatively simple.
Quote from: ryott52 on July 25, 2011, 01:32:38 PM
Hm, that actually sounds relatively simple.
OK then you didn't understand what I meant to say.
Or fine you did, the bloody clutch push rod is the problem. Get rid of that POS - its on the right side of the motor and these fools put it on the left and have that idiotic rod going across ... fools, anyway, that will get you the room you need. Yamaha proper employs a right side mechanism for a right side clutch basket ... why didn't suzuki do that. Crackheads.
Lose that push rod and you can buy a gates 14mm sproket off the shelf and slap it on the gs sproket and weld/bolt those 2 and be home free The bolt togteher is better cos that allows you to adjust it left to right to align it best. You're doing it 1 time better get it spot on. The problem is gates engineering doesn't think their belt can be turned tighter than the 4.9 inch dia of the smallest pulley they make. But scootworks makes a smaller one, like a 3.9 inch, I am not thrilled with bypassing engineering design specs from the manufacturer. However the loat rating of a gates 14mm polychain is somwheer in the 100 ft lb range up to 10000 rpm. GS doesn't even dream of that.
Cool.
Buddha.
Oh if you make a mechanism that bolts to the engine case instead of the sproket cover you can easily get one of these pulleys on and be perfectly fine. That IMHO is easier than making a outboard pulling system on the right side, which really you can cannibalise off a yamaha case and mount it outboard with a puller rod fitting going through a grommet. However I can see it all ending in tears.
Cool.
Buddha.