My thought for 2010 on Metric vs Harley

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
....we no longer live in trees...


Your ancestors lived in trees?

BTW, enjoy the little "vacation?"

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: boraticus
....we no longer live in trees...


Your ancestors lived in trees?

BTW, enjoy the little "vacation?"


Everyone's ancestors lived in trees. You got to get out more.

Now how did you know that I went on vacation? Yeah, I was out of town from just after Christmas until getting home yesterday. It was great skiing out in BC.

 

[Gunatics_Adler]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
Anyone who expects any form of technology to remain unchanged is out of touch with the real world. Everything changes. That's why we no longer live in trees. Change is inevitable. Look at the auto industry. Every year it's something new. More sophisticated and also more complicated to the point where the average mechanically inclined Joe wouldn't know where to start if something went wrong.

I don't mind change as long as it is for the better. That just makes good sense. Change for the sake of "change" is plain useless.

Speaking of Japanese bikes that have had very few changes, the Kawasaki KLR650 was virtually unchanged for over well twenty years. I think the 2008 model is the first major change and much of that was cosmetic. There was also a slight chassis reconfiguration. I think they lowered the seat height to make it more appealing to average sized riders.

I ride with all sorts of bikes. Including Harleys. As long as people leave the exhaust systems stock, I have no problem with them. I actually enjoy the sound of stock Harleys. Once they change to straight pipes, that's it for me. And that doesn't go just for Harleys. I won't ride with anyone whose bike has been modified to make unnecessary noise. It seems that for some reason, the Harley riders I know cannot leave the stock pipes on. First thing they do is put on pipes that make more noise.

WHY? Please don't give me the "loud pipes saves lives" line of b-s either.



Yeah but if you need some really cheap take off mufflers, Harley Dealers usually have a pile of them they will either sell dirt cheap or give away.

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
...Everyone's ancestors lived in trees...


Maybe yours...and Michelle's....but not mine. I don't believe the Lucy and Ardi stories.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
Please don't give me the "loud pipes saves lives" line of b-s either.


If you rode in an urban or suburban area you would realize that it is NOT b-s. People put performamce exhaust on their HD when they get a stage1-3 done for performance reasons. My bike has SEII exhaust & air intake. So hi flow air cleaner & pipes in an easy way to get a Harley engine to breathe better and boosts the HP/torque by about 10%. But I don't know why I am telling YOU this because you seem to know ebery Harley riders motivation for everything they do.

 

[Robenstein]

If I had a Harley I would not do anything to make it fast. Fast is relative, and Harleys are relatively slow when you put them against actual high performance sport bikes.

If I want a cruiser, I buy a cruiser. If I want to go fast, I will get a sports bike.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Please don't give me the "loud pipes saves lives" line of b-s either.


If you rode in an urban or suburban area you would realize that it is NOT b-s. People put performamce exhaust on their HD when they get a stage1-3 done for performance reasons. My bike has SEII exhaust & air intake. So hi flow air cleaner & pipes in an easy way to get a Harley engine to breathe better and boosts the HP/torque by about 10%. But I don't know why I am telling YOU this because you seem to know ebery Harley riders motivation for everything they do.


Sooooo, if you want a more powerful bike, you know there are a lot of machines to choose from for less than half the price... Hopping up a Harley seems counter productive. Why not keep the Harley stock and spend the ten grand that would be spent on performance modifications on a more powerful machine? That way, you get the best of both worlds, No?

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: boraticus
...Everyone's ancestors lived in trees...

Maybe yours...and Michelle's....but not mine. I don't believe the Lucy and Ardi stories.

And the sun rotates around the world it's also flat!

OOOOOO-K.

 

[af0h]

Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: boraticus
....we no longer live in trees...

Your ancestors lived in trees?

Not me, my ancestors were dropped off here by aliens as an experiment.
Looking at how things are turning out, i'd say the experiment was less than successful.

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: af0h
...i'd say the experiment was less than successful.

[deleted]

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Please don't give me the "loud pipes saves lives" line of b-s either.


If you rode in an urban or suburban area you would realize that it is NOT b-s. People put performamce exhaust on their HD when they get a stage1-3 done for performance reasons. My bike has SEII exhaust & air intake. So hi flow air cleaner & pipes in an easy way to get a Harley engine to breathe better and boosts the HP/torque by about 10%. But I don't know why I am telling YOU this because you seem to know ebery Harley riders motivation for everything they do.


Sooooo, if you want a more powerful bike, you know there are a lot of machines to choose from for less than half the price... Hopping up a Harley seems counter productive. Why not keep the Harley stock and spend the ten grand that would be spent on performance modifications on a more powerful machine? That way, you get the best of both worlds, No?


No. I like my Harley and simply don't agree with your philosophy....it is not about the money. I am well aware that there are other bikes and cars that are more powerful for "less money". But are they really less money? The actual cost of ownership is the price you paid minus the price you sold it for. So, if I paid $14500 for my Harley( which I did in Jan 2006) and put $1,000 into it I have $15,500 in it. (I do all my own work and buy all my parts used or on ebay). Now I can sell my bike right now for about $11,500-$12,500 so I will call it $12k. So my cost to own a new 2006 Harley Davidson is actually about $3500 for 4 years. Now show me a metric bike in the same 1450cc+ range bought new where you will lose less than $1,000 per year in depreciation for the same price.

 

[SWSportsman]

Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: af0h
...i'd say the experiment was less than successful.

[deleted]


Inappropriate? Surely you jest.

 

[Gunatics_Adler]

Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Please don't give me the "loud pipes saves lives" line of b-s either.


If you rode in an urban or suburban area you would realize that it is NOT b-s. People put performamce exhaust on their HD when they get a stage1-3 done for performance reasons. My bike has SEII exhaust & air intake. So hi flow air cleaner & pipes in an easy way to get a Harley engine to breathe better and boosts the HP/torque by about 10%. But I don't know why I am telling YOU this because you seem to know ebery Harley riders motivation for everything they do.


Sooooo, if you want a more powerful bike, you know there are a lot of machines to choose from for less than half the price... Hopping up a Harley seems counter productive. Why not keep the Harley stock and spend the ten grand that would be spent on performance modifications on a more powerful machine? That way, you get the best of both worlds, No?


No. I like my Harley and simply don't agree with your philosophy....it is not about the money. I am well aware that there are other bikes and cars that are more powerful for "less money". But are they really less money? The actual cost of ownership is the price you paid minus the price you sold it for. So, if I paid $14500 for my Harley( which I did in Jan 2006) and put $1,000 into it I have $15,500 in it. (I do all my own work and buy all my parts used or on ebay). Now I can sell my bike right now for about $11,500-$12,500 so I will call it $12k. So my cost to own a new 2006 Harley Davidson is actually about $3500 for 4 years. Now show me a metric bike in the same 1450cc+ range bought new where you will lose less than $1,000 per year in depreciation for the same price.


I dont buy my bike to just trade it off every couple of years to have something new. Indeed, I believe in customizing the bike I buy and riding it until the wheels fall off(chroming it up, paint ect on a cruiser). Resale is of no concern to me. I buy things to keep them long term. Its the way I was raised and thats why we still have such jems like a 59 Corvette, a 1932 Ford v8 coupe, and a 62 Impala in the family.

 

[af0h]

Since I ride a Honda Metropolitan (scooter), you guys can all make fun of me.

I don't care, really....

When people laugh at me for what I ride, I laugh at them when I see how much they spend at the gas stations.

 

[fuel tanker man]

I drive a fuel tanker and a couple of years ago I was going north on I-81, near the 130 mile marker in Virginia. There's a rest area there, and a car was coming out of the rest area merging with northbound traffic.

I moved into the left lane (not a lot of truckers do that, I know, but I'm nice )... and I let the car merge, and speed on ahead of me...

I put my right turn signal on, preparing to move back into the right lane. There was nothing in my mirrors--not even the spot mirror at the right corner of the hood--and as I was getting ready to move the tanker truck into the right lane, I heard an engine running somewhere near my truck.

I thought there must be a helicopter overhead, but it sounded like it was coming from the right side of the truck.

I held the left lane and extra few seconds, then out from seemingly nowhere a Harley Davidson--yes, with loud pipes--emerged from my blind spot at the right front corner of the truck. I don't know if he had been in the rest area, or had simply made the fool mistake of trying to buzz around me on the right when I moved left to let the car merge.

In any event, I can say, with God as my witness, that I did not see the guy--but I did hear the engine on the Harley, and it probably kept me from running over the guy.

Dan

 

[bigbird_1]

Originally Posted By: af0h
Since I ride a Honda Metropolitan (scooter), you guys can all make fun of me. I don't care, really....
When people laugh at me for what I ride, I laugh at them when I see how much they spend at the gas stations.


+1. I drive a Honda SH150i. I laugh at all the HD riders who spend more on their attire and image than they do on their bikes.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: af0h
Since I ride a Honda Metropolitan (scooter), you guys can all make fun of me.

I don't care, really....

When people laugh at me for what I ride, I laugh at them when I see how much they spend at the gas stations.


I see scooter people all the time. What's to laugh at? It's just another rider like me, doing his thing on a machine that's not offensive to anyone.

Now, if I see an under-powered scooter out on the highway, with a guy hanging over the handle bar just to crack 45 mph, well, does bring a smile to my face.

 

[kballowe]

I've owned more than 45 motorcycles, not counting dirt bikes and ATVs.

About a dozen Harleys.

Right now we have a GL1800 Gold Wing, a Fat Boy, a Street Bob and a 1999 Indian Stinger Hardtail.

The Honda sounds like an electric fan as it passes. The Indian is totally on the other end of the spectrum. The Fat boy has Vance & Hines pipes with "quiet" baffles which (by no means) makes them quiet and the Street Bob has some Vance & Hines slip-ons that are quite mellow.

I was at a convencience store last fall when a group of fifteen or eighteen bikes came roaring in. The guy next to me complained about them loud Harleys. Problem was, that none of the bikes was a Harley.

The cruiser crowd (Harley or otherwise) like their loud pipes.

Believe me when I tell you that the vast majority of people cannot tell the difference between a Harley crusier and any other cruiser as it passes by.

And about the Harley .vs this and that thing. Those folks just need to get out and ride more. Boredom will do that to you.

We rode our Gold Wing to Sturgis whilst wearing Harley t-shirts. We rode that same Gold Wing to the Harley Museum. The only thing we got were compliments.

The only bashing I ever get is when riding one of my Harleys to a Metric bike shin-dig. Seriously.

And now, for the pic of the day. 2007 Yamaha VStar 1300. Water-cooled 1300 v-twin, belt drive. Nice ride. This was taken on January 2nd, 2009 at Lake Seminole, Florida.
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[kballowe]

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And this is my (since gone) 2006 Sportster. My third Sportster. By far the most reliable and powerful Sportster that I've owned. I do miss Old Yeller.\

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[ridehike]

My Son's VTX 1800 with Cobra pipes is loud and reminds me of the T-28 aircraft Radial sound. Enjoy riding my Son's VTX1800, HD bikes, Sport Bikes, and dirt bikes. Want to ride a Buell on the twisties, really like how they look. Have lots of fun on two wheel machines!

A friend took this shot of me crossing a creek on my KLR650:

My Son riding his VTX1800F: