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Post by ShivaTD on Aug 16, 2013 10:58:38 GMT
I'm not quite sure how anyone can give up riding motorcycles. A person actually feels the air and smells the sweet fragrances of nature while riding though the country and that is never experienced in a car including convertables. The fluidity of riding and of being a part of the journey is so much more real on a motorcycle. Even the rain, when we're unfortunately caught it in, is more real and the experience is personal. On the other hand, my metal box has both a protective shell to keep from the elements and the fast moving road surface (and most accidents, of course, apart from the big ones), and perhaps even better than that has a stereo system! You may have the wind in your hair, but I got music!  
As for music... this is the United States and we build motorcycles with stereos!!!! We also have technology here where mp3 players and earplugs provide music if the motorcycle doesn't have a stereo (such as on my Sportster).
Now for the story. I was on a road trip going through Oregon over the Mt Baker Hwy headed Eastbound. As I approached the summit a headwind picked up to about 40-50 mph (about 75 kph) blowing thunderheads towards me. Just as I hit the summit the skies opened up with rain coming down by the buckets. I sought refuge under an overpass and pondered the situation. I knew that the rain would stop in about 20 minutes as the storm front moved on but knew it would be quicker if I was moving East into the storm. I zipped my jacket up tight, cranked on Judas Priest's Hell Bent for Leather on the mp3, grabbed some throttle, and charged headlong into the storm.
Within about 5 minutes I broke through the storm front back into the sunshine of a summer day. It was an exhilarating experience...... rain, music, and all that no one in a car, even a convertible, could have experienced. |
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Post by ShivaTD on Sept 11, 2013 19:42:27 GMT
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Post by ShivaTD on Sept 20, 2013 3:16:50 GMT
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Post by maniacalhamster on Sept 20, 2013 16:51:55 GMT
I've invited some members from another forum where we've been discussing motorcycles so to make them welcome I wanted to provide a similar thread here. Below is the official Harley-Davidson promotional image of my 2007 50th Anniversary Sportster that I purchased new on 2/17/2007. This was a very limited edition with only 2000 number motorcycles produced that even have a unique model of XL50 as opposed to the standard XL883 or XL1200 assigned to Sportsters by Harley-Davidson. I love my motorcycle!!!!  Sort of confused...me bud had a sportster when AMC were making them...it was a 900CC if i recall...i saw one the other day and it was a 1200 cc sportster.... is this possible or am i living in the twilight zone..i thought sportsters were all 900 cc? |
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Post by ShivaTD on Sept 25, 2013 10:32:36 GMT
Sort of confused...me bud had a sportster when AMC were making them...it was a 900CC if i recall...i saw one the other day and it was a 1200 cc sportster.... is this possible or am i living in the twilight zone..i thought sportsters were all 900 cc?
Since 1988 the standard street Sportsters have been 883cc and 1200cc motors with various improvements over the years including fuel injection and all electronic ignition that we have today. I've ridden both the 883 and the 1200 (which I own) and the 883 is an excellent motorcycle. It doesn't have the same power of the 1200 but it still has more than enough power for any street application. The only time I've ever called on the full power of my 1200 was to pass other vehicles on two lane roads and even then I didn't really need all of the power.
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Post by Leo on Sept 25, 2013 14:30:35 GMT
LOL, I thought this thread was about motorcycles - but all anyone has talked about is Harley-Davisons - two-wheeled Yank Tanks!  That's not a motorcycle - this is a motorcycle!  When was the last time you saw a Harley road rider with scrape marks on his footrests and on his knee pads? |
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Post by ShivaTD on Sept 25, 2013 15:20:31 GMT
LOL, I thought this thread was about motorcycles - but all anyone has talked about is Harley-Davisons - two-wheeled Yank Tanks! That's not a motorcycle - this is a motorcycle! When was the last time you saw a Harley road rider with scrape marks on his footrests and on his knee pads?
 ... and try doing this at over 100 mph on a crotch rocket sometime....
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Post by Leo on Sept 27, 2013 3:48:08 GMT
LOL, I thought this thread was about motorcycles - but all anyone has talked about is Harley-Davisons - two-wheeled Yank Tanks! That's not a motorcycle - this is a motorcycle! When was the last time you saw a Harley road rider with scrape marks on his footrests and on his knee pads?
... and try doing this at over 100 mph on a crotch rocket sometime....
Look, I am taking the Mick  - and I know Americans love their Harleys (partly for patriotic reasons), but everywhere else in the world, Harleys are only bought by criminally inclined motorcycle gang members (e.g. Hell's Angels), or fat businessmen who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) trying to establish an Easy Rider image. No serious big bike rider in Europe would consider a Harley, just as no serious sports car enthusiast would consider any American car. Motoring standards and expectations are simply too different on both continents. Have you ever wondered why there is no such animal as an American F1 car?
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Post by maniacalhamster on Sept 27, 2013 5:49:52 GMT
LOL, I wasn't talking about competition bikes (or about fat Harleys that had fallen over). But speaking of bike racing, when was the last time a Harley won MotoGP?
Look, I am taking the Mick - and I know Americans love their Harleys (partly for patriotic reasons), but everywhere else in the world, Harleys are only bought by criminally inclined motorcycle gang members (e.g. Hell's Angels), or fat businessmen who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) trying to establish an Easy Rider image. No serious big bike rider in Europe would consider a Harley, just as no serious sports car enthusiast would consider any American car. Motoring standards and expectations are simply too different on both continents. Have you ever wondered why there is no such animal as an American F1 car?
Actually the Harley is a bike unto itself. and thats that...long rides across this huge land we call north america...harley does it best...relaxed , not racing about ...just take it all in.. I don't know about patriotism , but it's a huge fan of canadians everywhere. True It's as American as apple pie, but i don't think people buy em to be patriotic...Do they ? maybe a few people...lol...but their in a league of their own. interesting that you would think it to be so. trying to establish an image...your kidding me..right.. you think this is a valid observation...is that what you see. serious bike rider would not even consider a Harley...i don't think you own one...of any kind..you don't sound like a person who actually lives much either.. anyway have fun with telling us what serious bike riders think and do and wear and try to convey...oh and fat businessmen desperately trying to do what....you sound pretty desperate...what an attempt at dissing a piece of art. ROFLMAO  |
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Post by ShivaTD on Sept 27, 2013 10:13:31 GMT
We see it all of the time here in the United States....
... and try doing this at over 100 mph on a crotch rocket sometime....
Look, I am taking the Mick - and I know Americans love their Harleys (partly for patriotic reasons), but everywhere else in the world, Harleys are only bought by criminally inclined motorcycle gang members (e.g. Hell's Angels), or fat businessmen who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) trying to establish an Easy Rider image. No serious big bike rider in Europe would consider a Harley, just as no serious sports car enthusiast would consider any American car. Motoring standards and expectations are simply too different on both continents. Have you ever wondered why there is no such animal as an American F1 car?
There are obviously cultural reasons. Americans are about cruising and enjoying the scenery along the way. That's not really an attribute of "crotch rockets" that are dedicated to speed. We can note that many of the imported cruisers like the Honda Gold Wing are very popular in the United States.
American V-Twins don't compete in MotoGP because a V-twin is not a match for a 4-cylinder in the only class where they could compete. We can flip the coin and note that 4-cylinders don't compete in AMA Grand National track dirt racing that is popular in the US.
Nothing can be more exciting (and dangerous) than riding a motorcycle on a 1/2 mile or mile oval dirt track with no brakes, no down-shifting, and seeing just how fast you can go. Going flat out down the straight, pitch it into a left hand turn (with no braking), crank the front wheel to the right, and control the turn with the throttle. It is a test of both the rider and the machine and there have been makes other than Harley-Davidson that have won the championship but overall Harley's dominated this form of racing since 1954.
www.flattrackers.com/articles.html/_/gnc-championship/the-champions/a-list-of-the-grand-national-champions-since-1954-r111
It might be noticed that several of the AMA Grand National Champions were also World Road Racing Champions, as well as winners of very special motorcycle racing events like the Isle of Man, and are considered some of the best motorcycle racers in history.
With all that said I can appreciate the other makes of motorcycles but they just don't fit my motorcycling needs.
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Post by Leo on Sept 27, 2013 14:21:53 GMT
LOL, I wasn't talking about competition bikes (or about fat Harleys that had fallen over). But speaking of bike racing, when was the last time a Harley won MotoGP?
Look, I am taking the Mick - and I know Americans love their Harleys (partly for patriotic reasons), but everywhere else in the world, Harleys are only bought by criminally inclined motorcycle gang members (e.g. Hell's Angels), or fat businessmen who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) trying to establish an Easy Rider image. No serious big bike rider in Europe would consider a Harley, just as no serious sports car enthusiast would consider any American car. Motoring standards and expectations are simply too different on both continents. Have you ever wondered why there is no such animal as an American F1 car?
Actually the Harley is a bike unto itself. and thats that...long rides across this huge land we call north america...harley does it best...relaxed , not racing about ...just take it all in.. I don't know about patriotism , but it's a huge fan of canadians everywhere. True It's as American as apple pie, but i don't think people buy em to be patriotic...Do they ? maybe a few people...lol...but their in a league of their own. interesting that you would think it to be so. trying to establish an image...your kidding me..right.. you think this is a valid observation...is that what you see. serious bike rider would not even consider a Harley...i don't think you own one...of any kind..you don't sound like a person who actually lives much either.. anyway have fun with telling us what serious bike riders think and do and wear and try to convey...oh and fat businessmen desperately trying to do what....you sound pretty desperate...what an attempt at dissing a piece of art. ROFLMAO LOL, I am not denying that North Americans seem to love Harleys, and that's cool - whatever does it for you. But dissing a piece of art - you're having a laugh, aren't you? A Harley has a certain tradition and a certain character, and appeals to a certain riding demographic, and all that's fine. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and tastes on either side of the pond vary considerably. It is a piece of machinery which obviously performs a satisfactory function for people who like that sort of thing, but the Harley-Davison has achieved nothing outstanding worldwide on or off the track - so why must anyone respect it? That is as logical as expecting you to respect the ageing BMW 5 series my mother lets me use. And you're right, I don't have bike right now (like I only left high school a bit over a year ago - and I am not earning money, and won't be for at least another four years,) but as soon as I can, I am going to buy one. My mate has an old Ducati and I have ridden it heaps - it's magic - and I rode Junior Motocross for years. So don't get personal - you know nothing about me, OK? |
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Post by Leo on Sept 27, 2013 14:35:22 GMT
There are over 1,600 HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapters world wide with over one million members. It is the largest factory sponsored motorcycle organization in the world. In fact, to my knowledge there are no other motorcycle manufacturers that sponsor their own motorcycle owners groups. I wonder why that is?
There are obviously cultural reasons. Americans are about cruising and enjoying the scenery along the way. That's not really an attribute of "crotch rockets" that are dedicated to speed. We can note that many of the imported cruisers like the Honda Gold Wing are very popular in the United States.
American V-Twins don't compete in MotoGP because a V-twin is not a match for a 4-cylinder in the only class where they could compete. We can flip the coin and note that 4-cylinders don't compete in AMA Grand National track dirt racing that is popular in the US.
Nothing can be more exciting (and dangerous) than riding a motorcycle on a 1/2 mile or mile oval dirt track with no brakes, no down-shifting, and seeing just how fast you can go. Going flat out down the straight, pitch it into a left hand turn (with no braking), crank the front wheel to the right, and control the turn with the throttle. It is a test of both the rider and the machine and there have been makes other than Harley-Davidson that have won the championship but overall Harley's dominated this form of racing since 1954.
www.flattrackers.com/articles.html/_/gnc-championship/the-champions/a-list-of-the-grand-national-champions-since-1954-r111
It might be noticed that several of the AMA Grand National Champions were also World Road Racing Champions, as well as winners of very special motorcycle racing events like the Isle of Man, and are considered some of the best motorcycle racers in history.
With all that said I can appreciate the other makes of motorcycles but they just don't fit my motorcycling needs.
Like I already said, I was just being a bit provocative about Harleys. I am sure they do a good job for what you want a bike for. I just don't understand their appeal, but then I have never ridden one. I don't like the 'bad boy' image their riders have outside the US, and I think that does bike riders a great disservice. I love bikes, but they must be quick and agile. I am not taking anything away from those riders who are successful in American events, I am simply talking about the machines. And it's funny you mention the Honda Goldwing - it is almost exclusively manufactured for the North American market. But your comment about Harleys fitting exactly your motorcycling needs is the most valid statement in this thread. Good on yer - and enjoy your bike! |
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Post by maniacalhamster on Sept 27, 2013 17:49:41 GMT
LOL, I am not denying that North Americans seem to love Harleys, and that's cool - whatever does it for you. But dissing a piece of art - you're having a laugh, aren't you? A Harley has a certain tradition and a certain character, and appeals to a certain riding demographic, and all that's fine. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and tastes on either side of the pond vary considerably. It is a piece of machinery which obviously performs a satisfactory function for people who like that sort of thing, but the Harley-Davison has achieved nothing outstanding worldwide on or off the track - so why must anyone respect it? That is as logical as expecting you to respect the ageing BMW 5 series my mother lets me use. And you're right, I don't have bike right now (like I only left high school a bit over a year ago - and I am not earning money, and won't be for at least another four years,) but as soon as I can, I am going to buy one. My mate has an old Ducati and I have ridden it heaps - it's magic - and I rode Junior Motocross for years. So don't get personal - you know nothing about me, OK? not getting personal at all ...i'm just posting off what you post.... you posted a piece that you claim was humour in the welcome thread...rereading it ..if you think that was humour and not just telling some one where to go...your social skills are questionable. Harley Davidson is considered a piece of art..and not by lovers of the brand only. trying to make fun of it's owners in the way you do, is just something i love to point out online. there are thousands of Leo's who post like this...i recall you in PF... i've nothing personal with you, or any bones to pick with you...but if you are going to post crap, i will call it for what it is.... the whole fat business men , i now realize is just youth talking... cheers i bust online crime...lol MH |
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Post by ShivaTD on Sept 27, 2013 18:09:31 GMT
The "bad boy" reputation of Harley riders is really a product of fiction. Yes, there are some outlaw motorcycle clubs but even they refer to themselves as the "1%ers" and are actually less than that. Shows like "Sons of Anarchy" and movies going back to the 1950's like "The Wild Ones" are pure fiction. There are some generally accepted facts about Harley owners in the US.
They tend to be the most affluent of riders which isn't surprising because Harley's cost more than most motorcycles.
They tend to be older and have owned other brands of motorcycles before settling on a Harley. Few Harley owners are first time motorcycle buyers and they know other brands.
Because they're generally affluent they tend to be highly supportive of private charities.
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Post by Leo on Sept 28, 2013 1:44:03 GMT
The "bad boy" reputation of Harley riders is really a product of fiction. Yes, there are some outlaw motorcycle clubs but even they refer to themselves as the "1%ers" and are actually less than that. Shows like "Sons of Anarchy" and movies going back to the 1950's like "The Wild Ones" are pure fiction. There are some generally accepted facts about Harley owners in the US.
They tend to be the most affluent of riders which isn't surprising because Harley's cost more than most motorcycles.
They tend to be older and have owned other brands of motorcycles before settling on a Harley. Few Harley owners are first time motorcycle buyers and they know other brands.
Because they're generally affluent they tend to be highly supportive of private charities.  www.news.com.au/national-news/bikie-nation-8212-the-outlaw-gangs-in-your-backyard/story-fncynjr2-1226690598400
www.heraldsun.com.au/archive/news/we-profile-australias-biggest-outlaw-bikie-gang-the-rebels/story-fnfj0jo7-1226461127767#
(Note the above club rule that members must ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.)
www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-10/bikie-gangs-fight-for-survival-in-queensland/4812308
So it would seem that the situation is very different here from in the US.P.S: Why doesn't the Preview function work for me? |
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- and I know Americans love their Harleys (partly for patriotic reasons), but everywhere else in the world, Harleys are only bought by criminally inclined motorcycle gang members (e.g. Hell's Angels), or fat businessmen who are desperately (and unsuccessfully) trying to establish an Easy Rider image. No serious big bike rider in Europe would consider a Harley, just as no serious sports car enthusiast would consider any American car. Motoring standards and expectations are simply too different on both continents. Have you ever wondered why there is no such animal as an American F1 car?