cruzmisl Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Picked it up a few weeks ago. Me likey! Been out of riding for a few years but thought I'd take the plunge and get back in it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Very sweet ride.. Argh.. Pangs of jealousy.. Very sweet ride.. Now that I'm maturing.. I need to graduate from a crotch rocket to a more comfortable ride like that.. Great color choice by the way.. This is my bad boy.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Dennis great color choice I rode sport bikes for years and am lucky to be alive to tell the tale. The stupid stuff I used to do........ I had a Harley Fatoboy in 1996 then sold it. I didn't buy another because they were too much money. Now that the market has fallen they are reasonably affordable. I have to give HD credit. The fit and finish is great and with the Brembo brakes, 96cu motor and other refinements they perform quite well (for a cruiser). I can go for hours on this thing and still be able to move when I get to my destination I miss sport bikes but my back doesn't and neither does my wife. She hated riding on the back of those things. Besides I have no self control so I'd probably kill myself with the power bikes produce today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 scooters In college, I threw my Ducati 750 Sport and myself down the road wearing only shorts and a T shirt, plus a helmet. Pretty sure I had it cranked so far over I ran off the edge of the tread on the then top sport tires, Dunlop K-81's. Got some unbelievably painful road rash, but thats it. Another time I did exactly the same thing on a BMW R75/6. The cylinder actually acted like a crash bar and I slid to a stop from 70 mph with nary a scratch. I used to take big road trips touring the American west on a Norton Commando 850, if you can believe that! A tent, a sleeping bag and my girlfriend were the three necessities. Now I ride a Ducati 888 SPO and a Beemer R100 RS with a little more restraint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Rex Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Anybody remember muffler burns......... The scar they left looked like you had been bitten by a Lamprey............ and man did they hurt! Beauty bike! T Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 10, 2010 Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 yep Penny got a muffler burn from said Beemer, but over the years the scar has faded. It was bad at the time, 1990! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2010 Funny you should mention the muffler burn. The gym is literally 2 minutes from my house. Its a nice day and I figure I'll ride it there in shorts even though I look like a knob. What do I care? Its only a mile away. Anyway, get off the bike and ZIIING! Touched the exhaust with the back of my calf. SOB! Did that hurt. Did that twice.....first and last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 Slick move.. What I am dying to know is how did you get the wife to settle for a Focus or a loaded Fiesta... Was this before or after you bought the Harley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 Oh yeah, I got as many muffler burns as I have grill burns! Forget looking like a noob...I had a Suzuki RF900 for a long while. I recall taking my driving test for the motorcycle endorsement, and the cop/inspector, who was clearly a Harley guy said "I have 3 pieces of advice for you" as he handed me my completion slip. He said "lose the tshirt, lose the shorts, and lose the flip flops." I never did, thats what I wore when it was warm out (always wore a helmet). Comfort trumps style ALWAYS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 11, 2010 Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 leathers Well, it wasn't style he was referring to, but protection. Wearing full leathers in the Texas heat is a killer. Sadly, I no longer fit in to the custom made Bates leathers I had made in college. I try to put them on and they seem like they were made for a 5 year old anorexic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2010 Re: Slick move.. What I am dying to know is how did you get the wife to settle for a Focus or a loaded Fiesta... Was this before or after you bought the Harley? Verbal judo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxwrangler Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Re: scooters .....Another time I did exactly the same thing on a BMW R75/6. The cylinder actually acted like a crash bar and I slid to a stop from 70 mph with nary a scratch. After putting over 10k on a Honda CB200T I decided I needed something bigger and got a R75/6 which I rode for years. Great bike. And those cylinders were the best crash bars ever. Had a Volvo cut in front of me once. Almost no damage to me or the bike but tore up the side of the Volvo. Knew one guy who went down and slid fine till he hit a curb that tore off the cylinder. He was ok and the only repair necessary was replacing the cylinder bolts that sheared. Another friend laughed at the people who had the cylinder "protectors". He said that cylinder head covers were pretty inexpensive to replace if damaged and any protector strong enough to actually protect would likely bend the frame instead which was a far more expensive repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 simple fix Yeah, the only damage I had to the Beemer was the aluminum rocker cover abraded all the way through. I just replaced that and the gasket and went on my merry way. For a crotch rocket, I would only ever ride a Ducati. If you ride sport bikes and have not had a ride on one, you just don't know. The first time I threw a leg over one, I was stunned and mesmerized. It was like the first time I drove a Ferrari; an other worldly experience. Those Italians have something magical, I don't know how or why. Same for bicycles, if I'm not on a Colnago, I'm not riding. For non sport riding, the Beemer is it. I do admit to a European bias, when I was in college, I was a motorcycle mechanic at a shop that sold Moto Guzzi, Laverda, Ducati, Triumph and Norton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Its true what you say about the Italians and their ability to produce astounding pieces of machinery. Hell, even my Italian watch (Panerai PAM 50) looks subtle but at the same time you know its something special. I have to say though HD has something that no other bike can offer and that is a very loyal following and camaraderie among owners. Even non bikers will really go out of their way to help you out. In the 90's I only rode sport bikes. Yamaha FZR1000's were my poison of choice. Rode those things like I stole 'em. Anyway, there is a route I always took that essentially went through the backwoods of Ohio, WV, Virginia and Tennessee. I would stop to look at a map and people would drive by. I took the same trip on my Fatboy and under the exact same situation I swear everyone stopped. Mind you I'm in the middle of nowhere so we're talking 2 or 3 cars but they all stopped. ""Hey you need gas", "You need to use my cell phone" "Everything all right"? It was amazing and a total reversal of what I experienced on my FZR. Hell I could have been having a heart attack on that thing and I'd probably still be at the side of the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 No doubt there is a Harley mystique and culture. I tuned up a Sportster and then took it out for a test ride. It seemed so totally weird and foreign to me compared to the Italian and British bikes, but I kind of liked it. I was so jacked up with testosterone at the time all I wanted to do was go as fast as possible and corner with my knee in the asphalt. So the Harley had no appeal to me other than as a curiosity. But now I think I could enjoy it in a different way. Sort of as an alternative to Ducati racing or Beemer touring. Enjoy it just for the "Harleyness" of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Thats exactly it and a good way to put it. The Harleyness! I like that. I had a friend who worked at a machine shop that made a ton of parts for Boeing machine me a pair of titanium knee sliders. Every corner was a shower of white hot sparks You really have to try one of the newer touring bikes. They are a nice ride and all you have to worry about is looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted August 12, 2010 Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 You really have to try one of the newer touring bikes. They are a nice ride and all you have to worry about is looking good. You mean specifically Harley touring bikes, or just any new touring bike from any maker in general? My R100 RS is an '84 model, so it's long in the tooth, but still a super ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2010 Harley specifically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted August 13, 2010 Report Share Posted August 13, 2010 A Harley is the kAmado of motorcycles! If you want a touring bike, the gold standard is a Goldwing. (period) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted August 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2010 A Harley is the kAmado of motorcycles! If you want a touring bike' date=' the gold standard is a Goldwing. (period)[/quote'] Ohhh thats just mean! Your statement is true though...... if you're 80 years old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
