Motorcycles

That looks like someone attempted to jam together a sportbike and a cruiser bike.

 

A correct Bobber or Track bike is not going to be heavy.Unless one does like
Exile cycles and gives it a heavy frame and super fat front tires matching the back
tire.Exile Cycles are thick and chunky and do not command respect due entirely
to the absurd pricing.Kits are $30,ooo and complete bikes $ 55,ooo.
I guess no one every taught the owner Mitchell something about marketing.
I leanred in Real Estate 101 when doing a closing sheet that you never use
really Rounded off numbers.Like pro rated property insurance { homeowners}
as like $ 800.Or like pro-rated property taxes as $1500. That's a dead giveaway
as to be a rip off.If you see a clone bike and it sells for $ 30,ooo .... steer clear of.
It's a made up price.
I like some Exile Cycles but the owner has to be some kind of butthead to
price his bikes the way he does.

 

looks like a ninja with different bars. I'd have to see it in person but the riding position doesn't seem like it would be as comfy as their Vulcan. I'm 6'

 

I have a ;06 ZX-14 now, and I've test ridden the very same type in the photo, the Concours 14. I'm 6' 1" and found the Councours to be very comfortable, but the engine puts out a lot of heat....going from stop light to stop light might get uncomfortable on a hot day. That's the only drawback I'm considering before trading in my current bike for a 2 or 3 year old Concours. It was rated top touring motorcycle for 3 years running by Motorcycle magazine.

 

Good overall bike.Cops use them in some cities.A Vulcan is a piece of crap.
Probably the Worst metric cruiser engine out there.The Mean Streak got by with
a hopped up version of 1600 cc.

 

I'm still in pursuit of the ideal Cruiser.I like a few of the bare metal basics Exile
Cycles models.With big clone engines and state of the art brakes and suspension.
Like Confederate Motorcycle.But they are clone models.Not known for dependability
or build quality.Plus they price themselves right out of the market.Yeah guys like
Brat Pitt can afford all his own to buy models and give as gifts to friends.
That's cheating.That's graft.I don't like that.That is what defines Liberalism.
The very definition of Cronyism.
I'm into the budget market.Looking for little/big bargains.Ya got stretch the dollar.
I dint care when I dropped over $25 K to buy my Rune.I had some money to blow
after saving and scrimping and inheriting a little from an insurance policy when my pops
died.It was one of the best bargains I ever spent.The bike is a Jewell.
Used to be men made that kind of decision with their dress shoes.They dint care
about price just the admirable fit and quality.Banking on the long term.
They were right.Just like women and fine jewelry.To me still the best bang for
the buck is a Honda Goldwing.But they aren't Cruisers as much Tourers.

 

I love talking motorcyles.Because since 1998 I've invested hours and money in
the pursuit.I first fell in love with Motorcycles in college.My junior year housemate
had a really boss Z-28 original and also a dirt/street bike.I think it was a
maybe a 250cc or maybe larger.But I remember taking it out one nice late fall
morning when he wasn't home and I wasn't interested in going to class.
A really boring quiet day on campus and I lived off campus about a half mile.
I had the time of my life.The bike pulled and accelerated and I took it all around
campus and back home real quick.because I has no idea what I was doing.
But the bike made me like Superman.I remember that feeling.
I kid you not.That was my first true love experience with a motorcycle.
It might have been a 350 cc dirt bike.But I can't remember.
But it pulled like crazy.It bowled me over.I was more amazed by what I got away with.
The fact that I skipped classes as usual and got a chance to buzz a motorcycle
around campus and no one was the wiser.
The bike belonged to my roomie/buddy and I never told him how I snuck
his bike from our off campus house while he was away attending class.
I spent the majority of my college life,avoiding class and goofing off.
My nickname was ... Burnout

 

How often do you find yourself attempting to wave at another biker when you're in your car?

 

I resent that sir! Though, the 500cc Vulcan is a whole other little beast.

 

not in my car, but I ride my bicycle almost every day and just yesterday I waved at a bike coming toward me. I'm a boater as well and we tend to wave at each other

 

I fully realize the popularity of the Vulcan series of motorcycles.Can't go a week w/o seeing one.
When I got back into motorcycling in the late 90's { '98-99 } I started visiting a local
motorcycle dealer.I was immediately drawn to their new bike { a Green Kawasaki Nomad }
it looked about as Motorycle as it gets.I bought it.Then was impressed my all the ratings
motorcycles mags gave it.2 major motorcycle mags gave it Cruiser of the Year.man ... did I ever
learn a valuable lesson.- Cruiser of the Year is just ad talk.meant to attract readers and
hype certain manufactures.I bought the Nomad in spring and traded it in late august
for a Real motorcycle { Honda Valkyrie Tourer }.Even the Nomad hardbags were a
gimmick.They were side opening.Talk about stupid.The Tourer had by far the better
of hardbags.The Nomad { Vulcan } engine had no discernible power.You couldn't
get the bike to Go.Unlike the rocket of power from a Valkyrie.Plus the handling on the Nomad
was so bad I felt it dangerous.It didn't want to corner.The bike was all hype and overall
looks.I remember when I traded the bike in an older Biker hippie rode in on a Loud
Road King.He was interested in my Nomad.I think he ended up trading in his really loud
Road King for that Nomad.I talked to him the morning I traded my Nomad for the
Valkyrie.I remember him telling me he likes to trade out bikes every couple years.
I ended up doing that also.Keep a bike for around 10,ooo miles and trade out for
another model.I traded my VTX 1800 out at 10,ooo miles as well my Valkyrie
Tourer.I had a Suzuki Intruder 1500 which I put a little over 4,ooo miles on.
I liked that bike but it wasn't a performance motorcycle.The bike fit me like a glove
but was too slouchy.

 

I just went riding after work the other day, with a guy who has one of those. Not sure about cc's, but his was like a rocket. Before we took off, I asked him "no crazy stuff, right?", he just laughed and said yeah. About five minuets later we were doing 80 through a 55mph section of twisty highway in the city. Crazy old coot... I about overshot my exit and wiped out trying to keep up with him. That's been one of my scariest 'oh sh!t' moments so far. We'd both just overtaken a pick up truck in the right lane when I realized my exit was RIGHT THERE. I had about 60 yards to decelerate from 80mph, almost hit this concrete buffer that separates the exit from the highway. When I saw him later that night, he just cackled and said "wasn't sure if you were going to make it!".

 

I have a 2012 Fiat and the new Fiats remain rare on the road today. We "blink" each other with the high beams (normally drive with lights on).
BTW I think my Fiat and Sportster have the same size motors. LOL

 

My scoot needs new variators. Blarg!

 

Check this company out - Viper Motorcycle Company

"The most powerful production V-twin supercruiser in the world".

Specs

 

that's just crazy. Same displacement as the 4 banger Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.

 

What it does is point to the inferiority of the V twin design. What 152 cu. in. converts to is 2,490 cubic centimeters.

Could you imagine the brake horsepower of a metric inline 4 cylinder given 2,490 cc's as a limit....
we're talking 250 - 300 bhp....

300 mph top speeds...

Insane speed....

While this Viper V-twin supercruiser is no doubt quick...given the displacement necessary to achieve that sort of performance points to serious design limitations inherent in the V-twin in terms of high performance.

 

I love how they market it as "short stroke". Any gear head is familiar with 4" x 3.5" as being the chevy 350. That Viper engine is 4.7" x 4.375"

that's greater than the 572 big blocks!!!! And it uses carbs as well. For that money, it should have FI.

So, I don't view 4.375" as being "short stroke" but 4.7" is definitely big bore.

 

A V-twin is not about performance. It's about the overall aesthetics of the motorcycle design. A V-twin flows into the motorcycle design. In-line twins, in-lime 4-cylinder and opposing 4-cylinder designs look more like an engine that was just shoved into the frame. They fit and work well but look awkward in the design.

 

I just noticed the other day that a v-twin also makes a bike appear larger. I was at a bike shop and noticed this little cruiser with a v-twin, it was a V-Star 250, but looked much larger from a distance. It was odd to see a v-twin 250.

Speaking of cylinder arrangement and odd... what do you guys think of Suzuki's single cylinder 650?



They're strange looking up close IMO, and probably a little boring to ride.

 

I had to check out the V-Star 250 as I hadn't seen one. It does look "large" when just parked but when I checked out a picture with a rider on it you could tell it was really a small motorcycle.

There has been a long history of relatively large single cylinder motorcycles going back a long time. My brother had a 500cc Arial single from the 1950's. These were "torque" motorcycles often used in the dirt.

Once again though there are all sorts of motorcycles and each fits a niche for the rider. Some seem to be hung up on performance and yet performance is only a single aspect of a motorcycle. Few people ever use the full performance of the motorcycle they have anyway so I've never found it to be that important in the overall scheme of things.

I remember the joy of riding my little Yamaha 70 in college and I can't really say it was any less than the joy I have riding my Sportster today. It was different riding but for what it was the joy of riding was the same. Hell, I still ride the same back roads today that I rode then and the smells, the feel of the air in the face are basically the same. Not even the speed is much different on the twisty back roads although I was really "rev'ing" that little 70cc motor and I'm almost idling my Sportster through the twists and turns. The only difference today is that those back roads might be hundred of miles from where I live when before they were much closer to home.

 

I ride a yamaha wr250.. it is my 'adventure' bike. I ride on lonely dirt roads, beat up fire roads, & cruise down the interstate. I usually do several rides a year, to the grand canyon, moab, or points beyond. I prefer back roads, & especially dirt roads. I've been riding this for ~ 4 yrs.. and a suzuki drz before that. Even with the small bore, i seldom need or use all the power the bike has, except when wringing all i can out of it going 80 on the freeway. But i don't like to ride like that much, anyway. Here are the pluses for me:
1. Lighter bike if i have to pick it up.. & i usually do, somewhere along the line.
2. better economy. 60-70 mpg on easy dirt roads & backroads.
3. simple to work on,
4. easy to park & maneuver in tight spaces.
5. cheaper initial cost.

 

Try going through this section in some big cruiser!

[video=youtube;kdx8xNusc-E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdx8xNusc-E[/video]

 

Yep. I instantly see old Hondas and Kawis. The ones that almost looked more dirt than street.

 

A little levity here. This is my favorite bike of all time.



Isn't it a beauty?