What's to Like about Motorcycles

A Harley based Vtwin called the Ecosse (see below). I dont care too much for the styling but love the performance! If not the Ecosse, I really like the turbine bike like Jay Leno bought. The new ones look more like a finished unit.

"Ecosse Moto Works is renowned for its exclusive and breathtaking motorcycles and its latest creation in the Titanium Series the FE Ti XX is being billed as one of the most expensive motorcycles in the world. It gets better. This bike is also one of the fastest bikes in the world with 225 horses it can reach frightening speeds of 250 MPH."




reva

 

Lol ok sorry I have had friends who did not hold on! It kind of reminds me of a cartoon where an HellsAngel type biker was sitting on his bike scratching his chin thinking ..."I know she was there when I did the wheelie at the bar, she was there after dead mans curve"....

So I suggest try riding one, you might like it! I have always enjoyed the life style, the parties, the fellowship, but I am mellowing out a bit now, though I would not trade those times for anything! God bless our forum ~

reva

 

Cof**** Easyriders was over forty years ago! The bikes those actors rode were one off customs sourced from harleys that were much older than that. If I remember correctly one was a panhead built before 1969, so show me a 1960 honda that runs wonderfully lol. Peter fonda? What a p***y! I have the same sentiments about him as I do his sister and that means he is ...well, I better stop there lol. I rode a hardtail, sometimes it was a long wheelbase sometimes I built it short, from Tennessee to Chicago once a month for five years! Yes I was in a well known Midwestern motorcycle club who lived and breathed bikes. You guys are fair weather weekend warriors by comparison. Btw custom bikes are just that, The long wheelbase chopper, arguably created by Denver Chopper owner (cant remember his name) was designed to be ridden fast on long arrow straight roads. A long wheelbase lends stability for those old mild steel frames. Your information comes from a book and from someone that despises harleys in the first place. Too bad they have outsold all the large European and Japanese bikes for a decade. lastly any HD built after 1990 or there bouts can hold their own with any bike in the world for reliability.

reva

 

You are spot on. Sometimes getting there is a lot more important than just covering hundreds of miles, which means nothing really. The smallest bike I have owned was a 250 and I loved it. Here in the mountains its easy to spend a day on a gravel road and never see another person. I would pack up that yamie with a tent and a sleeping bag and get lost on the back-roads on purpose! Hmm'...

reva

 

Jay Leno explained what it was like riding his Jet Bike.It was Dangerous.
Very dangerous.Because it basically had 2 speeds.The Jet engine had to
Turbo { spin-up } and then basically went like fast then unbelievably fast.
Plus brakes were of little use in stopping around town.
Leno did { On YouTube } ride the in-development Harley Electric bike.
he seemed to like it and it looks great.However it is as quiet as a
an electric toothbrush.Meaning one literally cannot hear it on the road.
Like it doesn't have a motor.

 

I bought my first motorcycle in the mid-1970's { a Yamaha 500 } and at that time
the big thing was extended front forks.I mean like Really extended.Ridiculously.
Plus Girder front ends.Some of those,probably most did not have any front brake.
But it was The In Thing.That and those really small diameter exhaust pipes that
have no baffles and produce that deep roar heard for miles.

 

Spoken like a true blue knucklehead.What the hell is a long arrow straight road.
And who produces a bike for just that kinda road.Makes no sense.
Track bikes aren't just for the track,either.Unless yer talking a dirt-tracker.
They have limited stuff added on for street use.Like turn signals and bright
rear brake lights.Guys like (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) Jessie James { I heard his father can't stand him }
did more to ruin motorcycling than anybody,except those morons at OCC.
Orange County Choppers.Their bikes are not about Motorcycling but how to
look Low and cool.That's Ok if yer a Kid.But to drop $ 40 grand on some Toy
of a motorcycle,soon wears off.Those homemade bikes act homemade.
Take em' out to the desert for a week of testing.Then somewhere it rains a lot
and is cold.There's a reason that Actor Ewan McGregor chose the funky and
clanky looking { rectangular appearance } BMW Adventure model for his
round the globe motorcycle *series.He ended up at OCC I believe in the last
series.He was appreciative of being given an OCC handmade bike but he
didn't seem to impressed by the ride.

* Long Way Round a Documentary form April to July of 2004.
They rode the BMW R 1150 GS.An all-terrain Adventure model.

 

Well, anyone who wouldn't hold on must be kind of a dummy. I hold on for dear life! Lol.

 

This past glorious weekend was the first real chance for me to get my new bike out and really ride some on it. Weather cooperated, wife was out of town, it all came together.

To remind you, back in December 2014, after not having ridden for many years, I purchased this 2010 HD Ultra Classic:

View attachment 34711

This is my first HD, and by far, the largest, heaviest bike I have ever owned. Riding this is a very different experience from my 'sport cruiser' experience. It's (*)(*)(*)(*)ing heavy. Almost 800 pounds dry. And, to my feeling, is TOP heavy. It WANTS to lay over. And when it starts to go over, it's REALLY HARD to stop it. I bought this TYPE of bike in hopes that my wife will be able to share the experience with me, which she really wants to do. But, at the moment, I am a bit apprehensive about balancing this big bike and her too (She ain't the tiny little thing she used to be, and neither am I.) I will need to gain some more confidence before I allow her into the back seat.

After some time in start/stop "in town" riding, though, I got a feel for it. It's fun to ride, it turns heads, it sounds great, and it's comfortable. Slow maneuvering, for instance a u-turn on a two-lane road, was a bit tricky and uncomfortable for me at first, but after practicing some, got to be easier. My old Maxim 650, by comparison, was so easy to ride and maneuver, this feels like a battleship. Parking takes some consideration too. I cannot back this thing up very much of a hill. Choosing a parking spot with this in mind becomes a necessary challenge.

The highway is where this bike loves to be. Cruising smoothly and effortlessly at 75mph down I-40, with the cruise control on, the stereo blasting, and the wind in my face, is a feeling second to none. I'm so glad I am back in the saddle after all these years of not riding. This is gonna be a fun summer.

 

The Harley Ultra Classic is still being advertised as the ultimate Cruising Motorcycle.
But it really can't hold a candle to a Goldwing.Plus the Goldwings Have a reverse gear.
My Rune which has bascically the same GL 1800 cc powerplant and is sohc but
with hotter cams for off the line Boulevard buzzing.It is bench rated at 125 h.p. and
118 ft.lb-torque.But it's heavy.Around 870 lbs. with all fluids { gas included }.
Once it's underway it feels like a scooter or very light and nimble.It has an aluminum
diamond shape frame as is a rigid-mount.
Very long wheelbase for great straight line travel

 

I was at first looking at Goldwings and their other Japanese competition because in the "used" market, you can really get a LOT of bike for the money. Of course, the flip-side to that is the HD would probably keep its value much better for when I want to resell it. Bottom line was, I was ready to buy, and looking for the first excellent deal that presented itself. The HD appeared on craigslist at what I considered to be an incredibly low price, and the owner was absolutely anal about it's care and maintenance (with complete service logs from day one performed at his nearby HD dealer) so that's what I bought. I would be just as happy with a GL or something else, because I'm not a brand-bigot. I'm just ecstatic to be riding again.

 

In point of fact Peter Fonda did complain about the Capt America motorcycle (two were built as well as two of Dennis Hopper's unnamed motorcycle by Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy specifically for the movie) because it did have a rigid mounted seat. Dennis Hopper never complained about the bobber he road in Easy Rider because it had a spring mounted seat like the rigid frame motorcycles produced by Indian and Harley-Davidson prior to WW II. A person's butt doesn't care if the suspension is in the frame (i.e. a swing-arm) or the seat as long as there's suspension. Rigid frames with a rigid mounted seats are kidney busters on any rough road. No one argues that point.

The Sprint chopper I posted had a spring mounted seat and would be comfortable riding on relatively smooth paved roads all day long.

Handling is really related to "trail" for the front wheel that should typically be between about 4"-6" for good straight and turning characteristics at all speeds. There are numerous ways to address dialing in the "trail" for longer front forks.

 

The operative phrase is "I'm just ecstatic to be riding again."

Everything else is secondary to that.

 

While my road trips always start out with a destination about 75% of the time I never make it there because the ride is far more important than where I might have planned on going.

 

I rarely agree with any post on PF 100%. This is one exception.

 

Why do you bother? Seriously...Fool is just babbling his usual fact-free nonsense.

 

So what in tarnation took ya so long.Cat got yer leg.

 

Life happens. Got married, etc... I came to me senses though. Might start another band next! Do you play an instrument?

 

" And anyway,at my age ... uh any day above ground
and vertical is a good day " - Burt Monroe { Bonneville record holder on his
1920 Indian Scout }

 

FYI - All four of the Harley's used for movie were used police motorcycles purchased at auction for less than $500 each. They were all panheads. The used police Harley's were very popular for custom builds in Los Angeles because there were a lot of them and they could be purchased very inexpensively at auction. At that time the LAPD used Harley's exclusively for their "motors" (motorcycle) division and because of the mild SoCal weather they used a lot of them. They were typically high mileage but well maintained motorcycles.

 

That was Then ... this is Now.
Califiornia used the Kawasaki P-1000 At least while C.H.I.P.S. was popular
in the late 70's and early 80's.The TV Show.Then switched to the Concours.
The Kaw Concours was used by many Police dept. throughout the country for
decades.
Harley's are TOO costly and inefficient.Brakes and speed potential just aren't
there.A Cop has got to catch motorists.Harley's are Dogs.No way around it.
Plus their brakes still suck.

 

Except that many police departments STILL use Harleys. Do you EVER get tired of being wrong all the time?!

 

Yes, the LAPD stopped using Harley's years ago but the rest of the statement is pure nonsense (once again).

The cost of the motorcycle is insignificant related to the overall cost of law enforcement. The officer's annual health insurance probably costs more than the amortized cost of their motorcycle. A police department could probably purchase any Harley-Davidson for less than $20,000 and the amortized cost over five years (a typical "usage" estimate) would only be $11/day. They'll spend more than that on gasoline.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles are typically geared for a 110 mph top speed so they're plenty fast enough. High speed pursuits are very rare and a motorcycle, regardless of brand, is not a good choice for high speed chase. The motorcycle can't stop the vehicle even if it catches it and the radio is faster than the motorcycle. Many communities have actually outlawed high speed pursuits except in vary rare cases because of the danger they represent to the officer and the public (I actually advocate this policy because rarely is the risk of injury to the officer or the public warranted). There's absolutely nothing wrong with the brakes on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

 

I would love to have a semi truck full of those pans, while not my favorite pre-evo Harley they make a pretty chop!

What style of chopper or custom bikes were popular in your area back in the day Shiva? I love the old 74 and 80ci flatheads best, I just like the atheistic of the engine. That said I would choose a pre-evo HD for a daily rider custom it would be a shovel. They are fairly reliable and with their hemi heads and many aftermarket engine mods make good horsepower cheaply (for an HD). Around here when Denver chopper like long bikes were in style and the Ness bay area sporsters were the rage. We built our HD big twins and sportys short kind of a bay area style, with Ceriani forks* or stock length girder or mod stock forks. Frames were stock with a very slight rake sometimes. The suspensions had to be good, but most of us had stock weak frames lol, because most money went into engine mods...of course anyone riding a dirt bike (sporster) was made fun of by our northern club members (we had three chapters in Chicago IL) but we got to laugh at them porpoising and bouncing around these mountain roads when they had to ride their long choppers to a national here in TN.

reva

 

I would like HD to produce a good sport bike. If BMW can do it HD can. I wouldn't buy one because I prefer to build a custom for the kind of money a new bike costs. My guess their number guys say they couldn't sell enough units to justify designing and marketing a true sport-bike.

reva