damn harley's!!!

Locozuna wrote:

HEY!!! I'm a MODCOP TOO!!!!! WOW!!! I'm gonna go bust somebody!!!!!

:laugh:

Just a board quirk or one of those low priority bugs that'll get squashed in due course.

Did it work for me too ?
Yep!:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: Patice my arse ! Imm Gonna kill something !:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

My foreman at work rides a '93 HD lowrider, and he puts-on even more miles than I do (less ridin' to work in borderline weather, but more weekend trips). The problems he's had: he high-centered over a curb and caused his only oil-leak that I've known-of, cured by replacing the pan after welding didn't cure the leak. He had a brake-caliper hang-up and cook a rear rotor (this happens to everything, and the caliper is Japanese anyway). And his V&H megaphone shot its baffle out like a cannonball one day. He gives me shit for ridin' that "ugly riceburner". I give him shit for barely keepin'-up with my 650 when I shift at 7000rpm. It's all good.

And he's playin' wingman for me with the pretty new receptionist at work. He found-out she liked speedy motorcycles and got her to talk to me by razzin' me about my riceburner in front of her. A true biker will always help a brother out.

So does this mean I actually HAVEN'T been promoted to Moderator status ??? Darn. I haven't had a chance to abuse
power for quite awhile....and there goes another chance.
:laugh:

Just a little story from my Honda, Suzuki salesman friend at his dealership. Thought all might enjoy.

FYI Most Honda brand accessories are manufactured by American companies, all Harley brand accessories are manufactured in China. Also Harley has a new bike manufacturing plant in China, how long do
you think it will be until these bikes show up in the US?

I going to pick on a Harley rider just because he made such an ass of himself the other day. This Harley rider he made the comment all we had were ride burners, I said that's interesting all the bikes you are pointing at are made in Ohio. Then I asked what model Harley do you
have, he replied a 2002, then I asked did you know your bike has a Japanese made Keihin carburetor same as a VTX1300, seems to me that would make your Harley a rice burner too! The while he was reeling I asked did you know your Harley uses Showa forks also made in Japan and
the same brand as all Honda's and most Japanese bikes? Then I asked where are the wiring harness for Harley's made as well as all their accessories. . . China! Talk about someone backing down in a hurry.

Yeah, aren't Kehin carbs made in Kenosha? :whistle:

Mikuni's in Milwaukee? :laugh:

Showas in Chicago? :pinch:

Buying domestic is fine so long as the domestic manufacturers build what you want. I think it's obvious to us here that they don't build what most of us want.

Any machine that is put togather correctly and maintained correctly with the proper clearences and sealing agents should not leak or break down anymore than any other machine built by a like manufacturer. I ride repair and build all bikes. Im getting real tired of all you jap crap riders having nothing better to do than tell outdated , same old crap storys about harleys. Jeeze get a life , or better yet get off the computer and go ride. jonnybiker

All kinds of motorcycle riders have their bigots. It's the "mines bigger, faster, cooler, better" syndrome. The brotherhood has it's fractures but I still like to think even with all the finger pointing, pissing and moaning we'd still pull over to help a fellow rider regardless of make or model and if you are one of the ones who won't... may a tow truck swing your ride into the bumper. Tossing a few jabs here and there is just conversation and all in fun at least from my perspective and I'm thinking it's how most feel but I may be naive. I wave and I'll stop to see if I can help.

jonnybiker wrote:

Any machine that is put togather correctly and maintained correctly with the proper clearences and sealing agents should not leak or break down anymore than any other machine built by a like manufacturer. I ride repair and build all bikes. Im getting real tired of all you jap crap riders having nothing better to do than tell outdated , same old crap storys about harleys. Jeeze get a life , or better yet get off the computer and go ride. jonnybiker

In part, I honestly do agree with you jonny.

But remember, these comments/jokes are wielded by a double-edged sword:
Although most of the time the comments made about Harleys and import bikes are done in a jovial manner, there are some (the hard-core type) HD riders who not only bad mouth import bikes by calling them "rice burners or "jap-crap", but resort to violence to prove their "superiority"..
Sure, there are import bike riders who also fall into this same category. But they don't seem to be quite as large of a group, nor as vociferous.

From my perspective, Harley DOES make fine, reliable bikes...now.
This wasn't always the case however, or there simply wouldn't be any jokes (true, these jokes are getting tiring) pertaining to oil leaks and parts falling off due to excessive vibration.
Harley has come a long way in building much better bikes over the last 15~20 years. This has come about by out-sourcing parts (carbs, suspension, etc from Japanese manufacturers) and getting some "fresh blood" into their R&D department (ie: Porsche played a HUGE part in the design/testing of the engines in the V-Rod).
IMHO, HD's biggest problem is in how they market their product line. Claiming that all Harley's are American made is simply no longer true (see parts out-sourcing comment above), yet they stick with that worn out slogan to sell bikes/merchandise. A better and more truer slogan would be to state that they are "Assembled in America, by Americans". Basically they are selling the name "Harley", and the image that is (or was?) associated with it.
I'm sure a lot of folks will agree with me here, but another of HD's problems is their pricing.
Being the budget-minded person (Ok, tight-wad:laugh:) that I am, why would I, or any other like minded person go plunk down $20K+ on an HD, when a comparable import bike for nearly half the price can be had?
To be totally honest, if I could find an HD model I liked with a comparable price to an import that I also liked, I'd truly consider buying it.

I've come across two diff types of riders in the 30+ years (25 of them legally:whistle:) I've been riding on the roads:
Those who are just happy to be out riding their bikes, and the ones who snub their noses/talk crap about anything other than what they own/ride.

When possible, I wave at every rider I pass regardless of what they are riding. If I get a wave back, cool! If not, I just chock it up to they either didn't see me, or didn't have time to return the wave after seeing mine.
I'll also pull over for ANY bike rider that I see stranded to see if I can offer any help. Most will cheerfully (yes, even the HD riders) accept the offer of help.

The painfully LONG:pinch: point I'm trying to make here is, follow the path that makes YOU happy (providing it doesn't hurt/kill anyone of course).
Life is simply just too damned short to worry about what other people think!

Well said Chris! I also wave at every rider and get mixed results. No big deal, "they" don't have to respond. I don't ride enough to come across many bikes on the side of the road but will stop to offer help. A bike is a bike and a rider is a rider, we all share a common bond.

All told I have seven fellows that I occationally ride with. Five of the seven ride Harleys. The other two (father and son) a Suzuki 1300 "busa" and a GXSR 600.

Everyone gets along with everyone else. There is a fair share of good natured ribbing going both ways but it's all in fun.

Oh and in my experience .... 9 out of 10 Harleys leak oil no matter how well maintained they seem to be. And starters are definately a major issue with them too !!!

Also, when I'm out riding I always wave at fellow riders no matter what they are riding ... The Harley guys always wave back .... I've noticed that the BMW guys are the ones who seem most snooty now-a-days. Go figure

I ride with a couple of HD guys that were friends first then we rode. Have I made any on the road HD friends, nope. Just about every other brand would be a yes (except for Goldwingers... odd isn't it?)

As far as HD quality goes, yes it is better. When taken in context with the rest of the worlds motorcycles, then no their quality isn't world class. They are trying though on an ongoing basis but part of the problem is their reluctance to invest in a future that isn't the same old same old. See the attached lack of engineering investment in engines though they have dozens of "new" model's every couple of years.

As tiring as the old HD stories are, it is equally tiring to hear the old "get a real bike" tripe from HDr's. Jonny, the reason this HD thing exists is because of Jap bike bashing by HD'r's not the other way around.