I may have to reconsider Harley

Got a friend with an HD ULTRA, a friend with a VRSC, a friend with a Buell, a friend with a DUCat and have rode them all.....I want them all!! Another friend just bought a RocketIII that I have yet to ride. I will say I think it is seriously fugly but I will test it and then prob want it. It's a non-maker-specific sickness in my case. :blush:

Sorry, but I'm a "cylinder snob". It's gotta have at least 3 but no more than 6.....
Another thought is that a belt drive might be a good thing to try out. Rob the belt setup from a 305 or 750 twin to put on a 650 cafe project ??? Now that'd be a project of monumental proportions... :silly: :side:

I just want to ride... any thing any where. Cheap! I do agree that I flat out cook on the Voyager when it's hot out and the fan comes on.

You guys ever look at the numbers on an 883 Sportster?

47 horsepower.
585 pounds.
This yields a power to weight ratio of .08 hp/lb.


Let's compare that to the numbers for a 1980 KZ750, shall we?

74 horsepower.
474 pounds.
This gives us a power to weight ratio of .16 hp/lb.

:huh:

I'm with Geek. What happened here?

:huh:

Different bikes do different things, feel different, look different and make you feel different. Different delivery of power (or lack of it), different handling (or lack of it), different style (or lack of it), One for cruzin, one for ripping, one for taking the old lady out, one for getting a couple sixers or milk and bread, one rat don't give a crap bike (but she runs good), one for hot weather one for cold, one dream bike that sits waiting for the right parts or the time to work on it. It's OK to really love Pistachio Ice Cream (green) but if you have the means... a couple of other flavors in the freezer ain't bad either. if I remember right there was a great picture of Shoe popping off a wheelie on a lil' Honda camp bike. Looked like he was having a ball....ain't that what it's all about? Speaking of Shoe....hows the healing coming? Haven't heard anything for a while.

The latest issue of Cycle World has the new H.D. XR1200 (only available in Europe... WTF?) I have to admit, pretty nice and the specifications listed are impressive...

As for the looks, reminds me somewhat of the old 70's cafe racer lines and ergonomics.

With that said, me personally, something about a pumped up KZ is the only way to go.... Fine tuned KZ with upgraded CAM's & Kerker gurgle, nothing beats that sound and raw power.

Still though XR1200..... Ah well, I don't live in Europe so just not going to happen.

OMR

I know this is a boring story, but I thought 85,000 on a 2003 Harley was pretty amazing.

Pretty amazing because it's a Harley, or because he rode 85,000 in five years on a bike with no problems?

In 1979 I helped a friend replace the motor in his 1975 Gold Wing that had over 200,000 miles on it, and the reason he wanted to replace it was because it was starting to smoke a little. He bought the bike new in 75, and the only things he'd done to it during that 200,000 miles is replace tires, spark plugs, brake pads, and changed the oil religiously. I thought that was pretty amazing.

I find 85k in five years amazing. Especially, since I can barely do 1100/year. :S

In the first three years I lived in Oklahoma I put 30+k on my work van. I've never driven a single vehicle that much before or since. 10 to 12k/year is more my norm.

I thought regardless of what make, 85,000 miles in 5 yrs is a pretty good amount of riding. That equates to about 45 miles a day 365 days a year which may not seem all that much until you factor in the weather here in Denver. We've had some hot dry summers, but same long cold winters in between, so you'd pretty much need to ride 100 miles plus a day in decent weather to cancel out the zero days in winter. Another thing the Harley riders always rave about is the torque, where you can just cruise effortlessly without the need to shift up/down all the time. This guy mentioned how much nicer the Harley torque was vs the Vulcan and both were 1500ccs, and also how great the belt drive works instead of the vulcan shaft drive.

The fellow I mentioned with the 200k mile Gold Wing was a die hard rider, he was married and didn't even own a car. He rode the Gold Wing back and forth across the US a few times, and from Istanbul Turkey to Frankfort Germany, along with riding it all over Europe. I ran into him in Utica NY a few years later, and he had sold the bike and bought a car because they had a couple of kids

I'd love an old HD. I'm a nut for old cars and bikes, and this '48 Panhead would be a sweet bike to own.
This one's for sale in L.A., $22,500.
Well, maybe next year....