• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

Who is really riding for show?

squid

0
Joined
Mar 3, 2004
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Lubbock
I give you a bit of a riddle...

Mind you...if you are not guilty...don't get offended... This is only for certain riders...you know who you are.

Harley Davidson Rider...

They call some of us "squids" because we ride for show...stunts...crazy stuff...or anything that is simply for attention...

However...they drop 20 or even 30 grand on a bike that is a technological dinosaur...overwheight and sluggish...

Relax...I like cruisers too...but explain to me how spending $20K just for an emblem on the tank isn't just for attention or admission into some sort of Jurassic club...

So please...think twice before you refuse to wave to us that are not members of your little "club"... Refrain from thinking that you are God's gift to the cyclist world... Otherwise...I suggest you ride a wheelie past me...drag your knee on a turn...or let's just have a good ol' fashioned drag race...

Either way...we both know how much more you paid to be able to...wait...what is it that you can do on a $30,000 ride that you can't do on one for half of that?



Maybe I'm just venting...Ride safe...

http://www.txsv.com/viewtopic.php?t=103
 
Please don't take this wrong, cuz I'm not trying to argue here. You make some valid points, but, Harleys are not the oil spewing prairie schooners of the AMF years anymore. While I would not own a Hog personally, I have ridden them and they compare very well with other bikes of their type.

Yes they are expensive, but so are the other big bore cruisers out there. The msrp of a Harley is rather reasonable in that regard (Looked at a Ducati lately?).....

Any bike can wheelie, that is a rider skill, not a function of the bike (at least any bike that I've ridden doesn't have a wheelie button or any thing).....


I prefer air cooled bikes. Call me jurassic if you will. I don't have a puddle of coolant in my garage :twisted: . I wouldn't say that its inferior technology either. Just different.

I wonder if you've ever dragged a mildly tuned Harley? Light to Light? They're faster than you think. They snap off the line with MUCH authority. A heavy long frame is good for planting the back tire and not lifting the front. A big heavy fly wheel means little or no clutch slipping to launch. Big V-twin torque..... Just like an rc51 only it keeps its front end down when you give it the go.... Of course all this is null and void when you hit about 80 mph ;-) . But hey, you'll get to the next red light before you can catch up with your high revving sport bike.

Your right about the attitude though. The non waving 1%'ers out there are not real motorcyclists. They are buying into an image. Many have a big chip on their shoulder just waiting for someone to knock it off. Just like the high school bully.

I wave at everybody.... Bicyclists, mopeds, Harleys, no helmet wearin' flip flops riding a 'busa with a pipe (saw him yesterday :shock: )... Everybody. Some don't wave back, oh well.


BTW in case your interested, Harley Davidson won Drag racings prostock bike division's first event of the season in Gainsville Florida. It would make me immensely happy to see HD do well in drag racing. The perfomance will filter down in a couple of years, guaranteed. If they worked with Porsche on an engine, maybe they could work with the italians on chassis design. Give Eric Buell a dependable liquid cooled power plant and an unlimited R&D budget for the chassis and we'll see what happens :chug: .... I'd buy it.





Just to reiterate- I am not arguing here. Just thought I would offer a different view on the subject. Please don't hate me :angel: ......
 
HiSPL said:
Bicyclists, mopeds, Harleys, no helmet wearin' flip flops riding a 'busa with a pipe (saw him yesterday :shock: )... Everybody.

I saw him too just as I ws leaving campus. Apparently that's a club all by itself. Either they've never been down or have never crashed on a bicycle barefoot, or they'd know better. We won't even start the helmet debate. Most of the Harley guys I've run across recently have waved back, but then again the weather was still chilly, so they were no doubt the true riders and not the posing type. I imagine that'll change in the next few weeks...

Oh, yeah, Welcome to the board HiSPL. I may see you around Aggieland. I ride the Black VFR with the Givi topcase. Of course right now the bike has a pretty healthy dusting of yellow pollen... :roll:
 
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Yup.... I've got me one of dem yellow pollen producing nightmares in my front yard. :-|



My bike is black also...... :-?

I have seen your bike before but I don't remember where.....

I ride a flat black 81 Suzuki GS750E. With blue head pipes... And a healthy case of rust and grunge :mrgreen: .... I love my bike :-D :-D :-D

See ya around,
-=Tim=-
 
Lessee,

You're sterotyping a group of riders because you think they stereotype a group of riders? No hypocrisy there, eh?

First off, I wave to everybody, and have since I first started riding my XL-100 back in 78? Even when I'm taking my wife's Zuma to the hardware store...

I've got a SuperHawk for street riding, I've got an SV with a GSXR750 front end that I love for the track (and racing). I've taken wheelie school, and I have an XR set up for slide training in the back yard (which I don't do enough of, BTW)

So why did I just buy a Sportster?

Primarily because I had decided I needed a slower bike. I didn't feel comfortable banzai'ing around on the VTR all the time, and wanted something to chill on. No, just slowing down on the VTR wasn't an option, as it was becoming obvious that I couldn't. Part of that is probably because I'm not getting to ride much lately, so every time I take it out I'm rediscovering the joy of that 996 motor.

I started looking at cruisers, but I hate forward controls...almost all the Japanese bikes have gone to forward controls. The Sporty is almost alone with "mids". It's also priced within a few hundred dollars of a Shadow 1100, and unlike any of my prior bikes it won't depreciate 50% in 3 years.

Have you ever looked at Harley, really? The paint and chrome is incredible...makes a Honda look like a rattle can paint job on a race bike. The fit and finish are quite impressive if you've been raised on Japanese bikes. You can swim in the paint, and the chrome is like Detroit in the "day".

I think the Sportster 1200 also can hold it's own against anything Japan offers in it's class and price, just comparing it as a motorcycle, not a "Harley". Another place where Harley beats anyone, including probably Lexus and Mercedes is in the effort they place on welcoming you into the family. Videos, packages, pins and stuff keep coming in the mail for weeks telling you directly and indirectly how glad they are you've made a purchase. I have never had a buying experience like that before. Jayco could learn from Harley, but that's a whole nother thread...

Admiteddly, much of the "lifestyle" is tiring. When I was asking about quiet pipes you'd have though I'd grown a third head. I refuse to buy fringe, I'm not planning on divorcing my wife and dating "gentleman's club" dancers (Hey Scott, did you like how I cleaned that up :-D ) and I'll be wearing a full face helmet. Gee, an "individual" in a see of identically dressed "rugged individualists". I'll also be keeping my other bikes, and I'd be more than happy to go around you knee down at the track :lol:

Personally, I think the entire Dyna line is a joke. Their brakes border on dangerous IMHO. I understand the "customs" and choppers even less. The baggers however also offer a viable option. An ElectraGlide starts thousands less than a GoldWing, and is still recognizable as a motorcycle versus an Accord missing a couple of wheels.

In fact, if you study your moto-history, if not for the Sportster, you might not be riding a supersport bike at all...

If you're so inclined, they are also easy to work on. You think there's an aftermarket for sport bikes? It doesn't even start to equal the Harley/custom aftermarket. I'll probably be building my next bike, when I have the time/money.

Anyway, don't fall to what you're accusing others of, and actually look at a Harley before dismissing it. Now, rejecting the "lifestyle" attitude is perfectly acceptable, and I think healthy. I'll be doing my part to irritate the "Ride to Drink, Drink to Ride" crew myself, from the inside :chug:

Daryl
 
Squid, I noticed this is your first post. While I agree with some of what you are saying, please don't come in here simply to stir up trouble. We do not need it.

Uberhawk, well said.

Can't we all just get along?
 
Please don't take this wrong, cuz I'm not trying to argue here. You make some valid points, but, Harleys are not the oil spewing prairie schooners of the AMF years anymore. While I would not own a Hog personally, I have ridden them and they compare very well with other bikes of their type.

He just said they were "dinosaur designs". Whether they spew oil or not, they are still dinosaur designs, undersquare OHV air cooled V twin. Just what would you call that, state of the art? Other metric cruisers are dinosaurs, too, only in that they ape the Hog and only in the amount that they ape the hog. A Suzuki intruder 800 is actually a pretty advanced design, water cooled, OHC, undersquare, fairly high output by comparison.

Yes they are expensive, but so are the other big bore cruisers out there. The msrp of a Harley is rather reasonable in that regard (Looked at a Ducati lately?).....

Another point to make here is depreciation. You buy a new hog, re-sell it 3 years later, you don't lose a heck of a whole lot compared to the metrics.

Any bike can wheelie, that is a rider skill, not a function of the bike (at least any bike that I've ridden doesn't have a wheelie button or any thing).....

I'm not sure I could wheelie a Heritage Softtail, as a for instance. Doug Demokos probably could, if he's still around. Some bikes are a WHOLE lot easier than others, just dial on the power.


I prefer air cooled bikes. Call me jurassic if you will. I don't have a puddle of coolant in my garage . I wouldn't say that its inferior technology either. Just different.

I have four water cooled bikes in my shop that belong to me and no coolant stains on the floor. Only two of those bikes are recent manufacture. There's an '88 KX in there and a 1983 GL1100 in there. If you want longevity of service and/or optimized performance, water cooling is a must. It's not totally necessary in a street bike, of course, but it's definitely preferable to me. Anything has to be maintained, of course, but I haven't had a lot of problems maintaining a water cooled bike and I've been riding them since the early 80s. Suzuki's GSXR was originally air/oil cooled. As the performance ante increased, even THAT bike had to take on water cooling. Its only real disadvantage is weight, but the weight is worth it.

I wonder if you've ever dragged a mildly tuned Harley? Light to Light? They're faster than you think. They snap off the line with MUCH authority. A heavy long frame is good for planting the back tire and not lifting the front. A big heavy fly wheel means little or no clutch slipping to launch. Big V-twin torque..... Just like an rc51 only it keeps its front end down when you give it the go.... Of course all this is null and void when you hit about 80 mph . But hey, you'll get to the next red light before you can catch up with your high revving sport bike.

I've ridden a lot of hogs and there aren't too many of them that would whoop my SV650, let alone a ZX10R. That's rather laughable. :lol: A really well massaged hog is making maybe 120 ponies, if you dump five figures in the motor. Add to that 650+ lbs, well, a 600 can whip that if it has ANY kind of rider aboard. My SV runs 0-60 in under 4 seconds. A CBR1000RR test I recently read says it runs 2.92 seconds. I ain't seen the street hog that can run THAT! To run that, you'll be rebuilding that air cooled top end in under 10K miles, not hardly worth it. If you're going fishing for sharks, you'd best take an off shore rod and real, not a Zebco 202. To me, though, and I've done the bracket thing, drag racing is a drag. I'm more used to slipping the clutch on a RS125 off the green flag. The start is just the start, the fun begins in turn one.

Your right about the attitude though. The non waving 1%'ers out there are not real motorcyclists. They are buying into an image. Many have a big chip on their shoulder just waiting for someone to knock it off. Just like the high school bully. I wave at everybody.... Bicyclists, mopeds, Harleys, no helmet wearin' flip flops riding a 'busa with a pipe (saw him yesterday )... Everybody. Some don't wave back, oh well.

I don't really get hung up on the waving thing. I don't wave unless I see the other guy waving.




BTW in case your interested, Harley Davidson won Drag racings prostock bike division's first event of the season in Gainsville Florida. It would make me immensely happy to see HD do well in drag racing. The perfomance will filter down in a couple of years, guaranteed. If they worked with Porsche on an engine, maybe they could work with the italians on chassis design. Give Eric Buell a dependable liquid cooled power plant and an unlimited R&D budget for the chassis and we'll see what happens

First, the bike that won that race doesn't have a whole lot left on it that can be called "Harley". I understand the motor is a 2 liter minimum billet wonder. But, also, it's a water cooled, DOHC 8 valve motor! It's based on, roughly, the V Rod, a bike that true Harley faithful scorn to the max for being too "Jap" like. I wonder if it leaks coolant on the shop floor... :lol: At any rate, 2 liters is a tad over the Superbike displacement limit, so I don't think there's much any Italian designers or Eric Buell could do to scare Yosh or Mladin with a new VR1000... :lol: With the AMA superbike limit back up to 1000cc for four bangers, well, even the RC51 struggles. Honda is going to the 1000cc four format this year, I think, though I didn't get to see any of Daytona because I was in Katy road racing that weekend.

All that said, I really got nothing against Harley or Harley riders, just that I don't now nor have I ever in 37 years of riding ever wanted one! I'm a performance, handling kinda guy. Not so much that I care about motor on the street, ride an SV after all, but I love quick handling bikes and kicking the front wheel out to 32 degrees of rake on a 650 lb motorcycle ain't the way to gain quick handling. I'm also a budget kinda guy, bang for the buck, thus the SV. Harleys are my antithesis. I might consider one for touring, Ultra Glide, but I think I'd rather have a Wing, even a 21 year old Wing. I gave three grand for mine and have been all over the west with it excluding California, bang for the buck. What irks me are the HD guys that scorn your bike cause it ain't a Hog. Well, ****, if it were a hog, I'd sell it and buy something I WANT! I have friends who ride Harleys for which my bike doesn't matter. We ride to ride and have fun. But, so many Harley types are Harley snobs.

I have a friend, tunes my KX80 race bike, former CRRC F4 (125GP) champion and runner up in WERA for a national championship in '77. He woulda won that national championship except for a crash at the GNF. He teaches motorcycle and marine mechanics, head of the department, at Cedar Valley College in Dallas. His father-in-law is a Harley guy, cop, found him an old shovel head in the police impound yard. Duncan got it cheap and as he told me, built it like HD should have. He did his own dual plug head conversion. He had 48K miles on it and it still ran like new and didn't leak when he sold it for major money and found a used KLR650 Kaw. He's into "adventure touring" now, always wanting to try something new. He told me the real reason he sold the hog, though, is that people just assumed he wasn't much of a rider being on a Harley. LOL! Now, that's not much of a reason to sell your hog IMHO, but think about it. How many GOOD riders do you know that are Harley fanatics? Not too many! I know a couple, one a guy who also owns a Ducati, a DRz400, and an RZ350 in addition to his Glide. He don't count, LOL! Another runs a Harley parts place in Tucson and was a former factory MX rider in the Philippines back in the day when he was in the service. He loves his FXR, it's set up tall, not lowered, for handling and he delights in running with the sportbikes on the Mount Lemon or Kit's Peak roads on the weekends, LOL.
 
I've noticed that the 'real' 1%'s (HA, Banditos, Gypsys,....) all wave. They have better manners than the jerks on the raked customs with the stripper on the back that give you the finger or look the other way when you pass. There are jerks in every sport though, nothing new. We all ride though so we might as well keep it friendly and wave.
 
Harley Riders

I give most riders the benefit of the doubt. When someone hears that you ride they will usually ask if you have a Harley. There are many other motorcycles as we know but the public sees and hears only Harley. My neighbors have Harley's and won't ride with me. Embarrased to be seen with me. In their garages sit new Japanese cars. Go figure there. I ride to ride. Most of the NEW Harley riders ride to be seen. I'm glad they are riding because that does add to our numbers. However to be biased on what bike you SHOULD ride is crazy. Reminds me of the peer pressure in school. To me, ride the bike that makes you have that smile on your face. If it means spending the money for a Harley go for it. I'd ride with you but please don't try to tell me how to spend my hard earned money. I saw a bumper sticker that irritated me "Two types of motorcycle riders - Harley Riders and those that wish they had a Harley."

My .02
 
I have a buddy I ride with every now and then that has a harley VROD and he lined up with a DUCATI and he left the DUCATI in the dust. I bought a harley because I really wasn't interested in going fast, I enjoy a slow leasurly ride
 
"Two types of motorcycle riders - Harley Riders and those that wish they had a Harley."

I've seen that too. Guess I'm not a motorcycle rider then. I'm a biker :twisted: ....

As for Jack.....
I think we are kind of on the same page here bro. I too am a budget, perfomance, handling type of person.... Albeit my budget seems to be a little tighter than yours. I bought my 750 for $350 and put another grand into it over the course of two years. I don't think theres another bike out there that I could spend $1350 on right now that would give me the level of enjoyment that this GS does. Its fast enough for me, handles well, and is all day comfortable. Parts are cheap, maintenence is easy, and theft rate is way down.... I would not buy a Harley just because they are cruisers. Not because they're inferior compared to other makes.

I still contend that wheelies are a rider skill and not a function of the bike. Yes some are easier than others, but thats where the skill comes in.

The water cooled thing was a jab at tourmeister's viffer, peeing all over his garage. :evil: Check it out here http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=1240

I realise that most modern sport bikes will thrash a harley when ridden with skill. The point I was making is that; I doubt our friend Squid could launch his SV hard enough to keep up with a Hog over a short distance. A pro could, sure. But put two average riders head to head at a stop light. One on a sports ride the other a hog. Rev up, dump clutch, and go. The Harley shoots forward while the sports shoots up. Sport rider feathers clutch or just backs off, while the Harley is shifting to second, and pulling further ahead. Sporty is left playing catch up, which he CAN do. But if the course is short enough then he won't have time. Game over. Long, heavy bikes with lots of torque are easy to launch. Thats all I'm saying.

The V&H harley Vrod is not what you can buy at the dealer, thats true. However, that technology will filter down. It is one reason that manufacturers go racing. R&D. What works on the track, works on the road. In the '80's you had the big GS's and kawi's going at it on the drag strip. If one would win the other brought a bigger stick. This progression brought us the GS1000, 1100, 1150, and the (air/oil cooled)GSX1100R. All related motorcycles that grew out of competition. And that was a good thing. The V&H Vrod is a big displacement bike, but its competition was too. The true Harley faithful may scorn the Vrod, but they are still behind HD's racing effort. They are loyal fans that pay the gate fees at events. Why are there so many Harley only drag events around the country? They make money thats why. Nobody could pull off a Kawasaki or Honda only drag and make it profitable.


Remember: Arguing on the internet is like running in the special olympics. Even if you win, your still retarded.....
 
Don't close the book just yet...

Mind you...if you are not guilty...don't get offended... This is only for certain riders...you know who you are.
Maybe you missed that part...

I never said that I didn't like Harley's, choppers, etc.
I'm a confessing "American Chopper" addict, and I think that anyone who looks at one of those things and calls it "ugly" is plain lying. I don't care what you ride...just as long as you do. The bike isn't what pulls my chain; it's the ATTITUDE...
Any bike can wheelie, that is a rider skill, not a function of the bike (at least any bike that I've ridden doesn't have a wheelie button or any thing).....
HiSPL, I can tell I like you already...

As for why you ride...it's your own business, but let me makes this clear.
Cycling has a natural comradery that is almost unmatched by anything. The open-door attitude is mutual, "...if you ride...you're with us..." plain and simple. So if your outlook differentiates the "us" with the name on the tank from the "us" that comes with the shared love of riding in open air, then you may want to rethink the arrogance that you portray.

You may as well wait for "Abercrombie & Fitch" to make a bike for you to flaunt...IMHO...

However, my table is open to all who ride...even the ones who would deny me from theirs...

You guys had some very insightful comments...kudos...
 
HiSPL

I had a GS750, '77 model. That was a good motorcycle. The 81, no doubt, had the CDI ignition. We once took a trip on that GS with the sidecar, wife, kid aboard. Rode to Batesville Arkansas to see a friend of my wife's. On the way back, took the long way around, riding back into Little Rock, the thing started running on two. I rode about a mile looking for a place to pull over and the first place handy was a Suzuki shop parking lot! LOL! Gift from God! LOL Anyway, I was broke at the time, had bought a set of Taiwanese made breaker points for a tune up. One of the contacts loosened up and just fell out, LOL. That's the only time I ever had trouble on that bike. It wore out the top end, though, in 22K miles, needed rings only, bore was okay. Product of air cooling.. :-D But, it sure was a good ol' bike. I put Lester Wheels on the thing, a pipe, jetted the carbs for the pipe, had a little Vetter "Rooster" fairing with a stereo in it. It was set up nice. One of my better rides. Had a '79 GS1000 for a while, too. On a budget, you probably have one of the better deals in used bikes, or at least REAL used bikes... :lol: Not sure if you have the 16 valve TSCC model or the old 8 valver, but I'm thinking the 16 valve hadn't come out yet in 81. Maybe so, it was right around there. Anyway, mine was the old 8 valver.

Since I'm not working anymore, started my bike shop back up, don't have a for sure steady income, I may be closer to your financial situation now than you think... :lol: Sure not planning to buy a new bike anytime soon, I can tell ya that! An' ya know, every time I see an old GS or KZ or CB out there, I just gotta smile, cause I know how good those old bikes were. They might get sneers, but not from me.
 
Right on man :-D ....

Mines a 16 valve TSCC. Great bike for sure. It has 33,000 miles on it, 20,000 are mine :mrgreen: . I would kill for a set of Lester wheels for it. Right now I'm pining for some F2/F3 rims and front end to put on it though. It has a Mac 4-1, K&N pods, stage 3 jets, Accell coils and wires, progressive springs up front with 20 weight oil, and Ikons (reman. Koni's) in the rear.

Its a great ride and all paid for..... 8-) ....

Whats the name of your bike shop and where's it at?
 
Yeah, I had a Mac 4 into1 Chrome on mine. Weren't any titanium or carbon fiber or even stainless systems back in the day. The Ceramic seemed to hold up better. I put a Ceramic one on the GS1000. That bike was too lean, an EPA year, and rather than mess with the carbs, I put 29mm smooth bore Mikunis on it with K&N filter pods and jetted them. Thing ran well after that..

Shop's Deadhorse Cycle Service in Port Lavaca, Texas. We're on the bay near Victoria. My shop is small, in front of my house. I have a salvage dealer's license right now, but will probably expand next year with another building and get a dealer's license so I can do the paperwork on new bikes and work with the local banks. I'm wanting to carry the Alpha Sports Korean bikes. If I do that, I may sell the SV and ride a demo for sport rides. ;-)
 
You should carry MZ. I've always wanted a skorpion sport cup.

Never heard of alpha sports, but thats not unusual. South Korea turns out some pretty decent stuff actually....



They are from South Korea, aren't they?
 
No MuZs. Almost bought a MuZ in 95, one of the Rotax ones. Found a better deal, though, on a retro VX800, one of those "been in the warehouse" deals. I like the MuZs a lot.

Check Alpha Sports out at http://www.alphasportsmotors.com/

alphaGT250NakedLargeTemp.jpg


They seem to have pulled the 650 from the site for now. I'm told it will likely be ready this summer, though. It looks very much like the SV, but with an upside down fork.
 
WOW :shock: I registered at the Yahoo group and looked through the pictures there. The 650 sport is sharp. Like an SV but cleaner. I never liked how the engine hangs out of an SV. It looks like road kill with its guts hanging out :puke: .

But what really blew me away is the 650 cruiser pics that looked like they were taken at a show. That thing is gorgeous :mrgreen: ... I'd like to drop a TLR power plant in it and go Vrod hunting :lol: ....

Good luck with the business venture. It looks like alpha could be a success in the small bike market if the build quality is as good as the design... I'm impressed.
 
Back
Top