Since I no longer log nearly as many miles on me motorcycles as used to,I still get a kick out of newbie Motorcycles and newbie owners. Or maybe even worse.Old Owners with older bikes { Metric } and then all of a sudden are flush w/cash,enough to purchase a Hog { Harley }. Like this dude just a few homes up the street from me.He done went and got a Hog { Harley bagger } and even wears some kind of Motorcycle Denim Jacket with lettering and of course leather underneath.His new bike is used and very loud.He obviously get's a kick out of revving it up my street en route to his house { about 60 yards away vertically }. The other day I was out on my Honda CB 1100 and headed home,turning off at a street that connects.Then out of the blue this Neighbor guy and a buddy with same colors { motorcycle jacket and lettering } on his Harley bagger ZOOM past me.On Purpose.Well I let 'em zoom past me,as I was dressed like a Preppie.And I caught up to them in seconds flat,with no problem at all. They seemed like they were kinda goosin' their Hogs { Full throttle }. They made the hairpin turn toward home and again gave it everything they had.If it wasn't for a steep drop in the road where there's always a pile of gravel I coulda passed them up.I'm waiting for a chance to meet up with them again on my Rune.I'm gonna spank their Harley a$$es butt good. I've never lost a race against a Harley { even a V-rod } on me Rune. There's something about motorcycles that causes grown men to act like Kids.I'm not sure what it is.I don't think Jay Leno acts like that. But then again ... Who knows for sure.
I got a chance to see up close and firsthand the new " Supercharged " Kawasaki H2.This was about a month ago.I went into my old dealer to get a can of Motorcycle Polish { Original Bike spirits } used to be under the Honda brand name.The stuff is terrific. And as I was looking around there smack dab in the center of the showroom was a Kiosk and this sparkling New Bike.With an anodized looking gas tank like the Original V-rod and a trellis frame and really nice green paint job. Their was a name plate on the engine with the word { Supercharged }. I asked about the bike last year and the sales stiff said they probably won't get one.Not enough interest in $ 25,ooo plus sport bikes.But the Bikes looks like a winner and is not to be confused with any other sports bike.Kinda like the Ducati Diavel { which was serious about 2 years ago }. But I'm too old for a sports bike { even though about 4 years ago at a Saturday Public Dyno display there was this Old coot { I asked his age ,somethin' like 74 } and he had a Busa and was getting it Dyno tested.I see where Ducati actually has a bike with as much H.P. as the H2. It's the Panigale 899. It's closest competitor is the BMX S1000. Also another 200 H.P. speed freak. Whatever happened to the Buell V-Twin speed freak.KTM also has the Super Duke 1290. I like V-twins.But My M109 is down.
I wish I lived somewhere down south where I could ride year round. Too many motorcycle accidents these days for me. Drivers seem worse than ever. There's nothing like the freedom on a bike though.
bumpity bump it all depends on "where" down south? Where I am there is a lot of O.P.D. resulting in O.P.C (old people driving= old people crashing) It can become unsettling during "season" (late fall/winter) as all of the snowbirds are here and driving terribly. The riders who tend to get into the most issues (beside the youngsters going too fast) are those who putt in the right lane as opposed to being more of a defensive/aggressive rider keeping aware of everything.
Harley ain't motorcycles, they is more fashion statements. Every spring the squids come out. I probably put 20k a year on my bikes.
I just sold my 2004 Suzuki Intruder, an 805cc cruiser with lots of chrome. Not a big bike by today's standards, but extremely reliable and lots of fun.
so what does a 50 CID bike bring in there? Where I am, the little C50s and Vulcan 900's lose value real quickly and can be had for around $2k with 15k miles on them C90's, Vulcan 1600's and Honda VTX 1300's can be had for $3k to $3500. There is lots of used inventory of low-mile bikes in FL because a lot of older folks buy them but never ride them and then there are those who can't stand the heat/sun and sell them.
Mine needed a little work and I didn't get much for it. The prices you mentioned are about the same here. It was a beautiful bike. Never rode it in the rain. Never been dropped.
Buell was a great American brand. It is a tragedy what happened to it. I dont like Harley Davidsons either.
The last top version of the Buell was extraordinary. 415 pounds, 186 horsepower stock. Taking down to 400 lbs and up to 225 hp easy. A 1200 Twin so they growled too. Extremely high maintenance. But by then the money and reputation was gone for Beall. A few of those are still selling new in the crate, now, for $10K. Comparing Harleys to crotch rockets is pointless really. There also is an irony of the OPer bragging of blowing past baggers on a big crotch rocket - claiming they are acting like kids. There are some extremely powerful and fast straight line acceleration Harleys made in the 2000s that people were spending $50,000+ on - custom choppers. That fad passed and they are lucky if they can get $10K for those. We have 6 Harleys, no baggers, all classic but the Buell. One big sluggish but beautiful cruiser - no bags, 3 old school hotrodded Sportsters and one small displacement Harley-Italian racer. Big crotch rockets that go 190mph+ are like other vehicles that go extreme speeds. One of our cars can hit 218 mph pumping out over 1000 ft/lbs torque and over 800 hp - with the a/c and stereo on, full trunk and usable back seat. Bought it used -cheap. Paint fading and had been owned by a smoker - crashing the price. Cost over a quarter million new. Cheap used. Had it pro taken apart and repainted OEM color. Because of the massive torque it keeps accelerating well past 100 at an extreme rate, where even most exotics are slowing. Will beat a Lambo 2 seater in a kilometer race by over 2 seconds - and 2 seconds is almost eternity in a drag race - but it a full size 2+2 family car. That level of speed is, of course, unusable. Candidly the extreme acceleration is somewhat terrifying. Riding a big crotch rocket is just as much being a kid as having a Harley. Its just what you get off on. Candidly, old school performance cars and bikes are more fun because they operate at usable speeds and you got to work the machine. Not much you can do with a car or bike that goes zero to 60 in 2 seconds and a 200 mph top speed. Harleys are more about social life. Harleys vibrate badly, particularly rigid motor mount classics and are notably dangerous for limited and rotten handling A lot of old guys buy a 700 lb Harley - and get hurt real bad on them. But then so do a lot of young guys and moreso young women on the back of crotch rockets. Every time you see a car with even a tiny dent on it from another car, realize that would have likely tore up up the rider and passenger if one if that had been a minor hit with a biker. Baggers are so popular now because biker clubs organized by Harley dealers go on day and weekend trips so they need the bags.
Hogs are reverse Darwins law. You get liquid, so you buy a POSEUR machine that doesn't go so fast, stop all that well, and turns like a , well? HOG.
I removed all weight that wasn't ABSOLUTELY necessary, and got rid of 65 lbs. I lowered the fr and re by at least an inch, likely and a half. I even more extremely centralized the mass. It is like a 400, with TRACTOR PULLING torque. It is carbureted, the last year, and is so strong, that it is better torque than a DUCATI, or MV Agusta. I may have gotten lucky somehow, as the jetting was done when I bought it. I put in KandN and has the slipon. NO other bike I can imagine could have that grunt. Oh, and the shock out back, and the trick fork innards, make my bike as plush over stuff, as a hog. Even as light as it is.
naked bikes or sport bikes used to have a little "trunk" where a pair of gloves and even a small windbreaker could be stored. Modern sport and supersport bikes have no such thing and other than the anemic Triumph twins or Honda CB1100, the riding position has become more aggressive and less comfortable in the "inline 4 " product offerings. There is a very large population who enjoy riding and have for years and as bikes became less comfortable, the buyers moved toward Harley but gave up a lot with respect to performance. But, after a while you are fine with going 0-60 in 5 or 6 seonds as opposed to 2 point something. The metrics saw the migration to Harley and launched their own V Twin "cruiser" offerings. Had they only realized that many of us would prefer a water cooled, inline 4 with good performance and an upright riding position but as I mentioned the CB and Triumph, there aren't many choices so we go to the heavier cruisers. I can only stand about 20 minutes at most on the CBR1000RR and thus the VTX is my ride of choice. It doesn't corner as well but I'm not begging to get off of it either. About baggers, it gives you a place to have gloves and a light jacket because those places no longer exsit on modern bikes so you need bags. I do think that the scooter-like 700 from Honda has a storage pocket.
Yes, but what's the point really? When do you ever use that acceleration or top speed ability? I'm not knocking it, but after the last few decades performance has been pushed well beyond usable on the street. And there is always someone faster and more specialized. The Nox turbo or supercharged with extended rear sway bar for bike drag racing. A few of those around here. But for what usage? Although Beall is not THE top potential, our Beall is ungodly fast. 400 lbs. 250 hp. Feather weight wheels. Tricked out suspension. I never ride it. As for racing, the only person to race is yourself really and there are super curvy roads around her with short straightways and virtually zero traffic. A person has to be a true motorhead. But here is the real question. Another bike pulls beside you at a stop light. Wants to race. Do you? I come across that sometimes when out in my hyper car. It has happened that a late model Vette ZO6 and on another occasion one of those rare new Chysler 700 hp Wildcats, and a couple of old school really built up 60s muscles cars, and one bucket T feather weight with big slicks all wanted to race for a traffic light. But.. setting aside the legalities and dangers, I know how it will go. All those will take me off the line due to superior traction and probably hold the lead up to around 100. I'd catch up by 120 and they'd be vanishing in the rear view mirror fast by 150 to 160. Even if there redline gearing allowed higher speeds, at 200 they'be a little dot in the rear view mirror. Biking? That's about the corners. That's the Buell excels at. I'm not into that at all. If pushing to the max it only takes one pebble or a tad of oil to wipe out. What comes down to? It's all in a person's own head. The review of my car model - total of 194 ever built and they are a completely unique body and chassis (so expensive people wouldn't buy them so discontinued) - was that it has such a ludicrous amount of torque and power that it is fully unusable. That it makes absolutely no sense. A big luxury +2 coupe, full trunk and back seat, laced with complex computers, extremely complex suspension, massive dual independent brake system (26 brake pads) of true Jeckle-Hyde personality. Cruising along in a cushy big cruising car - but if you punch it within milliseconds the computers completely change the suspension, height, brakes, transmission and engine - taking it up to 27 psi boost in the twin watercooled turbos for the direct cylinder injected big 48 valve V12. The one I have was "stage 3 modified," and it already was the powerful motored technically production car (each hand assembled .) While it cool to own it, in a way it's annoying to drive in a way. So quiet and cushy going along at 75 mph you feel like you could get out and run faster. Subtly, the car telling you to stop being so timid and slow - urging you to go faster. This model was specifically designed to comfortably cruise at 186 mph in no speed limit Germany. But if punch it, the car goes ape-sh.t-crazy violently throwing you back into the seat. You cling the steering wheel and look at the speedometer. 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 - as fast as you would say those numbers. Why? You might be in Germany and want a Porsche or Lambo off your ass. So you hit the brakes - now it's trying to throw you into the windshield. Statistically it will stop in 1/2 the distance of the average new car. And for curves if you are pushing it? The car also has a mass of scanners and sensors. The computers take over, operating all 4 brake sets on each wheel, working the transmission and motor too. And if you were just too fast in the curve for the g-force for the car itself to handle? It will use all 4 brakes to slide you into a fast stop box-turn stop. Yes, that's impressive, particularly for a big luxury car. But, candidly, I don't enjoy it. Having a bike that can perform like this? I wouldn't even think of it. Many people more are retro-ing sports and performance cars that are more for the under 100 mph play. YOU have to work the gears, the brakes, steering, to get the most out of the inferior motor and suspension. And without the massive legal risks or death risks. Plus they are more affordable to keep running. My car also is rated at one of the 10 WORST hyper performance limited production exotics due to maintenance and repair costs. Long block replacement? $100K - not including. Window rubber molding? Whole set about $3,000 - if you get it. Suspension rebuild? $26K. Other than for rare 2 second thrills, how often do you use your crotch rocket?
This video of a Brabus modified early SL65 is similar to my Stage 3 first generation CL65. The difference is mine is a 2+2 hardtop couple, very limited production and the model changed after 194 built. For comparison, mine is over a quarter ton lighter than that Brabus SL65, has about 50 more horsepower and over 150 more ft/lbs torque. He comments how extremely difficult it is to drive hard as it is all way TOO excessive, notably the torque. Other than Bugatti, not even Ferrari or Lambo make anywhere near as much torque. That is why it accelerates so extremely fast when already at 150+. Top speed on mine is (my choice) limited to 218 mph. On paper it should hit around 260 to 270 - but no street tires are made to take that. Anyway, the difference with the car in the video is mine has a 6.5, not 6 liter V12, 8 inch longer wheel base, mine is 600 pounds lighter by titanium and graphite, and has more horsepower and a lot more torque. It is insanely over torqued - BUT if getting to over 200 mph faster than anyone else matters, this is the car to do it. Which, of course, it in real terms absolutely worthless, isn't it? This isn't Germany. [video=youtube;_dfff-s2OMc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dfff-s2OMc[/video]
