Why are Harleys considered the best ?

Yah... Like I tolll Tim, I can believe that about the K12LT... I've never
ridden one and don't really have the desire. I just can't get past the
idea that I would be unable to remove my baggage after setting up the
tent...

Hahaha.... *THAT'S* funny! "See! It's designed so *WHEN* you drop it
(not IF) you won't do any damage..."

 

Wierd. I like riding my Harley, my Speed Triple, and my Tiger on the street, and
I'd probably lose my license if I were clocked riding at more than 98 mph (160
kph) on any of them. I've certsinly found ways to enjoy riding on the street at
less than 98 mph. I also like riding on the track; in fact, I'm an instructor
for the local roadracing club, and I like riding my Speed Triple, my EX500
racebike, my former racing partner's Ducati 916 racebike, another former racing
buddy's GSXR1000, and even my old 42hp Muz Skorpion Sport 660 thumper racebike
up at Summit Point raceway in Charles Town West Virginia every chance I get.

We sound a lot alike, except that I continue to get enjoyment out of riding on
the street, and I don't have an irrational hatred of one particular brand of
motorcycle!

If you're ever in the States and happen to visit the national Capitol area, look
me up in the Virginia phone book.

Tim Morrow, Herndon, Virginia
--
'04 FLTRI
'99 Speed Triple
'72 TR6RV
http://users.erols.com/tomorrow
http://www.reeky.org/gallery/Tim


P.S. Al Brennen - did you notice that your message id above had HBO, MG, and
VROD in it? Wierd!

 

Roach, you ploinked Tim? But Tim is one of us. He came to EKIII last
year ferchrisakes. Ok, maybe he's bullheaded, questions rules, and don't
take shit from anyone ...

.... See? He *is* one of us!

 

roach sed:

Yer a good man ... Heading south?

 

Hi Tim

I will if I ever get the chance. Must be nice to have the option to
ride all those different bikes. where I live vehicles are extremely
expensive - taxes on cars are 180% and on bikes something like 200%. A
2005 gsxr 1000 is 229.999 danish kroner = 40844$ at current rates.
This is why I only have one bike and an old one at that. I dont hate
harleys (only the loud ones) - however I do find it peculiar why they
are so popular though... Whats so special about it ? Original its not
- it is itself more or less a copy of an Indian. It sure doesnt belong
on a roadrace track.

 

It's a different kind of riding on this side of the pond. Sure, we
have our curvy roads, full of rice rockets going 200 mph with their
hair on fire, but what the US mostly has is a lot of miles...long,
wide open miles.
Harley riders in the US(well, the real riders, not the posers) tend to
like to put a lot of miles on when they ride. This makes you more
interested in comfort than speed. Ever ride a GSXR 500 miles*on the
street* in one day. It's really hard on the body...much more so than
the same ride on a Road King or a Tour Glide.
Yeah, you could do those miles in comfort on a Beemer, or a Screaming
Yellow 'wing too, but to a Harley rider, it ain't the same.

 

Hey. Thomas. Which newsgroup are you reading this in, so I can stop
crossposting to three groups?

Oh, I agree with the last, at least insofar as Harley's touring motorcycles and
cruiser motorcycles. Just as BMW. Honda, and Suzuki touring and cruiser
motorcycles don't belong on a racetrack. They are neither racebikes, nor are
they meant to be raced. I've owned four or five racebikes. I wouldn't want to
ride any of them to work, let alone across the North American continent as I
have on a Triumph, and will be this summer (much more comfortably) on my Harley.

We in the U.S. are blessed to have a plentiful supply of motorcycles, priced
lower than in most industrialized nations, and with running costs also lower
than most countries. Many of us are lucky enough to have specific motorcycles
for specific tasks. If I had to have only one motorcycle, it would not be a
pure racebike, nor a pure commuter, nor a vintage bike, nor a pure touring
bike. I'd probably own a sport touring bike, and it probably wouldn't be a
Harley. However, that wouldn't give me leave to question why someone else might
choose a Honda RC51 race replica or Ducati 999 as their only bike, any more than
it would give me grounds to question someone else's choice of a Harley Softtail
or ElectraGlide Classic as their only bike.

As far as "What's so special about a Harley," to me, it's more about the fact
that it is the last remaining American motorcycle brand, the history, the fact
that American workers are kept employed building them (while we seem to be
giving up building almost everything else) and the vast aftermarket support for
making the bike even more closely fitted to my own needs than it is anything
else. On the other hand, having had several sport touring bikes, I wanted a
cruising tourer with hard bags, frame mounted fairing, spread out ergonomics,
relaxed engine cadence, unlimited mileage warranty, and good looks. There was
no other bike on the market that fit my needs at the time, and the Road Glide
remains unique in the combination of attributes that I am looking for.

And no, Harley is not "more or less" a copy of an Indian. Rather than get into
that discussion here, I'd recommend that you read almost any of Allan Girdler's
eminently readable books about the history of Harley-Davidson, or more
specifically "The Harley-Davidson and Indian Wars." I little bit of knowledge
about the rich histories of both of those companies will quickly disabuse you of
the notion that a Harley is a copy of an Indian, or vice versa.

Tim Morrow, Herndon, Virginia
--
'04 FLTRI
'99 Speed Triple
'72 TR6RV
http://users.erols.com/tomorrow
http://www.reeky.org/gallery/Tim

 

Hi Tim

I read rec.motorcycles.racing. I must admit that here in my mid
thirties that only sport/race bikes interest me. I used to spend alot
of time reading about all sorts of bikes but I dont have the
time/interest anymore. To me they are simply not exciting enough. Who
knows - maybe later in my life I will succomb to something a little
more laidback.

Your comments about looks only proves that what you see is in the eye
of the beholder.

 

My biggest concern regarding the many different types of motorcycles out there,
and the increasing specialization of bikes, is that the average human lifetime
may not be long enough to properly enjoy them all. If you were to visit my
website, you would see that the majority of motorcycles I've owned have been
sporting standards, followed closely by standards, followed closely by pure
sportbikes, then pure racebikes, and finally sport touring bikes. All have been
pure pavement bikes. Last summer I had the opportunity to go dirtbike riding,
and took a ride on (among others) a friend's Honda CRF250X. Holy Toledo! The
things that bike made me - a total rookie off road - capable of doing on the
"trails" of the George Washington National Forest were astounding.

I'm in my mid-forties, and after riding for 28 years, he one thing I've learned
NOT to do is to say "I'll never try such-and-such" when it comes to anything
motorcycling-related.

No argument there. I still think my 1980 Honda CB750F was beautiful, my 1992
Ducati 750SS and 851 Superbike were gorgeous, and I think my Road GLide is
stunning! I'm not particularly fond of Honda CX500's with milk crates bungied
to their luggage racks, but beauty is only skin deep.... I wouldn't pass up a
ride on one!

Tim

 

Sounds to me like you typify the earlier statement on the subject of
jealous whiners then.

--
Instead of swerving, I should have been reloading
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I guess most people would - if they had the option - like to have more
than one bike. I also guess most people could figure that one out.