44 messages,
Last post on Dec 04, 2012 at 3:35 PM
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#25 of 44 Pickin Up A Downed Bike!
by railroadjames
Apr 26, 2007 (8:18 pm)
Saw a sad thing a few yrs ago. I pulled up next to a somewhat short older guy on a loaded Goldwing. He had made two mistakes. One: He had pulled up to the red light smack in the middle of the lane right over oil leak droppings. Two: He had his 275lb sweetie on the back. As luck would have it, his foot slipped and down went everything. What made matters worse than the embarassment of dropping his beautifull machine his sweetie gets up and proceeds to beat him with a huge purse. I jumped out of my car and wedged between the two of them and said I'd give him a hand righting the bike. I really felt sad for the guy.
#26 of 44 Re: Pickin Up A Downed Bike! [railroadjames]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
May 04, 2007 (8:26 am)
LOL!
I never rode heavy bikes for this very reason. The BMWs, Ducati and the British bikes were relatively light machines (for road bikes) and I could easily lay them over or god forbid, pick them up.
#27 of 44 Re: Pickin Up A Downed Bike! [Mr_Shiftright]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
May 05, 2007 (3:13 pm)
1997 BMW 800S -- 400 lbs.
1997 Ducati 748 -- 410 lbs
1997 Honda VTR 1000 -- 452 lbs.
1997 Harley Davidson Heritage -- 700 lbs./ V-Rod 652 lbs.
Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 -- 800 lbs.
#28 of 44 Re: Rides of the past... [Mr_Shiftright]
by lrguy44
Jul 12, 2007 (5:27 pm)
What kind of Harley did you ride? I (actually my wife made me) went from a Dyna Sport to an Ultra. I could not believe how easy it is to ride - and great on the interstate when you have to. I much prefer old highways and county roads.
#29 of 44 Re: Rides of the past... [lrguy44]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jul 14, 2007 (10:57 am)
A Harley is easy to ride in a straight line if you go 55 mph but not if you try to corner with it at anything approaching high speed on country roads. It's a lot of work and has a very unsettling feeling about it. I'd guess the smaller, lighter stripped down models, with aftermarket suspension and better tires and a good rider might be "okay" but any Euro bike will kill it in any dimension of performance except noise and repairs.
#30 of 44 Re: Rides of the past... [Mr_Shiftright]
by lrguy44
Jul 14, 2007 (12:01 pm)
I had a Dyna Sport that was ok on gravel, but a Road King and abouve are pavement cruisers.
#31 of 44 Re: Rides of the past... [lrguy44]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jul 15, 2007 (8:50 am)
Well most big bikes don't like gravel very much. I found BMWs to be pretty good on rough ground because of the long fork travel however...I could take the BMW places I wouldn't dare take most larger bikes.
But you're right, Harleys are really best for straight-line leisurely cruising. They do that well, if you can stand some vibration...which you can avoid by not going too fast. Weight = stability as long as you don't try to change direction too fast. This would be true of any heavy motorcycle, not just a Harley. There are some other porkers out there from Japan.
#32 of 44 Any riders in So Cal?
by la4mead
Apr 24, 2009 (9:59 pm)
I'm interested in hearing from other riders. Weekend tourers to commuters. Cruisers - tourers - sportbikes - duallys - dirt, it doesn't matter. They're all good.
Garmin Zumos? Trailering? Cross-country tours?
#33 of 44 My First-and Current-Ride
by roadburner
Apr 25, 2009 (11:48 am)
I jumped in with both feet almost four years ago. I have a 1996 Speed Triple fitted with six-pot front calipers, a Triumph/Sebring 3-into-1 "Racing/Off-Road" pipe, and a seat cowl. It's more than fast enough for me; it can keep up with a lot of middleweight sportbikes but the lack of a faring makes cruising at anything over 80 far too tiring.