what motorcycle?
- Thread starter david ellwood
- Start date
Quite so. I have a Road King Classic which is v comfortable for longer journeys. I also have a Sportster for tootling around the Devon Lanes. I wouldn't use the first one for the second purpose or vice versa.
I've given up bikes where you have to lie down on the tank because:
1) I don't want to be the fastest thing on the road
2) Large expanses of granulating wounds hurt like buggery and I swore I would avoid them in the future by being more sensible
3) I blame Ducati for the start of the arthritis I have in both thumbs
4) I have short legs and don't look good in racing leathers
5) I am cool enough to ride a Harley and have a pointy beard.
There is indeed. Cruiser bikes are for, erm, cruising. Given the opportunity to ride around in the sunshine, looking at the scenery, for a couple of hundred miles a day, without ever going ridiculously fast or scraping your knee sliders on the tarmac, I reckon they'd be great. Acceleration available from 2000 rpm. Try that on a sports bike.
SteveG
pfm Member
My CBF1000GT isn't a sports bike (although it's sportier than a Harley) but basically has a de-tuned Fireblade engine. It's like a big V8 car - you don't really need to bother with gears - just stick it in top and it'll accelerate pretty briskly in pretty much any gear.
Having said that my CBR600 has a surprising amount of go even low down in the rev range.
SteveG
pfm Member
It's not like sports bikes or cruisers are the only options though - there are half-way houses which are likely to be better than either for the sort of riding you do. Although the short-arse thing is one very good reason for going with a cruiser.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkT9jViq4yA
USA. the Fat Boy's on the bike. Well, he's using it as a unicycle. Not a Harley in sight.
USA. the Fat Boy's on the bike. Well, he's using it as a unicycle. Not a Harley in sight.
S-Man
StrivingON
Well, while you girlies have been typing about them, I've been riding mine. My GPS ride stats will be beyond the experience of any of you, even the Harley riders:
Total time 2H:25
Time Moving 1H:44
Total Dist: 43.1 M
Moving Ave 24.9 MPH
Max Speed 54.2 MPH
Just imagine what it's like travelling at those speeds.
Total time 2H:25
Time Moving 1H:44
Total Dist: 43.1 M
Moving Ave 24.9 MPH
Max Speed 54.2 MPH
Just imagine what it's like travelling at those speeds.
kasperhauser
pfm Member
That's in St. Louis, MO. I've been on that stretch of road on a friend's Moto Guzzi. That was more years ago than I care to enumerate.
I've just gotten a nosebleed trying. You biker types is muy loco.
Teddy Ray
pfm Member
the types that ride the sports/plastic bikes here, are, in every case i've seen, enormous douchebags. 
and i just dont like the damned things. they are too twitchy and horribly uncomfortable.
i enjoy riding very long distances, to clear my head, to get writing ideas and get the wind in my face, sunshine. i dont ride to show off or fly around hairpin turns. it simply does not interest me.
for the times I do want speed, my Intruder has more than enough for me. when I combine that with the sound, the looks, and the comfort.. ..the combination facilitates attainment of a mindset that I find very appealing..addictive even.
a sports bike just does not inspire that sort of "walkabout on two wheels" feeling. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance wouldnt work on a damn aprilia or ducati., you know? nor would it on easy rider. but the cb77 superhawk and the harley panhead.. yes
im very philosophical about these things. sportsbikes conjur up a certain feeling that I find revolting, and counter to what motorcycle riding means/is to me.
and i just dont like the damned things. they are too twitchy and horribly uncomfortable. i enjoy riding very long distances, to clear my head, to get writing ideas and get the wind in my face, sunshine. i dont ride to show off or fly around hairpin turns. it simply does not interest me.
for the times I do want speed, my Intruder has more than enough for me. when I combine that with the sound, the looks, and the comfort.. ..the combination facilitates attainment of a mindset that I find very appealing..addictive even.
a sports bike just does not inspire that sort of "walkabout on two wheels" feeling. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance wouldnt work on a damn aprilia or ducati., you know? nor would it on easy rider. but the cb77 superhawk and the harley panhead.. yes
im very philosophical about these things. sportsbikes conjur up a certain feeling that I find revolting, and counter to what motorcycle riding means/is to me.
S-Man
StrivingON
So that's what countryside looks like
I reckon it will look a lot wetter on Sunday.
The Husky's an armchair compared to my old Maico, but at least it's not an orange armchair!
richardg
Admonishtrator
It is a Le Mans start....I'll have done a lap by the time you kick that unreliable old brute off.
I wonder did you ride the later model RS250? They feel a bit bulkier than the early model that I have and also steer a bit slower due to the revised forks and wider front rim. Both models weigh about 140 kilos. Aprilia got Rotax involved to tune the Suzuki engines a bit and develop a better exhaust system so a bit more power is on tap. Arrow race pipes along with matching the power valves to the exhaust ports takes this a step further and usually results in 63-64 RWHP. Just enough to hang on to the back of some slower pukka GP250s at the track
Mr Tibbs
