OT. Harley's woes

This is from Webbike World. Sales of motorcycles peaked back in 2005.

The flip side of that is the 1%ers want a real Harley, not some rice burner clone.

Related to this is the increasing popularity of the three wheeled obscenity...

(Left as an exercise to the student is whether the ones with the single wheel in the back or in the front are worse)

I've been thinking it might be fun. Doesn't the noise get a little tiring? How about a Honda?

From a comparison review I read in Motorcycle Consumer News the Polaris Slingshot takes the prize for the most exciting experience shortly before you die.

The Can-Am Spyder is slightly more like a motorcycle. They also pointed out the Harley ice cream wagons and anything with a side hack takes getting used to.

So far, two wheels are just fine for me as long as it doesn't weigh half a ton.

Now everyone can almost afford a Bat-Mobile !

Sonny Barger, arguably the most famous 1%er, has went on the record saying he'd be riding a Honda ST1100 if it wasn't against the bylaws of the club. In his book he talks up the Victory Vision which was his ride at the time. victory had some good ideas but the Vision was a little too weird for my taste.

Polaris phased out the Victory last year after they bought the Indian name. Indian has more sales appeal to the traditional Harley audience.

This guy makes some damn good points. Polaris has the potential to go off in new directions rather than trying to outbag the king of baggers.

We were in Maggie Valley NC last summer and they were having a Slingshot Rally. There were hundreds of them buzzing around. They looked like fun for people with $20k they don't know to do with (for the base model).

It doesn't bother me but some people use ear plugs and a full face helmet to keep the noise level down. At highway speeds the wind noise is more annoying than the exhaust note.

Slingshots strike me as the worst of both worlds. When I saw one in person I was surprised by its size. It's sort of a dune buggy with a missing wheel more than a motorcycle.

Being a 'motorcycle' has advantages. In this state you pay for the plates once and they are permanent. Insurance isn't mandatory although if you drop $20K I'd think you would want some. otoh, you need a C endorsement.

And is the thing that causes hearing damage over time.

Harleys with loud pipes aside, motorcycles are awesome fun...but sharing the road with a bunch of texters on drugs scares the f*ck out of me.

Every time I see a bunch of guys on motorcycles, the common characteristic they share is a gray beard.

Cindy Hamilton

I've had rice grinders all of my life. HDs weren't very reliable back when I started riding. And they have always been pricey. My idea of a good time is to take a tour to where ever. I get to a stop sign and decide left or right. I stop to read the hysterical markers along the way. Nebraska has a few of those scattered around talking about long gone towns, a battle against the Indians, or maybe a settler. I'll sometimes make a lap or two through whatever towns I happen by. A lot of those are withering. The railroad took another path or has closed down. The farmers or ranchers that supported the towns are gone. There's no substitute for the feeling of the open road one gets on a bike. You own the world. Wind noise outweighs any exhaust noise you'll hear at highway speeds. Wear ear plugs. Some states, like Nebraska, have helmet laws. I had a Honda Sabre way back when. 699cc. It was just under the 700cc starting point for the tariffs President Reagan imposed to keep HD in business. That might've been the best of the ones I've had. Shaft drive is nicer than chain drive. Changing tires was easier with the shaft drive. Gas mileage might disappoint you. Expect lower 40s unless there's a strong tail wind.

I like riding more than wrenching so I'll take a genuine Gold Wing.

I've never owned a Honda, nothing against the brand it just never happened. I've wrenched on Yamahas, Suzukis, and Harleys. They've all been pretty dependable but they all required TLC at times. The only one that came home on a flatbed was a Suzuki when the stator fried itself. I almost made it before the battery's last gasp.

I've got neighbors with motorcycles but the guy with the Harley is annoying when he comes home at 1 am to wake the neighbors. Only satisfaction I have is that when he is my age he will be stone deaf.

I used to bicycle and can understand the lure of the open road but one day I had a shifting problem that tossed me over the handlebars to hit the road at maybe 20 mph. Helmet saved my head but not my shoulder and broken collar bone led to surgery to put in a plate which is still there today. That noisy neighbor walks with a limp due to a motorcycle accident that hospitalized him for a month but still rides his motorcycle today. If I am on the road I want to be protected by seat belt, air bags and steel.

?  Part of HD's problems

on Cycle Trader.

ls for sale will pop up in

es of motorcycles peaked

It's not the bikes, it's the owners. The stock pipes are fairly quiet. Upon buying one, most owners either modify those or switch to pipes that are louder. I have what I consider reasonable ones on mine, louder than stock but nowhere near the straight pipes that the assholes ride around on. I know of one town in PA that got fed up, they put up a roadcheck on weekends when the bikers invade and if you had illegal pipes, you got ticketed.

If a rider truly believes loud pipes saves lives, they have no business being on a motorcycle.