A Star Ride

I hear ya Duken4evr Im not a sport rider but theres nothing you can do with a road king you cant do on my bike other then say "I have a Road King" I paid 1/2 the price of a Road King (which essentially is the Electra Glide without the tour pak & smaller front faring) equal age & milage and had a warranty remaining. I couldnt justify spending 12-14K in lieu of 7K for a bike with relatively equal reviews and owner satisfaction ratings. I'd rather be riding then sittin arround saying "I have a Road King" (and yes its paid for)

sarnali2

At the risk of sounding trite, if you don't want a Harley don't buy one. They either get under your skin or they don't. I've owned and ridden plenty of other bikes but I always come back to Harley. Just something about them I guess. Plenty of other bikes to choose from out there

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Duken4evr

To me, the bike itself is less important than the experience. The brand or type bike is a tool for the job, not my identity beyond my being a motorcyclist. Where can I take it? What can I do with it? Does it thrill me? Is it unbreakably reliable under my sometimes hard hand? Someday when the work grind is over and the kids are raised, I intend to tour. Until then, my $10,500 paid for two bike stable consisting of an '06 FZ1 and DRZ400 lets me do this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...IMG_9071-1.jpg

and this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...nvironment.jpg

(photos left as links as they are bigguns)

I love my "cheap" bikes as much as any Harley guy loves his 24K Road King. It is my unshakable belief also that motorcycles are sporting vehicles and that the sh%t should be ridden out of them, and nobody will ever convince me otherwise.

Also, one does not have to be rich or willing to go deep in debt to enjoy riding. I guess that is my biggest beef with Harleys. They are very expensive for what you get. I have the means to pay cash for a Road King and choose not to. I guess I truly don't "get" it. There is not enough utility there to justify that kind of outlay, and I am not interested in impressing anyone.

Not trying to start another Harley vs. everybody else fight - just explaining my thought process when spending my MC related dollars. Others will differ and I am cool with that. We all enjoy our rides and that is what matters. It also makes the motorcyling landscape far more interesting than if we all thought alike. From what I see on the road around here though, seems I am rather unique not being astride a Harley. Oh well, by definition, anyone who rides is a bit unique in this sanitized for our protection world...

tripleripple

My dad's got a road kind classic and I could sit behind that windshield for a long time. Big, heavy, comfortable, and fun. I, of course, hated big, fat harley davidsons, and their owners for a long time. Then I actually rode one.

This thing is a porker. I bet I could ride it for days and days. In fact, I'd like to head out west. Make a fine machine for the job.

sarnali2

The thing with Harleys is they just ARE...it's hard to explain and I'm ****in hammered right now anyway but it's a different feeling.. As I' said I've ridden lots of different bikes and they'r all fun but with Harleys it's like doifferents. They're like a big dumb dog. It might not be the smartest or the best or whatever but once your bitten you can't help it. You sit on it and it's just there, the engine just chugs along the road just unfolds in front of you..hard to explain I guesss. I ride in some pretty ****ty weather and I'm, behing my windshield and batwing`, it can be snow or ice or whatever ande it's just like a big tracxter. I have no doubt that the bike can handle whatever i can throw at it.just a symbiotic relationship that for some reason Japanese or European bikes just dont havbe. Like I said at the risk of being trite or cliche you either get it or you don't. Money dont even come into it.

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"Carpe` Throttelum -Loud Suits Save Lives"

"He said he's farting because of his medication"...

longride

"It is my unshakable belief also that motorcycles are sporting vehicles and that the sh%t should be ridden out of them, and nobody will ever convince me otherwise."

I bet the Illinois State Police could shake that belief real quick.

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longride

"At the risk of sounding trite, if you don't want a Harley don't buy one. "

Doesn't sound trite to me.

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I'm a knucklehead

A Star Ride

I think as a whole most people think too much of their bikes. I love mine and love riding, if it got stolen tomorrow Id just be in the market for another bike, I may buy the same thing again, depends what I stumble across in my hunt.
To say one has a spiritual connection with their machine I would recommend some exposure to the female gender of other forms of counceling.
I love cruisers for theie style, etc, Im not opposed to Harleys, just the price on them as compared to an equivelent model from another manufacturer. I dont dobut they are enjoyable to own/ride and especialy sell considering their avoidance of depreciation, and if I kept bikes 3-5 years that would factor into my decision making, the last bike I sold I had 14 years and sold it for 40% of what I paid for it new. I probably could have kept it another 3 years and it not lost anymore value.
lets all enjoy our bikes and Im glad people are passionate about them, Id rater ride a moped then drive a car (cage). Unless I have kids in tow for the day or Its raining as Im leaving I never drive the car. I'm leaving wednesday (from SW VA) for Altalta (in the rain likely) to visit family for Thanksgiving, dont care for it to be raining, but looking forward to the cold and rain as much as I am seeing my nephews.

Duken4evr

That is why I ride dirt bikes. The PoPo has nothing to say about my riding wheelies across streams and hammering the throttle through gnarly terrain. One can truly find their skill level as a rider and enjoy 2 wheels when in the dirt. Dirt riding is bump and grind heavy metal with the volume cranked, street riding is graceful classical music.

Sometimes I like to crank the volume on the classical too. For that, I have an Escort Passport radar detector and a dose of common sense as to time and place to air her out. The cops are out in force generating revenue though, due to the crap economy. This is always in mind when it comes time to find time and place. Fortunately here in Colorado, one can find some very remote roads. I like to do my speeding in private. Very few see it. If a car approaches in the distance, I slow down. Don't want to set a bad example and it could be a cop. On the other hand, when the FZ1 is on the cam and silkily revving to 10,000 rpm and beyond, well life is in focus...

It is admittedly a cat and mouse game. Been awhile since I got a ticket though, knock on wood.

seruzawa

In Utah I've been seeing more and more local city cops running speed traps on the Interstates. Same there?

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