2008 BMW HP2 Sport: First Ride

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

I prefer the division of tough, do anything, ride anywhere western intermountain bikers vs florida wimpy "oo oo it's so cold" riders.

Pish posh....them Florida guys can ride for hours on those arrow straight flat roads even when the temps. dip to an inhuman 59 degrees.....

They're tuff by golly, I hear one of them rode his V Strom ON A DIRT ROAD WITH BUMPS AND STUFF IN IT !!!!!!!!! !

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

I prefer the division of tough, do anything, ride anywhere western intermountain bikers vs florida wimpy "oo oo it's so cold" riders.

I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I'M GOING TO TELL KDUKE...

[maladg]

I love the price. Keeps the riff-raff out of the club.

[The_AirHawk]

.......Zooma-Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, an' a Boom-Boom!

[anrajala]

>More power will not allow it do do anything
>more than it does at the moment.

Er... well ummm... (So this is where I end up when I start to debate with a guy whose byline is "I'm a knucklehead") So does more power in a motorcycle allow it to do anyhing more?

Let me get this for you. Yes. Yes it does. Enough more power and I can do rolling burnouts with my Fat Boy without pre-arranging a quart of oil on the tarmac. Hallelujah.

- cruiz-euro

[longride]

Originally Posted by anrajala

>More power will not allow it do do anything
>more than it does at the moment.

Er... well ummm... (So this is where I end up when I start to debate with a guy whose byline is "I'm a knucklehead") So does more power in a motorcycle allow it to do anyhing more?

Let me get this for you. Yes. Yes it does. Enough more power and I can do rolling burnouts with my Fat Boy without pre-arranging a quart of oil on the tarmac. Hallelujah.

- cruiz-euro

You need to bring your FatBoy (the one that nobody has ever seen) to someone that can actually ride well. He'll show you how to do that roller and then laugh because you seem to need more power to do something so simple. I guess some people need power to make up for lack of skill? In your case I guess it makes sense then.

[anrajala]

>What exactly is a 'cruiser guy' anyway?
>Never could figure that one out.

I'm glad you finally asked longride. I will help you out on this difficult question (very common question with beginners so don't feel foolish unnecessarily).

Well, "Cruiser guy" is a guy who rides cruisers when possible. He does not ride Hayabusas, or even Road Kings. He certainly does not humiliate himself in public claiming V-Max is a cruiser. Most importantly, he does not try to emasculate the whole cruiser community by claiming power is not an issue for them.

- cruiz-euro

[anrajala]

Yep, I’ve got news for you. Fat Boy does not do rolling burnouts on dry tarmac. High revs drop clutch you get some some wheezy noise. Stand still, put your weight on your own goddam legs, drop the clutch, there you go.

But you are right. Jawohl herr hauptmann. The HP does not matter. The torq does not matter. The handling does not matter, nor the brakes. Its all in the rider. A good rider on a Fatty or Worster will overtake all these posers on their sport bikes on winding roads. Its not the bike, its the rider. You see the bikes don’t matter. Yep.

Anyways, how the hell the dyno shows only 61 rwhp for -07 Harley on this latest comparo, I saw a dyno on -02 Fatsy at 63 rwhp. Is this the “incremental improvement” that will see HD taking over Rocket III in a few years? Like minus two hp for gossakes? Good luck with that project. I have no hat in this fight but the brits just seem to be a bit more masculine than their counterparts in the anglo-saxian coalition.

I have nothing against you Longride, you are doing the best given the, er, circumstances.

- cruiz-euro

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by anrajala

The HP does not matter. The torq does not matter. The handling does not matter, nor the brakes. Its all in the rider. A good rider on a Fatty or Worster will overtake all these posers on their sport bikes on winding roads. Its not the bike, its the rider. You see the bikes don’t matter. Yep.

- cruiz-euro

NOW we're gettin' somewhere! I don't know your skill-level, nor the level of the guys you ride with - but the guys *I* ride with are mostly at or well-above my own level. (which is somewhere past the "amateur" threshold but nowhere near the "Pro" level) And, I HAVE seen that happen. Mit mein own eyeses. Seses.

My fave? Kent Xxxxx ridin' an aged, wheezing RD350 with cracked and dry-rotted tires through the highways of Western North Carolina, leaving everyone in his dust - those that managed to close with him (aboard ZX-9's and R6's) are summarily pelted with chunks of said-same tires, as he wicks it up a notch...........

Or a few years ago, Jeff Yyyyy; aboard his Dad's Road King - bevelin' the floorboards at a brisk pace through The Dragon and easily keeping up with a large pack of Hawks and varied Supersports, despite the passenger and picnic-lunch and clothes within the luggage.

Or a few weeks ago, Rod Zzzzzzz relating to me about ridin' his CBR250 greymarket with some "Fast Guys" out West. One of them aboard a GSXR-1000 commenting "Is that the new CBR1000RR? Man - it just walked away from me drivin' out of the corners!"

Yes Virginia, it Ain't the Bike.

[Gluge]

Yep I agree with you guys. When skill levels do get high the bike can make a difference though, but I'm talking good A group track riders at that point. That or when skill levels are close more power can help out some.

After racing my RS125 for a year I took it out to a track day for the first time, my 2nd track day total. I wasn't sure which group to enter since though I race it is only a 125... I entered the fastest group of the three thinking I'd rather hold people up on the straights than be held up in the corners.

Man! not to brag but I was the fastest one out there that day. It was a week day but still... 999's R1's etc. I even passed on down the straight (probably a 600)

For me I'm a lot slower on a bike like an FJR over a sportbike though. It's not so much that the FJR can't go as fast as I would go on the street on the sport bike. It's more that the FJR doesn't inspire as much confidence in me with it's handling. I'm sure a big part of it is just what your used to though.