Motorcycles

[Guest Delaware Man]

Anyone here ride? I rode dirt bikes a long time ago but just got the bug again and took the Harley Davidson Riders Edge Course this weekend so I could get the motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license. I plan on buying a Harley Sportster soon. Any thoughts about safe fun riding, gay motorcycle groups or Harley's in general. Thanks.

[seaboy4hire]

My bf rides. If you'd like I can pass your email addy onto him if you'd like. He has been riding for 15 or 20 yrs I think. And hopefully next spring I will be riding too. Ok maybe not a motorcycle more along the lines of a real vintage scoot but still I'll be riding a motorized two wheeled machine.

 

Hugs,

Greg

Greg Seattle Wa seaboy4hire@yahoo.com

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/gregseattle.html

http://seaboy4hire.tripod.com

[Guest ihpguy]

Yep.BMW K100RT.

[SAdler]

According to California my Vespa counts

 

Went to the CHP training course for my endorsement. Of course, I didn't motivate myself to FINISH the riding course until I fell over after an oil slick on Sunset. NOT pleasant

[Nvr2Thick]

>Anyone here ride? I rode dirt bikes a long time ago but just

>got the bug again and took the Harley Davidson Riders Edge

>Course this weekend so I could get the motorcycle endorsement

>on my driver's license. I plan on buying a Harley Sportster

>soon. Any thoughts about safe fun riding, gay motorcycle

>groups or Harley's in general. Thanks.

 

I'm conflicted about Harleys. Beautiful motorcycles, but somewhat behind the times and overpriced. The major Japanese brands make much better cruisers with more up to date suspensions and engines. Through the 90's Harley did a terrific job of rebuilding and promoting their image, and that's what you're buying. They drove up their prices by cutting production and driving up demand. Meanwhile they've done almost no real engineering development on their motors. You can buy a great Yamaha Roadstar for 60% of the price of a Harley. But it's not a Harley.

 

The rational side of me is offended by the concept of paying for artificial exclusivity and image. Harley has managed to twist the American Dream, the open road, and the retro rebel image and turn it into a yuppie consumable. The AVERAGE Harley buyer is over 40 and has an income in the mid $70K's. Not exactly James Dean.

 

I'll probably end up buying a Harley because I like to fit in with my buddies, and because (when I'm honest about it) I'm fairly materialistic. Once I do so I'll have to shut down the part of my brain that wrote the last two paragraphs.

 

I wouldn't buy a Sportster. They're among the worst handling, most difficult to ride Harleys. They're top heavy, and the 883's in particular are too slow for the highways. Among Harley riders many will tell you that Sportsters are baby Harleys or girls' bikes. Once you get into a circle of opinionated Harley snobs you'll realize that they sneer at Japanese bikes, then they pick on the Sportster riders for not having a real bike. Even if you ride with nicer folks than I've described you'll probably want to upgrade to a better model shortly after buying a Sportster. I'd look at the more affordable of the Softails, such as a Heritage or a Fat Boy as a first Harley.

[Guest ihpguy]

Drive a Bimmer. Smoothest bike on the road. Riding a Harley just an excuse to ride from bar to bar to take a break from all the vibration. HELLO! Buying for the image is never a cool thing! Unless of course, you do not plan on riding and just want an interesting, yet very costly piece of static sculpture.

[Guest Delaware Man]

Thanks for all the info and opinions guys. Keep it coming and Greg please pass along email to your b/f.

[Steven_Draker]

>Anyone here ride?

 

Only cocks !

[JT Brooklyn]

Delaware.."Always" wear a Helmet. IF I didn't have one on, it would have been more than just a Left Shoulder Replacement, that I ended up with! It would have been a little piece of "Real Estate" Six Feet Under. LOL :+

[Nvr2Thick]

>Drive a Bimmer. Smoothest bike on the road. Riding a Harley

>just an excuse to ride from bar to bar to take a break from

>all the vibration. HELLO! Buying for the image is never a cool

>thing! Unless of course, you do not plan on riding and just

>want an interesting, yet very costly piece of static

>sculpture.

 

I don't feel that it's quite that simple. There are different types of bikes for different folks. All Harleys aren't just bar hoppers. Some of the better Harley's are great cruisers or touring cruisers -- it's just that there are even better cruisers that are cheaper. BMW's strengths, IMO, are anti-lock brakes, cutting-edge engineering, and long term durability. Sometimes BMW's engineering is impressive and leads the industry. Other times the sophisticated design is expensive and doesn't pay off with a tangible benefit for the rider. I think the K1200LT out Gold Wings the Gold Wing and is probably the best bike in its class. If I were shopping for a lesser cruiser I don't think I'd bother with the R1200C's, as beautiful as they are, because they're very expensive for their class.

 

I suppose one of the things that annoys me most about the Harley mentality is the way these folks rule out entire classes of motorcycles. They wouldn't go near an amazing naked sportbike such as the Triumph Speed Triple or the BMW R1150R, a muscle cruiser like the Yamaha Warrior, or a real sportbike (crotch rocket) like Honda's CBR line. These bikes serve completely different purposes. It's like saying you shouldn't buy a Ford F150 or a Mazda Miata because Cadillacs are the only real cars on the road.

 

Before I'd go after a brand I'd try to decide what type of riding I'm gonna be doing.

[Guest Delaware Man]

Thanks JT. I always use "protection" in all my recreational activitiies.}(

[JT Brooklyn]

L O L ..:+

[Guest Delaware Man]

Thanks Nvr for all of your incite. I agree with you that there are other bikes that are as good if not better depending on what type of riding one plans on doing. However, I had to have a Harley. So, downstairs, in my garage sits a 2006 Sportster 1200 Custom in Chopper Blue and Brilliant Silver. Drove it home last night from the dealership and I am going to go ride it to the gym in a few minutes and then to work. Ride Safe.

[Nvr2Thick]

>Thanks Nvr for all of your incite. I agree with you that

>there are other bikes that are as good if not better depending

>on what type of riding one plans on doing. However, I had to

>have a Harley. So, downstairs, in my garage sits a 2006

>Sportster 1200 Custom in Chopper Blue and Brilliant Silver.

>Drove it home last night from the dealership and I am going to

>go ride it to the gym in a few minutes and then to work. Ride

>Safe.

 

Congratulations on your new bike. I think the 1200 Custom is the best styled of the Sportsters. The laced wheels look terrific, and the two-tone paint you chose suits the bike well. You'll have a lot of fun on it, I'm sure.

 

I think you've gone about things the right way -- taking a riders' course first. The MSF course really set me straight (um, so to speak). Experienced riders can benefit from these types of classes as well.

 

This weekend I'll be test driving a Road King Custom and a Street Glide, and maybe a Fatboy. We'll see if I buckle under the peer pressure.

[Guest Delaware Man]

So how did the test drives go?

I went on a ride today with the local H.O.G> chapter. Had a blast. Not sure if there are any fraternity members but one guy has 2 Harley's and is single and is prob 40 and I would not throw him out of bed either so I am going to test the waters, so to speak.:-)

[Guest Delaware Man]

Bump.

[Nvr2Thick]

>So how did the test drives go?

 

I'm still conflicted. Every time I go into a dealership I fall in love with two or three of the bikes. The Road Kings are heavy and slow though. I didn't enjoy any of them as much as I thought I would. They're tough to turn and real dogs from zero to 20 MPH. I had hoped I would have liked them more -- as much as I like looking at them. I've test ridden or borrowed much better-riding bikes in the same class. I ran out of time as the rain came, so I didn't get a chance to try a Heritage or Fatboy. My buddy upgraded from a Sportster 1200 to a Heritage Classic and says he really misses the quick response off the line at a red light.

 

The dealerships are always a great source of eye-candy. Lots of older musclebears and hot rednecks. I was scoping out one tough looking guy in beat up jeans, boots, and a worn Harley shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Then his wife came out of the boutique section in her smart Ann Taylor outfit, and they left in a minivan. Another forty-something yuppie in "rebel without a cause" drag.

[Guest Delaware Man]

Any more test drives planned this weekend. I must say I love the acceleration on my Sportster. I have not top ended it but shifting through the gears up to 70 mph which is maximum break in speed is cool. By the way I have found a gay Harley rider's site. It is

http://fp.premier1.net/hdrider/

I am going to join. It is headquartered in WI but claims to have members all over the world. I will find out.

This weekend on Sat I am riding with a friend of a friend who has a Ducati on Sat and on Sun I am doing a HOG Group ride to Cape May, NJ.

Ride safe and be safe everyone.

[Guest Delaware Man]

Any more test drives planned this weekend. I must say I love the acceleration on my Sportster. I have not top ended it but shifting through the gears up to 70 mph which is maximum break in speed is cool. By the way I have found a gay Harley rider's site. It is

http://fp.premier1.net/hdrider/

I am going to join. It is headquartered in WI but claims to have members all over the world. I will find out.

This weekend on Sat I am riding with a friend of a friend who has a Ducati on Sat and on Sun I am doing a HOG Group ride to Cape May, NJ.

Ride safe and be safe everyone.