More fun with Harleys

Just looked it up. It's actually got both your phrase and mine:

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
 
Dustin said:
....... Some guys even made wisecracks about our 'little' bikes and the noises

I've never really been mocked about a motorbike by someone who actually meant it, it was very strange.
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Mate, anyone that rides a boat anchor must be strange!
 
Norm said:
These are all great stories above but this one almost made me spit up the bottled water I was drinking as I read it. I'll have to remember it. I may even try to pass it off as my own original thought, lol.
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Use it all you want, but if you ever set up a signature on the forum, just give me the credit :yes:

To tell the truth, if space and money were not issues, I would get a sportster and set it up like a street-tracker, dual hi-mount pipes and all... drop as much weight as possible. I have seen some nice examples out there. As my one and only? Never. In all reality, I think alot of Harley guys just try to make the most of what they have, but aren't always so original about it. They have slow, heavy, poor handling, road slugs. They know it. So they add heavy chrome, straight-pipes (which btw reduce the anemic output even more) to announce to the world their unruly presence, and random bits of flair. May as well revel in the suck. It actually is amazing just how many of these guys are completely stuck in the past and perpetually operate under the notion that in every case, "size matter". Just like the case of the 1200 sporster guy not being able to believe that a 600cc JAP bike can not only hang with, but totally strip the paint off his hog. Easy Rider is a cool movie, but alot of these guys can't wrap their heads around the fact that things have changed. My Dads next door neighbor... this guy is a great example of the thick headedness. He took his Sportster, had the heads completely built for super-high compression, bored and stroked, the works. He hates Jap bikes and went on the warpath to build a sport-bike beater. Still gets beat by 600's :poke:. Alright, I got to get off the subject... these Hardley Movinson guys are just too easy.
 
I really don't hate Harley's and cruisers as much as it sounds, but this is a nice, therapeutic outlet for me. I live in such a small area, all we have are cruisers, and a few squids :squid[1]: from the nearby college/university (mostly from Chicago suburbs) on Gixers 600's.

It's nice to bash the Harley riders that are jerks, but 95% of the ones I run into are fine, maybe a bit misinformed or bullheaded, but not really rude. I work with a guy who has a 1200 sportster, but used to have a 600 Katana and Ninja when he was younger. He rode my wife's Ninja 250 and is now considering one as an additional bike just for fun and fuel economy. LOL Maybe I can get him on an FZ1, or even an FZ8. :)

I'll go riding with him sometime this summer, so I'll see how misinformed he is. :teeter::sinister:
 
One of our club members decided to buy a Hardly Ridable(not the only bike he has I hasten to say).

And he brought it on a run one time, since everybody else was on big BM's and Jap bikes it was like taking a knife to a gunfight.

Needless to say, about 50ks out of Perth he finds that the bolts for the exhaust hanger have fallen out.: oops:

The sweetest irony of all is that a tractor mechanic pulled up and fixed it for him.

Strangely enough, he hasn't brought it on any more club runs.;)
 
Hi Guys,
Nice to be here as a new FZ1 owner. I've been riding big bore sport bikes since 1979 when I sold my low rider for a GS1000 after taking a ride on a KZ1000 and getting addicted to speed. I had 5 GS1100's all of them modified, 2 with 1166 bore kits and 1 with a 1260 ape kit, 33 smooth bores, and cams. When I got old I switched to a Bandit 1200, then decided I wasn't too old and had to have power and owned 2 busas. My 08 had about 185 HP. My knees got so bad I couldn't get my left one on the pegs, so I sold it and got an ultra classic. I love it, and the wife and I ride more than ever. Powerful it isn't but it does handle ok after having traxxion dynamics rebuild the forks with ak20 internals and switching to ohlins rear shocks. I had the knee fixed and picked the FZ1 as the most comfortable bike with liter class power. Please remember that anyone riding has more in common with us than the cagers and if you pass me the only thing I'm thinking is I wish I had the other bike today. May you all ride long enough to appreciate all the other riders who share our 2 wheel passion.
 
while I do like to read these harley stories, the only bikers that have chosen to mess with me were a crew of local ratted out sport bike riders . I was in my Jeep and they decided to brake check me to make room for riding wheelies down the e-way . I didn`t play along and they got very irate
 
I had the same problem not to long ago. I was passing some cars in a 55 to get to the front of the line. Wlonce I get to the light I see some kind of cruiser next to me. It was night so I couldn't tell exactly what it was. All I knew was that I wasn't playing with him but I guess he thought I was. He started goosing his throttle back and forth so I decided to play along. I dropped from 4th to 2nd and gunned it! But this dude must have been on a vmax cause I didn't loose him till after 100.... he put up a fight but couldn't hold out
 
I wonder how so many Harley riders can memorize the same old comments and mantra about any other motorcycles than Harley Davidson. It is as if they must have a Harley book of favorite phrases about other bikes. They probably have training courses at the dealerships to memorize the words. And they are soooo misinformed.

A Harley rider that works for the same company as I do, frequently repeats things such as:
* You are just punishing yourself riding that "Rice burner".
* Get yourself a "Real" bike - buy a Harley.
* I wouldn't have one of those pieces of Japanese junk.
* I paid over $16,000. for my Harley - you get what you pay for.
* My Harley FatBoy is too small to do road trips. I plan on buying a $27,000. Ultra Glide and then I'll do some trips.
* There is no way your 650cc bike can keep up with my 1500cc Harley.
* Those Japanese parts are very expensive compared to Harley parts. That will cost you plenty. ( I haven't had to buy any, so I wouldn't know).
* Better use plenty of "lock-tight" on those threads, or the vibration will make them come loose. (My In-line 4 does not vibrate anything like your V-twin does).
*Rear view mirrors are useless. All you can see, is that there is some object behind you. (Same comment as above).

Some years ago, I bought a 1982 Kawasaki KZ650 for under $1,000. Rode it from Texas to California and back - 4,400 miles in 9 days. Was reasonably comfortable; got 50 MPG; did the PCH; had a blast. Have ridden it an additional 25,000 miles - all over Texas. Parts replaced = a battery, tires and oil changes. Nothing else. Could not have been happier.

Also have the FZ1. Rode it from Texas to "Tail of the Dragon" and back. Flawless performance. Other than preventive maintenance, not one thing has been a problem in 6,000 miles.

I have taken the high road and never criticized the guys Harley. But he just can't keep from occasionally saying something critical. The brainwashing sessions must be very intense.
 
It is pretty sad how brainwashed people are about brands, and it doesn't just apply to Harley (though they are the shining example of it).

I can never wrap my head around such mindless drivel
 
Dustin said:
It is pretty sad how brainwashed people are about brands, and it doesn't just apply to Harley (though they are the shining example of it).

I can never wrap my head around such mindless drivel
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This is how it happens Dustin.
Now I'm not busting on Harley guys in particular - I'm just talking about PR and propaganda machines. People can literally change the way an entire nation looks at something......basically because they are told to do so. LOL You just have to do it the right way.


Success is the important thing. Propaganda is not a matter for average minds, but rather a matter for practitioners. It is not supposed to be lovely or theoretically correct. I do not care if I give wonderful, aesthetically elegant speeches, or speak so that women cry. The point of a political speech is to persuade people of what we think right. I speak differently in the provinces than I do in Berlin, and when I speak in Bayreuth, I say different things than I say in the Pharus Hall. That is a matter of practice, not of theory. We do not want to be a movement of a few straw brains, but rather a movement that can conquer the broad masses. Propaganda should be popular, not intellectually pleasing. It is not the task of propaganda to discover intellectual truths.
- Joseph Goebles

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
- Joseph Goebles

It has always fascinated me how the human mind works. Studying psychology or simply watching human behavior be effected by a group dynamic is amazing.
 
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SpunkyTheTuna said:
If you're going to quote Joseph Goebbels, it would really give you more credibility if you actually spelled his name correctly.

Just sayin'
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Then don't give me credit. I didn't ask for it nor do I complete posts to obtain it.

I write on these forums for fun. I rarely proof read them and just don't care if I misssspspelll a word here and there.
 
i'd rather read more Harley stories than a minor quibble about spelling...

I think the cruiser crowd has made all Japanese bikes into a "crotch rocket". . . and to them that means full lean over the tank, and aching muscles after an hour ride. They don't, and to be honest, MANY people don't understand there is a class called 'standard' sport bikes too, and they perform just as good as full faired bikes, but with more comfort.

Harley riders also discount the other cruisers out there like shadows, gold wings, boulevards things like that... because they dont rattle your teeth out and they're not 'American'. also they like v twins that make the same or more torque than they do HP.

i dont think i've ever seen a sport bike under an overpass in the rain, or in a heat wave. Harley ... yeah better sit that rain out and let your engine cool off......
 
hankhill11 said:
...
i dont think i've ever seen a sport bike under an overpass in the rain, or in a heat wave. Harley ... yeah better sit that rain out and let your engine cool off......
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Oh I've seen plenty of sport bikes under overpasses. Matter of fact years ago I had to do I that myself. Got caught in a torrential Summer thunderstorm and I just couldn't see a thing. Definitely didn't feel safe so I pulled over.

As for the heat...usually not a problem for water cooled engines (or properly designed air cooled ones for that matter). Now the rider...that's a different story. They may need to pull over and cool off or hydrate ;)
 
SpunkyTheTuna said:
If you're going to quote Joseph Goebbels, it would really give you more credibility if you actually spelled his name correctly.

Just sayin'
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Wow! This, as your first post on the board. You really know how to make friends!

Just Saying

Just so you know for future reference, we are probably the most laid back M/C Forum going. We couldn't care less about proper grammar. As long as we get the point across, it's okay with us. Our main concern is to pass info along, make friends, teach each other about our bikes, and have a goof in the process. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
FZ1riderNY said:
Wow! This, as your first post on the board. You really know how to make friends!

Just Saying

Just so you know for future reference, we are probably the most laid back M/C Forum going. We couldn't care less about proper grammar. As long as we get the point across, it's okay with us. Our main concern is to pass info along, make friends, teach each other about our bikes, and have a goof in the process. Nothing more, nothing less.
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Oh and should probably tell them how to part ways with alot of hard erned money :p
 
NJFZ1 said:
Oh I've seen plenty of sport bikes under overpasses. Matter of fact years ago I had to do I that myself. Got caught in a torrential Summer thunderstorm and I just couldn't see a thing. Definitely didn't feel safe so I pulled over.

As for the heat...usually not a problem for water cooled engines (or properly designed air cooled ones for that matter). Now the rider...that's a different story. They may need to pull over and cool off or hydrate ;)
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I've pulled over under an overpass in a massive hailstorm once. Welcome to Texas Missy. :)
Oh, as far as spelling...really? This forum is THE BOMB for information, an we give it freely and enthusiastically, on mods, maintenance and repair. Correct spelling....even appropriate grammar, is not required.


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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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