Xam, why would you want a Harley? You spend more time tightening bolts then actually riding get a Honda I have. Vtx 1300 r so comfy and smooth and it doesn't break Down
Agreed. Love my Nighthawk 650, but it's starting to feel a little small. It's great around town and on the twisty roads. But on a long distance ride I just feel cramped. Thing is older than I am and it never misses a beat. I did have to bump start it for a week once when the starter went out. Learned to park uphill real quick.
I've had a lot of bikes but never a Harley. Funny thing is, all I ride anymore are big twins, just not Harleys.
i alrdy have a honda, i also have a couple kawasakis. and harleys are actually just as reliable (if not more) and need less maintenance fyi i ride all types of bikes.. dirt bikes.. sport bikes.. cruisers.. even bmx bikes and i like to have the best of each one. next bike will actually be a bmw s1000rr then il get my harley
Not really true. I have four friends that have bought Harleys in the last 4 years, all different types a Sportster, Cross Bones, Electric Glide(?), and I'm not sure what the fourth is. All have been in the shop at least twice each since they where bought. Three where brand new, and one was a 07 with 1,200 miles on it when bought. My Road Star has over 30,000 miles, is an 05, and been on 2 3,000 mile plus road trips and has only had an issue with the aux. lights switch. But really the only time HD where crap and when they got their rep as oil leaker's was when AMF owned them. I'd own any large HD from before or after the AMF years as a second bike.
I wouldn't but I'm not partial to cruisers. I bought my wife a Buell some years back as a starter bike because against all my protests, she really wanted it. Never again.
Notice I said second bike I've got a couple ideas in my head. One has to do with a sidecar and the other has to do with building a bike based on this song. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srep5H9lVvE]Reverend Horton Heat - Texas rockabilly rebel - YouTube[/ame] Another Road Star would work also
reliability and going to the shop are not the same thing... how many times have the harleys broke down.. all motors require maintenance thus needing a qualified mechanic or taking it to a shop to see one. your vstar needs constant valve adjustments prolly every 15-30k miles according to service manual. longer depending on riding style but they should be inspected at least so you dont have valve to piston contact and grenade your motor!!!! edit: according to a v-star service manual i just referenced they need to be checked at the 600 mile initial break in interval and then again every 5k miles. your buddies harleys dont need valve adjustments and will easily see 300K+ miles before any major motor work unlike your vstar.
No disrespect intended but that's the silliest thing I've ever heard brudda. No Harley on the planet past or present has ever gone anywhere near that many miles without major brain surgery. You'd be seriously lucky to get 25k out of one without problems let alone 300k. I'd put a V Star (or any Japanese bike) up against a Harley as far as longevity, performance, and trouble free operation are concerned any day of the week. They're better than they used to be but they're still nowhere near the bullet proof warriors Japanese bikes are. I have a Ducati and an Aprilla and I'd even put the Japanese bikes ahead of them as far as reliability and fiddle-free operation go. The only scoot that can best them would be Beemers IMO.
They all went to the shop because they broke down. One had the regulator go, one had the transmission go, the other still has electric problems they can't sort out and the fourth blew the top end. I don't have a v-star, I have a Road Star. Not the same motors at all. I've also been wrenching on motorcycles since I bought my first bike in 1968. I've worked on Suzuki's (my first bike) Indians (my second bike) Kaws (my third bike) Harleys, and Yamaha's. At over 30,000 I still haven't needed a valve adjustment on my Roadie. In fact with the Roadie I have yet to burn any oil. When I do the oil change it's 4 qts. out and 4 qts. in, every time. Not true with any of the Harley's I've serviced. I'm not saying Road Stars are bullet proof, they aren't. But then no bike is. But if you put it side by side to a Harley it is more dependable and better built. If only it had a 6 speed instead of a 5 speed trans. That is the only real advantage to a Harley.
get a dirt bike! theres too many idiots in cars.. just a matter of time til you're taken out on the freeway by some oblivious jackass. heres my baby been riding dirtbikes since i was 8 n i have a purple passion for it... going to ride until i physically cant. *knock on wood* but like you said treelover, danger = fun sometimes i always ride tracks rather than desert, i love jumps more than anything.. those 70+ foot step ups n table tops are so much fun keep me coming back... just flying through the air that high up is the best feeling ever. cant really explain it.. its just the best... ive seen the bad side of it though too.. watched people break bones, etc.. i actually watched some kid break his neck and die on impact from going over the bars like 10 years ago.. was pretty traumatizing.. very sad. his bike bogged down on the face of a jump. but he was also dumb about it.. didnt give his bike a chance to warm up at all. just gotta be smart with the dangerous fun so be it if you're taken doing something you love, right?
i loooooooove motorcycles. nothing says freedom like riding down the highway on a bike with the wind blowing through your hair. i haven't ridden myself yet, but i dream to one day!
Sounds wicked fun but I don't like heights so I think id stay away from big jumps lol. I've had enough experiances going off jumps on skis and snowboards, and I've experianced a few mild concussions and chipped teeth lolz. I like danger but I like to balance it with how bad ill get hurt(which makes no sense with the potential danger of having a motorcycle but..whatever lol)
aw damn.. missin out! haha im afraid of heights too but not when im on my dirtbike.. not sure why. helps when youre wearing all the protective gear i guess haha.. but just the power of those 4 strokes pulling you through all the dirt n sand feels great the torque on them is incredible. sucks you back if you arent holding on tight!
meh.. depends on WHO is riding the motorcycle haha. I'd never really be into riding one, but I can certainly see the appeal and the perks of the lifestyle. A lot of my friends have biker parents who are chillaxed as fuck