 my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 172
Adjunct
|
OP
Adjunct
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 172 |
went to go to work today, and saw my wife sporty sitting in the corner dusty and lonely looking, so i thought i would ride it in. my wife gave it to her son, she doesn't like the ride, go figure. so i started it up and as i was letting warm up i was looking at this 2007 model shack it's ****** off, i was thinking i have 30 miles one way and and my back already hurts from the surgery in 1997, so i turned it off and cranked up mine and hit the street rollin. i can't say enough about these bikes they look better, ride better, and more user friendly, and i still think i can take the harley 1200 bikes. 
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 738
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 738 |
Took a test ride on a Soft Tail - handed it back shanken and stired! Headed down to Trumpet land and fell in love. I have also tried a Sportster and is it me?! There must be some good ones - Fat Boy? V-Rod? Still it is a hard act to follow - Rocket III will complement the TBA nicely me thinks! 
One day as a tiger is worth a thousand as a sheep
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,555
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,555 |
Bout a month ago.Less than mechanically inclined fellow I know calls me(guy from my church).Says his daughter and her girlfriend took off to cape cod for the weekend.The girlfriend left her Sportster at his house,gave him the keys and told he could take it for a ride if he wanted to.But he says he thinks there is somthing wrong with it.Askes if I'll come over and take a look.I dont know much about sporties but figure I'm the only "Biker" this guy knows. So I figured I better go have a look before he kills himself. Get there, its an older 883, obviously badly maintained borderline rat. After a couple tries I get it started. Its shakin,sputtering caughin. Shut it down look for the easy stuff,Vacum leaks, plug connections that kind of thing. Cant find anything. Figure maybe its just cold. Start it back up.Sputtering shakin. So I tell him let me take it around the block.I took it out. Ran through the gears. Seemed to run OK once it got movin. Got back to his house. My hands felt like I just mowed Nebraska and my back was killing me. Shut it down. Told him "Well it seems safe,all I can tell you is, Its a Harley". The bike sat till the girls came home.  All this good "karma" I've been building latly, just maybe I won't come back as a cocarouch.
Last edited by mert; 06/24/2008 7:11 PM.
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,402 Likes: 7
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,402 Likes: 7 |
I think I'll leave it to somone else to point out the girl might have enjoyed riding a vibrating motorsickle ... 
"You can't believe everything you read on the internet" : William Shakespeare
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
|
|
Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
Bout a month ago.Less than mechanically inclined fellow I know calls me(guy from my church)...
...All this good "karma" I've been building latly, just maybe I won't come back as a cocarouch.
Now WAIT just one cotton pickin' minute here, Jackson!!!
Now, as you "may" have surmised after all this time, I'm not exactly what you'd call a "church goin' man"...BUT...I gotta ask ya somethin' here dude...What kind o' "church" ARE you attending ANYWAY???!!!
(hmmmmm...and here I thought that there reincarnation stuff was pretty much only taught at them there Buddhist TEMPLES!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,555
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,555 |
Quote:
Quote:
Bout a month ago.Less than mechanically inclined fellow I know calls me(guy from my church)...
...All this good "karma" I've been building latly, just maybe I won't come back as a cocarouch.
Now WAIT just one cotton pickin' minute here, Jackson!!!
Now, as you "may" have surmised after all this time, I'm not exactly what you'd call a "church goin' man"...BUT...I gotta ask ya somethin' here dude...What kind o' "church" ARE you attending ANYWAY???!!!
(hmmmmm...and here I thought that there reincarnation stuff was pretty much only taught at them there Buddhist TEMPLES!!!)
Well Dwight at the risk of getting the thread locked and myself banned,,,Th karma thing was a dig.
I belong to ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).
a rather conservitive bunch.
Some call us "Catholic Light".
The percentage you're paying is too high-priced
While you're living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 529
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 529 |
LOL...Catholic Light. Being Catholic I definately find the humor in that.
Ok....ENOUGH religion talk....back to the bikes and the girl with a two wheeled vibrating machine.
2005 America, green/gray, gutted stock pipes, tall sissy bar w/ luggage rack, Saddleman's dual touring seat and Tourmaster saddlebags (and sissybar bag).
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,210
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,210 |
My buddies got a "duece" whatever harley model that is, I know its a 1450 fuel injected. I have to admit its one of the better looking harleys ive seen compared to others. Well i cant get him to ride EVER...I finally get him out and we're riding down some long cornfield roads that arent much fun and hes looking like hes not having a good time at all. So I ask if he wants to switch up and I get on his bike and cant even understand how to ride it practically...haha.
The ride position was horrible, i had to hang my toe off the right peg so i didnt touch the brake, the seat made me feel really scrutched up, the shifting was so lazy it felt like there was a rock jumbling around in there waiting to fall into a hole so the next gear would switch...
i could not understand why anyone would ride this thing. I will admit that it was alot smoother than my bike and i didnt feel like going faster than 50, i just wanted to relax and fall asleep. Of course my buddies blasting through the gears and having ball on my bike and looked waaay happier than he did before just riding my bike you could tell he was having more fun. He wouldnt admit to it though.
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 402
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 402 |
I dont want to sound like I'm jumping on the Harley bashing band wagon but....A friend of my boss asked if he could leave His 883 sportster at our shop and try to sell it for him.Can't remember what year the bike is but has low miles (about 500).Was thinking about getting it for my wife but to make a long story short after a quick ride down the road I had to pass regaurdless of the price.My boss thinks I'm bias but in this case I dont think so
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
HD's been making Sportsters for over 50 years. They must be doing something right. 
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
|
|
|
 Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,626
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,626 |
It makes you wonder about some bikes. I once test rode a Yamaha XS650. It vibrated so much I couldn't read the speedometer! I came back and told the guy I didn't want it, but my wife might enjoy it. 
Steelheart- '03 Speedmaster Black/Yellow
The Hayabusa Killa
16" Shorties/140 mains/Airbox drilled
Procom CDI
"There is no cure for Celibacy. But we can treat the symptoms."
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 531
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 531 |
Quote:
HD's been making Sportsters for over 50 years.
They must be doing something right.
It is so much like one of our bikes it's silly. If you are into rididng stock americas and speedmaster, well good for you. If you're into riding stock sportys, well good for you. But they are the perfect canvas for something more beautiful. I think a stock America looks like the silliest thing that a company named "Triumph" ever made. That's me, who cares what I think. So who cares what anyone thinks of a sporster. So I agree, ride your sporty until your arms fall off, at least it's not a Boulevard.
pain is temporary, pride is forever.
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 186
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 186 |
Quote:
i can't say enough about these bikes they look better, ride better, and more user friendly, and i still think i can take the harley 1200 bikes.
When i was looking to get a new bike a few years ago i thought only a harley would do, and i started saving....well saving money (for a harley)is hard to do with the wife looming around a bouncing between jobs. I came across an article for the rocket 3 and was very impressed, so I decided totake a look at the triumph website, and there she was all nice and black. I pondered the two choices and was torn between paying for that name or just getting back on the road again. Well it wasn;t a very hard choice. and after looking at the specs the speedmaster is about 1/2" longer but 200lbs lighter than the nightrain i was thinking about. Then i learned my speedy was less than 1/2 the price. Game over. Two years and many miles and mods later i am more than happy with the choice i made, eveyone has a harly i have a head-turner. And my buddy on his springer softail classic has a hard time keeping up!!!
ride safe, ride long! 
2006SM XS pods,145/45,XS springs,arlen ness mirrors,19t primary,Reality is you are the weak and I am the tyranny of evil men, but I'm tryin REAL hard to be the shepherd. Scott Jackson McCain
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 96
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 96 |
I've got a brother in law with a sportster. He never seems to ride it- tells me its for the 'investment'. Ok, I'll be riding the wheels off my speedie investment then,, lol. On the other hand, anyone who gets up on two is all right with me.
ride when I can, work when I have to
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3
Old Hand
|
|
Old Hand
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3 |
I like my Night train well enough. With the counterbalanced B engine, it runs as smooth as the Triumph and, having the 6th gear that Triumph twins want, it pulls away (slowly, but it pulls away just the same) above 90 MPH. Below 90, the America pulls better. Because of the difference in front tire size, the Triumph is a lot better behaved on dirt roads.
Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 819
3/4 Throttle
|
|
3/4 Throttle
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 819 |
A friend of mine owns a Fat Boy, I’ve ridden it and I have to admit, it is a nimble, fun to ride bike. I’d not trade my TBA for it, but I can see why some folks like them. Mind you, he is a die-hard HD man and we mock each other’s ride choices daily, so I’ll make sure he doesn’t see this post. 
I would be unstoppable if not for law enforcement and physics.
2002, Cardinal Red & Silver
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 819
3/4 Throttle
|
|
3/4 Throttle
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 819 |
Quote:
I've got a brother in law with a sportster. He never seems to ride it- tells me its for the 'investment'.
I hate to kill your brother-in-law's buzz, but of all the H-D bikes, the Sportster depreciates the most.
I would be unstoppable if not for law enforcement and physics.
2002, Cardinal Red & Silver
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 638
Adjunct
|
|
Adjunct
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 638 |
Quote:
HD's been making Sportsters for over 50 years.
They must be doing something right.
isn't their cheapest bike? if you want in the brand without breaking the bank that's what one would get I assume... I considered getting one for like 2 days... then my wife asked me if I had seen the Triumph bikes, I said: the what? the rest is history 
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,555
Loquacious
|
|
Loquacious
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,555 |
I wasnt bashing Harley in general just that one Sportster. And as I said it was not very well maintained. But admittedly i just could not resist hitting the guy with "Its a Harley".
I know guys that have em and love em. But one sickining commercial HD put out billed it as "The least expensive way
to own a GENUINE HARLEY" gimme a break.
Could be one reason its lasted 50 yrs.
The percentage you're paying is too high-priced
While you're living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,104
Learned Hand
|
|
Learned Hand
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,104 |
While in Ketchikan Alaska, last summer, I rented a 2007 Sportster 883. The bike rode like a paint-mixer. 
|
|
|
Re: my bike over a harley
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3
Old Hand
|
|
Old Hand
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3 |
Quote:
HD's been making Sportsters for over 50 years.
They must be doing something right.
But, they've been making the FLH continuously since around 1940. Production numbers were a little low from '42 to '45 because they were only bought in small numbers for MP's (No, not Members of Parliament, Military Police!) and other law agencies to catch speeders.
Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python
|
|
|
|
|
