 HD
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https://motorbikewriter.com/trump-wrong-harley-davidson/Hello Mods if this is too political please delete it or move it as you wish.
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
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Re: HD
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The writers premise is faulty, Harley is doing fine with 50% of the large bike market, others could only hope for half that penetration. The old guy premise is faulty also, Harley sells more bikes in the 28 to 40 Yr.market then any other company in the USA. Many of us don't like the idea of the big boats, but they do sell and are very profitable.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Loquacious
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Quote:
The writers premise is faulty, Harley is doing fine with 50% of the large bike market, others could only hope for half that penetration. The old guy premise is faulty also, Harley sells more bikes in the 28 to 40 Yr.market then any other company in the USA. Many of us don't like the idea of the big boats, but they do sell and are very profitable.
They're at 50% but losing market share to Indian Motorcycle slowly but surely. And it's not just Indian that's hurting HD, motorcycle sales in general are down, especially for the heavyweight (high priced!) variety.
Let's face it, for most people a motorcycle is a luxury item in this economy. A lot of people are unwilling or unable to drop $20K, $25K, $30K on a motorcycle when they're just trying to make ends meet.
YMMV 
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Harley and Indian are asperational products, it takes a bit of time to aquire the money to buy either one. Neither brand is really aimed at the folks struggling to make ends meet. The market has plenty of options for the common folk and many myself included, don't want to ride a big heavy bike. And yes Indian is doing pretty well for a start up brand but it will take a lot more time to really put a dent in Harley sales. I still get tired of seeing so many Harley Baggers at a bike night and look forward to more variety.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Learned Hand
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And I just want a bike that'll do over 30k without engine work....never yet had that from a Harley.
Which is a shame. As I ride at least 15 k per year...means my Harley is approaching both danger and unsellable zones in 2 years from new.....and , no, I'm not a numpty...I look after my bikes...but I do ride them far and fast.
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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Loquacious
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Seems to me like Indian is aiming at "us poor folks" with the Scout.It's plastic and ugly[IMO].An ugly engine and that radiator  Harley has the ugly[IMO] 750/500 for "us poor folks"
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
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Re: HD
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Aye, they're both spectacularly ugly bikes imho....Indian looks like it's stamped out of a '50's Hong Hong die cast mould and the Harley looks cheap ...just that...cheap.
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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Joined: May 2010
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Check Pants
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Check Pants
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Quote:
Aye, they're both spectacularly ugly bikes imho....Indian looks like it's stamped out of a '50's Hong Hong die cast mould and the Harley looks cheap ...just that...cheap.
Indian looks like it's stamped out of a '50's Hong Hong die cast mould and the Harley looks cheap ...just that...cheap.  Don't repress your feelings, letting it all out is good for the Soul.
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Re: HD
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Loquacious
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Quote:
Quote:
Aye, they're both spectacularly ugly bikes imho....Indian looks like it's stamped out of a '50's Hong Hong die cast mould and the Harley looks cheap ...just that...cheap.
Indian looks like it's stamped out of a '50's Hong Hong die cast mould and the Harley looks cheap ...just that...cheap. Don't repress your feelings, letting it all out is good for the Soul.
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
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Re: HD
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I have the good fortune to have a big Harley dealer near me, and right across the street is a big Indian/Victory dealer, I visit often. Anyway this year both Harley and Indian have brought out more traditional 2 tone paint jobs on their entry level bikes, Both the Scout and the Street 500/750 look great with the new paint. I would like to own a new Scout but being retired my new bike days are behind me.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Gosh Ryk.... you're absolutely right...we Brits are so given to understatement.
What I meant was.....er,
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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Joined: Sep 2015
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3/4 Throttle
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3/4 Throttle
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Just an FYI since the Vice President is my former Governor. He is a Biker and has been known for participating in a number of the charity rides in the State. Hope he gets a chance to stay on two wheels as VP. https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/searc...amp;action=view
Road Rash Heals. Freckles Grow Back. Ride
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I'd bet that as V.P. Mr. Pence will no longer be allowed to ride, the Secret Service would have a cow. At least we know that riders will have a sympathetic ear in the new administration.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Check Pants
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Check Pants
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The Secret Service let VP Joe Biden drive his 67 Vette once, and only once. Inside a secure facility of course.
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Re: HD
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Now I'm glad Trump chose Pence over me for VP!
That was a close one.
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Re: HD
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Joined: Apr 2006
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Loquacious
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Loquacious
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Quote:
... Anyway this year both Harley and Indian have brought out more traditional 2 tone paint jobs on their entry level bikes, ....
Yesterday at the dealer we saw flyers with new custom paint schemes available for Indian. We were seriously impressed. Indian seems to have overcome all of the early issues with paint on the bikes. I can also attest that the Blue Fire paint on my 2016 in stunning. Exciting times.
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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There are so many exciting bikes on sale these days, it is truly a "Golden Age" for motorcyclists. At the Indian dealer yesterday I looked at a new big Indian with a Road Smith trike kit on it, what a good looking trike it was,and only $47K. The world has gone crazy. The Victory's had a $4600 discount on their baggers, but only minor savings on the other models. The Harley dealer had good deals on the 2016 Tour bikes, but who would want the Twin Cam now that the new improved engine is available? I have not seen the new Triumph Bobber in the flesh yet, but it looks good in pictures. Ducati is releasing a real Desert Sled, not just a street scrambler but the real deal I heard,but like Triumph they have no local dealer near me.
Tin Man 2
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Loquacious
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Quote:
... I have not seen the new Triumph Bobber in the flesh yet, but it looks good in pictures. ...
I saw one the other day for the first time. Pretty cool. Not my style, but I'm thinking they'll sell a bunch.
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Re: HD
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Old Hand
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Oddly, I had a '76 (= AMF years, supposedly terrible quality) Sportster XLCH kick start only (supposedly bottom of the line terrible quality). I would rebuild the top end at 90K+ mile intervals. Half way between top end 2 and 3, the ignition advance mechanism wore out and had to be replaced. Finally, at around 400K miles, the mrs talked me into giving it to my grandson or I'd probably still be riding it.
Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python
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Greybeard, the problems of the AMF years have been greatly exagerated. I had a few Ironheads myself, I found them to be fast and satisfying bikes. I like my America quite well, but I like my Sportsters equally well. Different horses for different courses.
Last edited by tinmantwo; 03/11/2017 4:18 PM.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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My problems with my XLH AMF haven't been exaggerated, I can tell you!  My friends XLCH was the same. If you got them straightened out they were pretty good. Another friend in the UK [a top mechanic]virtually rebuilt his and had no further trouble with it.
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
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Re: HD
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It seems in the 70's everybody had some quality problems, cars and motorcycles. English bikes, American bikes and even God forbid bikes from Japan. We are now in a Golden Age with quality undreamed of in the 60's/70's time frame.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Quote:
Greybeard, the problems of the AMF years have been greatly exagerated. I had a few Ironheads myself, I found them to be fast and satisfying bikes. I like my America quite well, but I like my Sportsters equally well. Different horses for different courses.
You must be a real HD fan, the AMF years were crap. As stated above if you went through one you could come out with a good dependable bike but from the factory they were junk.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: HD
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Quote:
Quote:
Greybeard, the problems of the AMF years have been greatly exagerated. I had a few Ironheads myself, I found them to be fast and satisfying bikes. I like my America quite well, but I like my Sportsters equally well. Different horses for different courses.
You must be a real HD fan, the AMF years were crap. As stated above if you went through one you could come out with a good dependable bike but from the factory they were junk. [/quote ..... Just like the English brands, labor troubles caused by financial pressure caused some bikes to suffer quality problems. Triumph and Harley both suffered from these problems, Harley just barely survived.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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I never said Triumph was any better in those years both barley hung on, Triumph may have come even closer to closing down. Triumph even had bikes produced elsewhere while they retooled.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: HD
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Loquacious
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Yes HD and the Brit.bikes had their troubles in the 70s.The Japanese had it all over them in reliability but although the Jap engines were bullet proof they didn't handle in those days.Koni rear shocks,steering dampers,drop or straight handlebars, and Dunlop tires were what the "boy racers" all went for back then.
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
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Re: HD
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I seem to recall changing out a bunch of Honda Stators back a few years ago. Yamaha had big trouble with their 750 triple, and the electric system on my DT 400 was problematic and it goes on and on. All bike makers got caught up in the mad rush for product in the 70's, resulting in less than stellar results.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Learned Hand
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Argh! The Yamaha xs750.......
I kept my brothers one from jumping out of gear by filling the box with oil from a Chieftain tank..
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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All the same, I couldn't do it.
Pulled my Switchback from its e bay auction this morning and took it for a long motorway thrash.....to the decent Triumph dealer.
Now if they'd had a shiny 1200 TBA for me to drool over I'd have gone through with the auction.
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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Loquacious
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Quote:
I seem to recall changing out a bunch of Honda Stators back a few years ago. Yamaha had big trouble with their 750 triple, and the electric system on my DT 400 was problematic and it goes on and on. All bike makers got caught up in the mad rush for product in the 70's, resulting in less than stellar results.
I remember being at a bike shop when they had a 750 Honda 4 with 50,000 miles on the clock.They pulled the head off to check.Buttoned it back up and away it went.My 1971 650 Triumph would have been rebuilt 3 or 4 times to do that sort of mileage.The 650 Yamaha I bought after having my leg broken[ electric start] was ultra reliable.Apart from the three, Honda 4, Yamaha 650, and 900 Kawasaki, there was a plethora of models introduced, some not so good.So many in fact that a lot of folks [me]gave up trying follow them.But I had my Harley by then,another tale of woe!
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
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Re: HD
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Yep...me too...I was the last of my friends to abandon my Brit bikes for the land of the rising yen. I watched in astonishment as my local shop did a 50k engine strip on a Suzuki gs550.....and found no detectable wear at all.
Used to ride my Tr6 Triumph with a pocket full of spares and luggage crammed with spanners.
Owned 3 xs650's with no problems.......bought a fourth and took off the drain plug to find a dog from 5thgear pinion sitting on the sump plug........rode it like that for years!
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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I'd forgotten about the magnetic sump plug.Lots of improvements like that splitting the crankcase horizontally [no oil leaks] no primary chain [cogs instead].My TX[the third XS with the Brit style tank]used to pull the nipples off cables at the clutch lever.I started carrying a nipple that would screw onto the cable end for emergencies couldn't figure it out but apart from that, the starter crapping out and a couple of blown headlight bulbs I had no problems."Memories, like the corners.......etc. etc. etc."
At 35,000 kms I had a service on my Triumph, the mechanic said, there was no discernible wear.
So thank the Gods, things have improved!
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Re: HD
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TX? That was the us version....I think.
I did own an xs 500b .... flawed beast but ran well and handled way better than the xs650.
I took the Road Less Travelled.
Now where the ****** am I?
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Re: HD
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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I put tons of miles on my 66 TR6C with no issues for the most part, simple stuff like points. Top end every 40,000 or so, bottom end lasted over 100,000. I bet with todays synthetic oils you could get those top ends to go much longer. You have to use your head with them too, I ran an oil cooler and later started to run an external filter.
Last edited by The_Dog33; 03/17/2017 5:42 PM.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: HD
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3/4 Throttle
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3/4 Throttle
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Yeah I sure miss my old 73 Kaw KZ900 it probably had over 70k miles and most of that was on Kansas dirt roads.Never done much to it either except a battery ever few years,those were good engines in the day and too bad I sold it would have been worth something nowadays.
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Re: HD
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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I had a Suzuki GT550 triple 2 stroke I kind of wish I kept. I traded it for a Norton P11 that needed work.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: HD
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My 1st street bike was an Orange RD350, It was great when it ran right, but it sure was finnicky. Never ran the same 2 weeks in a row, and the dealer sucked. I will say that it cured me of going to a Dealer for service.
Last edited by tinmantwo; 03/18/2017 7:28 AM.
Tin Man 2
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Bar Shake
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What RD350? That's was my first street bike too. Orange and white. I really didn't know what I had until I accidentally pulled a wheelie in a parking lot. That thing was a screamer. I spun out on a wet on ramp bent it up a little. Traded for my first Triumph 71 Tr6. Way cooler than the Yammie. 
"Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at seventy miles per hour can double your vocabulary" Author unknown
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Well, now that I know what I'm doing I wish I had that RD back. I do have a Suzi 250 Hustler that I fool with when I need a 2 stroke fix. But that Orange RD was my favorite smoker.
Tin Man 2
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Re: HD
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Quote:
... I do have a Suzi 250 Hustler that I fool with when I need a 2 stroke fix...
My first "full size" bike was a 1969 TC250, the scrambler version of the X6, which I bought used in 1973. I occasionally ran mid-pipe expansion chambers that looked awesome and seemed capable of waking the dead. Sold it in 1975. I still miss it sometimes.
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