Motorcyclist Demographics

[Moi]

...do they really come with tool kits??...why???

ballast?

[Flip]

I carry a good tool kit in all my vehicles, c/w a first aid kit and small fire extinguisher. Nothing worse than having a break down and not being able to fix it. You might notice that a few of those tools in my HD kit are metric. Not much use to me on a imperial vehicle.

Some of my best friends ride jappers. No seriously they do.

[Tazz]

pps...I do like helping my mate work on his classic Harley tho, has a nice layout and usually always fun & easy to fix & tune...its a well designed bike IMHO...I don't really know why people knock em so hard?

Don't know aye. Couldn't have to do anything with the open minded non brand zombiefied hipster people like Flip.

Curious if he he owns Apple branded everything and excitedly starts conversations at the supermarket with people wearing the same colour.



I haven't got anything against any bike marques, mainly because Skoda and Lada don't make bikes, but the 'club' that peddle them can take their assless chaps and whisper sweet nothings about their 'steeds' in someone elses fuckin ear thanks!
It's like they feel they have to try and justify to themselves and others why they bought their bike every time they talk about them in comparison to other brands I don't care, it's YOUR bloody bike! Go ride it

I carry a good tool kit in all my vehicles, c/w a first aid kit and small fire extinguisher. Nothing worse than having a break down and not being able to fix it. You might notice that a few of those tools in my HD kit are metric. Not much use to me on a imperial vehicle.

Some of my best friends ride jappers. No seriously they do.

Nothing wrong with carrying a tool kit, its just funny to say you ride something that is superior to everything else because everything else is built like shit and breaks down all the time, yet your 'invincible' machine has 3kg worth of tools to hit the road with, just in case.

Where's your faith in what you preach?

If parts are that 'out of this world' (by comparison) cheap, plentiful and the dealer network is so amazing you should only need to carry your low limit credit card anyway

[swbarnett]

Almost 130k on the Hornet... The last 100k has almost exclusively (ie, <5k country) been commuting which is pretty hard on a bike.

Clutch cable at 60k, rear wheel bearings around 90k I think along with front forks serviced. Around 123k it got some love, suspension both ends overhauled, parts replaced etc. Other than that it's been tyres, brake pads, chains, sprockets and is onto it's 2nd set of brake discs (both ends). Oh, and the odd light bulb here and there.

140k on my GSX since '09 (all but 23k in the last 4.5 years). Had to replace the needles in the carbs at 100k (known issue) and a cam chain at 108k. Oh, and I've just replaced the clutch cable.

[Ocean1]

Nothing wrong with carrying a tool kit, its just funny to say you ride something that is superior to everything else because everything else is built like shit and breaks down all the time, yet your 'invincible' machine has 3kg worth of tools to hit the road with, just in case.

There's a quote, from a Rolls Royce exec at a press function on the release of a new model, when asked by some smart arsed oik if RR were so reliable then why they came with such a comprehensive tool kit.

The answer was roughly: We supply a tool kit so that our clients may render assistance to those unfortunate enough not to own a Rolls Royce.

Presumably HD kits are compiled from exclusively metric tools.

[rastuscat]

Just watched the vid of 56YQC going up in flames again.

Can't believe the commentary, largely provided by me.

"If we shut Moorhouse Ave at this time of day that'd be most un good". What was I thinking?

My Engrish teacher would turn in her grave. Especially as within seconds, I called for the road to be closed.

Ah the good old days.

[JimO]

why did it go on fire?

[merv]

Back to demographics Mr Cat did your 8 types include cops on bikes?

Also to follow the thread, while the BMW went up in flames what use was its toolkit?

[Gremlin]

"If we shut Moorhouse Ave at this time of day that'd be most un good". What was I thinking?

Probably something like... "There's no box on the incident report for burning the patrol vehicle to the ground"

Do they have fire extinguishers on board?

[HenryDorsetCase]

A few years back I saw a list of 8 demographics some study had grouped motorcyclists into.

Cruisers, Born Agains, Mods, Rebels, that sort of thing.

Anyone know where I can find that again?

Or alternately, it'd be interesting to hear anyone's ideas on broad categories of "us".

Just interested.

Duh.

1. Rebel
2. Guru
3. Beatnik
4. Traitor
5. Runner
6. Mentor
7. Pebble
8. Water
9. Preacher
10. Teacher
11. Beatnik.

[HenryDorsetCase]

140k on my GSX since '09 (all but 23k in the last 4.5 years). Had to replace the needles in the carbs at 100k (known issue) and a cam chain at 108k. Oh, and I've just replaced the clutch cable.

Its clearly a lemon. Get rid of it!

[rastuscat]

Probably something like... "There's no box on the incident report for burning the patrol vehicle to the ground"

Do they have fire extinguishers on board?

Fire extinguishers are a fecking waste of time on a decent bike fire. They burn like fury. A nearby Popo car driver emptied a dry powder into it, and the fire just laughed at it.

I thought it was a good idea, until I realised that if we torched the other one too, it might look suspicious.

DOH !! Is this forum open to the public?

[Flip]

[QUOTE=Tazz;1130866838]Don't know aye. Couldn't have to do anything with the open minded non brand zombiefied hipster people like Flip.

Curious if he he owns Apple branded everything and excitedly starts conversations at the supermarket with people wearing the same colour.



QUOTE]

I have nothing against jap bikes, they are very well designed, made and excellent value for money. I just enjoy a good vigorous discussion about motorcycles. Not sure about being hip?

I am a old school engineer by profession, I like old bikes, old cars, old radios, old guns and old houses. My HD is very old school, with modern reilyability and fuel consumption. However the roady can trace its ancestory directory back to a bike that was made in the 20's. I am happy with the existing mix of old and new in a vehicle that I can ride every day far and wide. It fits me like a old pair of shoes.

I don't actually own any apple products, I had a bad run with apple I pods and wont be buying any more apple products.

My HD has had 1 new belt in the last 10 years, a few bulbs and a new headlight and thats all I can think of. I do however run Mobil1 V2 or HD syn3 motor oil. For a high milage air cooled motor its oil consumption is like a new bike.

My love of old things is as follows, my house was made in the 1880's, my oldest car in 1928, my radio in 1956 (and I am working on an earlier one) my oldest hunting gun in 1762, my lathe in the 1950's. I believe just because something uses old technology doesn't mean its rubbish.

My last modern bike was a Triumph Trophy 1200. Loved that bike as well, powerfull but it was terrible to ride in cross winds. I also tended to collect a few speeding tickets on it which was a pain.

[400sm]

Anyone who puts a brand name tattoo on their body is an unbelievable tool. Is that your way of saying "I am owned by a multi-million dollar profit-seeking corporation"? Brand loyalty is for fucking idiots and tools to marketing teams.

And Harleys are for fuckwits.

OMG! Thank you. I don't even have to comment.

[400sm]

My gsx650FU did around 30,000/40,000 KM in under a year, till I traded it in, with only needed replacement tyres and a new Chain/Sprocket - everything works and was in very good condition (as proof of this, I got a tradein value of 6.5K, for a 3 year old bike with 50-60,000 Km - a brand new one is $10.5k)

So that is how I define build quality.



If your dealers are mandated to have parts, be trained and also set a certain price - tends to suggest that historically your dealers have been asshats engaging in dodgy business practices/sub standard practices - really selling me on the Harley Dream here. Pretty sure the big 3 Suzuki Dealers in Akl have lasted 10+ years.



I compared Genuine parts (from a shop, albeit listen on Ebay) with Genuine parts - I also found Busa pads for cheaper - my point being that they are not excessively expensive as claimed.



Somalia is bigger than Auckland, but it is still a shit hole filled with illiterate peasants who think that a witch doctors herbs will stop an AK47 bullet - Size is no indication of whether it is any good.



You use that word 'Performance' - it does not mean what you think it means.....

As I implied earlier- most of the aftermarket parts for Harley can be described with 'Overpriced Chrome Tat' IMO



Then why is the biggest market for HDs among the 50 year old Male population? (source: http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/u...---Prosper.jpg)

Sure Squids in the US buy Japanese (because allowing someone to buy a GSX-R1000 after completing the equivalent of a BSH test is a good idea.) however the rest of the world has cottoned on to the fact that learners should be limited in what they can ride till they have built up the experience to handle a more powerful machine. As an aside - I have found that a lot of Harley riders tend to favour the less-is-more strategy when it comes to wearing correct safety gear (Just like their SQUID brethren).



I think Mike summed it up better than I can about Tattoos of Corporate brands.



I never liked the F16 anyway.... however if it was a choice between an F35 or an F22 then yes, I would take that over a Spitfire, just like I'd take a DB9 over a DB4



I don't I would use the word Quality - instead I would use:

'Nostalgia for a teenage dream gets more expensive with middle age'

I agree with you.......... except I think the F16 is THE shit.