Harley riders dropping like flies at Sturgis rally!

[pzkpfw]

Got passed by plenty of HD's - on the Bikeoi.

[Grubber]

You are entitled to your opinion but I am curious, did you own the Fatboy and the Sporty? Have you years of experience riding them? or are you just another HD basher? Cos I am NOT joking, like I said, it just takes balls. I know plenty of old school HD riders who can throw their huge bikes around like they are trail bikes. THATS how ya ride them, can be a little daunting for someone who is used to a nimble sports bike...

But I digress...my point is that they corner just fine IF you know how to ride them.

Don't blame the bike.

Blame the rider.

Sorry BB but have to agree with Muppet on this one. I have owned 2 Harleys for a period of about 8 years. I spent mega $$$$ on suspension on both and i can ride. There is just no comparison to riding a Sport tourer of any standard. Not even close.
Somehow i think you really know this too. Compare Buell to Dyna. Come on BB, you know they don't corner.

[shrub]

Don't blame the bike...HDs have no problem cornering...or stopping for that matter. I have said it before and I will say AGAIN...it takes balls to throw a HD around and its a helluva lot of fun to do so.

Harley's have no problem cornering or stopping, and can be modded to handle surprisingly well - for cruisers; but they will never handle or stop as well as most modern Japanese and Euro bikes. The key is to recognise their limitations - a single 10 inch disc on a 250 kg + bike will never have the stopping power of even my T Bird Sport, and there is the simple matter of ground clearance that limits the cornering of even the world's best rider.

I have seen guys on Harleys get into all kinds of trouble trying to keep up with faster bikes - what's the point? Harleys do what they do very, very well. For a big arse cruiser and pose mobile they are the bomb, but they make a crap sports bike just like a Gixxer is lousy for stonking along the highway 2 up at 100 kmh all day.

It often seems that there is a kind of short man's syndrome with a lot of Harley riders - they feel obliged to show the guys on fast bikes just how quick that big old Hog can be hussled through the corners. I remember a year or so ago I was on a 1050 Tiger heading up Gebbes pass and came up behind a guy 2 up on a Harley. He saw me in his mirror and tried to show me how it was done. There were sparks flying and he was using both sides of the road, yet I was sitting on his arse without even trying. The first chance I had I was past and gone - although I did consider pulling over and letting him get away in case he binned in front of me. Incidentally about 2 km down the road I came round a corner to see a Harley in a paddock surrounded by bikers - it turned out that I had happened upon Longley's Run with short legs and long stops, and it seems the lads had been empowered by Mr Beer's liquid riding skill in a bottle.

[Banditbandit]

Harley's have no problem cornering or stopping, and can be modded to handle surprisingly well - for cruisers; but they will never handle or stop as well as most modern Japanese and Euro bikes. The key is to recognise their limitations - a single 10 inch disc on a 250 kg + bike will never have the stopping power of even my T Bird Sport, and there is the simple matter of ground clearance that limits the cornering of even the world's best rider.

YUP ! On a Coast-to-Coast run a few years ago I was on my 1990 BMW R100GS PD (The big one with the 35-litre tank). It was a pig on tight and twisty roads. Coming down the Paihiatua Track into Pahiatua I got behind a big block Harley with higher bars. The guy was throwing it around, scrapping the running boards, having a great time. I was behind him on The Beast, in first gear and on the brakes thinking "very nice, but get out of the way ...".

Having had trouble behind Harleys on that lump of a BMW I don't even try to sit behind them on the Bandit. There's just no comparison. Harleys are probably great cruising bikes but there's no comparison to a modern sports or sports/tourer.

And there probably shouldn't be - we all enjoy riding the bikes we do - what's the problem? RIde what ya want and stop complaining about other people's bikes !

[Muppet]

You are entitled to your opinion but I am curious, did you own the Fatboy and the Sporty? Have you years of experience riding them? or are you just another HD basher? Cos I am NOT joking, like I said, it just takes balls. I know plenty of old school HD riders who can throw their huge bikes around like they are trail bikes. THATS how ya ride them, can be a little daunting for someone who is used to a nimble sports bike...

But I digress...my point is that they corner just fine IF you know how to ride them.

Don't blame the bike.

Blame the rider.

If you're throwing a harley around like a trail bike, then you need to update your life insurance!

[Banditbandit]

Got passed by plenty of HD's - on the Bikeoi.

Yeah .. the macho bullshit was certainly flying that day ..

[rabidnz]

theres a vid on youtube where some guy hits a small deer and cuts it in half, he was ok just got a hella fright and smashed fairings
lucky mofo!

[Big Dave]

I know it messes with the popular KB perception but I've ridden and tested pretty much everything in the various cruiser and bagger class of vehicles.

Modern Harley-Davidson motorcycles are some of the best handling and braked vehicles in those classes.

[Muppet]

I know it messes with the popular KB perception but I've ridden and tested pretty much everything in the various cruiser and bagger class of vehicles.

Modern Harley-Davidson motorcycles are some of the best handling and braked vehicles in those classes.

Out of interest Big Dave, did any of the hogs have ABS brakes? I spoke to the ChiP's chief mechanic 3 years ago who told me that HD were intending on fitting their hogs with ABS. One reason, apparently was that the police wouldn't use them due to the lack of safety features such as ABS. As far as handling and braking goes I rode my fathers M109R and I was impressed, steering was very vague though (it is a cruiser after all). Brakes off a GSXR1000, low profile tyres, solidly built and 120 bhp, very nice!

[Big Dave]

All the new tourers have ABS standard. I felt like you could stomp on the rear of the linked system on the Ultra and back it in slightly. No doubt it was only the gheyest amount - but you know, it 'felt' like it.

Same as the way you can light up the rear of a Rocket III roadster on exit if you can crank it over far enough on the square edge of the 240 section tyre.

M109 is very good - it's a GSXR setup from memory, I guess they are all pretty good these days - in the premium class anyways. They take a bit of getting used to - then they are sweet - takes me a day.

My theory is that you have to 'ride around' the 240 rear section tyres on all of them. Style over substance.

[Banditbandit]

Modern Harley-Davidson motorcycles are some of the best handling and braked vehicles in those classes.

Yeah ... yeah ... it's just a class of bike that's been around since 1919 ...

[Big Dave]

Yeah ... yeah ... it's just a class of bike that's been around since 1919 ...

And probably still the biggest selling.

[Banditbandit]

And probably still the biggest selling.

Image will sell anything

[Big Dave]

Image will sell anything

I'd don't care about image or what brand it is on the tank, but I'd still really like a new Road King (amongst about 10 others) in my collection. It's an enjoyable bike to ride.

[scumdog]

The headline says that 43 bike accidents resulted in 9 deaths in the BlackHills region
also sites -inexperience, inattention and complacancy....

from the article....
Riders either missed a curve, drifted off the road or into the path of oncoming traffic, or they were not paying attention to what was happening around them.

Eleven accidents involved collisions between motorcycles.

Eight accidents involved another vehicle. One man died in a campground when the motorcycle he was driving hit a golf cart. WTF!!

Motorcycles also collided with a tree and a deer.

Alcohol was a factor in six of the 43 accidents.

“If you’re driving a motorcycle, you don’t have the luxury of being able to not pay attention for a couple of seconds,” Maj. Brian Mueller of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said.

Accidents happened on Interstate 90, on four-lane and two-lane highways, Mueller said. They even occurred on less-traveled roads.

Mueller believes this year’s increase in fatalities was due to a combination of factors – the heavy traffic, varying road conditions, distracted driving and unfamiliarity with riding in the Hills.

“We saw a lot of people failing to negotiate curves,” Mueller said.

At Nostalgia Cycles in Rapid Valley, Gregg Mach heard several complaints about inexperienced riders from his customers.

“A lot of people are from areas where there’s more flatland, and they’re riding too fast,” Mach said.

People familiar with the Black Hills know they have to ride the curves at the designated speed limit, he said. Riders often mentioned riders who “just came flying by them” driving too fast for the road conditions.

A trip to the Sturgis motorcycle rally is a first-time experience for many riders, Mach said. They are thrilled to ride in the Hills, surrounded by wildlife and beautiful scenery, but they don’t think about what could be around the next corner.

Riders who switch from a smaller motorcycle to a heavier motorcycle will also have difficulty navigating in the Hills, Mach said, especially if they are inexperienced.

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/stur...cc4c03286.html


all this makes me think.... when is the next CoroGP?
.

I was there - saw a bin or two (not me though!)

But having 500,000 bikes in the same area means there is bound to be one or two sub-standard riders who will fail to stay upright and/or on their bike.