Only in America ..... I hope

[Waylander]

Whoa, 'iron-on tats'??? Fuck that, those dudes are tougher than I thought!!

Iron-on, press-on, watercolour... fake tatts mate you get the idea.

[onearmedbandit]

I know, was just taking the piss.

[Colapop]

It's the ones with fake tits you gotta watch!!

[23226]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/7/...ectid=10393487

I am saddened to read this latest account of this authors travels, this time whilst in the US of A. The part about owners shipping their HD's to the rallys or to the 'touring' sites begs the question as to what will they do next.

Generalisation is easy, I personally know a guy over here with an 04 HD that has 80,000 + miles on it.

I saw a lot of bikes being trailered to Daytona last year when i was riding down from virginia ( a mere 750 miles each way) but some of these guys are coming from the opposite end of the country ( its easy to check the plates to see which state they were from)

So some of them you are looking at three thousand MILES each way.

That is around a ten thousand kilometer round trip.

Are YOU up for that kind of distance ?

Its also far cheaper to do it in a car and trailer both from the depreciation and consumables standpoint.

[Harry33]

It's the ones with fake tits you gotta watch!!

Yip I'm always keeping a eye out for those.

[Ixion]

Generalisation is easy, I personally know a guy over here with an 04 HD that has 80,000 + miles on it.

I saw a lot of bikes being trailered to Daytona last year when i was riding down from virginia ( a mere 750 miles each way) but some of these guys are coming from the opposite end of the country ( its easy to check the plates to see which state they were from)

So some of them you are looking at three thousand MILES each way.

That is around a ten thousand kilometer round trip.

Are YOU up for that kind of distance ?

Its also far cheaper to do it in a car and trailer both from the depreciation and consumables standpoint.

But you still have to cover the distance , whether on two wheels or four. I could understand if they they freighted the bike by train. But why drive to take a bike somewhere hen you can ride it? Doesn't make sense.

[RantyDave]

Know a guy here who showed up to a rally wearing all his gear, even had his helmet with him, but the bike was no where to be seen. Said he didn't have one, showed up in a taxi went home in one too.

Actually, this strikes me as being alarmingly honest ... certainly when compared to paying 50k for a bike then hauling it to a rally on the back of a trailer.

Dave

[scumdog]

I hear the same thing about hot-rodding over there, a shitload are 'trailer-queens' and are trailered to near the venue and unloaded from the covered trailer at the back of the motel...the ones that visit NZ are stunned to see the stone-chips, scrapes on my F100 and offer me sympathy for the 'damage' to it.

Having said that I saw HEAPS of all sorts of Harleys (and other bikes) all over the States when there last year, often miles from main highways..

HondaV2 may be able to elaborate?

[Timber020]

In alot of the big bike meets, there are no vacancys within a hundred k's or so from the venue, or along many of the main routes and alot of guys trailer in there bike and haul some camping gear (bear in mind alot of americans think camping involves being within reaching distance of there car) to insure they have somewhere to crash at night. Makes sense.
And its likely that many of them arent up to sleeping to rough or riding so far (some of the distances involved would be a killer for all but the hardest assed of us. Heck I get a bit achy going from wellington to tauranga.)

[Wolf]

Personally I'd only ever trailer a bike if it wasn't road legal, like a pure trail bike, or totally fucked and unable to be ridden. But then, I don't like driving cars so it'd be a "only if there were no other choice" situation.

I might train freight a bike if it were impossible (due to time constraints) for me to ride it there on time. e.g. if it had to be in Dunedin by Friday night and I had to work that week, I might consider freighting it down earlier in the week and flying down to pick it up on Friday.

Other than that, I'd ride it. My boss wanted me to go down to Palmerston North to service some computers and was going to give me a company car. I said "Nah, I'll take my bike down" (the LS400 at the time) and did, at my own expense. Why? Any excuse for a decent bike ride.

Wound up with a seriously sore tailbone by the time I got home but it was great fun.

Last time I went down there they flew me down - possibly the only transport I'd take over a motorcycle... and that's only because I can't usually afford to fly and if someone else is offering to pay there's no way I'd refuse.

Seriously missed having the bike while I was down there, though. Had to walk everywhere or rely on a work colleague to drive me.

[23226]

But you still have to cover the distance , whether on two wheels or four. I could understand if they they freighted the bike by train. But why drive to take a bike somewhere hen you can ride it? Doesn't make sense.

I am getting the willies just thinking about handing over my bike to be ocean freighted.

That would be my first choice too, however economics can have an effect on such decisions.

Say three or four guys have bikes and are in the car, they share the fuel costs vs four of them gassing up.

I know if I was embarking on a 6 thousand miles trip on the rocket III, I would HAVE to make sure I could get a new rear tire fitted along the way.

My last rear tire will be lucky to make 4 k. miles due to the $%@ heat this summer.

It was 85C at midnight last night and it felt 'cold'. (thank gawd).

[23226]

Other than that, I'd ride it. My boss wanted me to go down to Palmerston North to service some computers and was going to give me a company car. I said "Nah, I'll take my bike down" (the LS400 at the time) and did, at my own expense. Why? Any excuse for a decent bike ride.

Wound up with a seriously sore tailbone by the time I got home but it was great fun.

Hamilton - Palmerston north = 306 miles one way

I' m talking about ten times that distance each way.

I can guess that after doing the same 6k round trip for the tenth time taking the cheaper easier option might appeal to the non insane.

Or maybe not.

[Lord Derosso]

Yeh.. I can see the point re the distances been covered to the bigger meets. Its a sad fact that I dont find riding as comfortable as I did 25 years ago. When I was in my early 20's I didnt think twice about travelling 500 miles in a day, but now after age and bumps, some things ache more then they used too. At least travelling by car or hopefully mobile home allows more comfort and rest periods for non drivers. Personally I would still do the trip on a bike but it would have to be set up for long range cruising, eg not a R model, and I would stay at motels enroute to ensure a proper recovery each day. The logical thing like for all long trips is to plan it and allow plenty of time, hence take a week off on AL to attend the bigger meets.

[Lou Girardin]

If you can do it in a car, you can do it on a bike. trailering your bike is a joke.
They should be turned away from the rally under the 'no cars' rule.
It's a bit like the year old bikes we get traded in with less than a 1000k's on them.
If you don't ride it, you're not a biker. You're just a bike owner. (Hawks and spits)

[Paul in NZ]

Well you have to factor in that a lot of the folks in the USA also live in the snow states so they freight the vehicle as far as the warmer areas. We are not talking about the sprinklings we get either, we are talking snow and ice all winter and REALLY cold weather. Also, riding in the REALLY hot areas at some times of the year can be a bit dangerous.

I don't like the idea of trailering bikes either but really, its not fair to blag these people when most of us have NO idea just how big america really is. Especially when in NZ where no place is more than 2 days away.

After all, not everyone has 2 weeks to ride to a rally and 2 weeks to ride home again.

Just a thought....