I hate Suzukis!

[NC]

I like em..

I did quite a good stoppie this morning on Melon's street magic..

[NC]

Do Harley still use Japanese carburetors?.

I got told that in the 80's and early 90's that 85% of HArley's were japanese.

[onearmedbandit]

Me, well I can't think of any bike I hate. I like what I like, if you don't like it that's not my concern or problem. If it's got two wheels, an engine, etc etc its all good as far as I'm concerned. I might not like to own or ride it myself, but that's a part of what makes us all individual.

[Teflon]

Bit of humor.

[inlinefour]

Bit of humor.

I have now found my new wallpaper to get me through 2005!

[Bonez]

I have now found my new wallpaper to get me through 2005!

Ditto. And a Ducati owning mates PC

[Jackrat]

Thats just marketing. Harley's have no innovation unlike a Jappa, thats why they hold there value.

No innovation????
The first bike to have telescopic forks,the first bike to have disc brakes,the first bike to use mono shock suspension,the first bike to use safty levers,the first bike to use a Vtwin.
And the list goes on.
In the mean time the Jap Co's copy everything including the bikes themselfs.
The jap's might improve on something but they've invented bugger all.
But back to the subject at hand,there are no bikes I hate.
If it's got two wheels I'm keen.

[Jackrat]

I got told that in the 80's and early 90's that 85% of HArley's were japanese.

That's interesting if only for the question it raises, so what???
BTW I owned a 1980 FLT,it had no japanese parts on it,it was as reliable as any bike I've ever owned.
Harley started using Mikuni carbs and showa suspension in 85/86 like just about every other Co in the world.
Which brings us back to that question,so what?? :spudwhat:

[Jackrat]

Bit of humor.

How cute,a Honda jacket owner trying to find his dick.
I wonder if he's related in anyway to a Harley tee shirt owner??
An that folks makes 2000.

[Jackrat]

This may come back to bit me - I really don't get naked bikes, maybe it's because I'm young and don't really get the retro thing. Why do people buy a 1100 cc naked bike? isn't it like buying an exotic car without a windscreen?

I have noticed the large number of naked bikes popping up around the place, but some of them are just plain ugly - someone please explain!

It works like this,sort of.
Once upon a time what you call naked bike were the only thing you could buy,they were the norm.Then people started changing bikes to suit themselfs.
We ended up with Cafe racers and choppers.The Japs then started copying what the riders of the day were doing,Kawasaki being the first to do so with their factory customs,harley followed suit and then Yamaha ect ect.So we ended up with a bunch of chopper clones that weren't really choppers at all but people being lazy cunts they sold anyway.
Then came race replicas with Kawasaki again being in the first to take the plunge.
So today we have a factory made bike to suit all tastes,all lacking in any inderviduality what so ever.
Luckly there are still people that will take a standard bike an remake it into their own machine that somebody else can,t just walk into a shop and buy.
There are also a lot of people that don't want to change their bike but do want what I call a conventional bike.IE not a clone of some race bike or poorly styled chopper but a bike where they do feel the wind,see their engine,don't cause $$$$$$$$ damage if they drop it in the driveway.
Things are coming full circle and people still point the finger at Harley and bleat about marketing.
While they sit on their sportsbike,cruiser ect :spudwhat:

[Teflon]

Yes back in the day they were good motorcycles, but now they have become stagnant, shit if all the japaness motorcycle companys had the same mindset as the Americans have, we all would be riding 60hp, 600lbs of crap.

Harley's just don't cut it, they could have been a force to be reckon with if they invested in research, but they kept using the same non-innovative concepts which they try and call a real motorcycle.

why did they quit racing?, because they coulded compete.

While the European and Japaness were putting out better handling, faster motorcycles 'each year', harley's fell further behind in technology and performance.

Could really go on and on, but i'm multi-tasking at the moment and just don't have the time, maybe later.

[scumdog]

Yes back in the day they were good motorcycles, but now they have become stagnant, shit if all the japaness motorcycle companys had the same mindset as the Americans have, we all would be riding 60hp, 600lbs of crap.

Harley's just don't cut it, they could have been a force to be reckon with if they invested in research, but they kept using the same non-innovative concepts which they try and call a real motorcycle.

why did they quit racing?, because they coulded compete.

While the European and Japaness were putting out better handling, faster motorcycles 'each year', harley's fell further behind in technology and performance.

Could really go on and on, but i'm multi-tasking at the moment and just don't have the time, maybe later.

60hp 600lbs pieces of crap are for those with taste, the rest ride something else

Imagine how boring bikes would be if ALL bikes were as good as/looked like a Hyabusa?

H-D might be 'falling behind in technology' but the rest would give their eye-teeth for that kind of sales and marketting.

Eat your hear out you non-H-D owner!

And as Jackrat says: "so what?"

[scumdog]

How cute,a Honda jacket owner trying to find his dick.
I wonder if he's related in anyway to a Harley tee shirt owner??
An that folks makes 2000.

I thought the Honda jacket owner (does he actually own any bike) was bowing his head in awe at the mighty H-D factory - and rightly so!!

[Timber020]

No innovation????
The first bike to have telescopic forks,the first bike to have disc brakes,the first bike to use mono shock suspension,the first bike to use safty levers,the first bike to use a Vtwin.
And the list goes on.
In the mean time the Jap Co's copy everything including the bikes themselfs.
The jap's might improve on something but they've invented bugger all.
But back to the subject at hand,there are no bikes I hate.
If it's got two wheels I'm keen.

The first telescopic fork was BMW's, some 14 years before harley. Second was Norton, then matchless made them, Ariel followed suit. Truimph had them on all models by 1946 before Harley put them into production in 1949.

I thought a brit bike or Honda put the first disc on a bike, I could be wrong though. I know harley didnt put it on its production line until 1972 where as honda had it on the CB's in the late 60's.

The vtwin first came out in an indian in 1907, before harley and before that there were vtwins in europe as early as 1902.

But they may well have made the first monoshock. Harley did set up the japanese motorcycle industry, so for that I am grateful, So any copying the japanese do they learned from harley!

I think the greatest form of innovation can be found in the buells, although Harley was against Eric using the motors to begin with I think buell do show alot of out there ideas, where many manufacturers might not have to balls to implement them, I think Buell has shown the same spirit as ATK did when it comes to making out there bikes. And thats great for motorcycling in general.

And as much as I cant find myself liking the product which is a Harley bike or the amazing stubborness of a few of their owners (yeah listen to me talk!) I do appreciate they are out on the road for simular reasons as we all are and for that I will nod at you guys whenever I see you, and respect you because your riding as we all are, and will always stop to help you out should I see you on the roadside.

We can all agree we hate volvo drivers and Paul holmes though right?

[Wolf]

All the bikes I've own have been naked (except for the large front sheilds of the two Yerpeen scooters I had.) The only faired bike I've ridden was the R100CS - and that was only a bikini fairing.

Fairings look cool and sleek but for me they're just another thing to repair if you drop the bike. So far I've shelled out for clutch and brake levers, straightening pegs and getting a side stand welded back on (cost me a tray of stubbies), I'd hate to have to pay out for repairs to a fairing (especially if I'd just slipped on a patch of oil in the car park and the bike was otherwise unharmed)

That's not to say I would not buy a faired bike that was in my price range and had the attributes I wanted, but if I had a choice of two bikes at the same price and comparable specs, I'd buy the naked one.