|
El Jebus posted:Oh yeah! OK so it wasn't just me thinking that.  A shoelace works well for getting the spokes clean. Wrap it a couple times and then saw it back and forth up and down the spoke. Jesus, who knew cleaning a motorcycle would sound so dirty.
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2015 15:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 12:45 |
|
|
Scrapez posted:OK so it wasn't just me thinking that. That did occur to me right as I hit post, but hell, who says cleaning the bike has to be dull?
|
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2015 17:00
|
|
|
Today I rode a Harley for the first time. It was a Dyna Low Rider. It made a big noise and was very comfortable. It went around a corner OK. It was fun and good and weird and fun. I liked it. This is all I have to say about Harley-Davidson Motorcycles®.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 05:13
|
|
|
Hello, I have acquired a thing.  and I like it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 01:12
|
|
|
Nice.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 08:06
|
|
|
 Got mine all clubbed out. I've always liked the bobber look, and originally wasn't going to get a fairing because I didn't want to hear "durrr SOA", but after riding it for awhile, I really disliked having all that wind right on my chest. Really happy with how it's turned out.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2015 23:47
|
|
|
Duck_King posted:
Looks good. Does look like you might be due to replace that airfilter, or is that just a trick of the light?
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2015 02:54
|
|
|
It's a rain sock over it. It's only a couple months old.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2015 02:58
|
|
|
That looks really good, SoA be damned
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2015 05:11
|
|
|
Let 'em say soa. Non-riders will mean it as a complement for sure and anyone that's talking poo poo will be a rice elitist and can gently caress off.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2015 08:23
|
|
|
Duck_King posted:It's a rain sock over it. It's only a couple months old. Ah, okay. My bad for looking at it on my phone.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2015 20:36
|
|
|
You don't replace K&Ns
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2015 18:01
|
|
|
clutchpuck posted:You don't replace K&Ns Air filters.* You do replace oil filters.
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2015 18:06
|
|
|
Since it's cold this thread in particular hasn't had a post in a month but today I went outside and rode around because it was cold but dry, just like I do on all the other five winter days in Seattle like that. It smelled really nice out there, I recommend it
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 06:55
|
|
|
I still ride pretty much every day, as long as it's not raining. Just got home a few minutes ago. Its 33 degrees out, but I don't even care. Love my bike.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 10:47
|
|
|
Duck_King posted:I still ride pretty much every day, as long as it's not raining. Just got home a few minutes ago. Its 33 degrees out, but I don't even care. Love my bike. Same, except I'll ride in ice and rain because Oregon.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 18:35
|
|
|
Verge posted:Same, except I'll ride in ice and rain because Oregon. Same only I'm in south Texas so what is this "winter" you speak of?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 18:47
|
|
|
Errant Gin Monks posted:Same only I'm in south Texas so what is this "winter" you speak of? It's that time of year when most of the motorcyclists stop riding for a while. It's around Christmas. Can we redefine South Park's 'fag' to just include fair weather bikers instead of Harley-Davidson™ motorcyclists?
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 21:08
|
|
|
I avoid the rain because I just don't trust the other drivers around here. It's pretty dry most of the year, so people don't know how to react in fresh rain.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 21:13
|
|
|
Duck_King posted:I avoid the rain because I just don't trust the other drivers around here. It's pretty dry most of the year, so people don't know how to react in fresh rain. I went out for a nice ride in a mild, seasonal shower and the motorcycle was all over the place; I could get the rear to spin out from under me, even at speed, if I gave it too much throttle (too much being "even a somewhat moderate amount"). Promptly said "yeah no thanks", took side streets home @ 25 mph, never to revisit that idea ever again
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 07:12
|
|
|
Couple of things; 1. Mild seasonal showers are the worst, they just bring the oil to the top of the road and the water sits there being slippery as gently caress, I prefer heavy rain to rain that's just light/heavy enough to sit. 2. You possibly have tyres that are just bad at wet weather/old. 3. You might not be being as gentle on the throttle as you think. Smoothness is the key. 4. Motorcycles can change drastically in their handling from cold tyres to warm tyres, this is especially noticable in the wet. Riding in the wet can be enjoyable if you build up your confidence in it and just relax.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 07:48
|
|
|
Errant Gin Monks posted:Same only I'm in south Texas so what is this "winter" you speak of? 10 inches of snow in the valleys, most of the roads under a couple inches of ice, temps where the high breaks into the low 20's (dead still air) and several thousand incompetent cagers out trying to drive in a hurry in this poo poo. I happen to like my bike, in one piece, and I like being in one piece (without any help from casts, rods and screws) TYVM.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 09:46
|
|
|
Schlieren posted:I went out for a nice ride in a mild, seasonal shower and the motorcycle was all over the place; I could get the rear to spin out from under me, even at speed, if I gave it too much throttle (too much being "even a somewhat moderate amount"). Promptly said "yeah no thanks", took side streets home @ 25 mph, never to revisit that idea ever again Adding to what shimrod said: this is definitely not "normal" for wet riding. I ride year-round as well - with the only exception being cold AND wet at the same time. I'm equipped for one or the other - but not both. At any rate - for about the first 30 minutes of rain - if you get caught out in it - just stop somewhere and have a cuppa tea or coffee and chill out for a few. All the oil and poo poo rises to the top of the road during this time. Not worth the risk. After about 30 minutes you'll be fine, you just have to take it a LOT easier than you normally would. I have ridden in legit torrential downpours and been fine. If it's raining hard enough you will definitely find the gaps in your rain gear.  If your back end was sliding that much, and you weren't riding in the first 30 minutes of rain - either your rear tire sucks at wet roads, or you weren't taking it easy enough. By "easy enough" you need to switch to doing ONE thing at a time in wet weather. Don't accelerate AND turn, for example. Turn, THEN accelerate in a straight line. It's a completely different vibe at first, but with practice you get comfortable quickly and automatically switch into "rain mode" when needed.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 13:27
|
|
|
Schlieren posted:I went out for a nice ride in a mild, seasonal shower and the motorcycle was all over the place; I could get the rear to spin out from under me, even at speed, if I gave it too much throttle (too much being "even a somewhat moderate amount"). Promptly said "yeah no thanks", took side streets home @ 25 mph, never to revisit that idea ever again Ya gotta keep out of the deep shallow stuff, or the standing water altogether if you can. You can tell it's deep because it'll be narrow. Wet and watery are 2 different beasts. Further, hydroplaning doesn't bug bikes as much as it does cars. The same forces that keep us upright also keep our directional attitude static. Generally, keep your tires between the 2 divets in the road caused from wear from use - the water is there, you'll see it. My bike is an XG750 with stock tires (terrible for wet) and it does fine. All DOT approved tires are required to work in wet conditions. Also yes you will slip and slide. Don't let it scare you.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 17:19
|
|
|
Verge posted:My bike is an XG750 Care to share a bit on how you're liking it?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 18:28
|
|
|
Verge posted:Generally, keep your tires between the 2 divets in the road caused from wear from use - the water is there, you'll see it. To add to that part, the tyre "tracks"in the road are where most of the water sits, so it's the best place at the start of rain. In the middle between them is where most of the oil falls, at the start of rain it's the slipperiest place you could possibly be. If its been raining decently for 10 -15 minutes the oil will be mostly washed out of the middle part and it's better to be there. Push that to 30 minutes or so for lighter rain.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2015 06:09
|
|
|
Riding in the rain sucks. Riding in the very cold isn't much fun either. To me, if it isn't enjoyable, I don't ride. Maybe I'm old or a pussy.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2015 08:29
|
|
|
I like riding in the bitter cold -- you can bundle up tight and warm your hands on the headers at stoplights. Riding in any rain stronger than a drizzle isn't much fun.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2015 14:09
|
|
|
Cold isn't too bad if you're dressed for it, the same with rain, but cold and wet sucks dead baby goats by the dumpsterful.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2015 17:50
|
|
|
OMGVBFLOL posted:Care to share a bit on how you're liking it? Would love to but let me preface this with a preemptive strike against the hate I'm going to generate as this contains not-safe-for-Harley comments. I love Harleys for the same reasons you guys do but no one's gonna stand in front of me and tell me that Harleys shine in all categories of motorcycles. I have no loyalty to the Harley brand. I don't like Harleys, in fact, I only like the XG and V-Rod. I also like Yamaha's V-Max. Now you'll see me waving to you whether I'm on my ninja 250, 1979 Honda CM400T or my XG750 no matter what you ride but when someone asks me for a review I have to consider it a review for the specific bike and the brand it comes from. Most people are gonna be calm and rational but there are those, I'm sure, that will see some of my words as equivalent to ISIS recruitment. YMMV on Harleys, poo poo, they almost definitely do, different strokes: I like to go loving fast and get high MPGs or look cool as poo poo. In the case of the XG750? I'm gonna sell it in a few years of an e-bike. First off is it's fast. The XG750 doesn't seem like it'll be fast when you compare its engine to, say, the 1200 sportster but you have to understand that the 750 pushes its engine harder, more like a sport bike. It is by no means a sport bike but leans away from cruisers in that way. Call it a small power-cruiser. Stay away from the 500. It's worthless on the highway, almost dangerous. I've had a ninja 250, loved it on the highway, blasting it where it has torque everywhere and the 750 is no different. The 500? Noooooope. Same weight with a lot less power? No thank you. It's not loud and it doesn't 'sound like a Harley' unless you install aftermarket pipes. Even those Screamin' Eagle ones will do absolutely fine for Harleyfyin' the sound but do know: the stock pipes don't sound totally Harley. The handling is amazing (for a Harley). I scrape those pegs like a fuckin' boss (I take pride in destroying the underbelly of my motorcycles) and can only imagine how worse off I'd be with less lean angle. Honestly, the handling is one of the things I like least about this bike, but it performs better here than any other Harley that I know of. Grip is from another world. I try every day to cause a lowslide on the street, can't without scraping the poo poo out of the pegs (which I'm not gonna do because I'm not trying to guarantee a crash, I'm trying to lose traction). Regarding the bitch seat: don't. Just don't. You can get a better seat but honestly, if you weigh that bike down very much, I doubt it'll perform in the way you're used to. See, while the 750 doesn't have much in raw horsepower or torque, it weighs nothing. If you're lithe and she's lithe and you have a non-stock seat (stock seat is downright dangerous) then maybe but now you're talking about re-adjusting the suspension every single time you switch solo and two-up so just don't get this bike if you plan on having a passenger. Comfort: test ride it, or at least sit on it. Look at your right knee and the air filter. Are you comfortable? If so, good, if not, you know why this section is here. It's a very simple test and you don't need to pay it any mind if you felt fine. Build quality: when you buy a cheap product, you may fear getting a lite version of the brand. The XG is kind of in-between on this. Mirrors are poo poo; get rid of them, get something else. The horn protrudes but somehow doesn't piss me off. I attached my gremlin bell to it. This is an interesting one: getting the XG into neutral is...weird. This is a universal issue, at least w/ 2015 models. Once you get experienced at it, it's no struggle but just...it's an oversight. Pretty sure the seat is pleather. I'm ok with this. Headlight is poo poo, just turn on high beam if you need to. That isn't a build quality issue, though, as the headlight is no worse than the Night Rod's. Looks: the XG is the not-a-Harley Harley. It sounds funny and looks funnier. It doesn't look like any other bike. It's fast (for a Harley) with a bigass tank. The fairing is simply odd. If you wanna be the weird kid: the XG is perfect for you, it's one of the most unique motorcycles in mass production right now. All that being said, if you're looking to get an XG because they're a cheap way into having a Harley, stop. Step back. Go get an Iron 883. Seriously, you won't like it. It's not a conventional Harley. Here's the conclusion for ya: the XG750 is to the Night Rod as the Ninja 250 is to the Ninja 1000. It's so far off that it doesn't try and pretend to be the other bike but you can see the shared elements and how they're obviously siblings, though one being far superior in most ways. That being said, Harleys are simply inferior machines from a technical standpoint. If you have no love for the Harley brand or how their motorcycles look specifically, just get an SV650 or any Yamaha cruiser. poo poo, go w/ Triumph or Indian if you can. I know trash-talkin Harleys isn't a good idea in the Harley thread and I really don't mean anything by it but fact is that Harley delivers 3 things in spades: reliability (ease of maintenance), looks and low cost of ownership (depreciation, dealer-maintenance cost, insurance) but from an engineering standpoint, they're behind the times. No one denies that, although they are looking at the XG as a way to explore leaving that issue.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 01:58
|
|
|
Seems like a fair review of the bike and the brand. I doubt you'll find too many people in this thread getting huffy about it. That's the nice thing about being in a Harley thread on a nerd site, most people here don't seem to be the die hard delusional Harley riders. I know Harleys are technologically inferior to most bikes but I love their looks and their history and it's tradition in my family to have one. It will be interesting to see what direction they take since they are finally updating some of the new models line the Rushmores and xg.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 02:37
|
|
|
Wow, that's a whole lotta words. Thanks! I'm a ways off from any motorcycle so it's all just virtual tire-kicking for me at this point, but that's all good to know. You confirmed most of what I expected about the Street.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 03:53
|
|
|
Scrapez posted:Seems like a fair review of the bike and the brand. I doubt you'll find too many people in this thread getting huffy about it. I am so loving excited about Livewire. Don't get me wrong, I know it'll probably be a wash or prohibitively expensive but it actually seems like Harley is the only ones doin' it (e-bikes) right.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 03:56
|
|
|
OMGVBFLOL posted:Wow, that's a whole lotta words. Thanks! I'm a ways off from any motorcycle so it's all just virtual tire-kicking for me at this point, but that's all good to know. You confirmed most of what I expected about the Street. I recommend the thread, "Tell me what bike to buy!" The good, the wrecked and the rusted. In fact, my girlfriend's gonna get her first motorcycle in the not-so-distant future so I think I might bring my questions there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 04:52
|
|
|
I just wish they had a non-ugly variant of the XG750 for the ladies, and by ladies I mean myself. The "dark custom" look is so freaking ugly and really quite ridiculous when you're the farthest thing away from a bad rear end. It's a whole lot more fun and comfortable to ride (in my opinion) than the Vulcan 500LTD I ended up with, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay new-bike prices for something that would be depressing to look at in the garage and embarrassing to ride. I kind of hoped the 2016 model year would bring a reasonable-paint option...but no. I'll probably end up finding a used Super Glide (and constantly freak out about having to handle 600+lb of bike at no/low speeds) when I'm ready to upgrade.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 06:52
|
|
|
Scrapez posted:Seems like a fair review of the bike and the brand. I doubt you'll find too many people in this thread getting huffy about it. Yeah, I like that about SA. We ride Harley's but no one here's going to say something retarded like "If it ain' a HARLEY it ain' a bike! Jap crap! Rice rocket!". My two Harley riding buddies, older guys in their 50's, don't say that retarded poo poo either, and it's nice.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 09:17
|
|
|
Duck_King posted:Yeah, I like that about SA. We ride Harley's but no one here's going to say something retarded like "If it ain' a HARLEY it ain' a bike! Jap crap! Rice rocket!". My two Harley riding buddies, older guys in their 50's, don't say that retarded poo poo either, and it's nice. Well that's good to hear.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 09:40
|
|
|
Duck_King posted:Yeah, I like that about SA. We ride Harley's but no one here's going to say something retarded like "If it ain' a HARLEY it ain' a bike! Jap crap! Rice rocket!". My two Harley riding buddies, older guys in their 50's, don't say that retarded poo poo either, and it's nice. I've been working at this bike shop for a few months now, and we work on everything. This guy who knows the boss and another guy always shows up on his ragged late 80s fat bob or whatever and always talks poo poo about jap crap and how Harleys are what Jesus rides and poo poo like that. He thinks I'm with him on everything because I was in the army and now ride a Sportster but I tell him every chance I get how much I want to sell the sportster and buy something awesome. VRod he asks excitedly? Or maybe a new 48? Nah, I'm thinking a supermoto or even one of those Zero electric bikes. You can see his head start to shake as it is about to explode.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 21:47
|
|
|
In a lot of cruiser riders defense, the old Club guys I hang out with occasionally were the first people I came across to instantly recognise what my 690SMC was. They thought it was a "sweet bike to get arrested on." Then they bent back down to keep working on the old harley they were fixing.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 01:32
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 12:45 |
|
|
Most of the haters (on both sides) in my experience are people that have never ridden the style they hate. If you don't like one style or the other, I get that. Ride what you like and shut up already. We can all hate hipsters.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 01:52
|
|