Van, SS. How 'bout some bike advice?

Van · Post by **Van** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:37 pm

The VTX 1800s need a little more power to be Sales Competitive against newer and stronger competition.

The VTX 1300s simply need E.F.I....

Van · Post by **Van** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 6:35 pm

Cost, is why. They haven't had to bite the bullet yet. They will though, soon.

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:55 am

The 1800 is just too damn heavy. I had an '03 1800 and ended up selling it and getting the 1300. The 1300 is a far more balanced biker IMO. I just wish they had the FI and a gas gauge on it. Maybe Yamaha will force their hand to make some changes in '08

Van · Post by **Van** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:05 am

Suzuki will force Honda to change their 1800. Suzuki's 1800 is 50 lbs lighter than Honda's, it carries its weight lower, it has GSX-R1000 brakes and better upside down forks, it looks much beefier with that huge 240 rear and it's significantly more powerful too, all for about $2K less.

The VTX 1300 isn't selling for shit so Honda's going to have to do something about that one too and they'll start by adding E.F.I....

socal · Post by **socal** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:43 pm

Van wrote:The VTX 1300 isn't selling for shit so Honda's going to have to do something about that one too or I'm jumping ship to Harley-Davidson...

FTFY

Van · Post by **Van** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:04 pm

Oh hell no.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:08 am

wasn't aware of the suzy v twin. guess I need to go read up now that I'm an active biker once again.

Or I could just ask dins.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:12 am

smackaholic wrote:Or I could just ask dins.

A better question to ask Dins at present would be : "Gee Dins, how can I show up fashionably late to a wake without looking like a jackass?"

The answer would have to be: "Should have asked me earlier...I could have filmed a training video this afternoon."

But once I get done slurping these brews, I'll get back to celebrating a festive holiday weekend, which is what I believe the deceased would have wanted.

But anyhow, to answer the original question: The point is moot. Jap V-Twins, by their very nature, are one of the leading indicators of latent homosexuality and an anti-American attitude.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:32 am

classic dins right there.

faiduh, I hope you're taking notes. You can be a pompous know it all ass and still look cool doing it.

As for jap v twins, I'm not a cruiser fan anyway, but, if I was I'd have to ask myself, do I wanna take out a second mortgage on my pad so I can roll on a 50s technology hog or should I spend less, a hell of alot less, and get one of the jap versions that is technically years ahead and very likely bolted together in the US to boot?

If that makes me latently faggit, so be it. Beats being latently poser dumbass pos.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:42 am

Damn...Lately, I'm changing sigs faster than Shrubber's wife changes his diaper.

Cockaholic...when I accuse you of being a "fag," you're supposed to offer up refuting testimony.

But, the long and short of it -- I could show up on a freaking Vespa and outcool you...but that end would be accomplished more easily, in as much as any vehicle could make any of you dweebs "cool"...when someone shows up on a 1969 ElectraGlide(an example of which I will procure someday).

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 2:08 am

Anything pre AMF is cool It's an antique classic and was only a decade or so behind it's time. The rest is poser over priced shit.

The only possible exception, IMHO is the road king classic, in black with the black leather hard bags. It is still an overpriced obsolete pos, but, it is a damn nice looking one.

If I ever have the kind of throw away money that say, zyclone's buddies have, I would have one. Not sure how much I'd ride it, but it would look cool in the garage.

Van · Post by **Van** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:19 am

Dins wrote:The point is moot. Jap V-Twins, by their very nature, are one of the leading indicators of latent homosexuality.

True, actually, though such a tag still beats the complete removal of the "latent" part when referencing Harley-Davidson Hard Core Biker Poser Fag.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:54 am

Van, if it wasn't for some really greasy, dregs-of-society Harley guy, you would have never been concieved.

So there...

Van · Post by **Van** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 4:19 am

Dins, that's twice now in the span of one hour that you've sounded like JTR in your post.

Please stop it. Please bring back Funny Sardonic Dins.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:28 am

Dinsdale wrote:Van, if it wasn't for some really greasy, dregs-of-society Harley guy, you would have never been concieved.

So there...

But, 1963 greasy harley dude was kinda cool. He might of been a convict asshole, but, he was definitely a biker dude. Today's harley dude tends to be an orthodontist who looks absolutely ridiculous in his eight hundred dollar heine gerrik(sp) and bandana.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:30 pm

SS,

While harley did need bailing out from the aftermath of AMF ownership, they have become ridiculously profitable. They have a fukking marketing department that reels in lemmings like dins and co. that is a sight to behold.

They made so much fukking cayshe they actually got crazy and gave some of it to porsche to design one of those exotic engines that, get this, actually has camshafts on top of the heads. Then they really got nutty and tried cooling it with something besides air.

The harley faithful, of course just shrugged and decided that any engine design that hadn't been around since the eisenhower administration, was just a little too risky for them. And they have been staying away in droves.

I understand the buy american reasoning, but, i will never get the phobia these fukkers have for modern, vastly superior technology.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:42 pm

Besides, with most big metric cruisers you still are buying American. Most of 'em are built within five hundred miles of where Harleys are built and they're built by the same group of American unionized workers using the same percentage of American/Japanese parts.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:27 pm

It's not just that Harley is using as many non U.S. parts as any U.S. made metric bike.

No, it's also the fact that H-D finally broke down, gave in and hired the Japanese to show them how to build a modern production facility.

That's when H-D quality took a turn for the better.

Better, yes, but still the very worst in the industry (between H-D and Buell), with nothing else even coming close to sharing company with them down at the bottom of the barrel.

Except for their one Porsche designed V-Rod motor they're still using push rods and air cooling and even though their motors are pathetically anemic in terms of power their motors still won't do 100k without first needing top end work.

Along the way, hey, it's also nice to know that those single crankpin motors also tend to shake many of the bike's ancillary components into an early grave. Alternaters, regulators, electronics, etc.

So, you get shitty performance, shittier reliability and shittiest longevity, for twice the price.

It's fucking embarrassing that we as a nation lap that H-D shit up like it's McDonalds and Britney Spears.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:10 pm

e, what style of bike does he want? triumph makes some fairly cool sport bikes and nekkid sport cruiser whatever the fukk you call it type bikes. but, if he wants something more relaxing or a v twin cruiser type, look at the jap stuff. If wants to relive his misspent youth on something that looks like an old triumph, you could get a new bonnie or save a few bucks and get what is in my opinion a better copy, the kawasaki 650 something or other.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:24 pm

e, as long as you're talking the modern John Bloor Era Triumphs (yes, that's Bloor, not bloorf) you'll be fine in terms of build quality. We're talking anything from the 1990s forward, which is when Bloor resurrected the Triumph marquee.

Unless he loves Walneck magazine and he loves to wrench steer him away from any vintage Triumph.

Triumph currently offers a nearly complete line up of bikes, from the full on racebike "675" to the hooligan's choice "Speed Triple" to their latest take on the old Triumph favorite "Bonneville" standard to the full on laid back "America" crusier all the way up to the world's baddest major manufacturer cruiser, the 2300cc "Rocket III"...

Triumph is making some very good shit these days and best of all, they're doing their own thing. They're no longer trying to outdo Japan, Inc at their own game, which was always going to be a losing proposition. Instead, finally, they're capitalizing on what's good about Triumph; namely, their triples and verticle twins, and their unique Triumph style and British heritage.

You'll be doing fine by your dad to recommend him to the modern Triumphs. If you'd like you can have him PM or e-mail me if he has any questions...

Van · Post by **Van** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:35 am

e, even if it's just a single bike purchase you won't have any problem talking a Triumph dealer into a discount.