nearly assimilated into the collective

guys (and Gals)...

things are looking bleak on the XJ front...

went for about a 50 mile ride with my buddy yesterday...

he rode his 08 Nightster (sportster 1200 'night' model) and i rode is 07 Nighttrain (Softail 96" blacked out model)...

HOLY CRAP Batman!

so much torque to move my 240lb larda$$ back on the saddle even when running 60 mph...

it accelerated up to 95 with nary a thought...

while not as nimble as my 400lb (whatever it weighs) maxim, it sure was smooth over the michigan roadway expansion joints with its long(er) wheelbase...

with my little 550 down, it sure looks like a great option to move on to an H-D...

d

 

If you are getting rid of the old bike let me know , us 550's got to stick together. I know what what you mean about riding a new bike. I took a Can-Am Spider [3 wheel bike] for a test ride. 120 km/h in blink of an eye and that was only 3rd gear!!!! fuel injected no carbs to mess with.But when I got back on the 550 i knew I could not get rid of her.

 

Uh Oh... Dave going over to the dark side... Hmmm sorta like thinking about selling a Garand for an AR15 hehe

Well... ya gotta do what ya gotta do my friend. You'll always be welcome around here though.

 

Dave Jackson just replaced his and his better half's 2 XJ750D EFI bikes with 2 Yamaha FJR1300s, a 2004 and 2006 model.

These are 1300cc IL4 EFI shaft drive with 140 HP (claimed) and a dry weight only a couple of pounds more than the 750. Long, stable at speed, flick-able round the twistys, economical. Something to consider?

If you like the XJ you will Love the FJR, Dave says the FJR even feels like a XJ given 25 years evolution.

Over here the HDs are very expensive and prone to being stolen. Some Riders seem to have a attitude (problem) which puts me off, though it is not as bad as it used to be.

There are many great late model bikes out there, if you are looking to upgrade ride as many as you can, then buy the bike that feels right for you.

Anyway best of luck and let us know how you get on, once a XJ rider you are always part of the Family.

 

i'am stunned, i don't even know where to begin

 

a HARLEY??? really? damn, you could do soooooooooo much better.

 

Same over here too.

 

I would get out and try as many different bikes as you can rather than just a harley. Lots of other great choices out there.

My Magna V65 gave me the same feel of power and crusing comfort, but years later I'm thankful that I kept the old Maxim too. The Honda is long gone but the Yammie is still here taking great care of me.

 

while i hardly think of myself as a snob, there is a certain appeal in running of of these big twins down the road...

there really ARENT any other bikes on the market that have the same look or feel...

i have the same opinion of the JAP bikes as i do JAP cars and electronics. they let someone else create and they copy. prior to say the early 90s, how many JAP Big V-twins were there? how many are there now?

i like the looks of the Suzuki M109 some but all of the JAP bikes look like each other. set a Road Star, a Shadow and a Vulcan next each other and tell me which one evokes more emotion than the Springer Softail or a Road King. none of them do. heck even when Honda brought out their first Shadows with a better crank and ignition system, they changed it to the less evolved Harley system because potential buyers didnt like the sound or feel of them when compared to the Harleys...

Harleys are very very refined compared to just a few years ago. the Big Twins have counter balanced engines and the Sportsters are isolation mounted now. they dont shake anything like they used to. the Nighttrain was as smooth as my xj ever was and doesnt sound like a whiny little 5yr old when im sitting at a light...

even without a tach, i didnt worry if i forgot which gear i was in which can happen riding in traffic with lots of speed changes. those 96 inches had enough torque to motivate me regardless of whether or not i had the best ratio picked...

yesterday on my ride i saw close to 4 whole other JAP bikes. i saw probably 60 Harleys. a large group were parked in the little town i rode to but i still saw a multitude of them...

i just like them and they are big enough to carry the mail (or male and female as in my wife and i)...

d

 

to each their own I guess. Everyone I know who has owned a Harley has had major reliability issues.

 

EVERYONE? 100% of them have had major reliability issues. how many is that? 10 of 10? 20 of 20? 100 of 100? 1 of 1?

it could easily be said like this as well:

Everyone I know who has owned a Ford has had major reliability issues.

or

Everyone I know who has owned a Dodge has had major reliability issues.

or

Everyone I know who has owned a Chevy has had major reliability issues.



i guess it all depends on which way your loyalties lie...

of the 9 Harleys i know of (7 at work, 2 outside of work) there havnt been any issues that were anything other than standard wear and tear like brake pads, clutches, drive belts, and the like...

besides i never SAID i was buying one, i said it looked like a great option to move on to...

d

 

8 of 8.

I'm not judging you and nothing personal, I just don't see the point in paying over $20,000 USD on a motorcycle that require just as much if not more maintenance than a $7000 Japanese Bike.

 

Well it's as you put it yourself in the title "assimilated into the collective", I would not buy anything just because everyone else is (but that's just me) and not saying you would either. As I said it's not as bad here now that HD is "just another motorcycle" and I would not call anyone a snob because of their choise of ride, met a few HD riders that are great guys (one had just upgraded from a XJ650), a few guys on XJBikes also have HDs as well as their XJs, how cool! That you are happy is all that matters, eh?

It's good to try a few different bikes as there are sooo many to chose from, looks play a part for me (don't like crusier types), but Image I don't give a rats arse about, how that bike feels is most important.

It's not only the Japs and Yanks that make bikes. :wink:
What about the Pommy and Italian bikes?

Triumph Rocket III choose which gear you like and let the 2.3 litre motor do he rest!

Ducati

edit: HDs seem far more reliable these days than in the past and I don't like Jap (or American) cars, I've got a Aussie '84 Holden Commodore, that's as old and faded as my XJ .

'84 Holden Commodore, 260,000 Km 3.3 litre straight 6 with 5 speed manual same silver colour as my XJ!

 

Actually I am thinking of getting the Aprilia SL750 when it comes across the pond.

 

Nice!

SL750

 

never felt as though you were...

ive looked at the most expensive dealer i can find (they tend to fleece the canadians that come over) and the dyna i like is listed at $13,000. the suzuki M109 while not in the same class of bikes (traditional hd vs. im not sure s) has a tag of $14,000. (all prices +/- because i dont remember exactly) although they both have big Vs. (109 vs 96)...

wrong choice of words then. im not buying one because everyone else is, heck, im not buying anything right now (strike threat looming at work). ive liked some of the harleys since the 70s, before the honda VLX (softail looking 600) came out in 1991 or 1992. if i could find a clean Valkyrie, then that would be WAY up on the list of potential rides...

regardless of how people feel about them OR Colt rifles/pistols. certain brands will ALWAYS have more resale value than the others. while im not looking at grabbing one as an investment (i want to ride again) there is an inherent value in the HDs...

not many places that i know of that have test drives like you might get from a car dealership or i would take that 109 out. or a honda VTX1100 or a yamaha Warrior. neither of the last two are available here...

i have no idea what a Pommy is and if ducatis are anything like lambos or ferraris, no thanks...

d

 

That's the one!! Some Italian sweetness on it's way to the US. Due in February.

 

My brother an I had a Harley Sportster we bought back when the H-D Co. was owned by the Bowling Machine people.

It spent so much time in the shop being refitted for bad bearings that we took short money for it and never looked back.

I'm sure they must be fun to ride.
I see alot of them on-the-road.
I don't want a free one.

The Japanese didn't copy anything developing the XJ-Engine and driveline.
They put that design on-the-track from a clean sheet of paper.
The XJ Design is a race-proven, world class, multi-title winner.

The Motorcycling Press had nothing but praise for the Engine and overall engineering.
"Bullet Proof" is what most of the Bike Mag Scribes said about the XJ.

"Race Proven", "Hard to Kill", "Worth every Pennie"

L-T ... I bet if you weren't having such a bad time getting your 550 to go right ... and got that thing all Dialed-in, nice ... that you might be playing some different music.

The ONLY Process with a high degree of difficulty for XJ-Folks, is the Fine-Tuning.
I'll bet if you had the time to Close those Pilot Mixture Screws and then find the "Sweet Spot" where she's coasting along, nice, on the correct setting ... and pulling real good when you wrist-on the juice ... you'd be listening to Classic Rock rather than loud Hip-Hop with a cranked-up Sub Woofer.

 

OK, hope all goes well for you with work.

True, older Triumph and Norton models here are a vey good investment and very sort after but as you say secondary to being able to ride.

Yeah, some models just don't make it to the US, even here they do not import a large amount of each model, which keeps the resale value up on all bikes.

Pommy=English I think you guys call 'em Limeys

No the Italian bikes are nothing like their cars. On the track they are competitive with the Japs and often beat them, they are mainly sports models though, like the SL750 I linked to which is also Italian.

 

LOL...

i DO listen to Classic Rock. i tried to get in on the lottery for the Led Zepplin tickets in London but no luck there...

i dont have a sub-woofer to crank up and i ABHOR hip-hop but i DO like some of the alternative-rock out there along with REAL punk-rock::

Crystal Method, the Amps, Bauhaus, Beck, the Cure, Incubus, Lord of Acid, Our Lady Peace, STP, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Siouxie and the Banshees, Silverchair (alternative)

the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Billy Talent, Inside Out, the Buzzcocks, the Dead Milkmen, Negative FX, the Plasmatics, (punk)

while i would love to have MY xj running, ive said since 1994, that its too small for my wife and i. its barely big enough for me. i wouldnt ride it the way i did the softail. A) it wouldnt go that quick, B) the last time i ran it very fast at all, it sure didnt feel as secure as that heavier bike did. WAY before i started working on this one in July, i was scouting the local offerings. i almost jumped on an 82 Kawasaki Spectre 1100 and am currently debating an 86 Fazer although its only a 600...

d

 

That's a machine I would not mind owning myself, oh well one day when I'm old(er) and grey(er) .

 

I've been waiting for long enough for Aprilia to come out with a mid-range bike. Liter bikes are too much for me, I'd most likely get into trouble with it riding the twisties...I don't believe my skills are high enough to handle one of those heavier, and much more powerful bikes.

a 750 on the other hand....

 

i went in the yamaha house to get the exhaust gaskets for my xj and all they had were a couple of 'star cruisers, mostly in the 750 size along with 3-5 kawasakis...

the honda/suzuki house i drive right by on the way home. i asked about the 1100 shadow sabre they said they dont have a market for them so they dont order them. i couldnt find any $15,000 VTX1800s locally either...

i really dont want anything that looks like or sounds like a crotch rocket nor is touted as a sport bike, and i dont know of any place that would have any english bikes. which to use another posters analogy, "everyone i know whos ever owned an english car has had major reliability problems" (2 jags not ford owned, 4 mgs, 2 b, one c and i dont remember what one the last was. 2 of them were the same guy)...

im still looking...

d

 

"yesterday on my ride i saw close to 4 whole other JAP bikes. i saw probably 60 Harleys. a large group were parked in the little town i rode to but i still saw a multitude of them..."

parked being the key word here

check the resale value on bmw's
how many harleys go over 100,000 miles ?
pretty sure you can get a test ride at bmw dealers


thats not a leak, it's marking its territory

 

but at least they were out...

they were parked in front of the restaurant...

if i could find one, i would seriously consider a Roadliner (113" yamaha) but like i said, i didnt see anything like it in the dealership...

of the harleys i said i knew of, 4 are at or very close to the 100,000 mile mark. 2 are daily drivers to work...

ive not seen any BMW dealers in this part of michigan...

d

 

How frustrating, guess we are lucky here with the vast amount of choise we have. HDs are in the minority. We even import large amounts of second hand bikes ex-Japan which is how all the D model XJs ended up here.

Almost everyone I know over 30 years old here has had at least 1 English car, I've had 3 and driven many more! I've owned two Ford Cortinas and a Ford Mk 4 Zypher.
Don't judge English cars by what you see in the US, they would only be "exotic" models, most run of the mill English motors are pretty good, basic and reliable. With the English cars having the driver on the correct side it would not be worth importing them to the US anyway and they tend to be smaller cars too.

The Rocket III I linked to earlyer would be a great bike for the US market and is a cruiser type. Simillar to the Honda that refer to.

Found this review of the VTX1800 .

 

Three English Cars .... driveable in one country? . Your going to bring back those Lucas nightmares I keep having.
Loads of HD's in thr frozen norhtern wasteland too. It's of course all marketing. The boomers can now afford the toys they couldn't or the toys mom wouldn't let them have an eons ago.
There's a reason Toyota is leading GM, and we're still driving 24 year old bikes.

 

Got my XJ Maxim, fell in love with it.
Had my Honda Interceptor, loved it but it went it's way.
Road a few HD's. Comfy, but vibrate waay too much and handled like bloated elephants (89 electra glide is a sled).
Buddies plunked down $20K + and are worried about appearances and keeping it theirs. I don't have such problems with my Secas or Maxim. Sure I get the occasional oil drip but it is rare. True you see lots of HDs on the road these days. They have improved, they are better than ever. They just aren't my bag. Lt., if you think you want one, go for it. We'll still be here and will continue to call you brother. Just remember, HDs get lifted far more often than our venerable old veterans and the insurance and fuel mileage is cheaper and better.

 

Yes three! Still see a few of them round too!

Jump back 30 years and it was mainly Aussie S6 and V8 Fords and Holdens, lots of English 4 cylinder cars, Humber, Ford, Austin, Morris, Hillman and a few Japs. Hehe, good old Lucas!

Boomers Mid Life Crisis? Oh well been riding since I was 15 so had The Bug from the start.

GM leads Toyota here! GM Holden that is. Only new American cars here are the Dodge models, they really stand out!

 

From the sounds of it you see alot of HDs in the US because you can't (easily) buy anything else!

Interesting read here:
Rocket III v Yamaha V-MAX
Mmmm....V-MAX! Saw a V-MAX localy what a machine!

 

There are other bikes available.

LtDave, you need to come down here. The Yamaga dealers are choc full of models. We also have a BMW store. I haven't been in a Honda store.

Here's my beef with the manufacturers today: For the most part you can get a crotch rocket, a big V-twin or a touring bike that LOOKS like a big V-twin. LtDave is right in this area, if it's not a crotch rocket it's trying to be a Harley.

I'll give Honda credit on the GoldWing - at least you can tell it's not a Harley without pressing your face to the tank to read the badge.

I don't think I could ever own a V-twin because that PuhTut.....PuhTut.....PuhTut idle would have me wanting to tune it up all the time. :wink: If I did want a V-twin though I'd get the original rather than the copy.

 

Living in Milwaukee - (Harley Capital) out on the roads, I see tons of HD every day. I also see very large numbers of Japanese bikes. Plenty of BMW, old and new. Some custom choppers here and there. The occasional Ducati. Aside from what I do recognise, imagine all the ones I dont! Plenty!

I rarely see any bikes broke down. I do recall more 20 or 25 years ago, but I couldnt tell how many were Japanese or American... I do know my dad mentioned a few times helping a Harley rider coworker due to breakdowns. He had the correct hammer in the trunk of his car.

In the parking lot at work, there is probably 70-80% HD. Then there are the all Japanese makes, except for the few BMW. I cant tell the years by looking, many HD look very clean and relatively new. One BMW that looks very new has 127k on the clock. An older one says 42k - and it looks like its flipped the odometer! There was another one that was looking midway between the two, and I'd swear that thing was rode in any weather except for heavy snow! You could count on seeing that bike here nearly every day. I think the owner retired. The Japanese bikes have a huge range. a 70's something Honda CR350-4(?). A Yamaha Radian - very clean, 32k on the odo. A few Goldwing from looking old and rough to looking as new as the HD. Different Yamaha R models, Suzuki's - from standard and road to crotch rockets. There is more than one Valkerie out there. I cant come close to remembering all the bikes I see out there. Plenty more, that's just one motorcycle parking area - we have at least 4 areas at this building, with 3 buildings on this campus!
With T-storms imminent today, there are maybe only 5 to 10% of the normal amount of bikes in the lot. But there will be any manufacturer mix of the few how do ride in any weather.

I will say that this summer I have seen more women operators than in the entire past. Not that I was always paying attention. I do see them on everything. Older Japanese, newer Metrics and crotch rockets, and a truly amazing amount on HDs. The high cost of fuel has helped I'm sure.
Saw a (large) business office looking guy on a smaller cruiser, like a Shadow - tie flying over a shoulder, suit jacket bound on a sissy bar bag. He was probably saving fuel money so he could drive his SUV all winter.

A coworker said he will not ever get a motorcycle due to the risk of getting hit. Then he was found to be looking at scooters. Lower risk he claimed. I don't know where he read that.

I had an Epiphany:
With more and more bikes on the road (an more experience for every operator), and fewer cars, the risk (of being hit by a 4 wheel cage) to a motorcycle rider must be lower.

Alright, I have barley touched my coffee, and I am already talking too much!
{=

 

Variety is good!

They sound cool when you are following close behind!

I'd like a Indian to Indian V twin 1907, HDs V twin 1909. It's really a shame so many makers went bust, there used to be hundreds of makers in the US and UK and quite a few in Europe. Was watching discovery channel Petrol Heads, they had a V.M.C.C. rally, so many bikes I'd never heard of from the Golden Age though bikes over 25 years old are welcome at their rides...so many bikes, so little time and money.

 

Good to hear jeepsteve92xj, especially that there are a few well ridden classics still out there.

Scooters are bloody dangerous.

Mmmmmm....coffee

 

lets compare apples to apples...

a full dress ultra classic electra glide at the Dewey Cheetum & Howe H-D dealer has them tagged at $23,995 (highest price i could find)...

a full-on goldwing airbag has an msrp of $24,349...



a softail classic lists for $17,445...

a VTX1800T has an msrp of $14,899...



a sportster 1200 tops out at $9,895 (for the sportster custom)...

a shadow spirit has an msrp of $8,699...



the jap bikes have climbed right up to nearly the same level as the harleys but you cant turn around and sell them for what you paid or nearly so, after a year or two or riding them...

anyway enough comparisons...

i ALSO like the roadstar Warrior and the roadstar Roadliner (in case i didnt mention them in an earlier post )

d

 

a motorcycle has an airbag? Really? Interesting. Not sure what good that will do. huh.

 

My step father used to ride an old H-D. I am not sure on the size or model, be he had the engine stroked and built bottom up, then he wrecked it about 15 years ago. The frame was trashed so he sold the motor and transmission because they were still good. When he talked to the man that bought the engine from him, the engine was still running strong, no problems. I believe that the reason you hear about them breaking down and such is from incompetent owners. If you don't properly maintain the bike, as opposed to keeping it clean and shiny, it will break down. I love my XJ650, but it is a stepping stone to a beautiful piece of artwork know as a Fat Boy Harley Davidson. :-D I love the sound of HDs. I love the styling. Noff said.

 

Hey if you are considering buying a new bike; Take a close at the Royal Star. That 1300cc V4 engine is a winner. I have put well over 80k miles on Ventures, and I loved the power and smoothness of that engine.

 

I've never owned a Harley, but my dad built up his own 47' Knucklhead in the mid-70's, when you could still find NOS Harley stuff cheap at swap meets. He basically built the whole bike and motor from scratch.....NOS 47' frame from a old closing HD shop's old inventory.....NOS springer front end....NOS fishtail pipes....He rebuilt the motor himself plus painted everything (what he did on the side) and had himself a custom HD that was like no one else's bike. It sounded awesome, had decent power and everybody seemed to notice it and ask questions......Then, in 1982, both my parents lost they're jobs at the same time from a GE factory moving to Mexico (labor costs)....they had a mortgage to pay plus other bills so he had no choice but to sell his beloved HD, for $3500......The guy who bought it was local and kept it in heated storage until 7 years ago, when he sold it for around $70,000! I couldn't believe it! Keep in mind that before he built this HD, he had a few Honda CB's and a few Triumph's.

I don't hate on any kind of bike, I love them all....If it's 1906 V-twin technology or modern I-4's that rev to 17k rpm, I'd like to have a little taste of everything.....even a Boss Hoss with a V-8!

Here is a picture of him and the bike, about 27 years ago (you can tell by the hair)....you can even see my mom's old 66' Honda dream in the background (which I still have)



-Nick

 

I'm with you on that one. I have ridden the RST1000 Futura and find it an amazing machine. It just has more horses than a sport tourer, or most general purpose machines, can utilize regularly. I also find that a v-twin seems to deliver power in a much more usable rate than the IL4's that I've experienced especially for around town riding. Actually, I find that my Maxim 700 does the around town part better than most of what I've ridden lately, it just winds out a little higher than I'd prefer at freeway speeds. But by then my neck is flapping in the breeze anyway and I slow down. :^)

 

Man forget about it, give me a v-max any day! nuff said :wink:

 

"I have the same opinion of the JAP bikes as i do JAP cars and electronics. they let someone else create and they copy. prior to say the early 90s, how many JAP Big V-twins were there"

Actually the Japanese IMPROVE more than copy. And their engineers are responsible for some of the greatest leaps in automotive technology. Nowadays, the USA factories are the ones copying the Japanese (when they're not partnering up with them).
As far as big v-twins, gimme a Japanese cruiser over a Harley anyday. And I LIKE Harleys.