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Are harleys really that slow?

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by chuckles_no, May 16, 2010.

  1. cutlass79500

    cutlass79500 Well-Known Member

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    Don't completely knock them they can be made to run. A friend of mine had an 883 change over to 1200 big cams 12.5 compression was a very fast harley. Ran right with a friend of mines v65 sabre and 1000j kawasaki he couldn't take the sabre but if he got the jump sabre couldn't run him down to over 100. It also had a problem it had to run on av gas.
    I don't own one but have respect for them.
    BUGEATER how can you compare a harley to a Cadillac Have you seen the new caddys they are in the performance world now. Sorry i know the big bikes motors are rubber mounted But any motorcycle that will shake the fizz out of your beer should not be compared to a caddy lol. I love to pull up to a light in the car and look at some of them when everything on the bike is shaking to the point its blurry. They are not all that way
     
  2. theadbrewer

    theadbrewer Member

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    What is your $600 bike? Harley has torque but no zip, they feel pretty fast but my 750 cleans up on them when attempts have been made. Well not the v rod.
     
  3. Bugeater

    Bugeater Member

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    The little sporty's are rubber mounted too now! Mine is not :) its part of the enjoyment in it. Its a pretty bad ass feeling to have that thing rumbling under ya. Its an odd sense of pride to have to tighten everything up on your bike after a long ride or bragging about how you just rode from Vancouver to Sturgis and cant feel your ass anymore!! Not for everyone sure......but definitely for me! And when you have some old guy come up and he tells you "I rode one in the war and blah blah blah" and you see the look in his face... there is a mutual understanding there that cant be explained.

    cutlass79500, You missed my analogy, I suppose I ment the old caddy's, you know...the boats. Harleys are not meant to be race bikes and in my opinion the V rod was the wrong direction but like the caddy everyone has to adjust to the markets needs.
     
  4. hurst01

    hurst01 Member

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    OK, I'll buy what you are saying, but tell me, why is it that Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and more of the Japaneese bike makers are imitating the Harleys, not only in looks, but in the sound. Honda first began making their bikes to look like Harleys in, or around 1974. Next came the imitation of the sound.
    They did it for those that really wanted a Harley but could not afford one. Granted, a Harley is not as fast as some of the metric bikes, but that was not the intent to begin with. I have a Yamaha XJ750 Maxim. It is a very good running and handling bike. I also have a 1984 Honda V65 Magna, two 1985 Honda V65 Magnas, a 1985 V65 Sabre, two 83 Honda V65 Magnas, a 1985 Honda VT1100 Shadow and a 2007 Harley Davidson FDGWG Dyna Wide Glide.
    The Dyna Wide Glide is 1540cc (96 cubes) handles in slow tight turns excellently and has extremely good balance, looks good, sounds good and gets a lot of attention every time I ride it. I have had people call out from the sidewalks when I stop at a stop light, "Beautiful bike". Problem is that I owe $7500 on it.
    You want speed, the V65 Magna held the Guiness book of world records from 1983 - 1986 as being the fastest production bike straight out of the crate at 10.2 seconds and top speed of 172 MPH. I have not and will not run it a WOT, I like to think I have more sense than that. The V65 Sabre runs like a scalded dog also. My VT1100 Shadow is very comfortable, handles well and is pretty fast. I have not run it hard to find out.
    There is a reason why the metric bikes were made to imitate the Harleys, if you don't know why now no use to try and explain. Getting back to the original question, If you wiped out a big Harley it is because most Harley riders on the street don't ride hard. I prefer to hear my Harley lug in the lower RPM range because I like the sound (unlike some, but apparently a lot do like it or they would not buy a Harley imitation). They are an American tradition. But, this is a Country (so far) that everyone has a right to choose how they want the wind in their face.
    Now, getting back to the original question. Think about it, do you want to try and stop a half ton of steel on two wheels at 120 MPH? Big difference between a Harley and a 400+ pound bike on take off and stopping. Not to mention that most Harley riders have already gone through your stages and have decided to tone things down a bit and exercise some responsibility. I really don't know any Harley riders that race from stop light to stop light.
    A bike does NOT have to go above the mid 5000 RPM range to be fun to ride, the only requirement is that you get wind in your face. Another thing to consider, no one has to be a "Buy American at all cost", but that is why the Chinese are quickly on their way to totally controlling the USA, and another reason why nothing is made in the USA. Enough from me.
     
  5. day7a1

    day7a1 Member

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    Re: Buying American.

    There's a lot of people that would like to have another option, and right now if you want a sport bike or a standard or a dual-purpose or dirt bike or ATV or even a scooter, you can't buy one made in America. The Japanese and British have models that compete with Harley, why doesn't Harley have models to compete with them?

    I really do wish Harley would open up their product line a bit. They just don't have very many different models, and they're not all THAT different to begin with. I hope they take a cue from Triumph and start building a vast array of motorcycles for different types and different purposes. Instead, they got rid of Buell, the closest thing they had to variety in their product line. IMO, they should have just put "Harley" on the side of them.

    I just don't understand the company I guess....you would think that branching out would be a good business decision.
     
  6. inet101

    inet101 Member

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    Misc thoughts on the subject based on experience tru the years.........

    A 4 cam OHV can be made to run as hard as one has $s to spend, the experience to screw it together & most importantly a Rider that understands what has been built and what it will and won't do........The harder they run, the shorter the fuse......

    V-Toads.....rode one once, not interested in riding another anytime soon.......

    Big Twins are well.....Big Twins.....Ya either love em or ya don't

    Real Sportsters have Iron cylinder heads.........Iron bikes for Iron Riders with fire in the gut....................my how things have changed

    The current Nitro twins are based on a solid block-offset cylinder-solid crank (YES) 4-Cam OHV developed from the Top Fuel wars of the past 50yrs....Currently the quickest and fastest N/A motorcycle in the 1/4 mile on the planet is using one of these engines.......Not one HD part in em.........These things are REAL FAST!

    Made in America....They were at one time, just a corp product currently.....

    Buell S-1 Lightning...( Tube frame).......HOT ROD!.... and they go round corners & stop too.....Build the engine to your taste ( refer to first entry) & you have a secondary road / rain bike whithout peer...........my next project when the 7/11 is finished.......Will it take a Busa in a straight line?....doubtful......

    does it matter?......

    Not to me......

    And THAT is the bottom line.....Motorcycles are a Cowboy thing....Build what ya like & ride the wheels off it.....Ignore the team/borg collective/mutual admiration types, they will return to the couch & the telly soon enough
     
  7. headhunter1213

    headhunter1213 Member

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    IMHO I dont feel like spending 20k plus for a stock bike regardless. I wouldnt even do that with a car for the most part. A prime example of something I do not understand about harley guys(at least the ones I know) like my dad and brother, they got an 05 low rider and an 06 heritage softail, rode for a year or two and have done nothing but let them sit since. And they both payed 20k each. While my xj is ridden almost everywhere by me but I havent been riding as much lately because I have some issues that need to be taken care of before I go out of state with it or anywhere outside the city(oil leak, jets, front brake rebuild of EVERYTHING, spare TCI) But once I get all of that done I probably wont get off of the bike. Another thing is price. A 87 sporty frame for like 1500?I bought my bike completly running and driving(needed tires) for 950. Why are they so ungodly expensive?
     
  8. jmilliken

    jmilliken Well-Known Member

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    The vibration is why you always see the girl on the back of the harley!

    It's like comparing apples + oranges. Different bikes have different purposes. IMO, its image over function. Not much different than comparing a busa to a gold wing... or choosing a bike to go cross country.... would you take a kawisaki eliminator 125 or a road king custom?

    The one thing that annoys me is the weekend warriors who (think they) are old biker dudes cause they got a harley. I got a guy down the street that rides his harley an hour or 2 a day on the weekend., but only if the weather is nice. Then he spends 6 hours washing and polishing....
     
  9. BlkMage

    BlkMage Member

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    Part of the reason, they can be. As long as people (including my own mother, she bought a Sportster) are willing to pay that much, HD will make money.

    Meanwhile, I didn't want my wife to spend much more than a grand for my bike, so I found a decent XJ and talked the guy down to a grand even. Same theory, just in reverse.
     
  10. xjazz

    xjazz Member

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    Have an 82 XJ650RJ from new and still really like it. Never thought I would ever like cruisers, but now also own an 1100 V-Star with the Virago engine. Harley makes a nice bike, but they cost too much for me; seem to have a number of owners who have them to say they own one, versus because they are hard-core riders (look how many are for sale with ulta-low miles).

    That said, when I rode from the east coast to Colorado years ago, we mostly saw Gold Wings and Harleys, so they do have folks that love to ride too.
     
  11. XJ511

    XJ511 Member

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  12. carbineken

    carbineken Member

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    My '82XJ or my '74 Ironhead Sporty.....I wouldn't consider either one a fast or slow bike, they both go fast enough to kill me. They both are a pain in the ass to find parts for and parts cost roughly the same. One is finicky about the gas I put in it the other will devour anything I put in it. They both draw attention and I'm constantly being asked questions about them. The late model and big twin Harley riders snub me no matter which one I'm on but then again so do the crotch rockets. Its not the bikes, it's the a-holes on them.
     
  13. day7a1

    day7a1 Member

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    Oh man...sometimes I wish we could "like" posts!
     
  14. grunt007

    grunt007 Member

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    My first bike when I was much younger was a 250 Harley sprint which I totally modified. I had a great time with that bike but over the years I have had many others including yamaha's, Honda's, BMW, Triumph 650 Bonneville and others. I personally believe that each bike is an expression in one way or another of the individual which rides it. Harley's are great but as I have learned their are many great bikes to say the least. The nice thing with the XJ's is that the individual can pretty much make it just about anything his little heart desires, a very adaptable machine but in truth I would still prefer an American made bike if I could afford one, like a classic bike. Each to their own tastes, I in one way or another like most of them. grunt007, XJ750 SecaR (81), Mi.
     

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