My ride: 2011 BMW R1200RT.
Posted on 04/17/2011 8:44:32 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear
I've been looking at motorcycles. I need something a bit more fuel efficient than my 1-ton pickup! There are two that I really like. One is an 09 Yamaha V-Star touring bike (not used, been sitting at the dealer) and the other is a Harley Fat Boy. Any recommendations?
The styling looked older than that to me. Then again, what do I know? :-)
My ride: 2011 BMW R1200RT.
Me, I like my Harley Dyna Superglide. Cruise the commute every day and do some trips on the weekends.
Man reasons to buy the Harley. Chief amongst them for me is the sense of nostalgia that I get on my bike. I know how my father must have felt tooling down the road in 1947. I’m nnot sure I’d get that feeling on a Yamaha. Haters can say what they want, but that aspect is important to me.
Man reasons to buy the Harley. Chief amongst them for me is the sense of nostalgia that I get on my bike. I know how my father must have felt tooling down the road in 1947. I’m nnot sure I’d get that feeling on a Yamaha. Haters can say what they want, but that aspect is important to me.
“I know how my father must have felt tooling down the road in 1947. I’m nnot sure I’d get that feeling on a Yamaha.”
Today’s Harleys are nothing like yesterdays, and bikes are pretty much the same when it comes to simply enjoying the ride. I’ve never figured out this mysterious magical world Harley riders think they are in when riding a Harley. I’ve ridden them and probably 100+ other bikes and I was never impressed with any Harley over anything else. The ride was the basically the same; noise, wind, and power. Big deal. To each his own but let’s not fall into an LSD trip thinking a Harley is somehow magically different. Jeez, ya think riding a Harley was like eating a bowl of Lucky Charms…”Magically Delicious!”
Just basics. A tall windshield and some locking cargo cases (not sure of the right term). Those leather saddle bags look cool; but too many people have sticky fingers.
350 miles down the rolling country roads of scenic Wisconsin the realization hit me; the Motor Company has been doing this for a long, long time.
Skip the ugly tall tall winshield.
Get a WindVest instead.
We can get just about anything you want from Custom Chrome, Midwest Cycles, etc but you should shop around eBay for the hard bags, first.
They sell leather bags with locks, ya know.
One example of many.
The Stella is a 1979 Vespa PX150. They never stopped making them in India. Although the final assembly quality control could be a lot better, the bike is if good quality. Scooterworks in Chicago imports and supports them when they are available. The 2 stroke motors are getting hard to import. My local dealer only got two Yamaha Zumas this year.
Both?!?
It’s not the same. I rode a vintage. Bobber. Recently, and it was truly magical. We are not all in it for the same thing.
It’s not the same. I rode a vintage. Bobber. Recently, and it was truly magical. We are not all in it for the same thing.
If you have tattoos, you're a poser.
Dann I am a serious poser then.
You are so cool. You’re practically a movies star.
>>I just don’t see Yamahas on the side of road broken down.
Actually I rarely see any cruisers on the side of the road broken down. I’ve only seen (and stopped to help) supersport or liter-bike riders. Almost all were strange electical problems or FI problems.
My Harley Sportster is pretty darn reliable, and the maintenance is very light—no valve adjustments, no chain lubing/adjusting. Just change the fluids, check the plugs, and of course check all the fasteners.
But so is my Kawasaki W650. I’ve checked the valves and they have never needed adjustment, and lubing the chain is not a big deal with the center stand.
I rode my brand new Street Glide home from the dealer... in the rain. They asked if I'd like to come pick it up on a better day, and I didn't even blink. If you "ride", you're going to get wet.. period. I put on between 10-12k miles a year and it doesn't matter if it's cold or wet. As long as it's safe, I'll ride.
Now for a bit of useful advise to the person asking. I've owned many bikes over the years, including Japanese bikes. It's all in what will make YOU happy. One thing I've noticed is that your insurance rates will be extremely different based on model and displacement of the engine. Since most of the newer Harley's are the 96" engines, the insurance will be nearly the same.. HIGH. If you go with something around 800cc, you'll have plenty of power (it hasn't been that many years ago when an 800cc engine was considered massive), and your insurance rates will be much MUCH cheaper. For instance, on my Boulevard C50, I pay around $140/year with Progressive, full coverage. For the Harley, I pay about $600.
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