Attention Motorcycle Enthusiasts

[peejman]

10 hours ago, Murgatroy said:

I make the joke often when I am running the Dragon and all the Chromed Out Baggers are running 10MPH... "It don't shine if you scrape it..."

 

The lack of ground clearance is one of those things that never made any sense to me.  But it'll clearance itself, if you know what you're doing. 

[res308]

The look of Murgatroy's ride is exactly what I want to achieve, no matter which model it's on. And those wheels are pure and certain perfection. I'd love to have one of the touring models, but I think I'm still leaning toward a later Dyna for the handling, clearance, and more ability to carry luggage or passenger. It's just going to be tough to find something that's all blacked out to start with. 

[DaveTN]

3 hours ago, res308 said:

The look of Murgatroy's ride is exactly what I want to achieve, no matter which model it's on. And those wheels are pure and certain perfection. I'd love to have one of the touring models, but I think I'm still leaning toward a later Dyna for the handling, clearance, and more ability to carry luggage or passenger. It's just going to be tough to find something that's all blacked out to start with. 

Harley makes at least the Street Glide in a blacked out version; maybe more.

[res308]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

Harley makes at least the Street Glide in a blacked out version; maybe more.

True. I should have clarified by adding that it'll all depend on how much I can fork out when the time comes. That may limit me to the Dyna series. 

But one thing's for sure: just like when I step into the woods, I can already tell that this hunt is going to be a whole lot of fun!

[Ugly]

There are great deals to be had, especially if you are patient and don't mind traveling. 

[Murgatroy]

The Dyna Low Rider S comes blacked out with nifty gold wheels. That would be my Dyna if I bought one.

 

The Street Bob is what you are looking for. It has the bobbed fender and blacked out mill. The Low Rider and Wide Glide are chrome jobbies. And the Fat Bob, well, that is a style all of it's own.

[res308]

Fat Bob's pretty cool in it's own right, but maybe not as much as the Fat Boy Lo. I really do like the Street Glide, but one of the most appealing bikes out there that would fit my style almost to a "T" is that Low Rider S, with a few modifications. Like the rest, just depends on how 'spensive it is when the time comes. 

[Murgatroy]

3 hours ago, res308 said:

Fat Bob's pretty cool in it's own right, but maybe not as much as the Fat Boy Lo. I really do like the Street Glide, but one of the most appealing bikes out there that would fit my style almost to a "T" is that Low Rider S, with a few modifications. Like the rest, just depends on how 'spensive it is when the time comes. 

If I had wanted a Dyna, I would have wanted a Low Rider S. I don't want a Dyna, but I still kinda want a Low Rider S. I might pick one up farther down the road. I can't lie in saying a took a little inspiration from the headlight fairing on my bike.

[res308]

1 hour ago, Murgatroy said:

If I had wanted a Dyna, I would have wanted a Low Rider S. I don't want a Dyna, but I still kinda want a Low Rider S. I might pick one up farther down the road. I can't lie in saying a took a little inspiration from the headlight fairing on my bike.

That reminds me, and I'm just being nosy here: I notice you do have forward controls on your Sportster, but with you being 6' tall, are you able to get comfortable on the sporty?

[Murgatroy]

I did not enjoy the mid controls. I found that anytime I tried to move the bike on foot, the pegs would bite my shins or Achilles tendon. It was a comfort thing as well. I had old Shadow with mid sets. I never liked them. I don't think I had my Sporty three days before I installed the forwards. I have logged thousands of miles with them. So it is not fair for me to say they are better or worse than the mids.

 

Disclaimer aside.

 

I have enough room to stretch out and still feel like I am in control of the bike. I am not the kind of guy who tucks his knees into the tank. That is uncomfortable for me. The original seat on the bike had me sitting farther forward as well. With the lower seat it also allows me to sit a little farther back. As far as my legs, I am comfortable as can be. I am thinking about putting a set of mini-ape/z-bars on the bike though. I am not entirely keen on where my hands sit while riding. Just something to come up about six inches. I find myself having to lean in a little more than I would like now that my legs stretch out. I think the aesthetics will work well too. I can get some brass colored lines. My goal with it is to stay matte, but add brass and carbon fiber. The pics don't show it well, but the upper forks and a/c lid have been wrapped in carbon fiber vinyl. My own take on steampunk/cyberpunk/rat. It is a work of love that I ride.

 

Believe it or not there is only about $2500 in parts added to the bike. The pipes/tuner/intake and forward controls being the most expensive. The biggest thing is that I do my own work, so that has obviously saved me another $2500 in shop/dealer fees.

Edited June 27, 2018 by Murgatroy

[btq96r]

On 6/22/2018 at 11:21 PM, Murgatroy said:

I have a heavily modified stock powerplant Sportster of recent iteration. It is a great bike. I went style over substance and it sucks for more than an hour in the saddle. A proper seat and I would change my opinion. I personally prefer the light weight, nimbleness and narrow width of a Sporty. I ride it like I stole it.

 

 

I've never been into motorcycles, but that thing is a work of art

[res308]

On 6/23/2018 at 4:59 AM, RodMyers said:

I own a 2015 Freewheeler. bad knees and ankles mean I need 3 wheels

I've always been curious about the trikes. I see a lot of people on them nowadays. I'm sure they have to be ridden differently than a standard bike. I'd probably wind up going straight into the ditch right off the bat. 

[DaveTN]

3 minutes ago, res308 said:

I'd probably wind up going straight into the ditch right off the bat. 

Some folks do. Of the people I know that have them or have ridden them, they don't handle well in corners at any kind of speed.

 

[peejman]

I've never understood trikes. They're terribly unstable when turning or braking. The newer ones with the single wheel in the back and electronic nannys make a little more sense, but wouldn't a convertible be much better?

[Murgatroy]

5 hours ago, peejman said:

I've never understood trikes. They're terribly unstable when turning or braking. The newer ones with the single wheel in the back and electronic nannys make a little more sense, but wouldn't a convertible be much better?

A Miata is a lot more fun, and about the same cost.

[res308]

9 hours ago, Murgatroy said:

A Miata is a lot more fun, and about the same cost.

Or a Jeep 

Starting to get tempted to add Indian to my list of possibilities 

[221 Fireball]

I've owned a lot of style bikes over my 63 years. They're all fun in my opinion. I sold my HD Road King last year because I just didn't road trip anymore. But I still have to scratch the itch now and then and bought this little Beemer 650 thumper. It's a fun bike for short trips and you can go from the road to a path in the woods, all the while getting 50+ mpg.

[DaveTN]

29 minutes ago, res308 said:

Starting to get tempted to add Indian to my list of possibilities 

Since Indian quit making motorcycles in 53 the name has been passed to many different companies with little or no success. Polaris is the latest since they acquired the name in 2011.

[usnbud]

Ive had over 40 bikes since I started riding in the early 70's. All brands and styles, Motorcycles are my lifetime passion. Don't street ride a lot anymore because of all the distracted drivers, usually early morning blasts up the mountain. I still ride dirt every week and race a hare scramble once in a while. Ride a bunch of bikes and pick what fits you and your style. Theres tons of info out there theses days tohelp point you in the right direction. I had to chime in when the sportsters came up! Ive got a 1999 1200S, Ive owned it longer than any other bike Ive had. Its been through several rebuilds and upgrades.  Ive thought about selling it, but just cant let it go. Ive put a lot of time and money into the engine and its my back road cruise missle lol.

Edited June 28, 2018 by usnbud
pic

[peejman]

I rode this for 10-12 years...

... until I succumbed to the dirty side and got this... 

 

 

[Murgatroy]

1 hour ago, res308 said:

Or a Jeep 

Starting to get tempted to add Indian to my list of possibilities 

The Scout is pretty innovative, and if they make the same mods as they did on the Victory Octane, it is pretty powerful.

 

The Dark Horse Chief looks really nice, but again it is a bigger bike than I want.

 

The only thing I don't like about the big Indians is all the work they did covering everything up.

[gjohnsoniv]

On 6/27/2018 at 12:12 AM, btq96r said:

I've never been into motorcycles, but that thing is a work of art

I don't think they still do it, but if you ever see "The Art of the Motorcycle" at a museum or convention center, go. It's worth the admission. Somewhere I have a book of it with all the pictures of the motorcycles. You're welcome to borrow it interested. 

[res308]

5 hours ago, 221 Fireball said:

 

Machines like that are why I'm torn. 

[peejman]

10 minutes ago, res308 said:

Machines like that are why I'm torn. 

Everybody needs about 6 bikes...  a trials bike, a woods bike, a MX bike, a street bike, a touring bike, and a track bike.

And if you're ever over that way, go see... https://wheelsthroughtime.com/

[Ugly]

bikes are like footwear, that's why you need several!

Indian is working on a 1200 flat track style bike for the general populas, should be out next year. 

https://newatlas.com/indian-scout-ftr1200-custom-flat-tracker/52111/

Many of us are getting more off-road as the masses become worse drivers. I think Indian will hit it out of the park with this new model and I hope Harley gets there act together and comes up with something similar.