Jim Silly-Balls posted:

Oh boy I can’t wait for the boomers on advrider to weigh in on what makes a woman attractive. My guess is an inability to vote?

OP posted:

What is it that makes certain motorcycles have "soul"?

Is it the way their engine feels?
Is it the way they sound?
Is it if they have quirks?
It is if they are well thought out and designed?

I suspect the definition of motorcycle "soul" is subjective. It might even be related to a positive owner experience. I would still like to know which motorcycles from your background have "soul" and why you think so.

quote:

I was thinking along these lines the other day. When I bought my KLR, it had 2,238 easy miles on it. The previous owner had done some commuting on it, took it in for the 500 mile checkup, hadn't even come up on the next oil change after break-in. Not a scratch on it, never been off pavement, no farkles. I on the other hand have re-learned dirt riding on it. It has been my do-it-all bike and I have personallized and modified and wrung the crap out of this bike. I have dropped it, wheelied it, jumped it, slid it, I have flipped it over backwards. Pushed it through sand, buried it in mud, flown over gravel, crawled over rocks, zigzagged through the trees. Even though I have flogged it, I have always been very meticulous with the maintenence of this machine, (its how I show her I care). As we crossed 22,238 miles I wondered if she was happier before I bought her, when she was clean and new and gently ridden. I swear at that moment I felt her pull just a little harder as she whispered to me "what are you waiting for? Just twist it''. Yep, soul.

quote:

I always knew my old Harley panhead had heart, but about 25 years ago I got dosed at a dead show (squirt gun shot to my eye) I went out to the parking lot just to check on the old girl, and I had a two hour conversation with her. pretty cool trip, and I still have the bike. I will never sell her. If she can talk she must have a soul. :lol3

a guy who's right and made a handful of posters really mad posted:

owner insecurity + dollars spent + obviousness of primitive construction (oil leaks anyone?) + amount of fiddling needed to get it to run properly for 10 minutes before requiring a teardown + 10xmodel year = soul

look under moto guzzi, ducati, harley davidson

basically, the recent model years that require way too much fiddling with their substandard mechanics/build quality and overblown pricetags owned by people who profess to be "a breed apart" is where you get soul.

see also "lifestyle" and "RUB"

quote:

My RF is a like a really finicky chick you'd take on a blind date, but she has no right to be finicky cuz she's kind of ugly and has bad breath. Then you get drunk and take her home and she gives you a really good ride. You don't really want to put up with her crap, but you learn that if you do she can rock your world.

quote:

I just now realized why bikes are often compared to women. You can intellectualize and make lists of ideal qualities and such, but when the right one comes along- that all goes up in smoke.

quote:

Twirl some spanners on her. Fettle her parts. Then she'll show you some emotion.

an argumentative hair-splitting dong posted:

So a bike with character IMO is one that's interesting, something a little different, a little bit odd and quirky in looks and or mechanicals and is generally pleasing, but there's no getting around the fact that otherwise, it is bland. You don't feel a connection.

A bike with soul may have all the above characteristics too, but when you spark it up and take it out, yes, it moves the body as well as stirs passion due to the way it sounds and feels and handles. Nothing bland about the riding experience. You feel a connection.

quote:

I felt her pull just a little harder as she whispered to me "what are you waiting for? Just twist it''. Yep, soul.

Coydog posted:

Of course my bike has soul. My bike has soul because I hastily transmuted my brother to it before he was lost to the void during a botched attempt to bring my mom back from the dead. You monsters.

Speaking of monsters, advrider boomers are thirsty creeps. Notice nobody attributes masculine terms to their motorcycles. Nah it's always a girl they want to shag.

Slavvy posted:

My bike is just a giant steel and alloy penis hand crafted with my own two hands (mostly the right), lovingly lubed and stroked far more often than those squares at Suzuki think is appropriate.

Coydog posted:

*bike won't start after being left to rot all winter*

"Bitches, amirite?"

right arm posted:

at least they don't molest children

right arm posted:

at least they don't molest children

Slavvy posted:

There's enough KLR owners there that it's statistically certain they do.

SalsaRider posted:

Question: Do motorcycles have “souls”?

Salsa, my old 1995 R100RT BMW “airhead” certainly did! She was my girlfriend, my dancing partner, for many years!

We had a bond, an understanding between us. When facing gravel or dirt or mud roads, I’d just pat her tank and say, “Find your own way through.” And she always did!

When we faced curves . . . I swear . . . I would intentionally take no actions except to look at where I wanted to go. Salsa, without any conscious effort on my part, would always steer a perfect path through them: wide at the beginning, cutting in to the edge of the curve, and then wide on the other side.

Did I talk to her? Yes, and gave her pats on her tank every ride we took.

Did I take good care of her? You bet!!!

When did I name her, and recognize that she had a “soul”? About 5 years after I first bought her.

I recently sold Salsa to an airhead enthusiast in Ushuaia, Argentina, on the tip of South America. And I did so on 14 February, 2018, Valentine’s Day!!!

Of all days!!!

The new owner and I toasted the deal over glasses of wine; me, with tears streaming down my face. Even writing this makes me tear-up!

Do motorcycles have “souls”? Think what you will, but I know drat’d well that Salsa did!!!

HenryJLittlefinger posted:

Revvik posted:

Fuckin’ losers.

quote:

a Confederate flag is "Racist"? South lost thousands during the Civil War and many families never forget their loved ones.

quote:

I've described my 87 GSXR as a girl wearing a black motorcycle jacket and torn fishnets. My 09 R1 is a high-priced dominatrix.

MomJeans420 posted:

I never knew so many people out there wanted to have sex with their motorcycle, now I'm going to be really weirded out by the dads on their adventure bikes when I see them at the gas station.

Phy posted: