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Slavvy posted:The first is shrinking, the middle is growing, the latter have collectively settled on the black vrod as the tool of choice, patched guys under 40 riding air cooled bikes just isn't a thing anymore. mewse posted:But why male models?
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May 19, 2020 01:28
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:That's interesting because Vrods are almost nonexistent here. That's because they all got exported to here. I've seen more mph speedos than kmh on 'rods, and I've seen a lot of 'rods 
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May 19, 2020 03:21
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That video had some good points but it's not like harley has ignored the youth market. The sportster was created in the 50s to compete with the BSA/Norton/Triumph imports of the time and seems like it was a success. It also ignores the fact that harley did try to compete in other segments when Honda and Japanese Bikes took root. They made a scooter called the Harley topper from 60-65 that was in the honda cub/Cushman bracket. Had they partnered with one of the big 4 Japanese companies instead of aeromacchi to make smaller bikes there would probably be massive changes to how the industry worked out. They always tried to innovate but their customers/marketing never seemed to work out. Under AMF they were even making golf carts and snowmobiles. AMF owned way too many companies and pretty much let harley wither. QC was abysmal during the AMF ownership. And to some extent I think the dealers actively tried to not sell the starter/youth bikes that Harley has offered over the years. Generally this is ascribed to them not bringing in customers that would spend money on adding accessories to a starter bike and cutting into dealer profits. Buying chrome for an XLCR Cafe, buell blast/Ulysses, Harley street wouldn't make sense so the dealers would usually only have enough on hand to teach a rider course with. The other weird thing that I think Harley never figured out how to fix is the culture of their customers. And I think this is something that was also a dealer upsell tactic that worked its way into General Harley owner hivemind. If you own a V-Rod, a Sportster, a Buell, a Harley Street and you pull into a lot full of people on full-size Harleys you will usually get told nice girls bike etc.... it's very weird and cliqueish. No doubt it upsold some customers but I'm sure it turned quite a few off entirely. Last article I saw said the new CEO has axed the adventure and muscle bike that were supposed to come after the livewire so the cycle continues. TL,DR: Harley has tried to capture new riders consistently but bad management, bad marketing and bad luck has resulted in nothing that was a real success since the sportster.
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May 19, 2020 03:22
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The Bronx and Pan America are still on their website. I don’t know the economics of motorcycle manufacturing, but wouldn’t cancelling those bikes be pointless? Do they have to retool their factories to make them? They already spent a lot of money on R&D I would think. If they aren’t optimistic about the bikes couldn’t they do a limited run and see how it shakes out?
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May 19, 2020 03:49
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They aren't cancelling those bikes, they are cancelling further development. So they'll be more first-gen orphans that go nowhere regardless of how cool they are.
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May 19, 2020 04:12
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my turn in the barrel posted:That video had some good points but it's not like harley has ignored the youth market. I think the dealer attitude towards non-"traditional" (Dyna/Softail/Touring) played a big part in the death of those bikes and turning away the customers that go with them. My dad's a Harley rider so I've been in a fair few HD dealerships, and the non-core bikes always got the shaft. I remember when Buell still existed going into a dealer and in this huge, new showroom, they had one Buell and it was under the stairs and the only bike covered in dust. The same shop, though several owners/corporate parents later, did the same thing to the Street. V-Rods got treated only slight better. The Livewire and Pan-America will suffer the same fate, I'm sure. And that's something that I find frustrating about Harley-Davidson corporate. They obviously see the need for new types of bikes that appeal to new-to-Harley riders/new riders generally, but they don't get their dealers to sell them with as much enthusiasm and respect as they do the old bikes. Corporate can't control their customer base, sure, but they can directly control dealer behavior. Incentivize that poo poo! Probably relatedly, I see the Street 500 is now absent from HD's USA website. I'm sure it was a tough sell over the Street 750 but I thought it was intended to be a key part of Harley's strategy to bring in new riders - a bike for their training programs, if nothing else.
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May 19, 2020 04:41
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Toe Rag posted:The Bronx and Pan America are still on their website. I don’t know the economics of motorcycle manufacturing, but wouldn’t cancelling those bikes be pointless? Do they have to retool their factories to make them? They already spent a lot of money on R&D I would think. If they aren’t optimistic about the bikes couldn’t they do a limited run and see how it shakes out? Maybe I'm misremembering but I thought I found an article saying they were axed. Initially the new ceo said everything else in the pipe was axed. In later arricles he is saying the Bronx and Pan American are being delayed. https://motorbikewriter.com/new-boss-delays-bronx-pan-america/ I'm wondering if they were just concepts to test the water and not actually ready for production. Or is harley is having money/parts/labor issues due to Covid. But if they were actually in the pipe to be released in August of 2020 and you wait until May of 2020 to announce they are delayed something doesn't add up. It's possible the first few off the line had a major issue that requires retooling or the project was a vaporware stock pump scam? That video was implying that was Harleys goal. New CEO keeps repeating a goal of returning to harleys roots which doesn't sound promising.
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May 19, 2020 05:06
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All I think of when I think about HD is loud straight pipes that irritating neighbors sit in their driveway with idling them for 20+ minutes then revving them for 10 minutes then putting them back in the garage. Or sitting at red lights revving them for no reason and deafening everyone around them.
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May 19, 2020 05:57
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Not everyone's cup of tea but if you get a chance to ride one with no wait at a demo day give it a shot. They are comfortable, easy to maintain and reliable bikes. Their MSRP and HD dealer parts/service are ridiculously overpriced. But since many are garage queens you can find depreciated low mileage examples for relatively good prices. I got my 2010 fatboy in 2018. Owner had paid 20k for the bike and 6k for the accessories. It had 14k miles and I paid $7200. My 2 harleys have only needed basic maint like cable lubing, clutch adjustment, oil/brake fluid changes, tires and gas. New OEM and aftermarket parts are cheap/easy to find on FB/ebay and at swapmeets. Valves are hydraulic self adjusting, drivebelts last 30-50k if not abused and air/oil cooled motors check 3 items off the maint list. The vtwin has a bunch of torque but a low redline so it's a bit like riding a ninja 250 you get to wind it up and run through the gears but you won't end up doing 150mph and going to jail. I'm suburban/rural Chicagoland so my 50 minute commute is straight farm fields and straight interstate. Nearest thing resembling twisty roads are 1.5 hours nw of me near Madison, Wi. The ridiculously loud harleys with no baffles are hilarious to me because the lack of back pressure on a a vtwin is going to make the motor gutless. The baffles on my sporty were trashed so I made tunable lollipop baffles and tested everything from wide open to fully closed and wide open was loud but the exhaust note sounded awful and the bike felt like it had half the power compared to closing them half way. Disclaimer: The harley lifestyle brand is a cultish mystery to me. I have removed everything that says HD on my bikes aside from the emblems cause I'm too cheap to repaint/replace them. I do not own any clothing that says harley, I do not attend any harley clubs or events (aside from the free pancake breakfasts the local dealer has, free food is free food I cross my fingers when they say the pledge to willie g and start tooltime grunting)
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May 19, 2020 07:19
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my turn in the barrel posted:Not everyone's cup of tea but if you get a chance to ride one with no wait at a demo day give it a shot. Everything in your post is cool and good but this is particularly interesting. On choppers with stubby slash cuts and huge-ported s&s lumps they use restrictor donuts sandwiched between the header and ports, but I've never had the chance to test this back to back vs proper pipes.
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May 19, 2020 07:26
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:I think the dealer attitude towards non-"traditional" (Dyna/Softail/Touring) played a big part in the death of those bikes and turning away the customers that go with them. My dad's a Harley rider so I've been in a fair few HD dealerships, and the non-core bikes always got the shaft. I remember when Buell still existed going into a dealer and in this huge, new showroom, they had one Buell and it was under the stairs and the only bike covered in dust. The same shop, though several owners/corporate parents later, did the same thing to the Street. V-Rods got treated only slight better. The Livewire and Pan-America will suffer the same fate, I'm sure. That would still count as Harley's fault in my book. I grew up in a Nissan dealership when Nissan actually had more than 2 interesting cars and Nissan made it a very big point that the dealerships had to upkeep a standard of appeal for everything the customer could see and most of what the customer could not see. For example if you did not present the ugly rear end mid engine minivan in the correct spotlight you could lose the right to sell the sexy 300ZX twin turbo. When my Dad changed from being the lead powertrain technician to the body shop, they flew in 3 men from Japan to inspect the newly build body shop and make sure everything including the sound isolation bricks were up to Nissan Japans standards. Letting some smelly leather dudes with crooked views of motorcycle culture be your sales staff without any kind of overwatch will inevitably lead to them messing with your plans for changing the brand.
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May 19, 2020 08:58
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Slavvy posted:Everything in your post is cool and good but this is particularly interesting. On choppers with stubby slash cuts and huge-ported s&s lumps they use restrictor donuts sandwiched between the header and ports, but I've never had the chance to test this back to back vs proper pipes. I know they make Torque cones and torque screens that you jam into the pipe at the head to provide back pressure with drag pipes but that is going to cause more restrictions and probably flow worse than the stock pipe. And because Harley they even sell magic lollipops http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/harley-exhaust-myths-and-facts.htm Most harley tuning products are worthless and marketed to the cargo cult belief that louder and bigger means better. Due to the knife and fork crank setup/firing order there is some serious engineering that goes into exhaust. Aside from using a stock header pipe with slipons or a full aftermarket exhaust from a real exhaust company most exhaust mods are probably going to suck. I did put on a K&N air filter and a Fuelpak 3 on my fatboy. But it was because harley is against the emissions wall and each year is scrambling to meet emissions for an air cooled engine. They started by leaning out the fuel progressively. In 2010 they put Cats in the mufflers of my fatboy. The PO put on Rush Slipons which do not have a cat which causes a lean setup to run even hotter. The bike was roasting my thighs even with a leather heat shield. Gambled on a warehouse deal FP3 for $200 on amazon and it hadn't been activated so I was able to autotune and richen up the mix. Later years they moved the cat into the header and even have switched to water cooling on the newer M8 motor in some applications. They also made an anti-dickroast mode where the fuel and spark are cut to the rear cylinder and the engine runs on the front cylinder like a buell blast so it can pump air through the rear cylinder for cooling. Only turns on if my bike is at some stupid hot temp but newer models you can roll the throttle back when stopped in traffic to turn it on. All of the goofiness with emissions/high temps/fuel injection tuners can be avoided by buying a 90s era carbed Evo motor bike which are the ones that show up in the $3k-$5k range. my turn in the barrel fucked around with this message at 09:54 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 09:51
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I like reading posts from Harley owners that aren't the typical Harley owners.You know, people who actually enjoy bikes and riding them.my turn in the barrel posted:New CEO keeps repeating a goal of returning to harleys roots which doesn't sound promising. JFC what does that even mean, they have barely even started to stray from their "roots" over the last 2 years. Oh well,  Harley.
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May 19, 2020 12:04
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Even as hypotheticals go this one is pretty pointless, but even though I’ve never owned an HD I still feel a kind of loyalty to the brand that I think would make me buy one over a comparable Japanese or euro bike, if they made one. Which they don’t and probably won’t. My dad only ever owned HDs. I learned to ride on his ultra classic. Then Ive owned a Japanese cruiser, a sport tourer, and two motards. And even though I look down on boomer HD riders and their bikes, I still think HD is a cool brand. If they made, say, a reliable, functional dual sport I would probably buy it over the competition, all else being equal (especially price). That’s never going to happen, so as I said, pointless. But it does seem like HD has a lot of wasted consumer preference potential out there.
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May 19, 2020 12:08
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ought ten posted:Even as hypotheticals go this one is pretty pointless, but even though I’ve never owned an HD I still feel a kind of loyalty to the brand that I think would make me buy one over a comparable Japanese or euro bike, if they made one. Which they don’t and probably won’t. My dad only ever owned HDs. I learned to ride on his ultra classic. Then Ive owned a Japanese cruiser, a sport tourer, and two motards. I've never understood why they didn't lean further into the flat-tracker heritage - they bought out the XR, and then just kinda stopped. That's a decent platform for a pretty wide range of bikes, from commuters to (very mild) off-roaders while still letting you play on, and build, the core brand (e.g. Ducati's Scrambler range, Triumph's Bonneville-derived bikes, which crucially also manage to maintain a healthy price premium over equivalent Japanese competition). The Livewire shows that there are designers working there who know how to make a relevant, modern bike that is still very obviously a Harley, let them loose on whatever the most modern engine in the range is and see what they come up with.
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May 19, 2020 15:46
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Gorson posted:I like reading posts from Harley owners that aren't the typical Harley owners.You know, people who actually enjoy bikes and riding them. I'd like to think I'm in that category. I've only ridden Harleys, but that's because I wanted a cruiser that was super low maintenance, reliable, and easily customized without buying weird garbage from the far reaches of the internet. And cost wasn't really a concern. Any time I see criticism relating to HD it's always the brand, not the bikes (unless it's cost), and any criticism of the bikes themselves is usually of the riders, or is incorrect. They're definitely solid motorcycles, and in the 9 years I've been riding them, I've never had a concern beyond a battery dying and some weirdness from my own mechanical inexperience. That said, I don't think I'll buy another new one. I want a ten year old Sportster to monkey around with, but I don't see needing any kind of upgrade from a bike that has everything I could conceive of needing.
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May 19, 2020 16:36
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my turn in the barrel posted:New CEO keeps repeating a goal of returning to harleys roots which doesn't sound promising. Gorson posted:JFC what does that even mean, they have barely even started to stray from their "roots" over the last 2 years. Oh well, Agreed - roots and heritage aren't moving the current lineup. Continued stagnation + hoping for the best isn't much of a business plan.
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May 19, 2020 17:17
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Strife posted:I'd like to think I'm in that category. I've only ridden Harleys, but that's because I wanted a cruiser that was super low maintenance, reliable, and easily customized without buying weird garbage from the far reaches of the internet. And cost wasn't really a concern. You know, that's probably part of the issue with HD sales in general. I know a few Harley guys, and their big shiny dresser is basically the last bike they'll buy. There's no upgrade path. You buy fat chrome HD and you never buy another bike. That's kind of the peak. With BMW, you might buy a F800, decide you want to go full Charlie McEwen ADV, decide you don't really use its off-road capability, buy a K-bike touring couch, decide its too big, and you want to look cool, get an RNineT, etc etc. You can be brand loyal and constantly shop around within the brand. Even upgrade to a new model when new farkles come out. With HD its like, you buy the big one with the sparkly paint, and that's it. You're done. The only thing left they can sell you is branded apparel.
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May 19, 2020 17:28
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I've never understood why they didn't lean further into the flat-tracker heritage - they bought out the XR, and then just kinda stopped. That's a decent platform for a pretty wide range of bikes, from commuters to (very mild) off-roaders while still letting you play on, and build, the core brand (e.g. Ducati's Scrambler range, Triumph's Bonneville-derived bikes, which crucially also manage to maintain a healthy price premium over equivalent Japanese competition). Yeah, like somebody else said that Fortnine video really made me want an XR. And the prototype livewire remains the only electric bike I’ve ridden, and it made me very excited about an electric bike in the future. Triumph and other manufacturers have history and prestige like Harley does, but HD is the only one I feel any personal connection too. Just, they don’t make any bikes I really want to buy
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May 19, 2020 18:57
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A lot of people act like a big Harley is the final bike that everyone aspires to. I can’t tell you how many times people have seen my bikes and then asked if I’m riding that until I can afford a road king or whatever. Which, first off is super lovely to say lol but secondly, I can’t imagine ever having a bike and being like “this is it, I’ll never want another bike again” or the concept of only going up in bike and engine size.
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May 19, 2020 19:11
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Strife posted:I wanted a cruiser that was super low maintenance, reliable, and easily customized without buying weird garbage from the far reaches of the internet. And cost wasn't really a concern. So, like, a Honda Shadow? Or was the bang for your buck too intimidating? I remember the Harley I test ride years ago. Felt well made in the way an anvil is well made, but it was kinda boring and inhibiting to ride. goddamnedtwisto posted:I've never understood why they didn't lean further into the flat-tracker heritage - they bought out the XR, and then just kinda stopped. That's a decent platform for a pretty wide range of bikes, from commuters to (very mild) off-roaders while still letting you play on, and build, the core brand (e.g. Ducati's Scrambler range, Triumph's Bonneville-derived bikes, which crucially also manage to maintain a healthy price premium over equivalent Japanese competition). The Yamaha bolt scrambler is a good example of what Harley should have been doing. Yeah, it's not the best scrambler, and bad for off road things due to belt drive, but its just stupid enough to sell me on it. Seems fun. It used to be a cruiser, but they made it scrambly. Harley could be stuffing their wonderbread vtwin into whatever odd configuration might suit the markets fancy, then use their whole marketing network to push the "dream" in that flavor. Heck, I heard a Buell years ago go by, and about lost it with envy. That sound was so alluring in a naked streetbike package. Hearing it was stuffed in a corner of the showroom to collect dust makes me have no sympathy for HD.
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May 19, 2020 19:19
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I get that bigger=better talk from a coworker who rides a decked out Vulcan. He keeps saying that it’s not hard to get used to and I should just pull the trigger and I’m like uhhhh I live in the city and putting my 150lb rear end on an 800 pound bike will probably be a no forever.
Rolo fucked around with this message at 19:27 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 19:25
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:A lot of people act like a big Harley is the final bike that everyone aspires to. I can’t tell you how many times people have seen my bikes and then asked if I’m riding that until I can afford a road king or whatever. When pricing can easily be in the $30-40k ballpark between the bike and any upgrades, I can understand why the average Joe might see a full dresser Harley as a halo bike they'd only ever buy once.
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May 19, 2020 19:42
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I'm interested in the threads opinion on "smaller" bikes. The idea of buying a 300cc motorcycle appeals to me, because I am not looking for a lot of power (and as a beginner would actually be happy about something more tame) and could buy a really appealing bike brand new for a good price. But so far, everyone has told me I need "at least" 600cc just because and because I am a pretty big guy. Is this just a "a motorcycle has to have better acceleration than a car" thing or would a small bike really croak under me?
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May 19, 2020 19:52
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:I can’t imagine ever having a bike and being like “this is it, I’ll never want another bike again” I've bought/sold 8 bikes since starting to ride 10 years ago (a good range of standards, advs, sumos, and cruisers). I just had my 2nd kid and I'm almost getting slightly old, so I was really looking to get a simple bike that I could work on for (maybe not forever but at least) the next 5 years. So I got a late 90s Honda and that's that. If that's not a long term dadbike I don't know what is. But I'm definitely over the "omg new bike every 14 months" thing. Coydog posted:I remember the Harley I test ride years ago. Felt well made in the way an anvil is well made This is accurate and hilarious. I know exactly what you mean. (Disclaimer, I've owned a couple HDs and liked them a lot!) epswing fucked around with this message at 20:10 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 20:04
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SEKCobra posted:I'm interested in the threads opinion on "smaller" bikes. The idea of buying a 300cc motorcycle appeals to me, because I am not looking for a lot of power (and as a beginner would actually be happy about something more tame) and could buy a really appealing bike brand new for a good price. How tall and heavy are you? Lots of people here have 250-400’s, myself included, and love them because they’re awesome and fun. Sagebrush wrote a really good OP in the new riders thread. You should check that thread out. Ignore reddit. I get bored and read the threads where people ask if an R6 is a good starter and everyone says something other than “no you idiot.”
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May 19, 2020 20:07
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Unless you are a girl, or some sort of lib, I can't see you being safe on anything less than 1000cc or 120hp. You need to be able to accelerate out of danger. Wait, what car do you drive? This is important. Real talk, 125-400 cc bikes are heckin good and fun. All the best riding I have done was on some sort of 250cc. They are great and amazing and until you ride one a bit you won't be able to appreciate any larger displacement bikes. Grom peeps tend to be some chunky boys and they do fine on 8hp 125cc engines.
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May 19, 2020 20:09
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SEKCobra posted:I'm interested in the threads opinion on "smaller" bikes. The idea of buying a 300cc motorcycle appeals to me, because I am not looking for a lot of power (and as a beginner would actually be happy about something more tame) and could buy a really appealing bike brand new for a good price. Small bikes are extremely good. The people telling you that you "need" 600cc probably say that to everyone, because they are dumb. If you're tall there are some small bikes you might feel cramped on, but unless you weigh as much as a silverback gorilla they're not going to struggle to move. It might not accelerate as fast as something bigger, but having to wind on and work your way up the gears is its own kind of fun.
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May 19, 2020 20:17
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Low displacement should be fine, the OP in the new riders thread is really good, but I’d just say from my own personal experiences and owing entirely to my own tastes in riding, I’d recommend buying something with a six gear transmission for more comfortable highway cruising. As opposed to a five gear bike. Otherwise I have very little knowledgeable to add to the discussion.
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May 19, 2020 20:18
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I get the appeal of big Harley's which is that stock especially since the 00s they're basically like riding on a cloud. But twice this year on mildly brisk nights I've seen people have trouble starting them and just lol. Granted they're probably carbed but it definitely brought back memories of my dad's bike.
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May 19, 2020 20:30
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epalm posted:I've bought/sold 8 bikes since starting to ride 10 years ago (a good range of standards, advs, sumos, and cruisers). I just had my 2nd kid and I'm almost getting slightly old, so I was really looking to get a simple bike that I could work on for (maybe not forever but at least) the next 5 years. So I got a late 90s Honda and that's that. If that's not a long term dadbike I don't know what is. But I'm definitely over the "omg new bike every 14 months" thing. Well I guess different strokes for different folks because I’m mostly in the same boat as you and I still love swapping bikes around. I generally get bikes for a new riding experience more than aesthetics or stats I bought the SV because I’d never owned a Vtwin and wanted the experience. Same with the elite 250 and the “freeway scooter” experience. And again with the Goldwing and the touring bike experience (I got two birds with one stone on that on also getting my first Boxer engined bike). All of these bikes were aesthetically all over the place from each other and couldn’t have had more different performance envelopes. I just want new experiences. I will however hang on to bikes for a long time if they keep my interest though. The SV and my RV90 I’ve had for a while and it’s not out of the question to sell them but I dont see it happening soon
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May 19, 2020 20:40
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Totally get it, I near-obsessively wanted to experience lots of different styles (except for supersports, because I never saw the point of using 20% of the bike on the street). The bike I held onto longest was none other than the DRZ400SM (5 years). Not that I'm some wise motorcycle monk now or anything, but I guess I've made the rounds and I'm feeling ok to settle down for a bit. One thing I noticed is that almost every bike I bought privately needed new tires to pass safety. You're welcome, Toronto-area riders, for the half-dozen bikes with new tires that I kept for 1-2 years and sold. On another note, what's the deal with "keep the bike upright to check the oil level". I tend to check the oil every other ride, but now I need a helper to hold the bike, or I need to precariously hold the handlebar while unscrewing a dipstick hoping my wife/kids/neighbor won't find my crushed body in the driveway? Seriously, from a design perspective... why?? epswing fucked around with this message at 21:04 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 21:01
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epalm posted:On another note, what's the deal with "keep the bike upright to check the oil level". I tend to check the oil every other ride, but now I need a helper to hold the bike, or I need to precariously hold the handlebar while unscrewing a dipstick hoping my wife/kids/neighbor won't find my crushed body in the driveway? Seriously, from a design perspective... why?? I've also wondered that, thankfully my 701 is light enough to keep upright with one hand while crouching near the sight glass. I've had one bike that was calibrated for the side stand, a Buell.
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May 19, 2020 21:11
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epalm posted:On another note, what's the deal with "keep the bike upright to check the oil level". I tend to check the oil every other ride, but now I need a helper to hold the bike, or I need to precariously hold the handlebar while unscrewing a dipstick hoping my wife/kids/neighbor won't find my crushed body in the driveway? Seriously, from a design perspective... why?? Because the engine needs a certain oil level and with a sight glass it doesn't matter what the bike looks like, the level will always be the same. Dipstick setups have to account for side stand length, suspension sag and geometry and so on, so they have to be model specific. It's just easier. And you can crouch next to the bike and hold it upright yourself, that's why they're always (or should be) on the opposite side to the stand. So you crouch down and pull the bike up off the stand toward you until it's upright.
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May 19, 2020 21:28
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Adding to smal bike chat, I'm 6'1" / 185cm and have had a 300cc bike for four years, including a year where it was my only vehicle as was ridden daily. People saying you need at least 600cc are wrong. I mean, not to mention that engine displacements don't mean the same thing on all bikes. Like, a 600cc sport bike isn't a 650cc dual sport. Anyway, please start with a smaller, lighter bike, like a 250cc or 300cc sport bike, or a 400cc or 600cc dual sport or super moto.
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May 19, 2020 21:28
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Slavvy posted:Because the engine needs a certain oil level and with a sight glass it doesn't matter what the bike looks like, the level will always be the same. Dipstick setups have to account for side stand length, suspension sag and geometry and so on, so they have to be model specific. It's just easier. And you can crouch next to the bike and hold it upright yourself, that's why they're always (or should be) on the opposite side to the stand. So you crouch down and pull the bike up off the stand toward you until it's upright. And you listen very carefully for the smack! of the spring loaded sidestand retracting.
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May 19, 2020 21:31
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Ola posted:And you listen very carefully for the smack! of the spring loaded sidestand retracting. And that's why Harleys have dipsticks instead!
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May 19, 2020 21:33
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Slavvy posted:And that's why Harleys have dipsticks instead! They also have dry sumps and external oil tanks, so it makes more sense there I guess.
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May 19, 2020 21:35
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After watching the F9 video my YouTube has been flooded with "the fall of Harley Davidson"... "HARLEY DAVIDSON IS IN TROUBLE IN 2020".. etc etc. Like come on YouTube algo chill, I watched one video about it and now everything is about HD and how they are declining. Also what are some other good YouTube channels to check out. I watch mototrek, RevZilla, motorcycle magazine, and occasionally watch MCrider. I don't really care for the motologgers like walterrific.
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May 19, 2020 21:42
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| # ? Jun 1, 2024 13:27 |
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Jenny's Garage is great, it's one man's wholesome quest to get old dirt bikes running while lamenting the fall of US manufacturing. Also turning kitchenware in working parts
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May 19, 2020 22:03
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