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Gay Nudist Dad posted:Harley's shown a few times they aren't interested in young people's money. And they've shown that they are, but it's rarely an original effort. The Hummer 125/165 was created from DKW drawings appropriated from defeated Germans. No big, so was our space program. The Sprint was a rebadged Aermacchi. Still no big, as this was a common practice back in the day, with everyone from Sears to Montgomery Wards selling small displacement gateway drugs. I don't see the V-Rod being a failure, as it's now in its 10th year. Novelty bikes and non-sellers don't last very long in their stable. Still, it may have jumped the shark since they're having to stick on more and more bizarre drag bike bodywork to get people to look at it. The original is an amazing piece of work. There is something to be said for not screwing around a great deal with an iconic brand. Anyone remember New Coke? Didn't think so.
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Oct 17, 2011 20:31
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Phat_Albert posted:This is true, but once the boomers go, so will their profits. There are people from younger generations that are into Harleys, for sure. But no generation has loved them more than the boomers. I agree. But if I had to place a bet on the social security system or HD surviving the boomers, my money would be on MoCo. I occupy that no man's land between Boomer and X, which means I'll get the very first "Sorry folks, we broke" form letter, but I'll get to ride my 125th Anniversary Dyna Mongo Glide down to pick up my government cheese...
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Oct 18, 2011 18:16
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Americans need to be told not to eat dessicant, OK? Who was the first genius who thought there was a complimentary snack at the bottom of a shipping box? It doesn't help that we're now bombarded 24/7 with trial lawyer spots suggesting that you sue Weyerhaeuser when you get a paper cut. I'll keep the plaintiff's logic in mind the next time I'm pulled over on a bike with a speedo capped at 85 and I'm told I was doing 93...
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Dec 30, 2011 09:33
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epswing posted:What if you were going downhill?? On that bike, I would need to be going downhill to hit 93 
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Dec 30, 2011 18:55
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angryhampster posted:Size-wise, how much bigger are Dynas than Sportsters? I have an '83 XLS and am considering trading up to a newer (99 or later) Dyna simply so I can be more comfortable when I'm riding. My Sporty is reliable and fun to ride, but I'm 6'1" and it's not large. I think you're talking about 6-8" of wheelbase depending on the years being compared, and of course the Big Twin. Personally, I think when people stretch out a Sporty and add the large teardrop tanks, etc., they're taking the scenic and more expensive route to a Dyna and usually wind up with a dimensionally challenged, ill-conceived mess. The Sportster is what it is--America's answer to the Bonneville, except we did it harder, we did it faster, and we definitely did it with MORE LOVE, BAYBEEEEE. I've been contemplating the same move, and really like the mid-aught carbureted Superglides. Red, white and blue of course...
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Jan 17, 2012 17:53
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NoDoorway posted:Test road a sportster 1200 (custom I think) and a bonneville the other day for giggles. I know they've probably done gobs of research and found that their target demographic doesn't care, but to me the Bonnie lost some of its mojo after '06 when they started producing them in Thailand. An abnormally large tank with plastic badges and no added capacity? Really? I'm no purist--if I were, I'd settle for nothing less than a '68, the early high water mark. I believe the 01-06 machines were the best compromise between the classic look and modern reliability. I really hate to quote Billy Joel, but he's right: I like how old bikes look, and how new bikes work. Take a look at an '01 sometime and I think you'll see what I mean.
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Feb 1, 2012 19:30
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Scrapez posted:Anyone need a brand new 1984 XR1000? Although it's still crated, you really need to make sure no one has somehow shape-shifted, worked their way through the cardboard seams, and sat on the bike. This Ducati seller addresses this possibility in no uncertain terms: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Duca...=item20c1fbb09b
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Feb 3, 2012 01:18
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:
Clutchpuck is right, the now out-of-production Roadster variant was a great setup that fell out of favor with the advent of the slammed rear end and all the form over function choices that accompanied it. Next to the ground clearance and tachometer, I am probably most envious of the seat they shipped with these, as it was unavailable on any other model. As far as online parts go, Zanotti was unbeatable pricewise, but they shut their doors at the end of last year--I've read a rumor HD is getting into the online spares business themselves, so goodbye discounts. Fear not. You wouldn't need them for consumables--black and chrome Frams can be found at any Wal-Mart, fluids are fluids, the exception being maybe their branded Sport Trans fluid. You may be stuck with them for batteries--they do a pretty good job of squashing the aftermarket in this case. In terms of hard parts, I have had to replace exactly ONE component in six years, and the computer threw an error code telling me what it was. IcedPee posted:I just picked up this '78 Sportster over the weekend. I don't care if it's a girl bike, I love it Great find. It's like getting the new '72 without signing your life away, and while the bars look like a carpal tunnel nightmare, at least they're not apes. Congrats, it's a beauty. Could the Sporty be nipping at the heels of the SV as CA hivemind weapon of choice? I demand a recount
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Feb 29, 2012 06:41
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:It's not a watch, it's a bracelet... My mother in law got me a Harley shirt yesterday. You know because I ride motorcycles. I got lucky though it one of those super sexy night rods and I can live with that. I'm a bit of a watch ho, and the HD/Bulova relationship is kind of surprising for a few reasons. First, they partnered with an actual watch maker rather than lend their name to an anonymous fashion watch mill, which is the model for 75% of what passes for a "timepiece" in the US (this is what Triumph wound up doing--and I have to admit, they have some great looking watches). Second, I don't really see the massive HD markup I've come to expect. The pricing is more or less comparable to similar quartz and automatic pieces in the Bulova lineup. One would think HD would have adopted the above model and gone for max margin, as most of their customers wouldn't know the difference or care. Lastly, the flaming skulls have been kept to a minimum, and the majority are tasteful and office-friendly.
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Mar 6, 2012 08:14
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IcedPee posted:Am I the only one that finds almost all HD merch just plain ugly? If I ever start buying any of this type of crap for myself, CA has permission to shoot me. Hell, get some cross-forum action with TFR going on. Go nuts. The majority of it is incredibly tacky, but I do like the stuff that accentuates the vintage bikes of the 40s and 50s--which is probably 2%. When I see entire sections of stores devoted to HD-themed pet supplies and infant wear, I have to believe that at some point the brand manager has to kick the accountants in the face and say enough is enough. I pulled the annual statement once and found that Motor Clothes was a pretty substantial portion of their revenue. Gotta stay alive in the winter, I guess... I once had an informal cube-row contest to see who could find the most ridiculous piece of licensed merchandise. I think I found a coffin.
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Mar 6, 2012 23:33
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IcedPee posted:I'm having poo poo luck locating a replacement kickstand. Everything I find doesn't seem to be the kind of kickstand I have. I've found kits to replace the peg and screw for a kickstand like mine, but any kickstand I can find that is supposedly for my bike is one you screw directly onto the frame instead of mount up like the old one. I find this odd as I'm pretty sure the kickstand that snapped isn't a stock kickstand. It's very wide at the bottom. If you haven't already, I'd recap this dilemma with a couple good pics and post on xlforum.net, directing it at IronMick, specifically. He's the resident Ironhead authority, IIRC. Give that a shot before you proceed, odds are someone will have this in their garage and you'll get it for the price of postage.
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Mar 7, 2012 07:22
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Regardless of what you ride, the birth of a motorcycle is a beautiful thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThjYcG9H3Ys&feature=relmfu << Eagles crying double-time...
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Mar 9, 2012 05:16
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Armyman25 posted:Made in the USA! (of 50-60% foreign parts) From the website FAQ: Question: Are your motorcycles made in the USA? Answer: We are proud that all Indian Motorcycles are assembled in Spirit Lake, IA. I don't expect them to disclose sourcing percentages in response to their own question, but it does seem to skirt the issue nicely. So yeah, more accurate in a Clintonian sense.
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Mar 9, 2012 22:17
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clutchpuck posted:Let's talk about 1200 top end work. Egads, man, you've already achieved two things a typical Sporty motor never sees. Why tempt fate? Are you sourcing this from Zipper's?There's no performance bump, but I've been contemplating a Mikuni HSR42 kit, as they don't seem terribly difficult to install. General consensus is that it improves throttle response/rideability and the tuning bits are more accessible. Actually, for a 100+ hp bike like yours, there may actually be some appreciable gain (assuming you're also blessed with a stock Keihin).
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Mar 21, 2012 06:40
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Sagebrush posted:Well, so basically all cruisers then is what I meant. I'm not harshing on cruisers, just interested. What do you think is the reason that such a ride isn't more popular with other styles of motorcycle? Age group? Matures give, on average, $1066 per year to 6.3 charities Boomers give $901 per year to 5.2 charities Gen X gives $796 on average to 4.2 charities Gen Y gives $341 to 3.6 charities. That's a pretty steep dropoff there, Gen Y. Also - I'm asking because I don't really know - do sportbikes even lend themselves to such mass formations outside of a track? I can only picture being incredibly annoyed and claustrophobic being cheek by jowl on bikes built for speed. http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/a/generationalgivingstudy.htm
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Mar 25, 2012 22:57
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Surging Santorum posted:Gen Y don't got any jobs. Well, there you have it, whoever originally asked the question. Demographics and ride preferences. The kids would rather sing the song of the Sausage Creature and fly off a cliff than run into their inebriated parents at a Poker Run pot luck. Can you blame them? I've been on a few of these mass moto armadas, and it requires a bit of discipline and gobs of faith in the riders around you. 2-300 Harleys in unison sounds like the Eighth Air Force getting ready to raid Ploesti. It's dramatic and nerve wracking at the same time. Nowadays, 2-3 additional riders is about all I can take.
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Mar 26, 2012 19:08
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Sagebrush posted:I'd try to avoid that specific comparison, considering just what happened to the Eighth Air Force over Ploiesti. Would C-47s parachuting Hershey bars into Berlin be sufficiently benign and non-threatening? The comparison had nothing to do with the success or failure of a particular mission, or really anything beyond taxiing. When you take the annoying neighbor with the earth shaking open pipes and multiply it by a few hundred, it's hard to think of a sonic equivalent.
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Mar 27, 2012 18:18
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Sagebrush posted:Chill out. "The eighth air force" is a fine comparison. "The 8th over Ploiesti", though...well, I' just saying that a superstitious person might try to avoid comparing their motorcycle group ride to a bomber mission where nearly a third of the planes were shot down and 660 crewmen died. Were you not aware that CAHOG stands for Cranky and Hardheaded Old Geezers? At the risk of sounding like a CAHOG--the worst kind--I should state that not only was I in the Eighth Air Force (The Strangelove Years), I was a staff historian and journalist. So you'll understand why being wiki-fact-checked on a comparison I never made would be more than a little irritating. Ploesti was a mess, but there were others. At the squadron and group level, a 10-20% loss on a mission was another day at the office for these guys. A really bad day might approach 50%. I've listened to their stories, hoisted a glass with them, watched them weep, and yeah, when I read about one of them getting thumped on the head for $42 and a GPS unit, my first impulse is to blow away the son of a bitch that did it. So no--I wouldn't dream of trivializing these men by comparing 50 miles of blacktop to a frozen, flak-filled nightmare. Trust me, if I were any more chill, I'd be getting CPR.
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Mar 28, 2012 02:25
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Hey, does Erik Buell need a job? http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonfogelson/2012/03/16/harley-davidsons-willie-g-to-retire/
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Mar 28, 2012 19:11
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angryhampster posted:Thanks! It's a 1983. It is in pretty decent shape. Paint has a few chips in it, and there's an oil leak that I can't track down. Other than that, it's really a great bike. It was my father's -- he passed away when I was 3 and left it to me. Don't. Ever. Sell. This bike.
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Apr 2, 2012 01:37
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Armyman25 posted:Are police model Harley's and better/worse than the regular bikes? If you were contemplating plunking down 7700, hold out for one that hasn't been bastardized with a can of Krylon. Way newer civilian Road Kings can be found in the 9K range, and it's common for owners to convert from police to civilian anyway. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, but they are different (harness, switches, hard bags, seat, etc.) I'm not sure what the reasoning behind conversion is--it certainly isn't cost savings. Just my personal theory, but I believe you need to reach a certain tipping point before you haul out a rattle can on a bike like this. What gets you there are things like salvage titles, repetitive breakdowns, a screw-it attitude toward care and feeding, etc. I'd look elsewhere.
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Apr 2, 2012 05:25
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angryhampster posted:Riding 2-up on a Sportster Let us not mince words. This is why they invented big springy UJMs with sofa cushion seating.
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Apr 3, 2012 01:23
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iwentdoodie posted:Or buy a Japanese cruiser. I wouldn't draw conclusions based on a small sample. A non-wave I can understand--occasionally a rider is focusing on more pressing matters, or they just plain have their head up their rear end. A thumbs-down is something else entirely--a total karma violation. Which only means he'll pay for it somewhere up the road. Stay cool, you'll learn to filter out this noise just like the barking dobermans, poorly installed subwoofers, screaming kids, and those random gut-wrenching noises semis make when they're at a light.
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Apr 3, 2012 03:43
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Scrapez posted:Road King or Street Glide air shocks bolt right onto a Sportster with a few washers added and longer bolts. Add 10 pounds of pressure to them riding 2-up and the ride is actually very good. Seconded. I'm running RK shocks as well. Another cheap alternative is to find shocks from a Roadster, which will also require the longer Roadster kickstand. Sorry, did I say kickstand, I meant jiffystand...
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Apr 3, 2012 22:06
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Spiffness posted:James Toseland buys a Harley... No shocker here...he's a retiree
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Apr 17, 2012 00:37
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redscare posted:Gotta love it when marketing departments don't "get" social media When the parody has jumped the shark (based on the last batch of pseudo-tweets, it clearly has) does the thing parodied become cool again? Allow for the possibility that they figured negative/jokester attention was still attention, and everyone who has gone back to the well has repeatedly placed eyeballs on at least three versions of the HD logo, an eagle, a skull, and a bunch of ill-advised US-centric sloganeering that is at odds with the company's global strategy. That's a net marketing win, actually.
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May 21, 2012 07:15
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GlazedMcGuffin posted:I don't think any competent marketer actually believes that "any press is good press," especially when marketing a name that has as much traction as HD. Even among controversial campaigns, the negative attention has to remain on the ad, not the product. When your product is being trashed in your campaign without spin or control, no amount of silver lining makes sense. The campaign started in March. Are you suggesting that they haven't noticed after 2+ months, or that the merry pranksters at CA were the first to exploit it? I love a good joke, and some of the above are first rate. I'm even game for taking it a step further and contacting their people to find out what on earth they were thinking. As Rev says, this isn't for the converted. Maybe it's for the eventually converted. Sooner or later, you tire of looking like Colonel Stapp in a fetal position, or looking at the 20-year old tarp-covered pile at the back of the garage that houses the big red machine and the testicle jar, assuming you were allowed to keep either. At that point, I don't where else these people would go--all of the bored millionaires trying to make a go of iconic, retro and boutique brands will have moved on to running Napa Valley vineyards with clever names.
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May 21, 2012 19:02
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:I feel bad, cause if Harley people invaded a BMW thread, I'd want to stab them all with a drive shaft. Hot drat, where do I sign up? 
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May 23, 2012 04:20
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:I'm not convinced those are all BMW owners. I only see a couple Aerostiches. I really know nothing about the BMW subculture, if there is such a thing. So I waded through some photos to see if they yielded any clues. Honestly, present company excluded, they look like the same close-cropped, middle-aged, Oakley-wearing, Viagra-popping, Hooters frequent customer card carrying regional sales managers to me. Except they cling to athletic wear a decade after that ship has sailed, their watches are more expensive, and they probably listen to NPR.
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May 24, 2012 01:11
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:I know a fair bit about BMW subculture. Oakleys and Hooters, no. Athletic wear and NPR, yes. And none of their exhausts will ever wake you up at night. I'm joking, obviously--I think the only universal truth I've arrived at based on personal experience is that they tend to be engineering/tinkerer/DIY types.
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May 24, 2012 03:40
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Strife posted:Uhh,.. so, this came in the mail today: I hope you have a birdcage for when the magazine shows up. Actually there were TWO up until a few years ago. To be fair, it had become a little less of a corporate wankfest toward the end of my subscription. Oh, and take the membership card with the roadside assistance number, set it on fire and scatter the ashes so no one ever attempts to use it.
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May 25, 2012 05:50
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CombatMedic posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qDLsf5a4rY The NoiseOff Coalition is on its way. And right on their heels, the entire Broadway cast of Noises Off! I don't know which is more frightening...
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Jul 5, 2012 18:36
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IcedPee posted:The rear end end of that looks so heinous. Crap, I would have sent you a VM38 for postage, though I also have no idea if it would fit your application and what wizardry would be involved to hook it up and dial it in. Best of luck with this, you should document it from start to finish and post here.
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Jul 13, 2012 01:01
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Snowdens Secret posted:Can someone do a data dump on pre-'04 Sportsters? I'm seeing a bunch of them pop up for cheap-ish on CL lately. Is the older frame-mounted engine as punishing as rumors make it seem? What are good years to look for or avoid? Other than the obvious hamfisted Harley owner aftermarket 'mods', is there anything critical to look out for? I'm seeing the same phenomenon. I don't think I've ever seen so many drop into the low-mid 3s. Even high 2s if you're willing to go Ironhead. This puts them squarely in inflated UJM territory. Get to know what a Roadster looks like. Most people who put one up for sale are unaware they have one and market it strictly as a Sportster. This is occasionally true of the Sport version--I know, department of redundancy department--which as Scrapez points out has an atypical amount of stock goodies. Most owners of these, however, realize they've been changing twice the usual number of spark plugs. Hard to miss, therefore usually marketed as "rare." I have never ridden a pre-rubbermount, but if it's like any other HD hand-me-down wisdom, I'm sure the rep for vibration is somewhat exaggerated. Even if it isn't, the Sportster was never designed to be a long range weapon anyway. V-twins shake. It's what they do. I know we'd all like to reduce it to some innocuous energy pack the size of a Kit-Kat, but if we ever do, re-introducing this shake will be the #1 aftermarket accessory. I'm thinking maybe Sony Dual Shock technology writ large. 
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Jul 25, 2012 07:15
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Jack B Nimble posted:
Depending on whether you've got the peanut tank or something larger mounted, you're going to be stopping around the 100-120 mile mark anyway. So it'll be like cutting your lawn and the neighbor's. I think I pushed it to 150+ on one leg of my last long excursion, but we're talking exit to exit freeway with a 4 gallon tank and no particular desire to hang out in Kentucky. Safe travels, and if you somehow wind up at 61/49 in Clarksdale, get a pic with the big blue guitars.
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Aug 1, 2012 01:49
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Harley-Davidson recalls '14 Dynas for ignition switch problem: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014308010124 Interesting they'd even honor this, as it's not a defect on a stock bike. No more brass knuckle key chains...
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Aug 2, 2014 01:30
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I'd zoned in on the bit that mentions it only surfaced on bikes with aftermarket pipes, so in that sense they weren't as shipped. However, it's almost a given that they're coming off because performance.
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Aug 2, 2014 02:37
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El Jebus posted:2006 XH1200 Custom. Supposedly the H stands for higher compression, but you could understand my confusion when it comes up as a XL in VIN checks. Let me see if I can clarify, which is usually a fool's errand when it comes to HD models and the lore that goes with them. For marketing purposes, the two letter Sportster model designator XL has been in use for decades, going back to the end of the K models in the 50s. With possibly a few exceptions (like XR), this is what was used for the first two letters, with any variants coming either after the XL (e.g., XLH, XLCH, XLCR) or after the displacement (XL 1200C/R/L). Every official brochure and ad for the 06 1200 Custom referred to it as an XL 1200C. Same formula for the other models. Some of the rags (Cycle World) got it wrong in year one, which is understandable. Bottom line, I don't believe there was ever an XH, and certainly not in the last decade. HOWEVER... Harley's internal tracking systems appear to classify our bikes as XLH1200 Customs. I checked some of my maintenance docs, and sure enough, there it is. I have never seen this bike referred to with this designator anywhere else, and I believe it's just a legacy carryover from earlier models rather than anything special about the motor (I have seen the high compression thing floated elsewhere, but I think it's apocryphal.) To my knowledge the only recent Sporty with factory (non-SE, non XR) performance mods was the Sportster Sport of the late 90s, which had two plugs per cylinder, some sort of gee whiz camshaft, and better suspension.
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Oct 16, 2014 02:48
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El Jebus posted:Ooops! I actually meant to write XLH instead of XH. You are right that the "official" documentation denotes it as an XLH 1200 Custom while everything else seems to indicate it is an XL1200 Custom. Lights: HD and others make a plug and play module that turns the rear signals into running and brake lights, which is probably the path of least..ahem, resistance. I ran one, but it failed after a couple years, so I winged it and went back to factory except for keeping the red lenses. Up front, honestly, I wouldn't bother. The bike just doesn't have the dimensions to take on big twin-type accessories, and when people try to turn it into something it isn't, it usually ends up looking retarded. Fenders/pipes: no special tools, but some of the heat shield clamps can be tough to get to. Fender is straightforward. You will want to invest in a QUALITY, US-MADE  Torx bit set to go with your ratchets and torque wrench. Find a Sears or Kmart that's going out of business and load up at a nice discount. Actually, go even if they aren't, because their inventory management is so terrible they're in a state of perpetual markdown anyway. These will need to go up to at least T45 for motor mounts, etc. There is a mix of Torx, Allen head, 12-pont, SAE, metric...it's all represented. As for the headers, I think Scrapez was referring to spares from the Sport model, and I doubt they'd fit this bike--plus they have the exposed crossover.
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Oct 16, 2014 07:12
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Pinky Artichoke posted:So what is the deal with negotiating at a Harley dealer? If I offer them a couple hundred less than the online configurator suggests, will they play ball? I see there's a $1500 mark-up between invoice and MSRP to start with, and I'm sure the accessories have a comfortable margin as well. Two scenarios, since I'm not quite sure what your approach is: There is likely more wiggle room with a bike on the floor. Depending on your loc, it's going to be dead stock for the next six months and by spring it'll be old and in the way. You picked the right time to shop. Haggle away, walk away, do the dance, maintain poker face, visit another dealer, repeat as necessary. You have all the time in the world. If that's incorrect and you're doing the made to order thing, I see no motivation on their end to put the bike together for anything less than list--but I have heard "stories" of price reductions at the upper end of the big twin range. My advice would be to get the bike first, then add the mods as your budget allows. Going through an online HD parts house (Surdyke, etc.) will often be around 25% less than the brick and mortar equivalent. None of this stuff is terribly complicated to install, so why pay their insane labor rates as well? Keep us posted, I'd like to know how this turns out.
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Nov 7, 2014 01:53
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