Out of Pod Experience

I ride, still have my first bike.

1996 Harley-Davidson 883

Not sure how to work on it yet, my understanding of it's workings are hand-throttle-magic-go faster.

Cruisers are the best because with the wide leather seat on my Harley it's comfy and I can ride all day and not a single **** will be given

Why anyone would give up a good bike for a crotch rocket is beyond me. Guess I've just been spoiled ever since I went looking for my first bike and the guy that sold me the Harley said "Get on and fire it up"

Like I wasn't going to be a Harley rider forever at that point.... http://youtu.be/etbxRm17s8s (mine has forward controls, I hate the curvy handles and the ones that look like I'm hanging off a crossbeam)

I ride a 1994 Suzuki GSX 1100 F.... I believe they were badged as katanas in the USA, but know as the Powerscreen over here in Blighty.

Bought it a little under three years ago as my get-back-into-biking/mid-life-crisis bike after a hiatus of 13 years or so.

Awesomely cheap way of going very fast. Cost me £1500 on e-bay and less than £200 a year fully comp.

It's a bit heavy and slow by modern sportsbikes standards, but has loads of torque low down and goes if you need it to, but is very civilised if you stay in the lower half of the rev range. Best of both worlds really.

Certainly there's very little on four wheels that will touch it, and I know I shouldn't rise to the bait but I am rather partial to traffic light grand prix when some little snot-bag Corsa driver rolls up and starts revving his engine and rocking back and forth in his seat like mummy isn't getting him his bottle fast enough. Petty I know, but watching them get rapidly smaller in the mirrors never gets old.

The suzy came with heated grips which I'd never had on a bike before. I'd never have a bike without now... possibly the best invention ever for bikes as there is nothing more miserable than a biker with cold and wet hands.

Not too good with the maintenance thing, beyond changing pads and checking the chain, but I have a tame mechanic locally who's reasonable with his labour charges and trust worthy so that's not too bad. He also runs his shop like a drop-in centre and lots of the local bikers are always dropping in for coffee and ill-informed political debates.

Not overly fond of Harleys. I'd prolly have one if my lottery numbers came up, but there are so many other bikes I'd have first. Each to their own I suppose.

Harley s are terrible. The engine is so out dated. If you want to go that way look into a Victory. You will be far more respected by people who know their ****.

Had a chrome monster. got bored of keeping the chrome A++

Have a triumph speed triple of 2000 vintage. Very happy with it. Would not trade.
If i ever had to have another bike it would be a Ducati Diaval . All i can say is that i took a test ride. And WOW. All the comfort of a cruiser and all the performance of a Sports bike.

Its actually faster off the line than the previous ducati sports bike Due to the MASSIVE torq.

Because I think they are boring as ****. And I cant sit on them for more than about a half hour without my back hurting.

Exactly the opposite of what people would generally say about them.

I have ridden that 7R upwards of 300 miles at a time, only stopping for fuel.

I personally think they sound terrible, and the mileage you get out of them is horrible considering how little power they make. Running EXTREMELY rich over the last summer I still averaged 40 mpg.

And by extremely rich, I mean jets which were two sizes too large, and needles set two clips too high. Whoever worked on my bike before I bought it was an idiot.

If I wanted a fast bike I'd just drop the $30,000 ($24,000 for the cheaper version) on a Ducati 1199 Panigale (200hp on a 375lb bike, they don't even give you the 0-60 time because no one's stupid enough to find out) but I prefer the heavier Harley. I like the wave riders give each other.... it's like a Harley brohoof

I rode my harley for years, but then tried my buds sport bike one day. making twice my horsepower at less than half the weight of my harley, it was a dream to scoot around town.

I have been riding sport bikes now for years and I find I have been in situations where I would have been hosed on a harley simply for the fact that my hog was a terribly clumsy bike around the city. My cbr600rr has a very steep head angle and really short wheel base. That, plus how light it is, I can make very quick movement to avoid situations that I simply was unable to on my hog.

Also, I never really bought into the "look at how much of a wanne-be bad boy I pretend to be" on a harley look. I never wore chaps, had leather frillies dangling on my leather jacket either

By design, I have always striven to dislike and avoid cliques. I never liked hanging out with the harley crowd simply because they are mostly of the mid-life crisis type with nothing much to discuss tbh. Maybe when I reach that age, I will buy a set of chaps and join them at the blue oyster bar.

p.s. I will say, I used to easily do 1000mi rides on my harley without too much discomfort, but now doing 500 miles on my sport bike feels like I have been sawed on half and f$#ked in the ear by everyone in my zip code afterward.

Oh I wasn't saying you specifically were shoving it at me.

Just that around here, and many other places, all these wannabe thugs have them and I have yet to see one that doesn't vibrate like its falling apart.

Same reason someone buys this instead of this

Except you cant compare a high tech, luxury machine to a Harley. Because there is no such thing as a high-tech, ultra luxury HD.

The closest thing is a v-rod and those are still living in the early 90s.

So that leaves me to believe that the only reason people buy them is because they are expensive and makes them feel superior.