Today, I rode a Harley

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RetroGrouch said:
I don't know what year/model Sportster you have but the one I was working on had this style caliper. All bolts are 12pt with the small middle ones, the pin bolts, set in a recess so they can only be turned with a socket and not a wrench. Five minute job it you happen to have the special tool which I don't and I doubt the average Harley owner has it.

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As I remember, Harley once placed a magazine ad that informed owners to only use their brand of oil and that using other brands would void the warranty or even damage the motor. Once again I call BS.
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XZN are high torque, strip-resistant fasteners and an acceptable application for that caliper. If you haven't seen these cap screws before you lead a sheltered life because they are everywhere and have been for decades. Cars, airplanes, tractors,, heavy equipment, air compressors, hydraulics etc all use them. If I had a choice my bike would use these over easily-stripped Allen or Philips fasteners
 
inreb said:
I remember reading a long biker rag article by Donny Peterson about the HD/engine oil shenanigans. For a HD guru he doesn't mind ripping into them on the as needed basis. What a scam that was.
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Agreed on the oil, but I think a lot of manufacturers out there have had egg on their faces at one time or another. And, anyone that owns a HD should have one of his Unauthorized Technical Guides.
 
Reminds me of KTM motorex requirement. Lots of owners believe it. The LC4 rocker rollers will seize regardless at 20K.
 
Matt Rain said:
When my gut grows out of control and my knees give out, Ima go get my oldballs self a Super Glide Custom.
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I'm already there, I still ride a Honda ?
 
Pure comedy gold....that's what this tread is.
You can always tell when the weather turns bad.
The bashing on these forums of HD and its owners is pretty comical.
I'm surprised there isn't a pretty pink banner at the top stating....
"Welcome to GTA Motorcycle.com Harley riders not welcome...please move along"

To the OP.......
I bought a HD Road Glide last year....I bought it brand new.
To me it was the style and design that caught my eye first.
it was a big purchase for me and i had spent most of the winter researching.
For the money that i spent you have to get what you want and I accomplish that.
I was looking to buy a bike i could ride.
I wasn't looking to go lane splitting down the Gardiner.
I was looking to do wheelies down Lakeshore.
And i wasn't looking to rev the snot out of it at a bunch of little girls on the corner of Young and Bloor.
I wanted to ride....and lets face it....riding in Ontario sucks big monkey balls.
If you want to ride....I mean really ride...then you have to go south.
Yes i know PA is nice be even Mac and Shane will tell you WV / OH and VA and TN and NC are way better.
So I wanted something that also had comfort and i got that.
I cant even imagine what it would be like to do 1000km on a sport bike just to get to some of the areas listed above.

I did a demo on a Goldwing and had to get off it twice during the ride.
Crazy muscle spasm going one in my inner thigh.
I tell ya....men legs were never meant to go that far apart!
I rode a Busa in Washington....fluffy people were not meant to ride Busa's
And any bike that knocks the wind out of you while riding over a bump is a piss poor design imo.

A friend of mine was looking to purchase a new bike this year and he got a Victory.
its the same basic design as my bike but about $4000 cheaper.
Personally I think the bike is a little on the ugly side but again its to each his own...you have to be happy with what you got.

OP said "and it made me feel like I was going to drop it on a 90 degree intersection"
I guess if you cant handle a Switchback then you shouldn't be riding a HD at all.
If you don't "Get It" then don't buy it.
My guess is you never "Got it" in the first place which leaves me to ask why you took it on a demo in the first place?
There's 2 girls from town that have Road Glides one is 4ft - 90lbs and one is 5ft - 100
They handle the Road Glides just fine but again...to each his own.

All big motorcycle companies are only interested in one thing and one thing only....your money.
That being said all parts are expensive and all labor is expensive

I love the way my ride handles.
I've had it on all kinds of roads this season and never had a problem.
On the switchbacks on the "Back of the Dragon" I would just lean down and twist the throttle and away she would go.
The 103 is a great engine and there's always plenty of power for me.
But again...to each his own.

I've leaned a few things from this thread.
People here think I'm a pirate even though I have all my limbs and have never captained a ship.
But if it makes you feel better then "AHOY MATEY"
And never let amateurs touch your ride.

And before you ask "Do you have a short version of this (without all the grammar and spelling mistakes) that I could read?"
Yes...to each his own.
 
RedDogDarren said:
You are either horribly misinformed, lying, or just talking out of you arse. There are many of those bikes STILL on the road. I can do the valves on them. What you just said is completely misinformed. NOBODY sent these bikes to a scrapyard after a few years. Give your head a shake.

That is an embarrassing statement for you to make.
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Have you ever done a rebuild on them? How much does it cost to rebuild the heads on a 5-valve Yamaha? Go back to when these bikes first came out and imagine what it cost to repair a head with bent valves, or an engine with a snapped cam chain at that time. That's what I'm talking about and don't tell me it never happened because I know people who did it back then racing. There may be more knowledge about it now, but back then they might as well have been from Mars. It was easier to replace the bike than to build a new engine. This doesn't mean they weren't reliable, or that there aren't good examples of them around now. I couldn't tell you how many survived all these years, but I know I saw plenty of them in parts at places like Zdenos. I know how touchy and tender some of you Jap bike lovers get about that, it was the same back then, but I can't help it, I saw it. Call me a liar if you want, it won't change anything. I wouldn't mind having an old Katana for kicks though.
 
Four words, "run what ya brung"! I'm not likely to ever own a Harley, but I'll never own another crotch rocket either. Too many good bikes out there like the vstrom, fast enough, comfortable enough, reliable enough. Said enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DJM said:
If you haven't seen these cap screws before you lead a sheltered life because they are everywhere and have been for decades. Cars, airplanes, tractors,, heavy equipment, air compressors, hydraulics etc all use them.
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If they're are so widely used, why can't I go to CT and buy the socket? Can I find one at a HD dealership? As I said, the average home mechanic won't have this tool. Do the current Harleys still use these fasteners?
 
Iceman said:
Four words, "run what ya brung"!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Solid agreement there unless "run" means be a dooshy attention hound, then the deals off.
 
I'd opt for a b-king or super duke or something like that long before a HD but I can appreciate why people like them especially the Americans among us.
 
jcbarnar said:
I'd opt for a b-king or super duke or something like that long before a HD but I can appreciate why people like them especially the Americans among us.
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Yes. I do find it queer tho you don't see more HDs outside Walmart. No drive thru chrome dept. maybe? Dunno.
 
kiley said:
Pure comedy gold....that's what this tread is.
You can always tell when the weather turns bad.
The bashing on these forums of HD and its owners is pretty comical.
I'm surprised there isn't a pretty pink banner at the top stating....
"Welcome to GTA Motorcycle.com Harley riders not welcome...please move along"

To the OP.......
I bought a HD Road Glide last year....I bought it brand new.
To me it was the style and design that caught my eye first.
it was a big purchase for me and i had spent most of the winter researching.
For the money that i spent you have to get what you want and I accomplish that.
I was looking to buy a bike i could ride.
I wasn't looking to go lane splitting down the Gardiner.
I was looking to do wheelies down Lakeshore.
And i wasn't looking to rev the snot out of it at a bunch of little girls on the corner of Young and Bloor.
I wanted to ride....and lets face it....riding in Ontario sucks big monkey balls.
If you want to ride....I mean really ride...then you have to go south.
Yes i know PA is nice be even Mac and Shane will tell you WV / OH and VA and TN and NC are way better.
So I wanted something that also had comfort and i got that.
I cant even imagine what it would be like to do 1000km on a sport bike just to get to some of the areas listed above.

I did a demo on a Goldwing and had to get off it twice during the ride.
Crazy muscle spasm going one in my inner thigh.
I tell ya....men legs were never meant to go that far apart!
I rode a Busa in Washington....fluffy people were not meant to ride Busa's
And any bike that knocks the wind out of you while riding over a bump is a piss poor design imo.

A friend of mine was looking to purchase a new bike this year and he got a Victory.
its the same basic design as my bike but about $4000 cheaper.
Personally I think the bike is a little on the ugly side but again its to each his own...you have to be happy with what you got.

OP said "and it made me feel like I was going to drop it on a 90 degree intersection"
I guess if you cant handle a Switchback then you shouldn't be riding a HD at all.
If you don't "Get It" then don't buy it.
My guess is you never "Got it" in the first place which leaves me to ask why you took it on a demo in the first place?
There's 2 girls from town that have Road Glides one is 4ft - 90lbs and one is 5ft - 100
They handle the Road Glides just fine but again...to each his own.

All big motorcycle companies are only interested in one thing and one thing only....your money.
That being said all parts are expensive and all labor is expensive

I love the way my ride handles.
I've had it on all kinds of roads this season and never had a problem.
On the switchbacks on the "Back of the Dragon" I would just lean down and twist the throttle and away she would go.
The 103 is a great engine and there's always plenty of power for me.
But again...to each his own.

I've leaned a few things from this thread.
People here think I'm a pirate even though I have all my limbs and have never captained a ship.
But if it makes you feel better then "AHOY MATEY"
And never let amateurs touch your ride.

And before you ask "Do you have a short version of this (without all the grammar and spelling mistakes) that I could read?"
Yes...to each his own.
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Well said Kiley.
 
inreb said:
Yes. I do find it queer tho you don't see more HDs outside Walmart. No drive thru chrome dept. maybe? Dunno.
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just how would you get home with 45lbs of cheesies, fresh duck dynasty T shirts, and a Swiffer steamer on an HD?
 
Wingboy said:
Well said Kiley.
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I demoed a new Wing last year. When I was younger I thought that that's what I wanted. But I found it too quiet, too smooth. It felt like driving a car. I also tried a 250 or 300, which I really loved. I'm glad I've moved back to smaller bikes that can pack a load, like my 650. I might go smaller still. I love being able to twist the throttle wide open, let off her, ease on the brakes, and the lean into the turn. To each their own.
 
RetroGrouch said:
If they're are so widely used, why can't I go to CT and buy the socket? Can I find one at a HD dealership? As I said, the average home mechanic won't have this tool. Do the current Harleys still use these fasteners?
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I think Canadian Tire stopped being the goto place for tools long ago. I know NAPA carries them, as does most tool trucks like SnapOn and Mac. Sears in the USA and Amazon also as well as any online german car parts places. Not sure about new Harleys, although they may still be used on head and rod bolts, I'm at work so can't check mine atm.

I've had both socket and driver XZN sets for over 25 years, needed them for my apprenticeship working on D10 CAT dozers, which is pretty well held together by them IIRC, which may be why I consider these fasteners common when others do not.
 
Roadghost said:
Yup. Designed so you can take them apart and put them together with a simple set of wrenches and a screwdriver at the roadside. Brakes and suspension are only lousy if you're planning to race with it, which you should not do. Some guys just can't understand that a smooth suspension beats an arse-busting "sporty" feel-every-crack-on-the-road suspension and double front discs only make the forks bottom out on a highway cruiser. A "dated" design in my book is one you throw away when it breaks down because it's so complicated and expensive to fix that you don't bother. "Keep it simple" is timeless advice for any engineer.
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If HD is "keeping it simple" and reusing old technology, why are they so expensive? Dated products should be cheaper, shouldn't they?

Also, to the person who said there is a chick who is 4 foot tall and 90 pounds that rides a Harley, I want picture proof... Are you sure it wasn't a Honda Grom or a 50ccmini bike? Does she have ape hangars and just stand on the seat? :lmao:
 
Matthew.Tremayne said:
If HD is "keeping it simple" and reusing old technology, why are they so expensive? Dated products should be cheaper, shouldn't they?

Also, to the person who said there is a chick who is 4 foot tall and 90 pounds that rides a Harley, I want picture proof... Are you sure it wasn't a Honda Grom or a 50ccmini bike? Does she have ape hangars and just stand on the seat? :lmao:
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There are videos of small women lifting big bikes all over the interweb.

get with the 90's! ��
 
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