So cut me a little slack. I may not be Snow White but I still need my beauty sleep. *YAWN*
jaskc78 wrote:Ryethil wrote:I was just at your site and I loved it. Esp. Hector.
maybe you should just give up on it, Gummiente, and name it Hector's Chauffer's Blog? seriously, i was a little skeptical about all the supposed attention Hector gets, but i'm a full-fledged believer now.
OH, God, yes! Everything was interesting but Hector is so lovable through the computer screen that he stole the show.
NewGuy wrote:Rather than the V-star 1100 I'd suggest looking at the V-star 950 and V-star 1300.
Interesting to me that you are interested in the touring version of the VTX, but are also interested in the Night Train.
the reason i like the 1100 Custom is for the black paint job with the blacked out midnight trim, which has the extra bonus of having the bobbed rear fender. I love that look.
the touring version of the VTX is simply because it comes with the windshield, saddlebags, and passenger backrest that i'll be putting on whichever bike i get. i like the looks of the 1300C better than the 1300T, but since neither of them has the bobbed fender, it'd be getting swapped out anyway. might as well get all the other goodies for about $1200 instead of buying the cheaper MSRP on the 1300C just to add $2000 in extras and still be swapping the rear fender.
And honestly, I think the only reason the VTX1300 is in there is because i sat on one at the local used bike dealership and it just felt really damn comfortable, i like the overall design of the bike--the profile of it, the lines, etc--and it didn't have what i considered to be an overly inflated price tag. mind you, i haven't ridden one yet so it may feel like total "crumb" when it's moving, but i won't know that until it gets closer to buying time, i think.
the Night Train is in the list simply for the looks. bobbed rear fender and the blacked out look. chrome is nice and all, but sometimes gets overdone imho. sometimes having less of it just accentuates it more. gives it that little extra pop that makes your bike stand out from the sea of chrome that everyone else is swimming in...or it just looks bada$$ and i think it'd help me get chicks. your choice.
Now that the noise level has died down here a bit, Maybe I can talk about motorcycles.
I'm really torn about the differences of Yamaha cruisers and which would be best to learn/ride on. I've ridden the V-Star 1100 and I liked it and to me carberators are a good thing. You may have to break the "seal" to rejet and retune a carb so that the engine runs better. However, like I said before, with the V-Star 950 and V-Star 1300, the smiles per mile factor seems to be a real big plus. Never ridden either so I'm going with comments owners have.
I think that you really can't go wrong with the XVT1300. I'm glad you accepted that you like a litte style with your ride quality. Everyone likes their ride to look good and the VTX is a great platform to start with.
As for the mechanicals, it is civilized and a great ride. If you're learning, it has few faults even though it is a cruiser. If your experience levels are more than a bit basic, then it seems to draw a lot of experienced riders. No, I'm still a Harley rider but the VTX is quite a treat.
As for Harleys, I going to get close to heresy.
One of the major driving factors behind HD designs seems to be the realization that a great part of the Harley buying (not the dreamers) crowd is the middle aged biker who wishes the regain his youth. He also has the funds to buy a bike and add a few thousand dollars in accesories. They want a "chopper" without the problems such bikes have. The new Harley riders then form clubs and try and capture the 1% attitude without really pissing anyone off. So there is a great attachment to the old codes of honor and so called "freedom" I call it the "sneer" or poser factor.
Anyway, there are a lot of translations of the old hard core standards of the 60's 70's and 80's. However there are new bike lines that are coming out with closer ideals to "real" choppers like the Fury and Big Dog. The question is whether these older biker type will by these more radical and possibly less comfortable bikes. Harley has steered away from this concept because they think these bikes are too radical for their market concept.
So there are quite a few bikes in the Harley range that are like the Night Train. They look good and are comfortable to bar hop over a night's riding. They have some appeal over the long ride but they're no tourer. I'm not cutting down anyone who wants to ride or what they want to ride.
And there is a big point (really big point) is that any Harley can be comfortably ridden with few problems as to the bike design. You can't say that about some of the newer bike designs.
One down side is that we of the inseam challenged can't ride them for I can't reach the controls comfortably. Forget the V-Rod. I want a Big Twin but my choices are limited.
However, saying that, Harleys are reliable and good values for the money and the Dealer will gladly make changes for you if necessary. For me, I think this interest by a large bike riding faction makes for more Harleys that I want to ride. And because this crowd wants the Harley experience, I'm not stuck riding an appliance. All Harleys come with some sort of special personality that makes them a part of the person. No matter if the rider can tell the difference or not.
I thinking here of the Cross Bones. It's actually a great bike but the springer doesn't act like a hydraulic frontend. So you have to acclimate yourself to its quirks. I love the way it rides but you have to think a bit further on when riding. But in no way is it "dangerous". Just quirky. And it is that way for all Harleys. Anyway, the Cross bones is sold by the truck load because of the image it portrays. It's cool because bikes are about freedom and anyone should be able to ride what they want without anyone saying the person isn't a real biker because he doesn't ride X,Y or Z.
I have found it isn't just a Harley owners. Ir's BMW and my favorite, The feud between Buell and Ducati. And if you think it's just these brands that flare up about this, then you haven't been listening to the feud about 600cc sportbikes. Japanese marque riders can be just as bitchy as the most hardcore Harley rider.
As for dealers, there are good ones and bad ones, irrespective of brandnames they sell. The worst one in our city is the multi-brand Japanese Dealer. So don't say that that because it's a Harely dealer that he's insincere or a *ssH*le unless you know for it for fact.
Anyway, off topic, Honda appears to be killing my favorite, the VFR. I know they're still going to make a bike they call the VFR, but it won't be the same. *sigh*
