The motorcycle as an artform.

[Larrym]

Local Cable Access Channel??

Yup! It's him. (or rather his bike without him in the picture..)

If he can't get a nationally syndicated program then maybe you can talk him into doing a local cable show.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Oh hell yea!

Why not? Jesse James did it and ended up REALLY RICH and married to Sandra Bullock.

And that screamin' bunch out in Orange County NY got rich doin' it too.

That is a nice custom and looks rideable.

HEY JOE!........You payin' attention?

[joceiphus]

Yes I am, and it's a very nice bike.
I now understand that there are three types of crowds on this site.
The Goldwing crowd,
The Sportbike crowd,
And the Chopper crowd.

I hate Goldwings, always have, but I can see how a very very elderly man, or a flatout sissy would want that kind of relaxing sleepy time comfort.

I like sportbikes, but I personally do not trust myself to ride one and not die.

I love choppers. I've seen no evidence that they handle badly, but who am I to argue? I don't mind poorer handling if it'll make a speed junkie like me slow down just a little. So, mr. Okiespecial, just because you may not be able to handle a fancy hardtail custom, doesn't mean that I can't.

I'm glad that American Chopper is cancelled. I hated that show! I would rather see a show that shows you how things are done and why.

Everything I've seen from XSchop on here is absolutely marvelous, and I think everyone here owes him a big "THANK YOU" just for the amount of research and development he's done. I would absolutely watch an XSchop show.

[crazy steve]

I now understand that there are three types of crowds on this site.
The Goldwing crowd,
The Sportbike crowd,
And the Chopper crowd.

Uh, s'cuse me?

Did I miss something, or do we not all own one of the fastest production motorcycles of it's era, and one that can still embarrass a lot of new iron?

So, point out the 'Goldwing' crowd for me kid. I've never owned a bike with a fairing in my life.

I'll run my naked bike against your chopper any time...

'78E original owner

[joceiphus]

Did I say "you" were in the Goldwing crowd?
Did I say anything to you?

[XSokieSPECIAL]

So, mr. Okiespecial, just because you may not be able to handle a fancy hardtail custom, doesn't mean that I can't.

I don't remember saying I couldn't HANDLE it.

I just prefer a ride I can enjoy riding.

I'm sure you've seen these cars running down the road all dropped and draging the ground with either hydraulics or absolutely no suspension at all.

Well, you don't see them for very long 'cause thier drivers get tired of not being able to get over 25mph without serious spinal damage or the damned thing just beats ITSELF to death.

Same with a scoot.

Even Chops bike is a monoshock setup in the rear. I think.

[joceiphus]

That's great for you, but why are you telling me that I can't have one?
BTW My xs11 won't even have a hardtail. I just don't appreciate when people
that don't like something tell other people that they shouldn't have it either.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

That's great for you, but why are you telling me that I can't have one?
BTW My xs11 won't even have a hardtail. I just don't appreciate when people
that don't like something tell other people that they shouldn't have it either.

JOE... advice is not telling you you can't have something.

Advice is just advice.

Take it or leave it...........but don't take it personlly.

Go ahead..............beat your a$$ to death..........be my guest.

BTW.....glad to hear your not going to ruin the XS11

[joceiphus]

JOE... advice is not telling you you can't have something.

Advice is just advice.

Take it or leave it...........but don't take it personlly.

Go ahead..............beat your a$$ to death..........be my guest.

BTW.....glad to hear your not going to ruin the XS11

That's not advice. The whole theme of this thread is Fred finding another way to tell people that like hardtails that they are stupid. Well, I like hardtails, and I know for a fact that I'm not stupid. When people want to call me stupid then hell yeah I take it personal!
You're telling me a hardtail xs11 isn't rideable?
I'll bet a hardtail xs11 will handle just as good as the 30 yr old swingarm xs11.
How would you beat your @ss to death when the springs are under the seat?
The other theme I've noticed on this site is to dogpile on the chopper guys and rum 'em off!! You guys are pretty good at that.

And I'm still gonna ruin my xs11, it's just gonna have a swingarm and shocks. I know I know I'll lose a little resale value, but my tall @ss will fit nice and comfortable.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

WTF ever................Later AH!

[joceiphus]

I love you too.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Happy Valentines day sweetheart..........NO HOMO!

[fredintoon]

- - - The whole theme of this thread is Fred finding another way to tell people that like hardtails that they are stupid - - - - And I'm still gonna ruin my xs11, it's just gonna have a swingarm and shocks. I know I know I'll lose a little resale value, but my tall @ss will fit nice and comfortable.

Hi Joe,
"The guilty flee where no man persueth."
To like how hardtails look is a mere difference in aesthetic opinion.
To prefer to ride one over the same bike that has kept it's rear suspension is masochism which is deviance, not stupidity.
Your XS11 will not necessarily be "ruined". So long as the bike stays suspended it has every chance of being comfortable to ride as well as a work of art to look at once it's on the road again.
Indeed, someone who shares your aesthetic sense but lacks your mechanical ability may well offer you a good price for it rather than build one of his own.

[Pat Kelly]

I remember in the late 70's I went "Cafe" with my Honda Hawk. Swapped stock bars for clip-ons, made my own solo seat. At that time there were Standards and Specials, sport bikes were still a few years away.
A lot of people couldn't understand how I could ruin my bike and make it uncomfortable to ride being "all hunched over" with the clip-ons.
Actually it was more comfortable. When I first got the bike I added pull-backs and a sissy bar, also highway pegs. On my first long trip I found that all my weight was on my tailbone, even as I leaned against my sleeping bag strapped to the sissybar.
Going the other way (clip-ons and modified seat) made me much more comfortable. Weight was now on my inner thighs. Seat top had been trimmed from flat-top to tapered so it fit 'Me' better. Feet were now under me instead of out in front allowing me to stand or unload the seat over bumps (also for hanging-off in my racing days). Leaning forward I had the (up to 110 MPH) wind in my chest to hold me up. I did have a small sport shield I would add for long rides. I moved the sleeping bag from the sissybar (removed) to the tank and I would lay on that. Left elbow on tank supporting chin, releiving stress on my neck.

What some considered 'ruining' my bike made it better for me.
Bottom line.... it's your bike, do what you want, someone else dosen't like it that's their problem.
I can appreciate the work involved in building a 64 Impala lowrider. Appreciate the airbrush murals on the car. Appreciate the money spend and the pride of the owner. Dosen't mean I want to own or drive one or that I think it's practical.

This thread can almost be moved to the Hot Button topics. I see some on here that say they're conservative being quite liberal in thinking they know what others should do or not do to their bikes.

[Larrym]

The Hard Downside

Wow! I took a look again at chop's bike and it does look like a zip-splat. Truthfully, I hadn't really considered what "type" of category it fell into: bobber, chopper, street fighter, etc. I just saw it as a departure from the OEM design where the owner had done things like sawing off this or that, welding up special mounts + stuff, along with replacing some of the original parts with fabbed or alternate parts. To me the end result looks cool but it also looks like it means business where the rubber meets the road..in a scary kinda way: I wouldn't even consider riding it if I had consumed any alcohol in the previous 48 hours.

Back to my point (if I ever had one...), I tend to see the bikes as stock or "other". "Other" includes bobbing or hardtails or whatever the owner chooses to do. What he does, why he does it, and how he does it is a way for him to define who he is by his actions. Then of course the peanut gallery can voice pro/con opinions which add to what he's said, subtract from it, or present alternative meanings.

Me? Not really part of the anti-hardtail dogpile. Seriously. I would point out that although I believe that the hardtail does compromise rider comfort and alter the handling in a way where the bike will no longer be fit to run/ride at top speed on anything other than a perfect/ideal roadway, the trade-off and sacrifice is a known part of the modification.

I kinda see a hardtail mod in the same way that I view my ex-girlfriend's attachment to owning/wearing high heeled shoes. They were uncomfortable and painful to wear. Awkward on a perfect surface and dangerous to walk around in on any surface less than ideal. But it was her choice to put up with the downside. She liked the way they looked even though her feet paid the price. No amount of reasoning would sway her from her choice of footwear and so I just accepted her and her choices without any further opposition/disapproval from me.

Just like I accepted her choice of wearing thongs instead of granny-panties. But for some reason I didn't object to her use of non-traditional undergarments....me-thinks that the higher brain functions weren't really called for in that decision making process.