My latest experience with Harley dudes...

[xs650mike]

Yeah Pat, the XS11's got character in spades. I've only had mine a matter of weeks, I've already put about 2k miles on it and have really grown to love it. Part of that character is the little quirks one of which is the strange low speed handling (at least on my SF) which, coupled with the hair trigger off-idle throttle response and copius driveline lash, makes riding it with confidence when u-turning on a tight street a real accomplishment. I was complaining to my Harley-riding friend about this and he told me how to do it the easy way. No s---, a Harley rider told me how to control an XS at low speed! He said, "Drag the rear brake with the throttle open a bit and control your speed with the clutch." A light bulb went off in my head. Now why didn't I think of that? Keeps all the slack out of the driveline and makes it so I can concentrate on the weird steering, a piece of cake. So Harley riders are good for something after all, at least some of 'em! BTW his Harley is a really fast one and we're planning a roll-on contest in the near future since he wants to see if his bike's faster than mine. He built his own gear driven twin-cam 95" motor too, not very many Harley guys can make that claim. What d'ya think, am I gonna smoke him?

[pathfinder]

Non Distance Riding

As alot of you guys know I've been screwing around since last Oct. doing a restore. Well all buttoned up and running good for some short jaunts around the house. Today three HD's and myself took off at 8:00 for what I thought was an all day ride. At 10:30 this morning they all headed for the ranch. I looked at the trip meter and we had done all of 63 miles. Said my goodbys' and waved, rolled on the the gas and went my own way. I don't know about all HD folks but if the lead rider got up to 60 he had to slow down for I don't know why. I actually thought he would fall over in the turns from going so slow. To think I was actually looking forward to this ride after 10 months on four wheels.
When we stopped for a water break (99 degrees at 9:00) they were talking about the last time they went to Sturgis. Yeh you guessed right they trailered to within 50 miles then rode in.
Next time I'll find some riders to go with.

[xs650mike]

Hey Pathfinder,

That's exactly why my Harley-riding friend doesn't ride much with other Harley riders. He complains that they stop every 20 minutes at some bar and even when they are riding they're waaaaay toooooo sloooow! Poseurs!

[prometheus578]

What is it about under passes that make hd riders stupidly rev their engines?

Same thing that makes idiots stick their heads out the window and"Moo" when they drive past cows in a field.
Just trying to draw attention to themselves so everyone can see how "cool" they look.
As for the cows, they really don't care if you're on a Hardley or not. They're still pissed about the whole leather thing!

[dragxs11]

Everything I've read in this thread is true enough. I ride with BMW's and Harleys and we joke about eachothers bikes. The Harleys are always in back on curvy roads, and I let the BMW's take the lead. I can vouch for BMW engineering and Harley style, but at the end of the day, my xs11 bridges the gap nicely. As far as v-twins being competetive, pick up a copy of this months Motorcyclist Mag. and look at the hard #'s in the back. You'll find that the Warrior and Vrod are serious competition for speed. So I'll finish with another story. My valve guides were bad, and I pulled up behind a soft tail carrying a load. This guy was blipping the throttle and making an a## of himself, but I stopped behind him and waved. He saw the blue smoke from my bike filling up the street, and shook his head. When the light turned green, I blew by him inches from his throttle grip, and never saw him again. Now packing a bore kit and repaired head black and chrome engine, etc. I both talk and walk. I heard someone say once that Harleys let you feel the power.....No, thats vibration, and in mechanical engineering circles, thats a bad thing.

[xs650mike]

what is it about under passes that makes hd riders stupidly rev their engines

For as long as I can remember in the Broadway Tunnel in Frisco it has been traditional for all riders of whatever brands to full throttle (traffic permitting) all the way through, especially in the eastbound direction. Car drivers may honk but riders open it up...gives one a chance to really hear the engine working at full throttle. As you exit the tunnel you really have to get on the binders for the signal at Powell Street! With today's faster bikes I don't think it's still feasible to hold the throttle wide open all the way through but I doubt many Harley riders have this problem LOL! One night in the late '60s I did this on my Matchless 40" twin just to hear my open megaphone and thought I heard a Harley behind me. When I stopped at the light an SFPD motor officer pulled alongside on his Harley. I thought I was going to get a ticket for sure but he just smiled, shook his head and said, "Don't do that again!" He rode away when the light changed.

[rld44]

pinks

heh i thought it was pretty cool on pinks awhile back when a 82 suzuki gs 1100e beat a h-d vrod in the quarter mile, both stock, best 2 outa 3, we had a ball at the http://www.thegsresources.com/ gs forums after that happened. btw pinks is a show on the speed channel where they race title for title ,

[Shuriken]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...highlight=vrod

I guess every bike forum has a thread...

Ben

[MAXIMAN]

Re: pinks

Originally posted by rld44
heh i thought it was pretty cool on pinks awhile back when a 82 suzuki gs 1100e beat a h-d vrod in the quarter mile, both stock, best 2 outa 3, we had a ball at the http://www.thegsresources.com/ gs forums after that happened. btw pinks is a show on the speed channel where they race title for title ,

Who was the poor idjit on the V-Rod that thought he even had an ice cube's chance in hell on that one?!?!

Dear lord the GS1100E was turning sub 11 E.T. in the quarter ....bone stock.