Post a pic of your latest purchase
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VintageMBike
Been Around the Block
VintageMBike
Been Around the Block
Had my Hobart for north of ten years. Works just as well now, as it did when I got it.DesmoDog said:After using oxy/acetylene for the past 20 years or so I finally decided to step up to 1950's tech.
Since then I also added a tank and a cart, so if I ever cleaned my shop enough not to burn it down with random sparks I could actually MIG weld at this point.
VintageMBike
Been Around the Block
One of these days, I'll get me a WKRP. Funny, the Guzzi my buddy has me working on has that tail light and fender. I thought it might be Harley stuff on that thing. I thought it was odd that the license plate light was on top. Now I know why.canyoncarver said:
irk miller said:
So an American dress on an Italian girl. Classy.
Funnily enough a friend of mine had a Ducati and a Harley and living in the Midwest where there's not a lot of curves to chase, he will ride his Harley if the run is more than say 100 miles because around here it's just a more relaxing ride.
To me they are generally overweight and overpriced, but I was brought up on small cheap light bikes, so I'm biased.
Every decade or two (or more) HD do manage to come out with an interesting bike whether it's Willie G's XLCR or the 1200R or whatever they called it. But that's not what their traditional market wants and the rest of us just don't want a ride a Hoggly Doggly, so they are stuck in a bind as they try to work out what comes next. Similar to the issue that Cadillac found themselves in.
In that case, they tried to focus on high tech offerings that would appeal to a younger consumer, and they went racing.
HD did something similar with their VR1000 and Buell, but they were not committed to making that work so they gave up before the strategy worked. Now they are playing with electric bikes but I'm not reading much about that either, so if they don't innovate and adapt they will suffer the consequences.
To me they are generally overweight and overpriced, but I was brought up on small cheap light bikes, so I'm biased.
Every decade or two (or more) HD do manage to come out with an interesting bike whether it's Willie G's XLCR or the 1200R or whatever they called it. But that's not what their traditional market wants and the rest of us just don't want a ride a Hoggly Doggly, so they are stuck in a bind as they try to work out what comes next. Similar to the issue that Cadillac found themselves in.
In that case, they tried to focus on high tech offerings that would appeal to a younger consumer, and they went racing.
HD did something similar with their VR1000 and Buell, but they were not committed to making that work so they gave up before the strategy worked. Now they are playing with electric bikes but I'm not reading much about that either, so if they don't innovate and adapt they will suffer the consequences.
teazer said:
I hear you. I was biased against them growing up too. I grew up on the big 4 Japanese brands (and some Brits and even owned a Ducati for a bit) and still love them (the metrics). I really just didn't know much about Harleys back then. Anything after the Shovelhead years (my shovel chop is heavily modifed over stock) is pretty darn reliable if you keep up with the maintenance just like any other bike. The EVO motor is pretty bulletproof but it's not exactly a powerhouse. The FXR models were the ugly stepchild to most hardcore HD guys when they came out. The thing is, they were built to handle better than all the other models and are in high demand these days. If you haven't ridden one, it's no Ducati but they are good at what they were built for. I put a few hundred miles on a friends 2012 Road Glide a few weeks ago and man that is plush touring. I try to take things for what they are, not what they aren't. The one I posted is a former Police model and it's fairly cherry. It's a good alternative to my finicky shovel chop and different world than my ZRX or YZF's. I love motorcycles.
Rat_ranger
Coast to Coast
I keep seeing people go "millennials hate harley". There are plenty of them running around on a harley, mostly older used ones that aren't $20k or more. I'm a millennial, and I won't own a harley any time soon because, I'm not a fan of cruisers. You can't feel what the front end is doing, they are heavy, and I don't ride far enough to find a standard uncomfortable. If harley had kept buell going and the XB series had gotten updated I might have gone for one. But I'm a poor example of the market, I can't bring myself to have payments on a bike, and enjoy working on the $100 old japanese craigslist bikes.
This is me too. I boast about being on a 6 year streak of not having spent over $600 to buy a used bike for me to build, so I rarely go over $2k by the end. I look at Shovelheads and other Harley listings all the time, but I don't want to go in @ $4k or more on a used one, let alone make payments on anything new. This is also the reason I don't own a new Africa Twin, which I would love to own. I can't bring myself to go all in at $14k plus. Also, you can buy a bike like a brand new Ninja 650 or CBR600rr for $8 - 10k, which is why so many bikes like that are on the road and ridden by young people.Rat_ranger said:
Mr.E
Got to keep the loonies on the path...
I bought something non motorcycle related recently, and even managed to get it working!
Much like bikes, I like buying stuff "for parts" and finding out im slightly less ham fisted than the previous owner.
A 40-50's Roamer watch with an MST372 movement.
Much like bikes, I like buying stuff "for parts" and finding out im slightly less ham fisted than the previous owner.
A 40-50's Roamer watch with an MST372 movement.
