The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

From one of my moto forums:

I raced a Harley today and after some really hard riding I managed to PASS the guy. I was riding on one of those really, really twisting sections of mountain road with no straight sections to speak of and where most of the bends have warning signs that say "15 MPH".

I knew if I was going to pass one of those monsters with those big-cubic-inch motors, it would have to be a place like this where handling and rider skill are more important than horsepower alone.

I saw the guy up ahead as I exited one of the turns and knew I could catch him, but it wouldn't be easy. I concentrated on my braking and cornering. Three corners later, I was on his mudguard. Catching him was one thing; passing him would prove to be another.

Two corners later, I pulled up next to him as we sailed down the mountain. I think he was shocked to see me next to him, as I nearly got by him before he could recover. Next corner, same thing. I'd manage to pull up next to him as we started to enter the corners but when we came out he'd get on the throttle and out-power me. His horsepower was almost too much to overcome, but this only made me more determined than ever.

My only hope was to out-brake him. I held off squeezing the lever until the last instant. I kept my nerve while he lost his. In an instant I was by him. Corner after corner, I could hear the roar of his engine as he struggled to keep up. Three more miles to go before the road straightens out and he would pass me for good.

But now I was in the lead and he would no longer hold me back. I stretched out my lead and by the time we reached the bottom of the canyon, he was more than a full corner behind. I could no longer see him in my rear-view mirror.

Once the road did straighten out, it seemed like it took miles before he passed me, but it was probably just a few hundred yards. I was no match for that kind of horsepower, but it was done. In the tightest section of road, where bravery and skill count for more than horsepower and deep pockets, I had passed him. Though it was not easy, I had won the race to the bottom of the mountain and I had preserved my bikes tradition of racing.

I will always remember that moment. I don't think I've ever pedaled so hard in my life. And, some of the credit must go to Huffy bicycles, as well. They really make a great bike...
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I was thinking "WTF? What kind of crap is the guy riding to struggle so much to pass a damn Harley?!?"
:lol:
 
Meh.. As much as it pains me to say it but the 2009 gixxer is terrible.. It's feels heavy and it's even uglier than the last one!
 
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Speaking of uglyness, am I the only one who finds the overstyled desing in many current bikes, especially the Japanese ones, rather ugly? :?
 
^You are definitely not alone..
 
shad_68 said:
Speaking of uglyness, am I the only one who finds the overstyled desing in many current bikes, especially the Japanese ones, rather ugly? :?
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No.

In my opinion, japanese bike design reached it?s peak around 2005. After that, they started using rulers and most bikes look like origami.
Hapily, we still have the italians and english to make good-looking bikes. :)
 
I had an '82, '94 and '00 Magna, never a V65.
 
Blind_Io said:
I had an '82, '94 and '00 Magna, never a V65.
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I was kidding. :p

Reminded me of you.

Those litre class bikes are way beyond my skill level. I'd need a lot of practice, track time and probably some rider training to get anywhere near the limit. And I wouldn't know where to start with all those adjustments!

One thing he said that I didn't really agree with, was that road bikes have now overtaken race bikes from previous decades while the same isn't true of cars. I think it's pretty similar for cars if you exclude the extreme stuff, like open wheelers etc, but even then we now have these track weapons (like Radicals and Atoms) that are not only race cars for the street but also "affordable".
 
shad_68 said:
Speaking of uglyness, am I the only one who finds the overstyled desing in many current bikes, especially the Japanese ones, rather ugly? :?
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I have found that for years, and not just for the Japanese- the only style of bike I can really appreciate aesthetically is standard ie naked. In my opinion, I should be able to see what's going on- the engine, gearbox, chain/belt, cables, tank, etc- and all should be clearly defined. There are exceptions, but not many, at least for me. I like 70s-80s Hondas, the lighter-weight HDs and BSAs because of this. Anyone agree?
 
Yes and no.

I like both.

Japanese went crazy with graphics for a while there and I think it just served to confused the already overly-busy lines of a sports bike. A lot of Japanese bikes would look a lot better if they just simplified them a little.

After just riding a 500km round trip on a naked I have to say that, aesthetics or not, fairings rock!
Damn it was windy. I should have used earplugs.

In related news, my wife gave birth to a baby girl on Monday, hence the 500km dash to see her.

Bike held up OK. VTEC kicks in right around 105-110kph which is annoying. I couldn't help but wonder whether I would get better fuel efficiency with all valves working or just the 2.
 
freeferrarisdonotexist said:
I have found that for years, and not just for the Japanese- the only style of bike I can really appreciate aesthetically is standard ie naked. In my opinion, I should be able to see what's going on- the engine, gearbox, chain/belt, cables, tank, etc- and all should be clearly defined.
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For me it isn't about fairings or not mostly, although I agree that generally naked bikes are indeed more aestehitically appealing (not saying sportsbikes etc. are ugly, some of them are great as well).
But there are plenty of ugly nakeds around too, i.e. this, this, this and that.
But it's not just the Japanese who are guilty of this, some Italian bikes are just as bad, like this one and that one.
:cry:

hansvonaxion said:
Japanese went crazy with graphics for a while there and I think it just served to confused the already overly-busy lines of a sports bike. A lot of Japanese bikes would look a lot better if they just simplified them a little.
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Yeah, it seems that after making rather conservative designs forever, they apparently went completely bonkers and put all their repressed styling lunacy in the new lineups.
It's really startling to see that not even 10 years ago they were making very nice and understated bikes, if maybe a bit bland, when now everything you can see is trying to trump everyone else in being the most shouty design. :(


In related news, my wife gave birth to a baby girl on Monday, hence the 500km dash to see her.
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:banana: Congratulations! :banana:
Best of luck to your girl, wife, and you of course! :)
 
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Congrats, hansvonaxion!
 
I agree that there are some fuck-ugly bikes out there. I hate the front end of the current Interceptor, the SV isn't going to win any awards either. The B-King just looks hideous compared to the VMAX, but where I start to disagree with Shad is when it comes to the Italians. I actually like the Aprilias, in fact I spent an entire day test riding most of their lineup. They aren't quite as good looking as the Ducati line, but they are certainly not ugly.

Even as much as I love my Interceptor there are times I look at the side fairing and think, "You know, if they just changed the angle of this vent and moved that body line a few degrees then this bike would be sex-on-wheels." Even the iconic RC51 has it's styling problems. It just seems that when it comes to styling the Japanese think more is better while the Italians have gone for a few simple, but beautiful lines.

VFR800_Red_RHF_600p.jpg


ducati-748.jpg



The VFR is just more busy than the 748. The Italians have made simple beautiful. What I would have liked to have seen on the VFR is those two large side vents to echo the shape of the front fairing and the smaller vent by the clutch cover to simply be removed since it doesn't do anything. Then I think the VFR would have been a real looker.
 
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