Back to FJR after Harley Street glide

[wheatonFJR]

She does suck in parking lots, tho

Don't they all...

 

[art miller]

I too have several friends on the east coast who are joined at the hip to Hardley Davidson motorbikes. Here in the west by friends ride sport touring or sport motorcycles. Hardley riders are something of a cult. Some are made in America only types and some think loud and chrome is the bench mark of a motorbike. When I go to Laguna Seca Raceway I see very few Hardleys. They are apparently not interested in motorcycle racing. Hardley motorbike riders are probable more into NASCAR.

On a more practical note, Motorcycle Consumer News lists motorcycle manufacturers ranked by mechanical reliability. Bring More Wallet and Hardley Davidson are the top two motorbikes requiring the most wrenching. This does not sit well with the owners of those brands but it is what it is.

 

[steveoreno]

jim oneil said: Like a guy bowled over by a hot looking woman ...

To continue your metaphor, the FJR is like a hot-looking woman who goes to the gym regularly and was a college track star. Methinks you'll be happy with that Liquid Graphite lightning bolt.

Perfect analogy!

 

[BanjoBoy]

Harleys suck!

In many ways you're right AJ but it's pretty easy to pry money out of the owners. A lot of my work is on Harley's and the wanna be's. The only thing I won't do for them is install loud pipes. I don't like them and won't put them on. Pisses off some of them.

I've got a raffle ticket for a Street Glide special and if I win it I'll sell it and fund more travel.

Butt draw'in attention to yourself iz the main reason peeps buy 'em. Oh yeah, 'n loud pipes save lives.

 

[Warpdrv]

Good Lord...... you should see the cult following stuff right here in the heart of it all... Milwaukee.....

Its Bike night every thursday at the Harley Museum in the summer and they have quite the parking lot for em all..... We generally don't go to the museum but my buddy I just sold the 05 FJR to has a friend that just had to buy a new street glide and he is drinking the coolaid hard.... not that he doesn't have the money...... Good lookin wife, tall thin, certainly not a heavy girl - you should hear her bitch about the shit suspension that comes from the factory, bottoming out on every bump, her skinny ass is taking a beating until he dumps some big money on the air ride suspension upgrade.... LOL

I'm not sure what the deal is with those guys and the constant need for Revving the engine with straight pipes every 2 ft of movement until the leave the parking lot....... so goofy but more so annoying with the 1000 bikes in the lot..... how they spend all that money on those things wanting to go fast, only to get humiliated by the FJR using barely 1/2 hp output

1/2 block away is the Iron Horse Hotel, which has bike night the same time..... its generally a much more civilized and diverse crowd there.... generally we will head down there a few times during the summer.....

 

[garauld]

Me thinks a movie of that show would be humorous...

 

[Warpdrv]

Me thinks a movie of that show would be humorous...

Yeah - I got my fill already, one time a year is more then I'm capable of tolerating the older I get.....

I will say, all the people there are decent people and I have never seen any skirmishes or ill will..... Just groups of people that share the same - ahhh lets call it love, albeit misguided....

 

[Yroundrdn]

awesome video!

Ya came from the cruiser and cannot believe I waited so long. The other day I was riding with my boss, we traded for a few miles. His "cool bar-bike" just wasn't working for me. I was fighting through each turn, acceleration sucked and I just didn't feel safe on it. I got back on my bike and it was like I would think and she would move, perfect riding machine and mine is an old stock FJR. I was shocked at the difference and glad to be on the FJR.

 

[Gitbox]

I went to a predominately Harley gathering once and parked next to a guy just getting off his big Harley. I took off my helmet, smiled and said "what a great day for a ride". He just glared at me, then my bike, and turned and walked away. Nice.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

You cannot blame the machines for the actions of the riders. I have ridden with Harley riders that could and did ride their bikes well. I have had good conversations with Harley riders I met on the road. You never know who you are going to meet out on the road.

I would not want my Harley riding cousin or my Harley riding friends to ride with me when I follow my friend hppants around twisty roads. On the other hand I would not want hppants with me when I am riding with my Harley friends. I get myself into the right mindset for the ride I am taking, whatever that may be.

A couple of examples of HDs playing well with FJRs:

 

[Gitbox]

I did not mean to say ALL Harley riders are like that, but it seems like quite a few are.

I ran out of gas once on a back road and a guy stopped to help. He drove back home, got a gas can and dumped in a gallon or so to get me back on the road. He was a Harley guy and a real nice one at that.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Yeah, I think we all get it: It's not the bike, but the bike RIDER. Too many H-Ds in the Dunwoody area are ridden by affluent guys who want to wear the bad boy brand for two or three hours on the weekend. Their typical RTE is 30 minutes.

I separate them from the H-D real riders by asking about where they've ridden recently. Anything over 70 miles away is the threshold. Of course, you also have to ask if they did it as an overnight trip ......

 

[Gitbox]

One last story: I was filling up my old Kawasaki ZG1000 and a couple fully decked out Harley guys were at the adjacent pump. They came over and commented about my nice looking bike and then noticed the odometer. It had 27K miles on it. They said "Wow! That's a lot of mileage." I told them the odometer had already tripped 100K so they were actually looking at 127K on my bike. They looked at each other in amazement and said "I didn't know a bike could go that many miles."

Precious.

 

[TalonChief]

I have 2 HDs and the FJR. Interestingly, the size of my schlong didn't change with the acquisition of any of them.

 

[Big Sky]

I've always assumed the constant throttle twisting at lights and stop signs was because the big hogs won't idle. I've also noticed, when I very rarely get behind one on the open road, they are ON the throttle or OFF the throttle.: bra-a-a-p-p-p ... bla-a-a-t-t-t. Don't they run at a steady throttle opening? I thought that's what "cruising" is. Many seem childish, dressing up like pirates (I'm sure we look equally ridiculous to them, dressed as spacemen), and insecure about their manhood. Some, I think, see themselves as "the last true cowboys." Or are bored professionals "out for a weekend of designer rebellion."

ON THE OTHER HAND... Some of my good friends ride H-D and they are decent, real, people and what you see is what you get, though I'm still dubious about actual riding skill. I have met some great folks out on their hogs, some riding L-D. I, too, had an H-D guy go fetch gasoline for me when I'd gone dry (don't ask). I went to Sturgis last year (another long story) and I wasn't ridiculed or given any shit - just ignored, which was fine with me. I felt like Catholic showing up for the Mecca Hajj, trying to fly below the radar.

 

[bluesdog]

I've always assumed the constant throttle twisting at lights and stop signs was because the big hogs won't idle. I've also noticed, when I very rarely get behind one on the open road, they are ON the throttle or OFF the throttle.: bra-a-a-p-p-p ... bla-a-a-t-t-t. Don't they run at a steady throttle opening? I thought that's what "cruising" is. Many seem childish, dressing up like pirates (I'm sure we look equally ridiculous to them, dressed as spacemen), and insecure about their manhood. Some, I think, see themselves as "the last true cowboys." Or are bored professionals "out for a weekend of designer rebellion."
ON THE OTHER HAND... Some of my good friends ride H-D and they are decent, real, people and what you see is what you get, though I'm still dubious about actual riding skill. I have met some great folks out on their hogs, some riding L-D. I, too, had an H-D guy go fetch gasoline for me when I'd gone dry (don't ask). I went to Sturgis last year (another long story) and I wasn't ridiculed or given any shit - just ignored, which was fine with me. I felt like Catholic showing up for the Mecca Hajj, trying to fly below the radar.

The throttle blipping at stops is, I think, partially a hold-over from the pre FI days, and in particular during the period when HD was gutted during the AMF era. The engines would commonly idle poorly, and often stall out when coming off idle. The FI Harleys today idle just fine, so that throttle twisting now is simply an attention-seeking affectation, like LOUD pipes & etc.

Most of the Harley riders I encounter around here are just motorcycle enthusiasts who happen to like Harleys, obviously for reasons other than performance, handling and so forth, and most seem to prefer the baggers, with fairly quiet exhaust.

They still tend to be throttle blippers, tho'.

 

[lonerider]

The day the last forest rat committed suicide on my Wing (October 2010), it was two Harley riders that stopped and helped John and I get it up the bank and back on the road. No way we could have managed it ourselves (me with a torn rotator cuff). I'll be forever grateful to those two. I've met all kinds on Harleys, same as any other brand.

 

[palerider]

Just cause they're motorcycle idiots doesn't necessarily mean they aren't nice people.

 

[Fly Bye]

I own both , a HD Road King and the FJR. Over the years I have had the privilege to own several brands of motorcycles and I have learned to enjoy each of them for what they were/are.

Like some I am not brand loyal I just enjoy the sport of riding. Motorcycles like people have their individual personalities and that is part of the fun.

The Road King and the FJR certainly have different personalities.

Some days I want to take the Road King out and enjoy the beautiful scenery Idaho has to offer. Other Days I enjoy riding the same roads with the FJR.

The sport of motorcycle riding offers us many choices, so why would I want to limit myself.

As I have stated before, ride for the sport not the brand.

 

[Gitbox]

I bought my FJR from a Harley dealership and I must say they treated me very well as a customer - even though I wasn't buying a "real" motorcycle as they jokingly put it. I wish the other dealerships in the area were as good to their customers.

My bike was a trade in that they hid in the back so no one would have to see it. I only found it at the bottom of the last page of pre-owned trade-ins on their web site. Funny, too, that the head sales guy rides a Gold Wing which he parks behind the building.