HD are safer!!!

[PapaUtah]

Average yearly mileage on a Harley-Davidson™ is 1,500 miles per year. The lowest of any manufacturer including KTM...

 

[xcsp]

I like Radman's quote at the bottom of his posts:

98% of all Harleys ever sold are still on the road. The other 2% made it home.

 

[Luke]

My neighbor has ridden his Harley twice in the last three years! But he starts it up about once a month and wipes it down and makes sure it shines really nice. I think it is a very safe garage ornament!

But to be fair, another neighbor rides his to work almost every day.

 

[TWILKIN650]

We had a toy run NW of Houston yesterday and I'm sure thousands of the Harley Faithful attended and brought toys out for a good cause. Great waves of local clubs were headed out my local freeway to the run and I came up along side a springer rider and his pillion in a line of maybe a hundred bikes. It was "coolish" this weekend in the mid 40's and the pillion had her leather jacket pulled up over her head in an effort to stay warm. I expect she had been dragged to this event by her warmer dressed rider and was thinking better of it after 50 or 60 miles into the ride. I felt sorry for her, with my knees grasping the tank of my warm '05 FJR. I'm not sure she was any safer than her helmetless rider with her leather "helmet" zipped up over her head. Also observed was a dresser pulling a trailer holding a bicycle made up as a Harley, complete with handlebar fringe and concho bags. Bless these folks, they are really into this event and I'm sure some kids are the better for it.

Best time of the year to ride an FJR in the Greater Houston area, and I even have dropped the electric vest into the bags, just in case it drops below 30.

 

[FJRMGM]

of course HD's are safer - slower is always safer!!

HD - what other company can pack so much 20th century technology into a bike built in the 21st century?

 

[PapaUtah]

Not so safe Harley-Davidson™…

The Monterey County Coroner's Division has identified the victim of a fatal accident in Salinas on Saturday.

Investigators said that around 2 p.m. Cydney Casper, 51, of Salinas, was riding her Harley-Davidson™ motorcycle south on Davis Road near Hitchcock Road, where another driver pulled into her path.

Another unsafe Harley-Davidson™…

A 53-year-old man was killed this afternoon while riding his Harley-Davidson™ motorcycle on Dundee Drive in South San Francisco with a fellow motorcyclist, according to a statement released by the South San Francisco Police Department.

The man collided with his 54-year-old friend, riding a separate Harley-Davidson™, at 3:45 p.m. and the two men were ejected onto the roadway.

Speed, booze and Harley-Davidson™ motorcycles don’t mix well…

Speed and alcohol were factors in a deadly crash that killed a 52-year-old Big Island man last night.

Just after seven at the intersection of Walua and Lunapule roads in Kailua-Kona, Police say Mark Bucholz lost control of his 2007 Harley-Davidson™ motorcycle, crossed the centerline and hit an embankment. He was rushed to Kona Community Hospital where he later died.

Police say Bucholz was not wearing a helmet. (Who would have imagined a Harley-Davidson™ rider riding like that???)

Obviously the pipes were not Genuine Harley-Davidson™ Screamin Eagle™…

A biker was killed Monday night when his Harley-Davidson™ collided with a big rig, sheriff's deputies said Tuesday.

The rider was headed south on Dillion Road, just north of Interstate 10, at about 6 p.m. when he collided with a northbound tractor-trailer whose driver was turning in front of the Harley-Davidson™, according to the sheriff's department.

One hot Harley-Davidson™…

The two people who died in a fiery motorcycle crash on a road in Felton late Friday were identified today as a Capitola woman and a Santa Cruz man. The coroner's office identified the pair as 46-year-old Joan Vaughan and 49-year-old Jerry Randel.

The pair died on Mount Hermon Road when one of them lost control of the new Harley-Davidson™ motorcycle they were riding as they sped up to a curve. The Harley-Davidson™ slid under a gas tanker truck with a loaded fuel tank sparking a fire, the California Highway Patrol said Saturday.

Officers are unsure of exactly how fast the motorcycle was going as the pair went past Graham Hill Road about 11:30 p.m., heading east on Mount Hermon. (We know it is very unlikely they were going faster than a 100mph)

They also aren't sure whether Randel or Vaughan was driving the bike. But the CHP said the Harley-Davidson™ was going “at a speed too great to negotiate the turn.” (Harley-Davidson™ motorcycles don’t turn well???)

The Harley-Davidson™ slammed onto its side, slid across the solid double yellow lines directly into the rear set of double axles on the gas truck's trailer, authorities said. Vaughan and Randel died on the road. The 2006 Harley-Davidson™ was dragged by a truck until it burst into flames.

Can’t you hear my pipes ricer boy???...

Russell Wellbrock, 46, of San Jose, died after his Harley-Davidson™ collided with a Mitsubishi 3000 GT on Evelyn Avenue, just east of Wolfe Road.

According to Lt. David Pitts, both the motorcycle and the Mitsubishi were heading west on Evelyn when the Mitsubishi started to make a U-turn. Wellbrock's Harley-Davidson™ broadsided the car.

Off ramps are apparently too sharp for Harley-Davidson™ motorcycles to negotiate…

Paul Reyes Jr. was on his Harley-Davidson™ around 10:30 p.m. Thursday when he exited southbound Loop 410 and turned onto southbound Interstate 37, police said. Reyes was going too fast, they said, and lost control, hitting the guardrail. Reyes was not wearing a helmet and suffered fatal head trauma. (Another helmetless knuckle-dragger???)

My plastic beanie helmet will save me though…not…

A 39-year-old township resident died Thursday afternoon after he lost control of his Harley-Davidson™ on Butterfly Road and crashed into a tree, police said. Police said he was wearing a helmet but that it was not approved by the state Department of Transportation. (Helmets are approved by Federal DOT but apparently he selected the Dummy Out Travelling approved helmet.)

Anthony Licciardello was riding his 2006 Harley-Davidson™ southbound on Butterfly but lost control on a large curve in the roadway, causing the Harley-Davidson™ to leave the road and hit the tree, police said.

Yep, Harley-Davidson™, safest bikes on the road…

 

[chickey191]

Can't be safer if the 1500 to 2000 miles per year are between pubs.

I had a boss who spent a ton of money hopping up his HD. pipes, jets, piston work - a lot of money.

We were at a bike week thing (I was riding a Valkyrie at the time) and he put his bike on the dyno. Came out to something like (don't quote me as I don't exactly remember) - 6 or 8 additional horsepower and a decline in torque from stock.

I didn't say much to him, but put my valk on the dyno about an hour later. next day on his office door was the results of my dyno run - and my stock bike just blew him away. He was soooooo pissed.

On the other hand - HD's aren't all that bad any more on the reliability front IF you keep them stock. Ok they have dad some bearing issues and some seem to come out of the factory with pretty twisted frames - but they don't leak as near as much as they used to and are capable of being a pretty reliable mount and even (some) pretty comfortable. A couple even half way handle, though they would never be considered sport bikes. V-Rod has an awesome motor - but what they don't seem to do very well is put all of that in a single package. Road King or Ultra Classic with a VRod motor would be pretty much fun to ride. A Buell that would stay together and not be re-called every week would be fun to ride.

If I had an unlimited budget and a big enough garage I certainly would have some butt jewelry (HD) in my garage, if only for a Sunday ride to nowhere or other non-serious ride or to give me something to work on if I had the time. They really are nice looking bikes.

However - if I wanted to ride.... there is a pretty long list of other choices that I would pursue. More exotic certainly, probably have a touring choice - sport choice - dirt choice - dual sport choice - bike night show off "look at me" bike - and then I'd get around to some kind of HD - though I would probably go for some old school chopper. At least if it is just for riding around the block it ought to be something cool. I always liked Dennis Hopper's bike in Easy Rider - at least it had some room for some rear seat ornamentation.

 

[Bounce]

are you saying you secretly want to hook up with jack nickolson?

 

[dcarver]

You guys are just as bigoted against Harleys as my Harley buds are bigoted about all you j*&p crap rice burner riders. Pretty ******* sad. They both have engines, they both have two wheels, they both put smiles on the riders faces, albeit for different reasons. My 91 UltraClassic has more miles (+130k) than most all you FJR owners and has never broke down, left me stranded nor leaked oil. It still looks and runs great, original engine/tranny. How many of you FJR guys have more than 130k on your steeds? Or even more than 50k, realizing the FJR has only been available since 2003.

I say if it motors down the road and has two wheels, I have more in common with that guy or gal than any cage driver so I will wave like a parade princess and enjoy the moment of seeing or riding with them. Whatever floats your motorcycling boat is just fine with me. Apologies for the rant, but sometime the HD bashing just gets freakin old. This group is supposed to be better educated and less biased; stooping down to bashing level serves no good purpose and demeans the entire FJR community. IMHO of course.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

<snip>You guys are just as bigoted against Harleys as my Harley buds are bigoted about all you j*&p crap rice burner riders. Pretty ******* sad. Apologies for the rant, but sometime the HD bashing just gets freakin old. This group is supposed to be better educated and less biased; stooping down to bashing level serves no good purpose and demeans the entire FJR community.

Apologies accepted -- does that mean you're taking back what you said? Please don't include me in a group of "better educated and less biased" riders -- are FJR riders some sort of "elite"? And, for sure, don't assume I have anything in common with doo rag wearing, open pipe blasting, bad-ass morons -- that is demeaning. That *whole element* (H-D/custom/chopper/etc) is demeaning to motorcycling. JMHO, of course.

 

[Mike-H]

dcarver for mileage comparisons....check out the European sites,....as for HD bashing....I believe the HD boys started it when the bikes (HD) were 1st built (almost predating the dinosaur :lol: )....you know what they say "Whats good for the goose....is good for the gander"....NISM.....(need I say more) ....

 

[mdisher]

Actually, I think HDs are a great model for what's wrong with America.
Inferior technology, build quality, performance (however you want to define) and reliability. But you gotta love 'em for the "image." GREAT MARKETING!

Ding Ding Ding!

You don't have to have a great product, you just have to know how to market it.

Ron Popeil has proved this time and time again https://www.ronco.com/

Microsoft is a Marketing Machine, as is Apple (no I'm not bashing either, but both has some **** products successful only becaue of marketing).

 

[SkooterG]

You guys are just as bigoted against Harleys as my Harley buds are bigoted about all you j*&p crap rice burner riders. Pretty ******* sad. They both have engines, they both have two wheels, they both put smiles on the riders faces, albeit for different reasons. My 91 UltraClassic has more miles (+130k) than most all you FJR owners and has never broke down, left me stranded nor leaked oil. It still looks and runs great, original engine/tranny. How many of you FJR guys have more than 130k on your steeds? Or even more than 50k, realizing the FJR has only been available since 2003.
I say if it motors down the road and has two wheels, I have more in common with that guy or gal than any cage driver so I will wave like a parade princess and enjoy the moment of seeing or riding with them. Whatever floats your motorcycling boat is just fine with me. Apologies for the rant, but sometime the HD bashing just gets freakin old. This group is supposed to be better educated and less biased; stooping down to bashing level serves no good purpose and demeans the entire FJR community. IMHO of course.

+1 Well said.

Except for the "This group is supposed to be better educated and less biased" part. It has been proven time and time again that riders of FJRs, though a generally a bit more mature in age can be just as pathetic in their motorcycle bigotry as any other group out there.

Oh gee, it's another Harley bashing thread. What fun.

 

[PapaUtah]

At the current rate I am piling up mileage on my FJR(I live in the snow belt, that equals short riding season) I will amass 161,696 miles in the same period as you put 130K on the Harley-Davidson™.

That said, I am impressed with 130K on a 15 year old Harley-Davidson™. 8,600 miles a year on one of those rattle traps is way above the median for average yearly mileage on a Harley-Davidson™. Definitely a tail event for a Harley-Davidson™. I am assuming you have never had the motor opened up? No top end work? If so, you may be in possession of one of the rarest Harley-Davidson™ motorcycles on the planet. (I am assuming you have some un-baffeld Screamin' Chicken™ pipes and at least a Stage I or II kit on it to "really open it up" so you can feel all that "grunt" down low and wring out all 67hp from the beast!)

I saw a story of a guy with over 350,000 miles on his Harley-Davidson™. I was intrigued at first, until I heard the rest of his story. He was on the 4th engine, 3rd tranny, the bike had been rebuilt completely about 5 times in that period. Big effing deal! But I would expect nothing less from the Milwaukee faithful.

Their stock has been on a tear again the past 6 months though. Up 40% since July.

Ahh, Harley-Davidson™ :lazy: :lazy2: :lazy3:

 

[chickey191]

are you saying you secretly want to hook up with jack nickolson?

nope - just saying that Billy was looking pretty cool on that bike -

Nicholson, however looked like a dweeb wearing that football helmet.

Ever notice in the movie that they rarely were riding fast enough to even get their hair to move. I read somewhere that most of it was filmed at about 10 mph. Neither of them knew how to ride a bike before the filming started.

and no -- I would have something a little prettier than Jack on the back.

 

[krashdragon]

Actually, I think HDs are a great model for what's wrong with America.
Inferior technology, build quality, performance (however you want to define) and reliability. But you gotta love 'em for the "image." GREAT MARKETING!

And, I've never seen an HD rider wear a helmet other than the useless skullcap variety.

I wear a fullface helmet. Got three of them, actually.

And a half helmet.

sorry, I dont' fit the mage... I got my Harley cause my V*1100 did not fit me at all.

My Softail Deuce does. It runs pretty good, too.

It's not a sport-tourer.

It' a ride thru the country and look at the scenery kind of bike.

I can actually ride my H-D slow enuf to look at scenery.... my FJR, OTOH... <G>

mary

 

[dcarver]

Actually, I think HDs are a great model for what's wrong with America.

Inferior technology, build quality, performance (however you want to define) and reliability. But you gotta love 'em for the "image." GREAT MARKETING!

And, I've never seen an HD rider wear a helmet other than the useless skullcap variety.

I wear a fullface helmet. Got three of them, actually.

And a half helmet.

sorry, I dont' fit the mage... I got my Harley cause my V*1100 did not fit me at all.

My Softail Deuce does. It runs pretty good, too.

It's not a sport-tourer.

It' a ride thru the country and look at the scenery kind of bike.

I can actually ride my H-D slow enuf to look at scenery.... my FJR, OTOH... <G>

mary

EXACTLY Mary.. both brands put a smile on the face of the rider.. for very different reasons. The FJR runs like a rocket, handles on a rail, and has velcro brakes. All of which is needed for the speed it can generate. The Harley, OTOH, generates a much more leisurely sp? ride.. The feel of the big V-twin, the torque, no FJR can match the low end locomotive power, and just, well, the freakin' ease of the ride. To me, I couldn't imagine living without either of them... and, matter of fact, if I had to choose, the Fjr would be sold before my Harley. Even though I ride the FJR more, and it is, in so many way, a superior motorcycle... the Harley will stay.. and you are right... we both don't fit the HD 'stereotype'. I ride the HD with texttile, full face (mx helmets from 1991 to 2004), and the HD guyz don't get me either... which is OK.. Like I said in an earlier post..if it has two wheels and an engine, I'm good with it..Good to hear that others on the board appreciate the beauty of diversity.