Harley's don't ride with "jap bikes"... they just watch the taillights grow smallerrrrrrrrrr.
The FJR can't cruise
- Thread starter BrunDog
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bagmanhd1
Member
As one who owns and enjoyes both a Harley (04 Electra Glide Standard with a full Screamin' Eagle 95" kit) and an 07 FJR, you have to say that they are two completely different motorcycles, but equally fun. Just different. I love a fast sport cruise to a small B&B for the weekend, or riding to Sturgis on the hog wearing a do-rag (under my helmet).
If it's on 2 wheels, and the wheels are primo, then life doesn't get any better no matter how you go.
It's all bikin'
If it's on 2 wheels, and the wheels are primo, then life doesn't get any better no matter how you go.
It's all bikin'
El Gordo
Well-known member
Just blend in with the HDs.....take off your exhaust cans and pull two plug leads.
Prolly still faster?
Prolly still faster?
EasyRider
Well-known member
I rode my new 07 FJR from Connecticut to Loudon, NH this summer for a two track day school. Next I rode the FJR from Loudon, NH to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and then rode back to Connecticut a few days later. I never got sore riding the bike except for the last hour or so of my ride home form Lincoln, NH to Danbury, CT.
The next weekend I went I my first charity benefit ride in CT for Special Olympics. I rode to Farmington on back roads with about 25 Harleys’ lead by a State Police motorcycle escort along with two more local police cars. We arrived in Farmington for the benefit lunch with many other groups that came from several other parts of the state. The entire group totaled up to about 1,695 Harleys, about 4 Japanese cruisers and I think I was on the only sport bike out of the 1,700 bikes there. I had a great time up there. I felt right at home with the Harley crowd and I can’t wait to be able to add a Harley to my motorized toy collection.
But I was miserable riding my FJR1300 with the Harleys. During the 90 minute ride I never got to put my feet down. The Police escorts never let us stop once for the entire 90 minute ride. I was boxed in by the staggered formation of 25 very loud, very slow Harleys. The noise was killing me, my knees were killing me, my legs were cramped and my back stated to get sore. :angry2: My FJR felt like a caged animal, it was screaming to be loose. I almost left the line to let them go ahead with out me.
I was ok with riding the 800 miles up and back to New Hampshire on my FJR, but I was freaking out over the 90 minute ride with the Harleys. Sport bikes and Harleys are like oil and water, they don’t mix.
The ride home from the benefit by my self was fine. I didn’t get sore at all. I rode in the fast lane of I84 at 70 and 80 mph. :yahoo: I passed several groups of very loud Harley riding the first lane on I84. They were all riding in tight formation at about 50 Mph, most in jeans and T-shirts and not one with a helmet on.
When I get a Harley down the road, and I can’t wait to get one or two :clapping: , I’ll certainly enjoy the company of fellow Harley owners. But I will not ride with them again until I have my own 900 lb two wheel tank so I can be comfortable riding at a Harley riding pace. And I’ll be the guy with a real helmet, ear plugs and full leather.
The next weekend I went I my first charity benefit ride in CT for Special Olympics. I rode to Farmington on back roads with about 25 Harleys’ lead by a State Police motorcycle escort along with two more local police cars. We arrived in Farmington for the benefit lunch with many other groups that came from several other parts of the state. The entire group totaled up to about 1,695 Harleys, about 4 Japanese cruisers and I think I was on the only sport bike out of the 1,700 bikes there. I had a great time up there. I felt right at home with the Harley crowd and I can’t wait to be able to add a Harley to my motorized toy collection.
But I was miserable riding my FJR1300 with the Harleys. During the 90 minute ride I never got to put my feet down. The Police escorts never let us stop once for the entire 90 minute ride. I was boxed in by the staggered formation of 25 very loud, very slow Harleys. The noise was killing me, my knees were killing me, my legs were cramped and my back stated to get sore. :angry2: My FJR felt like a caged animal, it was screaming to be loose. I almost left the line to let them go ahead with out me.
I was ok with riding the 800 miles up and back to New Hampshire on my FJR, but I was freaking out over the 90 minute ride with the Harleys. Sport bikes and Harleys are like oil and water, they don’t mix.
The ride home from the benefit by my self was fine. I didn’t get sore at all. I rode in the fast lane of I84 at 70 and 80 mph. :yahoo: I passed several groups of very loud Harley riding the first lane on I84. They were all riding in tight formation at about 50 Mph, most in jeans and T-shirts and not one with a helmet on.
When I get a Harley down the road, and I can’t wait to get one or two :clapping: , I’ll certainly enjoy the company of fellow Harley owners. But I will not ride with them again until I have my own 900 lb two wheel tank so I can be comfortable riding at a Harley riding pace. And I’ll be the guy with a real helmet, ear plugs and full leather.
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clubber
Active member
I have ridden with a couple of Harley guys for three years now and all was fine. I was on my old concours and they kept up pretty well. I got the FJR and ride it what seems mellower to me but now they are saying I ride like a wildman. I have to admit, they go BORINGLY SLOW as of late. I'd sure like it if they "saw the light" but I guess that's not gonna happen. Oh well, my kid rides an SV-650 and we have fun then wait for them at the next view area.
[SIZE=12pt]Recalibrate[/SIZE]
I get together every year for a week or so of going somewhere with a few of my Harley buds. This year it was touring the NW coast. And while we're all riding on two wheels, I find I have to "recalibrate" my riding style at the beginning of each trip.
For example, along Hwy 101 in Northern California there are some gentle sweepers with "caution 50 mph" signs, and I was in the lead, but they seemed to be lagging a bit. At the first rest stop after that stretch of roadway, one Harley rider who I'd only met that morning commented to another, "Man! I can't believe that we took those turns at 70 mph." The "ding" when off in my head: recalibrate; normal, leisurely FJR cornering can be high pucker factor for some HD bikes. Apparently, they start dragging bits, and they really hate to mar the chrome.
[SIZE=12pt]HD Dealerships[/SIZE]
Other than their choice of riding gear, my Harley buds are pretty safety conscious. They don't ride bar to bar; rather, they ride HD dealership to HD dealership. Seems it's part of the culture to collect HD memorabilia (t-shirts, nik-naks, etc), where each dealership has their name on various items of harley-wear. Kind of a "Collect them, trade them with your friends!" sort of thing. I bought my dog an HD chew toy.
[SIZE=12pt]Sunday Riders[/SIZE]
As someone mentioned earlier, one of the "benefits" of riding with a Harley group is that the pace allows you to really soak in the scenery. But it can make for some of the longest 150-mile days you'll ever ride, and for sanity's sake you really have to draw the line somewhere.
Case in point: we'd been chatting at an HD dealership with some other HD riders who happened to be leaving at the same time we were and heading in the same direction. They were a group of about 20 bikes out for a Sunday ride, so we followed them out, and I was trailing the bunch. They hit the highway and began to leisurely cruise at about 10 mph below the 55 speed limit. We were essentially a moving, one-lane road block on a four lane highway.
It was then that I ran into a really scary bit of social engineering or perhaps mind control. My Harley buds were completely cool with this! They were perfectly okay with droning on as part of the flock, as if they were expressing some kind of herd instinct. Now, I like to "smell the roses" with the best of them, but enough is enough.
I pulled out into the next lane and signaled my harley buds to "let's move along already". But there was a very definite, almost tangible resistance to this notion. I could almost hear their thoughts of, "But we like it here. It's sooo comfortable. We belong." I mean it was like pulling teeth! I finally coaxed one of them out of formation and the other of my Harley buds began to follow. I had to creep forward with them very carefully lest they drift back and succumb again to the group consciousness. It was only after we'd put a couple of miles distance between us and that group that the spell seemed to be broken. and I actually had my buds back with me again. It was an uncanny, and scary, demonstration of the power of Harley's social conditioning! (a.k.a. They have one heck of a marketing organization!)
I get together every year for a week or so of going somewhere with a few of my Harley buds. This year it was touring the NW coast. And while we're all riding on two wheels, I find I have to "recalibrate" my riding style at the beginning of each trip.
For example, along Hwy 101 in Northern California there are some gentle sweepers with "caution 50 mph" signs, and I was in the lead, but they seemed to be lagging a bit. At the first rest stop after that stretch of roadway, one Harley rider who I'd only met that morning commented to another, "Man! I can't believe that we took those turns at 70 mph." The "ding" when off in my head: recalibrate; normal, leisurely FJR cornering can be high pucker factor for some HD bikes. Apparently, they start dragging bits, and they really hate to mar the chrome.
[SIZE=12pt]HD Dealerships[/SIZE]
Other than their choice of riding gear, my Harley buds are pretty safety conscious. They don't ride bar to bar; rather, they ride HD dealership to HD dealership. Seems it's part of the culture to collect HD memorabilia (t-shirts, nik-naks, etc), where each dealership has their name on various items of harley-wear. Kind of a "Collect them, trade them with your friends!" sort of thing. I bought my dog an HD chew toy.
[SIZE=12pt]Sunday Riders[/SIZE]
As someone mentioned earlier, one of the "benefits" of riding with a Harley group is that the pace allows you to really soak in the scenery. But it can make for some of the longest 150-mile days you'll ever ride, and for sanity's sake you really have to draw the line somewhere.
Case in point: we'd been chatting at an HD dealership with some other HD riders who happened to be leaving at the same time we were and heading in the same direction. They were a group of about 20 bikes out for a Sunday ride, so we followed them out, and I was trailing the bunch. They hit the highway and began to leisurely cruise at about 10 mph below the 55 speed limit. We were essentially a moving, one-lane road block on a four lane highway.
It was then that I ran into a really scary bit of social engineering or perhaps mind control. My Harley buds were completely cool with this! They were perfectly okay with droning on as part of the flock, as if they were expressing some kind of herd instinct. Now, I like to "smell the roses" with the best of them, but enough is enough.
I pulled out into the next lane and signaled my harley buds to "let's move along already". But there was a very definite, almost tangible resistance to this notion. I could almost hear their thoughts of, "But we like it here. It's sooo comfortable. We belong." I mean it was like pulling teeth! I finally coaxed one of them out of formation and the other of my Harley buds began to follow. I had to creep forward with them very carefully lest they drift back and succumb again to the group consciousness. It was only after we'd put a couple of miles distance between us and that group that the spell seemed to be broken. and I actually had my buds back with me again. It was an uncanny, and scary, demonstration of the power of Harley's social conditioning! (a.k.a. They have one heck of a marketing organization!)
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jmarran
Well-known member
NightShine pretty much perfectly summed up my experiences with my dad and his friends rides. Especially the highway/following traffic part. I have noticed that my dad will sometimes become entranced by the vehicle in front of him and just follow, even if they start going slower than we normally would cruise.
I was on a ride with the 3 HDs and we needed to get on the highway for a bit one day. The guy in front of me at least managed to go the speed limit, but my dad and one other were poking along behind us somewhere. I was pretty much going nuts. When we stopped a bit later my dad and the other "pokey" rider were carrying on about how the cars were all over them, and of course I'm thinking DUH, then stop being a rolling speed-bump.
The best part was when I told my dad I was going to EOM, and he actually started to lecture me about riding on the highways! Still can't get over that.
I was on a ride with the 3 HDs and we needed to get on the highway for a bit one day. The guy in front of me at least managed to go the speed limit, but my dad and one other were poking along behind us somewhere. I was pretty much going nuts. When we stopped a bit later my dad and the other "pokey" rider were carrying on about how the cars were all over them, and of course I'm thinking DUH, then stop being a rolling speed-bump.
The best part was when I told my dad I was going to EOM, and he actually started to lecture me about riding on the highways! Still can't get over that.
Knifemaker
Not me
I've gotten to the point where I just do not like going on any kind of "group ride" anymore.
My freinds that ride are mostly 'crusier' riders, and although most of them do not ride like drugged sheep, they do tend to go a bit slower than I would like. On top of this , I usualy get stuck behind the rider with the aftermarkert pipes, or the one that drilled out his baffles. I'm also not comfortable with having riders of limited experiance around me , or following some loose formation. (The rider behind me seems much to close and I don't like being told what part of the lane to ride in)
I've gone on rides with just a few bikes and found that rather than trying to stick together, we just go over where we are going to and what route we will take, so everyone can go at their own pace...This works much better for me. (so it's not a group ride but more of a group destination..)
The FJR begs you to ride her a certain way, and this is simply "diffrent" than other bikes. Trying to get them all to dance to the same tune is both silly and annoying.
KM
My freinds that ride are mostly 'crusier' riders, and although most of them do not ride like drugged sheep, they do tend to go a bit slower than I would like. On top of this , I usualy get stuck behind the rider with the aftermarkert pipes, or the one that drilled out his baffles. I'm also not comfortable with having riders of limited experiance around me , or following some loose formation. (The rider behind me seems much to close and I don't like being told what part of the lane to ride in)
I've gone on rides with just a few bikes and found that rather than trying to stick together, we just go over where we are going to and what route we will take, so everyone can go at their own pace...This works much better for me. (so it's not a group ride but more of a group destination..)
The FJR begs you to ride her a certain way, and this is simply "diffrent" than other bikes. Trying to get them all to dance to the same tune is both silly and annoying.
KM
sonicspeed
Tennessee Volunteer
this is why i kept my old marauder, with it i can cruise with the harley guys which is not very often. even on my rauder i'm chomping at the bit to go faster and put it thru it's paces. the other group i ride with is a mix of FJR's, sportbikes and cruisers and the lead bike there is a FJR (which means a much faster pace getting places)
wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
Just having been through Thunder Beach here this past week, I was AMAZED at the rolling road blocks formed by groups of 15 or 20 crusiers. Their lane discipline was good, mostly staying on the right, but never faster than 10 under. I couldn't imagine actually trying to ride somewhere with that kind of thinking.
BrunDog
Well-known member
This is the most spot-on post I have even seen on this forum.
You express my sentiments exactly, and said it far better than I even did in the OP. The three facets: Recalibration, Dealerships, and Sunday riders are exactly right!!
Scary on the mind control thing. You ever seen the reverse, when a HD rider gets caught up in a circle of ST riders? They get kind of disinterested, yet fidgety. It is funny to watch!
-BD
painman
Well-known member
Agree with the synopsis of the cruiser pack mentality. Our local CMA chapter usually go on a group ride once a month on the first Saturday after our fellowship breakfast and as with most CMA chapters they ride cruisers and a fast pace is nowhere to be found. Things are slowly changing though in that more sport riders are starting to appear and CMA has actually formed a new "Fast Lane" project where as our type of machines are encouraged to join. The urge to blast away from the pack of cruisers is hard to resist while on the FJR, so as of late I usually ride the Harley and just make peace if riding with the pack. The members who have sport or sport touring machines now are forming our own rides and once again utopia has assimilated in the ranks so time for us is now doable seperate from the cruiser pack. Thank heaven. PM. <><
Bmaxdlux
Member
That's easy.
I do it frequently while in city traffic...
here's the secret. (promise you won't tell?)
Stay in FIRST gear.
SR-71
Well-known member
I'd talk your HD friends into taking a FJR test drive. Then all your friends would be on a FJR. Problem solved!
I agree the FJR isn't a "cruiser". Then again Harley's aren't sport tourers. I ride with mostly sportbikes but sometimes I ride with a group of Harleys. Always seem a bit to slow for me but I enjoy the company so it makes up for it. Most of the time I ride by myself.
wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
Continuing with my Thunder Beach observations of The Cruiser in his (her) natural habitat.
Apparently at high speed (anything over 45) the following conditions occur:
Cigarettes fail to remain lit.
Sunglasses fail to provide sufficient protection to keep wind from watering the eyes.
Do-rag may blow away.
THE brake (the one on the right foot) fails to be sufficiently effective.
Most importantly, the self-perception of being able to BE SEEN by viewers on the roadside is diminished.
It is hypothesized, but not supported by experiment or observation, that vibration in the equipment becomes too severe.
Apparently at high speed (anything over 45) the following conditions occur:
Cigarettes fail to remain lit.
Sunglasses fail to provide sufficient protection to keep wind from watering the eyes.
Do-rag may blow away.
THE brake (the one on the right foot) fails to be sufficiently effective.
Most importantly, the self-perception of being able to BE SEEN by viewers on the roadside is diminished.
It is hypothesized, but not supported by experiment or observation, that vibration in the equipment becomes too severe.
sonicspeed
Tennessee Volunteer
LMAO sunday i got hit by a flying cig. butt thrown from a slow moving H-D........would have FJR'd his a@# but traffic conditions kept him safe
