Driving habits of rural folk

[defranks]

I have a few bikes, including a Harley 1200 Sportster. It's a very good bike; way, WAY better than the old shovelhead I bought new in 1980. The shovelhead was slow and I actually lost a muffler from vibration one night. The sporty is reasonably quick, smooth, and runs like a top with minimal maintenance. I have a big BMW, too, and love both those bikes for road trips. I did have to change front and rear springs and the shocks on the HD, and after the first ride I took the seat off and burned it. (Not really, I sold it, but I considered using it for a bon-fire.)
I agree about the loud pipes, though, and can't stand them on my own bikes, and I don't see the point. A lot of HD riders go for open pipes, which actually hurt power everywhere but at wide open throttle. 5030: I'd love to own a Norton. Which model do you have? I came within an inch of buying an Interstate back in 78 just before I got out of the Corps. I keep looking for the "right" deal. I love those old Triumphs, too. Heck, I love most any bike! I've owned a couple of KLR's, a 600 and a 650 and wouldn't mind having another.
BTW, the prices of HD are in-line with other premium bikes. Go take a look at the price of a premium Ducati, BMW, or even a Honda Goldwing. They're all stupid expensive. When I started riding bikes were the cheap way for a poor boy to get on wheels. My first bike was an RD-350 and I paid $800 bucks for it at the dealer with a crappy helmet tossed in to the deal.

 

[5030]

1967 P11A Scrambler in mint (restored professionally) condition. You have to be a 'real man' to start it. Kickstart lever is all of 7" long. The oil in frame (Metisse) model. Kind of wish Kenny Dreer made good on his Norton reincarnation idea. Would have bought one just to have. Sadly, that fell through.

I own a Triumph Rocket3 too. 150+ mph dresser if you have a death wish. I don't. Have a whole climate controlled shop full of bikes. No Hardley's though.

 

[3930dave]

I'd kill for a Kenny Roberts edition....

I remember an article in a mag back when...... story starts off with an MC rider dying - enters heaven and hears a bike tearing up a track - sees who's on it and says to an angel "Bad enough I died, but what's Kenny Roberts doing here ?" Answer came back "Don't Worry, that's just God - he thinks he's Kenny Roberts".

King Kenny :thumbsup:

Rgds, D.

 

[defranks]

That's a goodun! I see that a KR RZ-350 just sold on eBay for a whopping $14K.

 

[MossRoad]

Not certain about in your area, but we have these things called gas stations, and generally they have a restroom in them Actually I used one last night when I took the one boy for some driving.

Michigan Gas Station Restroom

Google that. It's a horror movie even compared to Walmart.

 

[MossRoad]

"Back in the 80's I used to drag race my Yamaha RD400 at a local strip. "

I was road-racing an RD-350 in the very early 80's. It was fast, but it shed parts like crazy and I changed a lot of pistons right there at the track. Went on to TZ's, and have owned several RD400's. I have a 1989 RD350 (Canadian-spec RZ) in my barn right now.

The only time I destroyed it was when that little black plastic tube where your throttle cable comes down from your twist grip and pulls a disk that has the cables from the carbs in it got soft from the heat and warped. When the engine cooled down, it hardened warped. The next time I kick started it, the disk in the tube got stuck and kept the throttle wipe open. So the RPMs went from kick to infinity and beyond instantly, as they say. KICK! then SCREAMING! then PING!!! then silence. Scored both pistons instantly. Had to have it bored out and new pistons/rings. Did about $300 in damage in parts. But hey, I won $15 coming in 1st that day at the track!!! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

I'd kill for a Kenny Roberts edition....

Someone brought one to the drag strip. They were looking at my 400 and giving me lip, etc... I smoked him. He was very disappointed, as were his buddies and girlfriend. (On a road course I'm sure it would have out-handled my RD400 easily) He couldn't break 13. After the 3rd beating he became civilized and once I showed him all the mods I had to do to the bike to get down under 12 he understood. Kinda like when people showed me how to mod mine. :laughing:

As I recall (it's been a long time), I put on expansion chambers, larger carbs, the heads were cut down, lightened reed valves, removed the oil injection pump, took 2 teeth off the front sprocket and had wheelie bars! About the only things more I could have done were porting, lightening the crankshaft, and an air shifter. I think I had more in parts than I paid for the bike. Got all of the stuff from Spec II in Burbank and put it all together myself. The bike cost $600 used in the early 80's. I still have it in a storage shed in little pieces. I may put it back together in a few years just for fun.

 

[MossRoad]

I do recall one Harley that came to the strip. It was heavily modified. The thing had fuel lines the size of my finger. Wheelie bars. Air shifter, etc... Guy takes off and runs something like an 8.7!!

Comes back and says he ran out of fuel 3/4 of the way down AND blew his rear tire.

That was impressive. :thumbsup:

 

[JethroB]

Michigan Gas Station Restroom

Google that. It's a horror movie even compared to Walmart.

Yeah the days of Clean Restrooms at most service or convenience stores are gone, if there ever was such. Fast food places are my choice for a pit stop. But we pointers are not as picky as the setters. die::dog:

Old and now politically incorrect joke: A couple of fellows of xxxx descent were driving from NYC to Miami. They kept passing billboards saying Clean Restrooms Here. By the time they reached Florida they had cleaned 378 of them.

 

[defranks]

The guy from Spec II (Gary Shumake, I think) ported the cylinders and built the crank of my road-racing RZ-350. I bought carbs and pipes from him, too, and that bike ripped. It was at least as fast as the 750's of that time, and it handled better. I have a set of pristine Spec II pipes hanging in the barn. Eventually I'm going to find a dyno and run them back-to-back with the Tommey pipes I have on the bike now. Herr Juggs from San Diego did the porting on my 89. He calls it "Race Porting", but it's really street performance porting.