New Toro Recycler Walk Behind - Experiences?

[Kevin_in_VA]

Whew, talk about going downhill . . . you have my sympathy. Besides the 50cc scooter I bought for my younger daughter when she was 15, I had a 400cc Honda, a 650 Silver Wing, and a 1200 Gold Wing ('85 Aspencade which was the finest bike I ever rode).

The Harley is a 98% original 1952 Panhead.

 

[Joe1]

Kevin:

What a nice looking ride. Stopping that with the skinny from drum brake must be interesting when your in extremis. Did they have an electric starter? As I recall that didn't come out until the shovelheads in the mid to late 60's. Keep the rubber side down and enjoy a beautiful touring bike. How many miles on the Harley?

Someone in 10 years will decide that Xenoy causes cancer in lawn grass or some other darn fool thing.

Sounds like if you're mowing a half acre with a 21 inch mower you put a lot of hours on the engine. You might be better off with a modern Honda engine which would last a long time and be more fuel efficient.

I'm surprised how much gas my 6 hp Briggs uses. I only trim around a 2/3 acre parcel divided into three sections and it uses about a third to a half a tank each time. A small tank but it still seems like a lot of fuel. My Briggs which is probably 5 years old is oil tight and seems to not burn any at all.

 

[Joe1]

Huckleberry Bird: Did you get your grandson to whitewash your fence as well?

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

Kevin:

What a nice looking ride. Stopping that with the skinny from drum brake must be interesting when your in extremis. Did they have an electric starter? As I recall that didn't come out until the shovelheads in the mid to late 60's. Keep the rubber side down and enjoy a beautiful touring bike. How many miles on the Harley?

Yeah it's a kick start. Only takes about 6 (on average) to get it started. Yeah stopping is an adventure, just got to anticipate a little more that you would think. Other than that, it's a fun ride. You should see the looks I get from the folks riding the new Harleys. I'd say there are about 250K plus miles on it, incredibly low for a 55yr old bike. I have most of the service records. Funny thing is that my step father bought it brand new and then sold it to a friend about 20yrs later. I ended up buying it from that friend's son after my step dad died a couple of years back. Kind of redeeming a family heirloom so to speak.

Sounds like if you're mowing a half acre with a 21 inch mower you put a lot of hours on the engine. You might be better off with a modern Honda engine which would last a long time and be more fuel efficient.

I wouldn't say I was mowing a whole "half acre." If you measure the overall area of my yard it works out to that, but within that there is a water garden, several flower and plant beds, and a gazebo. It may be less than 1/3 acre that I'm actually mowing.

 

[Joe1]

I remember around the late 1960's or early 1970's or so, I watched an LAPD motorofficer on a Harley 74 roll up to a stalled car, put the front fender of the bike on the rear bumper of the car and push it out of an intersection. It was 4,000+ lb Chrysler he moved.

I've got a 1975 Honda CD 750-5 which I've kicked started a few times. It took some effort, of course I wasn't wearing size 42 Fat clothes in those days either.

Let us know what you decide on the mower. Buying from a reputable dealer may be best in the long run.

 

[Bird]

Yep, Kevin, that's a beauty for riding around the neighborhood just for fun. The Gold Wing is, of course, much better for transportation and long trips.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

I remember around the late 1960's or early 1970's or so, I watched an LAPD motorofficer on a Harley 74 roll up to a stalled car, put the front fender of the bike on the rear bumper of the car and push it out of an intersection. It was 4,000+ lb Chrysler he moved.

I've got a 1975 Honda CD 750-5 which I've kicked started a few times. It took some effort, of course I wasn't wearing size 42 Fat clothes in those days either.

Let us know what you decide on the mower. Buying from a reputable dealer may be best in the long run.

I was a California Highway Patrol motor officer from 1977 until 1982. We were using Kawasaki KZ900's back then. Normally a fast bike, but when you add all the duty gear you can only do about 120, and the front end floated too much for my liking. I think they are using BMW R 1150's now, a much more balanced and capable bike. One of the main reasons California bought them is because BMW is the only major motorcycle manufacturer to offer catalytic converters on their bikes.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

Yep, Kevin, that's a beauty for riding around the neighborhood just for fun. The Gold Wing is, of course, much better for transportation and long trips.

I'll have to agree with you on that. I reserve the Harley for perfect days, parades, shows, and other special events. My main mode of transportation is my F-250.

 

[Bird]

I was a California Highway Patrol motor officer from 1977 until 1982

Then I guess you were no longer there when Harley sold the CHP a bunch of bikes cheap, with the new "Evolution" motors, just to try to break back into the police business, after losing nearly all the police business to Kawasaki in the '70s.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

Then I guess you were no longer there when Harley sold the CHP a bunch of bikes cheap, with the new "Evolution" motors, just to try to break back into the police business, after losing nearly all the police business to Kawasaki in the '70s.

I believe that was late 80's early 90's wasn't it?