What is it with Harley Davidsons ?

[Waterpilot]

Still, those things i see a lot of "cruiser" bikers wear are not safe at all. Hell, on Sunday i got a rock hit my windshield and crack it. If i didn't have a windshield, I'd have a hole in my face. Same idea with bikes.

Yeah ummm... It doesn't work like that. I've been hit in the face many times and have never had a "hole in my face." Stick to what you know.

It is funny that loud pipes and half helmets have been brought up by those that don't ride Harleys in a thread that has nothing to do with any of it though...

 

[jordy_on_bass]

Same reason they wear this for a helmet:

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Those will keep your brains in nice condition even after they separate from your body.

Why? to answer this question, i did yahoo answer search.

"The reason I only wear a half helmet (other than a helmet is required in CA) is because I know my Harley is only about half as fast a sport bike. Therefore I know I will never hit the ground as hard as those losers would." - i hit ground so much softer then you, LOSER! Follow me and grow some fat roles on your head!

"The half helmt has it's roots in the mandatory helmet laws, which the vast majority of us oppose. Don't get me wrong, we are not all opposed to helmets, we are only opposed to being told we have to. There is a Motorcycle Rights Organization called ABATE, American Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments. It was started in 1973 by Easy Rider Magazine. There are now ABATE groups in each of the 50 states, and many chapters in each state. Now a days we deal wtih lots more than just the helmet issue but that is where we got our roots." Damn the man for trying to protect the stupid.

"Full face helmets are dangerous." Sure are...

"Because they have faith that their loud pipes will save their lives." Yep.

This has me slightly bewildered...in Australia, you are required to wear a helmet. In every state. No exceptions.

IMO, wearing a helmet on a bike isn't a matter of choice or rights, it seem's to be more common-sense. I have a friend who died in April after coming off a little dirt bike with no helmet on. I came off a bike once doing only about 40mph, my helmet cracked and shattered into a few pieces

I walked away with no injuries, couldn't say it would have been them same if I had no helmet.

 

[Spaceboy1980]

They are very efficient at what they do, turning gasoline into noise without the side effect of horsepower.

Honda ftw!

 

[kserg]

Yeah ummm... It doesn't work like that. I've been hit in the face many times and have never had a "hole in my face." Stick to what you know.

I've been hit in my hand with a rock going 70, it made my hand bleed, but that was in a car with hand hanging out from a windows. I've also got hit the the face with a rock when doing some off-roading on a bike, i was not going fast but it hurt pretty good. Maybe your face is made our of a different material then me... Superface!

But you know, I'll stick to what i know. Enjoying not eating bugs when i go places.

 

[Pilgrim]

Motorcycles are kinda fun, but I have a 6-inch steel plate in my left shin after getting hit from behind by a guy doing about 50 MPH.

I came THIS close to losing the leg, and I have a helmet at home with a strip of paint and fiberglass peeled off it from the eyebrows all the way to the nape of the neck. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet my head would have split open like a raw egg.

After that, I decided the smarter way for me to travel was to keep a car's sheet metal wrapped around me. And I have now followed that rule for 45 years.

I'm not even fond of riding a bicycle near traffic. They win, you lose. I'm real big on using sidewalks or anything else (legal or not) to stay away from traffic on a bicycle. I'll gladly pay the ticket if cited for riding on a sidewalk.

 

[Marial]

See post #50

Moto Guzzi? Give me a break LOL

My Guzzi T3 has nearly 80k miles on it now. I know plenty of folks with Tonti and loop framed bikes with well over 100k miles on them. They're no less reliable than Harleys, especially the models from the last ten years or so. They also, out of the box, handle and brake better than HDs.

Further, I always get a kick out of the nationalistic/xenophobic Harley owners. Where do they think the vast majority of Harley-badged parts are made?

Not here in the USA.

That said, I have nothing against Harley Davidson motorcycles. I've ridden a few and I get why they're enjoyable, even if they're not my thing from either a performance or aesthetic perspective. Personally, I'll ride anything with a motor and two wheels and I find brand-bashing pretty pointless. I've owned everything from a Honda RC30 to a BMW R1150GS to a Triumph Speed Triple SE to my current old Guzzi. They're all different, they're all fun. If Harleys are your thing, get down with your bad self and I'll wave to you on the road if I'm passing the other way.

 

[Waterpilot]

I've been hit in my hand with a rock going 70, it made my hand bleed, but that was in a car with hand hanging out from a windows. I've also got hit the the face with a rock when doing some off-roading on a bike, i was not going fast but it hurt pretty good. Maybe your face is made our of a different material then me... Superface!

But you know, I'll stick to what i know. Enjoying not eating bugs when i go places.

Yeah I was a little heated at some other comments when I wrote the "stick with what you know" comment. It was uncalled for... Sorry about that.

I've been hit numerous times by both rocks and bugs. Rocks hurt much more but, for me, they usually just leave a little red spot and sometimes a small scratch but that just about it. It's more startling then painful though.

 

[kserg]

Yeah I was a little heated at some other comments when I wrote the "stick with what you know" comment. It was uncalled for... Sorry about that.

I've been hit numerous times by both rocks and bugs. Rocks hurt much more but, for me, they usually just leave a little red spot and sometimes a small scratch but that just about it. It's more startling then painful though.

haha, no worries, i figured as much. Sorry for smartass reply. "hole in the face" was exaggeration, but me personally, I'd rather have a full helmet, just because i remember getting hit in the face with a rock going 15mph on some fireroad and going "man, that hurts, good thing i wasn't going 70." I understand it won't kill you, but any kind of discomfort while riding can cause you to loose control. That's the reason i am not a fan of those half helmets.


Don't get me wrong, it's better then no helmet at all. But i don't like it.

 

[Waterpilot]

I understand it won't kill you, but any kind of discomfort while riding can cause you to loose control. That's the reason i am not a fan of those half helmets.


Don't get me wrong, it's better then no helmet at all. But i don't like it.

I suppose it could though it's never happend to me nor have I heard of anyone losing conrtol because they were hit by a rock. Generally it happens so fast that I don't really react at all.

I'm in the wear what you want camp but if we all agreed on everything this would be a boring world...

 

[Pilgrim]

I understand it won't kill you, but any kind of discomfort while riding can cause you to loose control. That's the reason i am not a fan of those half helmets.

Don't get me wrong, it's better then no helmet at all. But i don't like it.

Agreed about the comfort factor. As it happens, the helmet that saved my life (see post up above) was probably the geekiest half-helmet (with fold-down ear flaps) I've ever seen. But it did work!

 

[kserg]

I suppose it could though it's never happend to me nor have I heard of anyone losing conrtol because they were hit by a rock. Generally it happens so fast that I don't really react at all.

I'm in the wear what you want camp but if we all agreed on everything this would be a boring world...

...and that's why i wear this!

 

[bjabass]

I ride an 800 lb Electraglide. I have 83000 miles on it so far. I have had to replace the voltage regulator. I have done 700 miles in a day (not because I like it but it can be done without crippling yourself much).

'Built for comfort, not for speed'.

The three discs on mine will haul it's big butt down slow real fast.

I can put mama and all the stuff she needs for vacation on it and it'll pull it right up the eastern continental divide in 5th gear.

Why do Hyabusa guys like bikes that run 200 mph?

 

[Deleted member 92857]

I ride a 94 Sportster 1200XLH. I bought it a couple of years ago with 7800 miles on it. After I got it past the ill effects of sitting unused (It took a few tanks of gas) and put new tires on it it's run like a top. I like my Harley. I have no tatoos. I probably have a couple of Harley dealer tshirts. Someone gave me a Harley plastic freezer mug. My neice gave me a Harley bass strap for Christmas once. I think that's all the Harley stuff I have.

As for the helmet argument, I wouldn't ride without one. I was a volunteer firefighter for a number of years and all you have to do is work a motor vehicle accident with an open skull injury and if that doesn't convince you to protect your head, then you won't miss the non-functioning gray matter in between your ears when you lose it. It's a matter of fact, in our training for triage situations (multiple injury situations) we were taught that if you see exposed gray matter, "black tag" that patient and move on to the next victim, because chances of saving the patient with exposed brain is pretty slim.

I want all the helmet I can get. Not the knight's helmet, however. I'd like to be able to see more that a tiny slit's worth of my surroundings.

 

[Marial]

The helmet thing is also pretty much a non-starter for me. I wear a full-face every time I ride. 95% of the time I'm also wearing armored two-piece leathers, armored gloves, and dedicated motorcycle boots, the exception being when I'm just toodling around in-town in which case I'll ride in jeans. If it's really hot, which in Seattle is anything over 80F, I might skip the jacket and ride in a t shirt, but again, that's just short rides in town.

Personally, I think riding without at least a DOT-approved half-helmet is akin to attempting suicide, but I would never tell another rider what to wear.

 

[bradjonesbass]

They're all different, they're all fun. If Harleys are your thing, get down with your bad self and I'll wave to you on the road if I'm passing the other way.

this... I joke around, but really ride what you want. I ride with anybody. The guys I ride with ride everything from Road Kings to Goldwings to other sport bikes. I prefer the sportier side of riding, but most of the time I'm riding the speed limit. We get in the twisty stuff and I take off, and let them catch up in the straights