Your buddies Guzzi is pretty awesome. I've never seen one. Reminds me of a couple Kawasaki GPZ 550 I used to have. 81&82. One with dual rear shocks one with uni trac single.
Finally got a Big Twin
- Thread starter G-Mac
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Your buddies Guzzi is pretty awesome. I've never seen one. Reminds me of a couple Kawasaki GPZ 550 I used to have. 81&82. One with dual rear shocks one with uni trac single.
Very true. The unitized engine/tranny is much stronger than the set up on the big twin. Used in the Buell and Harley racing bikes, choppers, etc. I think the "girlie" thing is because the Sporster is smaller than it's Harley siblings.
As far as my Wide Glide, it's a 1998, the last year of the EVO engine. It'll be the last bike I sell. To my mind it's the quintessential Harley; a perfect balance of old and new school.
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OP
Classic Honda CB-750! They really raised the bar when they introduced those in 1969. Love it!
OP
tinkerer, I agree! The seller threw in a removable padded sissy bar. I just left it off for the picture.
Bout a month ago decided to get something bigger than my sporty just for going longer than 100 miles in more comfort. Would have got a 2007 or newer superglide if could have found one for the right price reasonably close by. Instead jumped on deal for 2006 fatboy right up the road with less than 10,000 miles for $6250. Real good shape, but riding it uncovered the tires age by slipping around. Tires looked good, but it has the original front and 2009 rear. Will be back on the road by end of month with new tires hopefully. While still enjoy the sporty on the county hwys up here, want to go a little longer in more comfort. Pic is from the sellers ad, some slight mods being done.
Learned on 73 XLCH, and excessive vibration would be a polite description.
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OP
That definitely has something to do with it. What I find amusing is that I never heard anyone refer to a Sportster as a girl's bike until they introduced the Evolution Sportster 883cc engine in 1986. This replaced the 1,000cc Ironhead Sportster engine that ended in 1985. Ironically, the original 1957 Ironhead Sportster, which they called a 900, was actually 883cc. They just didn't call them that, what they actually were, until 1986. An 883 and 1200 Sportster is exactly the same engine, other than the size of the bore and diameter of the intake/exhaust valves. An 883 Sportster weighs more than a 1200 due to the greater amount of iron in the cylinder liner with the smaller piston. For this reason, making an 883 into a 1200 is relatively simple. Bore it out and put bigger pistons in. Done.
Congrats on the bike, may it serve you well.
I'll leave the opinions to the elitists.
I'll leave the opinions to the elitists.
OP
zeke, congratulations on the new Fat Boy! I see that it has spoked wheels, like my Super Glide. You probably know this...most Fat Boys have the solid disc mag wheels. I've heard that the wind will actually blow the bike around with the solid wheels. Probably good that your bike didn't come with them.
Believe the original owner got them as oem options (profile laced wheels), as the rest of the add ons all appear to be HD. Had resisted the floor board models for years, as am a short enhanced model. Kept the sportster, as it handles quite well and is set up for torque. Am liking wider front tires
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Rode my 1200 Sportster 5000 miles in 10 days from northern CA to Milwaukee and back for HD's 95th anniversary party. That was much younger ago.
In 2000 I bought this 01 Dyna and still occasionally ride it. I do miss youth!
Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
In 2000 I bought this 01 Dyna and still occasionally ride it. I do miss youth!
Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
Well, if a Sportster is a "girley bike" I'd hate to think what my first bike, a Yamaha Majesty Scooter would be. A 400 CC with a CVT transmission. I rode that thing for 20,000 miles, commuting back and forth to Richmond from Fredricksburg.
It was fun bike. I crashed it once, didn't get hurt, fixed the bike and kept going. Then one day I stopped at the local BMW dealer to get a pair of gloves. They had a like new K-1200LT on the floor, with 3000 miles on it. I swung my leg over it and my wife said, "You look good on that. You should get it."
So I traded in the Yamaha and became a Beemer Rider. I had never ridden a bike with a clutch, or a foot brake, and certainly nothing that weighed (as best I remember) about 700 lbs or so. The day I picked it up, I rode around the parking lot a time or two, never getting out of second gear. I finally decided "now or never" and headed out onto the street. Made it all the way home, then dropped it trying to turn around in the driveway. I had to get help to get it back on it's wheels. I did eventually figure out how to pick it up by myself after a few more drops.
Rode it back and forth to work for a couple of years. Rain or shine, spring, summer, fall and winter. Just never in the snow. At least I never started out in the snow. Did get caught one night on the way home, but the roads didn't get bad. For cold I had a heated vest, heated grips and seat, and a snowmobile suit, and a full face helmet. It wasn't bad at all.
Then my wife got sick, and I retired to take care of her. A motorcycle was something I could do without. The last time I rode it was up to the church to meet the truck that was going to take it to it's new owner in Idaho I think. It was a long time ago.
I sorta miss it once in a while.
It was fun bike. I crashed it once, didn't get hurt, fixed the bike and kept going. Then one day I stopped at the local BMW dealer to get a pair of gloves. They had a like new K-1200LT on the floor, with 3000 miles on it. I swung my leg over it and my wife said, "You look good on that. You should get it."
So I traded in the Yamaha and became a Beemer Rider. I had never ridden a bike with a clutch, or a foot brake, and certainly nothing that weighed (as best I remember) about 700 lbs or so. The day I picked it up, I rode around the parking lot a time or two, never getting out of second gear. I finally decided "now or never" and headed out onto the street. Made it all the way home, then dropped it trying to turn around in the driveway. I had to get help to get it back on it's wheels. I did eventually figure out how to pick it up by myself after a few more drops.
Rode it back and forth to work for a couple of years. Rain or shine, spring, summer, fall and winter. Just never in the snow. At least I never started out in the snow. Did get caught one night on the way home, but the roads didn't get bad. For cold I had a heated vest, heated grips and seat, and a snowmobile suit, and a full face helmet. It wasn't bad at all.
Then my wife got sick, and I retired to take care of her. A motorcycle was something I could do without. The last time I rode it was up to the church to meet the truck that was going to take it to it's new owner in Idaho I think. It was a long time ago.
I sorta miss it once in a while.
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When I was growing up a few kids had the Lambretta motor scooters. 125 CC's and fun. I only owned one Harley and a couple of Yamahas, Norton, Royal Enfield and Hondas. Put 175K on a Valkyrie with only standard maintenance. Quit riding after a new hip. Hard to get on and off.
I had a Sportster, first thing I did to it was put a set of wide glide conversion trees on it.
Always hated the narrow front end.
Always hated the narrow front end.
Great looking m/c. A question from someone who's never owned one, but only scooped up the remnants of them and their owners over the years.
Why are the majority of these larger bikes so unbelievably loud? Are owners removing the mufflers or baffles or whatever they are called for some reason, or are they actually manufactured this way?
Wow, talk about sustained damage to what little peace and quiet remains in the neighborhoods.
Why are the majority of these larger bikes so unbelievably loud? Are owners removing the mufflers or baffles or whatever they are called for some reason, or are they actually manufactured this way?
Wow, talk about sustained damage to what little peace and quiet remains in the neighborhoods.
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Harleys are like 2 wheeled hot rods. Nobody can leave it stock. I'd rather my bikes sound good than loud. This is part of the reason Harleys have a reputation for being less reliable than jap bikes. It's because guys mess with them. Sometimes it doesn't go as planned. If you're going to customize a bike/ motor everything has to work in harmony. Sometimes guys throw stuff together because it's cool. This is my 01 bobber built on a 1200 custom with to much to list. And my 95 Fatboy. It's lowered 2", wide tire kit, polished wheels, porker pipes, chrome and stainless "everything". Only thing I wish it had was a sixth gear on Highway.
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JohnHL
Member
Carter, I was in the motorcycle business for 40 years.
Retired in 2008.
I ran motorcycle dealerships (Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Bombardier, Sea-Doo).
Ridden and fixed every one of the bikes listed above and hundreds more.
In answer to your question, manufacturers are restricted by the government to 83db (total sound).
But the aftermarket was pretty much unrestricted
We did a land office business in loud pipes for all the "biker wannabes" that bought machines from us (and they were in the majority).
You will hear the usual lame argument, "Loud pipes save lives."
Ha, ha. (look at all the crashed bikes with loud pipes.)
ATTENTIVENESS SAVES LIVES!!!
Nothing else.
To their credit, most of them were really nice people, just posers.
That seemed to make them happy though.
And that's what counted.
John
Faulkner
Member
I would go so far as to say the majority are NOT loud, but rather it's the loud one's that get your attention.
I ride a Harley and mine has stock exhaust. All my riding buddies are the same.
When the air intake, fuel delivery system and exhaust are done in concert, significant horsepower or torque improvements can be made. Air cooled v-twins are an outdated design (aka classic/elemental) design that loses considerably to modern emission standards. Just changing the exhaust can make it louder to varying degrees, but without accompanying air intake/fuel changes, performance may not improve much.
And yes imo, too many make theirs's way too loud just to be noticed. As far as loud pipes saving lives, attentiveness, skill and well maintained machine are all important. However, have seen people in cars recognise a bike was close to them by the exhaust, and deer being turned away from crossing the road.
