[kcnewell]

Yo katshot! It sounds like we kinda came up through the same ranks as far as biking goes..I did the mini bike on up through motocross thing as well. The split came when we changed over to street bikes! We're environmentally different at that point! My geographical location and social circle differed greatly from yours...Hence my gravitation to Harley and yours to imports! I always wanted Harley-Davidson to come up with something that would handle better and even in the '70s harped on the need to go to overhead cams and lighter weight w/realistic suspension rates and the list goes on and on! As you have probably seen in some of my previous posts on the subject I am neither an apologist nor a major cheerleader for the brand. I personally think that over the years the motor co. has done themselves and their customers a disservice by offering a limited and highly flawed product line. That being said...I can at this point thank them for that very flaw 'cause I have made a fine business out of the repair and upgrade of the things! If you've noticed also I only recommend 2 count'em TWO of their models as being capable of real performance ( at great expense I night add ) The Sportster and the FXR ( out of production since '94 ) I ride an FXR with more upgrades than the average guy could ever afford in this lifetime and I regularly wax the jap bike guys in canyon racing and mountain road racing. I can also attribute a lot of that racing success to my own abilitys 'cause I've been racing a long time on bikes with fairly severe limitations and now that I have something that handles really well it makes it EASY! I've also had this bike since '89 and we get along very well. I know that if you ever threw a leg over my personal ride you'd be surprised in a big way and would probably want one.The coolest thing about it is the low end torque that I use to great benefit in the twisties. But at $40,000 a copy over and above the purchase price of the bike it's out of reach of the average motorcycle enthusiast! I've built a few like it and I'm currently building one for a cuctomer that rides Yamahas and got waxed by me three weekends in a row and then asked for my card. I agree with most of your points for the most part but until you ride a Harley that is truly set up right (There are admittedly few) You can't possibly know about THAT kind of rush! I have ridden many Imports from Aprillas to Yamahas and I am particularly fond of the Honda VFR 800. Because of what I do I get access to MANY different bikes and I have yet to find one I'd rather ride everyday than my FXR from a sheer enjoyment standpoint And there my friend is where we fundamentally agree!

I'm not even snowbound and I can do a tangent!

 

[kcnewell]

Did Ya like the news flash thing?.......I thought it was a nice touch! Didn't you?

 

[kcnewell]

Kind'a like my (are you ready for this?) BSA Victor 500...Remember them? Heavy, Not quick! NEVER competitive, Tons of torque...Lots of fun! As for buells They're ok, They probably don't break down quite as much as a Ducati They handle well but they're WAY short in the top speed dept. and you're right they look like somebody bolted a Sportster engine in a Duc frame! I get to see a lot of 'em in my mirror if I bother to look! To address your previous comment about the badass image of a lot of Harley guys. It does exist big time and it's a natural offshoot of the fact that a lot of us in the '50s, '60s, '70s joined motorcycle clubs and the clubs were generally comprised of tough guys that kind of liked to brawl and raise hell and party. I know it's hard to believe from my timid personality but I was one of those guys and have been there done that! The current Harley phenomenon was bourne of the mystique that grew out of that lifestyle and the publics fear and wonder about it! That why you see all these peckernecked yuppies getting all dressed up in their biker suit on the weekend and going out and acting like a$$holes. They were scared sh*tless of us when they were young but at the same time they wanted to be us more than anything in the world. Now the perception is that we're all nicer and all that nonsense and that we've mellowed with age or something like that! So now they put on their leathers and their Harley t-shirt and load the bike on the trailer and hook it up to the old Winnebago and go to the runs and drive up the price of everything and have no idea that we laugh at them behind their backs and sometimes to their faces 'cause we all think that they're ridiculous! Then every once in a while one of them will say or do something stupid and try to act like the badasses that they emmulate and one of their HEROS beats the bark off of them. At that point the poor dummy usually goes home and sells the bike(3 Years old with 1500 miles on it!) and tells the neighbors that it wasn't as fun as he thought it would be...And We're still out here doing what we've ALWAYS done. As it should be!

 

[kcnewell]

Yep! I already get 'em I've got probably 6 or maybe seven '02s and '03s in my showroom for sale with low miles. It's been that way ever since this yuppie thing took hold in the mid '90s!

 

[kcnewell]

Let me know! Wes, Why dont you split this into kill stories and call it Hayabusa revisited? That'll work and its along the same topic line!

 

[kcnewell]

Yeah Baby! Your in my house now! LOL! I'm sittin' in the Reno Hilton right now with A LAPTOP and I hate laptops! But I'm here on business right now so what can I do?

 

[kcnewell]

Reno's ok, I'm gonna more than likely be living there after the first of May! I'm putting a deal together there that I can't discuss at the moment but when it's all set up I'll let you guys know. I'm also gonna try to offer discounts to guys that subscribe to this site. It'll be a service that some of you guys will more than likely use if you ever go there on vacation! I ain't talking about bike repair...I'll still have that business but I want to diversify!!