Help & FAQs    Search BCF    Members    Groups    Events Calendar
Resend my activation email : Register : Log in 
BCF: Bike Chat Forums


what to ride as a returning rider

 Reply to topic
Bike Chat Forums Index -> New Bikers Goto page Previous  1, 2
View previous topic : View next topic  
Author Message

Evil Hans
World Chat Champion



Joined: 08 Nov 2015
Karma :
PostPosted: 12:29 - 02 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hudson1984 wrote:

What a bugger. Shame, I like the idea of the owners club, the social side is important to me too.


Harley owners' club?

Imagine being surrounded by boring hipsters with flannel shirts and leather chaps.
____________________
Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Easy-X
Super Spammer



Joined: 08 Mar 2019
Karma :
PostPosted: 12:34 - 02 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
My father-in-law's leant right into that vibe: Grandads of Anarchy Smile
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Hudson1984
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 15 Apr 2014
Karma :
PostPosted: 14:26 - 03 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
took out a sportster 883, quite impressed. More than fast enough for me at my current ability.

Perhaps next year I'd want more power, perhaps not. I liked it for what it was.

£5k all in, which is also nice.

More than likely going to make the purchase. Just a really enjoyable thing to ride.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

Ste
Not Work Safe



Joined: 01 Sep 2002
Karma :
PostPosted: 15:34 - 03 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hudson1984 wrote:
took out a sportster 883, quite impressed.

Thinking

Get test rides on some of the bikes suggested in this thread?

MCN says it's expensive, underpowered and overweight complete with a heavy clutch, its brakes are relatively poor, it’s slow steering, the engine is comparatively clunky (as is the gearbox) and the rear cylinder gets uncomfortably hot in traffic.

Hudson1984 wrote:
don't want to sit on something all bark and no bite.

The sportster 883 weighs in at 256kg and has just 51bhp. Many would say that it's all bark with no bite and those who don't say that are wrong.

Wink
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Nobby the Bastard
Harley Gaydar



Joined: 16 Aug 2013
Karma :
PostPosted: 15:36 - 03 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rode one once. Opening the throttle didn't seem to increase speed, just volumn and vibration.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

WD Forte
World Chat Champion



Joined: 17 Jun 2010
Karma :
PostPosted: 15:53 - 03 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Evil Hans wrote:
Hudson1984 wrote:

What a bugger. Shame, I like the idea of the owners club, the social side is important to me too.


Harley owners' club?

Imagine being surrounded by boring hipsters with flannel shirts and leather chaps bumming each other


FTFY
____________________
bikers smell of wee
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Easy-X
Super Spammer



Joined: 08 Mar 2019
Karma :
PostPosted: 17:49 - 03 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Harleys don't have an engine management light... they have a dollar sign.
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Nobby the Bastard
Harley Gaydar



Joined: 16 Aug 2013
Karma :
PostPosted: 17:56 - 03 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Easy-X wrote:
Harleys don't have an engine management light... they have a dollar sign.


Same as the other american company that makes similar vehicles, John Deere.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

jeffyjeff
World Chat Champion



Joined: 02 May 2020
Karma :
PostPosted: 06:56 - 05 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hudson1984 wrote:
took out a sportster 883, quite impressed. More than fast enough for me at my current ability.

There are other factors that should weigh into your decision making besides speed. My son had an Iron 883 for about 4 years. I probably put more miles on it than he did. Fast enough to keep up on the motorway...but that 1 3/4-inch rear suspension travel is really not up to task. It was a miserable ride on secondary roads, and the Sportster riding position sends the jolts right to your tailbone. It also has precious little ground clearance. You don't need to ride very aggressively to leave a trail of sparks, even on city streets and motorway onramps. Fuel tank range is typically less than 100 miles until the low fuel light comes on. It was a reliable beast; no mechanical issues whatsoever.
____________________
History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

Last edited by jeffyjeff on 07:25 - 05 Mar 2023; edited 1 time in total
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

jeffyjeff
World Chat Champion



Joined: 02 May 2020
Karma :
PostPosted: 07:24 - 05 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
If I were in the market for an American motorcycle, it would probably be something along the lines of the HD XR1200 or the Indian FTR 1200. Range may be limited, but these bikes are engineered with suspension, brakes, and performance that put the Sportster to shame. These motorcycles put the rider in an upright position, as opposed to the laid back, feet forward cruiser style that I find so objectionable.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52726666771_002ee5b754_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52726147937_8124d52b9c_z.jpg
____________________
History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

Last edited by jeffyjeff on 17:59 - 05 Mar 2023; edited 1 time in total
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

grr666
Super Spammer



Joined: 16 Jun 2014
Karma :
PostPosted: 12:21 - 05 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nobby the Bastard wrote:
Rode one once. Opening the throttle didn't seem to increase speed, just volumn and vibration.



Ditto, on the 883, I've come to the understanding they are known as iron horses because they weigh more than one.
I went to Riders in Bristol to test ride one just to see what all the fuss was about. Scraped the pegs on a minor
bend 1st exit from a roundabout. It was quiet as fuck and needed another god knows how much spending on
loud pipes to at least make it sound proper. Riders insisted on sending you out with a chaperone on another bike
presumably this is to stop you riding it into a multistorey car park and putting a match to it so nobody else would
have to endure the misery. My boring Mazda 3 family saloon has a higher redline. I did like the paint job, the
keyless system and the tail lights that doubled as indicators. The rest was poo. I had honestly had enough by the
first set of traffic lights, matey boy chaperone was on a 1200 Harley and fucked off into the distance repeatedly
which also only served to highlight that I was on a much slower bike.
____________________
Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off. Thumbs Up

Last edited by grr666 on 15:59 - 05 Mar 2023; edited 1 time in total
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Easy-X
Super Spammer



Joined: 08 Mar 2019
Karma :
PostPosted: 14:30 - 05 Mar 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think we're all agreed that Harleys don't offer a good value proposition Smile
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts
Old Thread Alert!

The last post was made 1 year, 43 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful?
  Display posts from previous:   
This page may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bike Chat Forums Index -> New Bikers All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2

 
 You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Read the Terms of Use! - Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group
 
Debug Mode: ON - Server: birks (www) - Page Generation Time: 0.09 Sec - Server Load: 0.31 - MySQL Queries: 17 - Page Size: 78.59 Kb