Muchmore
Train killer
I want to buy one and have them tune it to goose the throttle at every stoplight for me. My wrist gets tired revving it up to make people look at me
So that's why you see all those hopped-up Harleys on dirt bike trails.
I wonder if their lawyer could keep a straight face when he claimed they were intended for "off road use only". :-D
Well said. I never thought I would own a Harley, but that changed. I have had my Road Glide for over a year and have run the stock exhaust until a couple of months ago, replacing the stock pipes with some V&H 4.5" jobs I bought off eBay. The bike is still pretty quiet, but it sounds more like a V twin should. It is plenty fast for a cruiser as it is. I did not do the full Stage 1 (intake, tuner, headers) as I saw no need to spend that much money for about 5-8 hp maybe gain. Plus, the stock headers contain the catalytic converter material, so I am continuing to be a good steward for the environment, I guess. The big advantage Harley has over everyone else - my experience is that most women like them.The more I learn about H-Ds the more I appreciate and respect the line-up. They wouldn't be my primary bike but with that Wallet of Infinite Green (or Plastic) I'd at least have a big Sport. And it would have a 2-into-2 exhaust.
The sound of a big twin is unique and awesome. The only other bikes' sounds that stir my soul so have more than four cylinders and never see the street.
Yeah H-Ds with straight pipes are annoying. There are several options for exhaust that provide a far more satisfying sound that the original factory 2-into-1 pipe that don't rattle windows. Sound is personal. Just ask any ST rider who prefers TB or ST add-ons. Personally I like that the ST's OEM exhaust is quiet but don't care for the nature of the sound (engine or exhaust). Putting TBs or STs on it doesn't change that for me.
And new H-Ds aren't your father's Oldsmobile. They're much much improved. More horse-power more reliable and relatively leak proof. Most people don't buy an H-D and leave it stock aren't concerned with ultimate performance. But they do have the potential for gut-wrenching acceleration compare to just about any other street bike. When drag racing was a big thing Vance and Hines needed two 750-4 engines to even get near a modded H-D.
Any marque can be abused by a rider. The H-D deserves far more respect than it gets because so many fail to look past a rider.
H-Ds aren't for everybody. Neither are MVs M-Gs Ducatis BMWs Ninjas RRs or Burgmans or even STs. But they are for somebodies. I have a lot of appreciation for just about every bike. Not so much for every rider. Life is so much more pleasant if I don't stereotype a bike or its riders.
I love almost all of their unfairing'ed bikes but Harley women....not so muchWell said. I never thought I would own a Harley, I guess. The big advantage Harley has over everyone else - my experience is that most women like them.
+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1...I love almost all of their unfairing'ed bikes but Harley women....not so much
That is seriously funny - I just blew coffee out my nose....Maybe selling 339,000 of them and only one set of knobby tires tipped the case to the EPA.
Now that there is funnyActually they did assert this defense when agreeing to the settlement. Maybe selling 339,000 of them and only one set of knobby tires tipped the case to the EPA.
Not for sure if selling 267,999 (2014) is an albatrossThe air-cooled motor will be a performance albatross around Harley's neck for the foreseeable future
Not so much faster... More about louder and louder..... Let's face it, these tuners are not the cause of global warming, just go fast parts to make our bikes faster.
Good pointNot so much faster... More about louder and louder.
+1 to everything you said and especially this. One of the biggest mistakes I made in my youth was to get rid of my 750 Duc Sport. The sound with the Conti 2-into-2s was AWESOME. It wasn't loud (well maybe at 0330 when I went to work!) but I could listen to that 90? twin all day long with no fatigue whatsoever.jmcarruth said:...it sounds more like a V twin should... The thing sounds like a Ducati should though, which is to say great.
You could probably still find the Duc, the internet is amazing.+1 to everything you said and especially this. One of the biggest mistakes I made in my youth was to get rid of my 750 Duc Sport. The sound with the Conti 2-into-2s was AWESOME. It wasn't loud (well maybe at 0330 when I went to work!) but I could listen to that 90? twin all day long with no fatigue whatsoever.
CA wants to have electric (which means all-electric) vehicles generate some noise so that pedestrians and bicyclists will hear their approach. I'd like to one day have an electric bike and a third-party sound generator that would let me dial up at least to bike sounds- a big twin and an RD350 with and without Dencos. And a volume control. (The Vroom thing from Mattel came after my childhood.)
The only way to get more power from a Harley is to make it dirty and loud(er). The last stock 88 I rode was running out of breath at 85mph. There just wasn't much left. We seldom see or hear a modded 'Wing because it performs satisfactorily in stock trim. Just imagine of how many more Harley's might be sold if they offered the level of performance that owners seem to want without having to run loud and dirty, and at extra cost.Not for sure if selling 267,999 (2014) is an albatross