The bike the new VFR1200 should have been?

Ah, the Boss Hog. Never a better example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

 

The fuel range is not horrible, just not what you'd expect from a bike in this class. Evidently, there are some folks who have been able to squeeze 200 miles and a touch more out of a tank. That's definitely not my experience so far. Of course, the range goes down quite a bit when you're flying through the canyons chasing Havcar around. LOL!

 

LOL..........I heard that the earth axis has to rotate to make one of those turn.

 

Wow Echo3Niner!
When did you get the 675? It is great to see another like-minded individual!
You will love that rascal more and more each time you ride it!

 

I agree with nearly everything that you say but I do think it is a shame about your attitude to HDs. Why criticise any bike because of the attitude of SOME owners? In the past I have Owned BMWs Golld Wings & a Ducati all of which some people don't like because of their opinion of the owners. was I any different in my attitutudes when riding these bikes than when I'm riding my VFR? I don't think so. And YES I do hope to own a HD someday

 

There are some great Harleys. See if you can find one with the MV Agusta sticker on it.

 

RANT ON Maybe it's different in the US and UK and maybe it's a result of the Ozzie Dollar being too strong against the USD but there seems to be a lot more HDs and usless Custom Choppers riding around at the moment. Probably 80% percent of the HDs and 100% of the sculptured customs when we come behind them in the tight twisties are harder to overtake than a lorry.

Most slower riders / bikes when seeing a faster rider coming up will when practical ease over a little to give room and stay consistant on any short straights making them predictable and safe to pass, most HD riders will NOT they will protect their postion on the road slow to walking speed coming into a bend then thinking themselves "FAST" use their torque to blast out hovering around the centre line making it hard to pass safely. When someone does manage to eventually pass the HD/Custom rider usually through frustration under brakes then rapidly disappear after the next corner it turns into hand bags at 10 paces with them when they eventually arrive at the next coffee stop. RANT OFF

 

Maybe they just enjoy riding their bikes in a different way to you. That doesn't make them wrong just different. Last summer I rode my CB1300S up to Scotland where I hired a Royal Enfield for a few days. I really enjoyed just pottering around those great Scottish roads and admiring the views with no desire to go fast. This year I'm going back on the VFR & will probably ride those same roads in a different manner and enjoy them again. Personally I feel everyone should just get on and enjoy theit choice of ride and let others get on and enjoy theirs. Just think if these guys were not riding HDs they might be in their cages instead which would hold you up even more.
On a final note I would just like to say that I joined this forum to exchange info on the VFR and to learn from those with more knowledge than me. I did not expect it to be about dissing other riders or their choice of bike. There is enough bigotry in the world (I come from an Irish family so I know this 1st hand) without bringing it into biking

 

Sorry this kind of rant against HDs is a recent phenomenon with me and nothing to do with bigotry I have nothing against the machines rather the a large percentage of their newer riders observable look at me I'm so great arrogance and seemingly lack depth in motorcycle road craft.

We often come up to individual or large groups of riders on old BSAs, Triumphs and Royal Enfields they are cool bikes and always ridden by courteous riders with good road sense who also enjoy talking about and showing off their bikes at the next road stop.

 

Think about moving to the US where almost everyone is Irish and there are a shitload of Harleydoods hogging the highways and dissing dudes who ride Royal Enfields that they call "Wogbikes." Not all of them use that term but the one's who can read do it frequently.

 

Whilst I'm sure that there are HD riders like that I also know plenty of nice people who ride them and are real bike enthusiast. I also know some right A holes who ride oter makes of bikes including Hondas. I judge a bike on it's merits not on how it's owner behaves

 

I wouldn't move to the states if you paid meas living under the UK government is bad enough. As I said to John 451 I know great guys with HDs and people you wouldn't want as friends who ride other bikes. Before you accuse me of being anti American I should tell you that my future daughter in law is currently a sargent in the U.S. Army. she can't wait to come to the USA to live

 

Would you move here if somebody let you have a new Harley?

 

John, welcome to our world. Harleys are the only bikes that can actually slow up cars and big crawling recreational vehicles on back roads. It's been funny reading the replies of those who stand up for them. To each his own I guess. HD riders tend to ride in clumps and purposely ride below the speed limit just to annoy other road users. I'm guessing it's partly because they wear no body or head protection so they feel like they're riding super fast. I guess if my fragile skin parts were out there at the mercy of every bug and piece of flying debris (much less the asphalt, etc.) I'd be scared to ride more quickly as well.

I can't imagine it's simply because the large percentage of HD riders don't have riding skills. I would find that hard to believe although I guess I wouldn't put it past them seeing how they hit the brakes for the slightest of corners. It's most likely more because the bikes have such low capabilities and the riders are not wearing any real riding protection so everything feels like it's happening much faster than it really is.

I really have nothing against the bikes themselves (unless the owners put those godawful loud pipes on them). I would never want to own or ride one but they seem to be pretty enough and I'm sure that they're fun in their own right if only for the fact that they have two wheels. It's purely the fact that the owners think they have the best machines on earth and that nothing else is worth a crap, when in truth they have the lowest-performing bikes on the market. I'd rather have a Ninja 250 than a 1/2-ton, non-handling, under-powered bike. Hell, that's not really fair to the Ninja 250, as I'd love to have one of those anyway!

HDs seem to be for the types that, as children, had chrome fenders, big baskets and loud horns on their bicycles with fringe coming off the handlebars and shiny clickety-clackety things in the spokes. Much more of a "look at me look at me" attitude.

You'll learn very quickly to put imaginary bullseyes on the backs of Harley riders when you're out. I'll have patience and pass cars when I can but I'll make it a point to get around HDs as quickly as humanly possible because you simply can't predict what they're going to do. They brake at the wrong times, accelerate in strange ways, take awful lines, etc. It's very distracting. And they act really strange when sportier bikes are behind them. I pride myself on being able to predict what cars are going to do and I do a decent job of it. When it comes to HDs and the like, I simply can't and I don't like being anywhere near them.

 

Ha! Tink, I couldn't help but get a mental picture of that cute little guy in your avatar going up to some pirate and punching him in the mouth for holding everybody up on a sweet road lol! Kind of like the South Park kids calling them "fags". Too funny...

 

Now that we have the Harleydood problem well in hand and on the way to the "final solution", I have a question about haggis.

 

Sure no problem. What's your question?