What's an RLET?

[DAC]

Shakespeare wasn't around long enough or he would have written an epic play about them. Or maybe he did. No one really knows what made Hamlet quite so quirky. I mean, besides his uncle killing his father and then marrying his mother. The real problem was he didn't have RLETs!

[emptysea]

I would argue that a farkle is a non-essential addition to a motorcycle. A farkle may or may not be functional, but it is never necessary. So, are RLETs "necessary". One may be able to operate a Cb1100 without RLETs and may even think they are happy, but have they maximized their happiness? Is it necessary to maximize one's happiness on the CB? If it is, then is it not necessary to add something to the bike that maximizes that happiness? So, wouldn't it be necessary to add RLETs? If they are necessary aren't they something different than farkles?
BTW, my philosophical waxings may or may not be influenced by the two gibsons I have consumed this evening.

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Prediction: JustPassinThrough will create a post titled "Zen and the Art of the RLET" and we all will pretend we understand the underlying message of it.

Imagine! If Pirsig had had RLETs, his whole life would have been changed. He'd have been One with the Karma, immediately...instead of riding through 2000 miles and 400 pages of angst; instead of getting up in 30-degree weather in a North Dakota motel at dawn to set valve clearances. His troubled son's mind would have been set right. His friend John would have IMMEDIATELY understood; and would have sold BMW Motorrad on the idea of BMW RLETs.

Our whole hobby would have been changed! Pirsig called it the classical/romantic dichotomy. We could have tossed the tools, and just gotten with the groove....

[Rebel73_imp]

So RLET doesn't stand for "Really Long Eternal Thread"?

[Lord Popgun]

Well it should. A 38 or 39 page thread on 2 little rubber thingies and now 15 posts on this one! I see its 2 pages now...

[the Ferret]

Prediction: JustPassinThrough will create a post titled "Zen and the Art of the RLET" and we all will pretend we understand the underlying message of it.

Imagine! If Pirsig had had RLETs, his whole life would have been changed. He'd have been One with the Karma, immediately...instead of riding through 2000 miles and 400 pages of angst; instead of getting up in 30-degree weather in a North Dakota motel at dawn to set valve clearances. His troubled son's mind would have been set right. His friend John would have IMMEDIATELY understood; and would have sold BMW Motorrad on the idea of BMW RLETs.

Our whole hobby would have been changed! Pirsig called it the classical/romantic dichotomy. We could have tossed the tools, and just gotten with the groove....

Imagine! If Pirsig had had RLETs, his whole life would have been changed. He'd have been One with the Karma, immediately...instead of riding through 2000 miles and 400 pages of angst; instead of getting up in 30-degree weather in a North Dakota motel at dawn to set valve clearances. His troubled son's mind would have been set right. His friend John would have IMMEDIATELY understood; and would have sold BMW Motorrad on the idea of BMW RLETs.

Our whole hobby would have been changed! Pirsig called it the classical/romantic dichotomy. We could have tossed the tools, and just gotten with the groove....


really enjoyed this post JPT

[Ghis_imp]

Thanks Popgun. I have now read the thread. Now I know I might show my lack of CB knowledge here, but I have never seen those on any CB750 FOURs before. And I have seen many fully restored ones, and learned to ride on one. So what's the deal with them? Never seen them on 500s either. Did bikes from factory go into the crate with those rubber lever end thingies to protect the levers during transport, and came off with all the other protective stuff once out of the box at the dealer? Were some delivered to customers with the RLETs still on, and left for them to remove, showing maybe that the bike was brand new, and had never be ridden? Please enlighten me on the origin of the RLET.

[Lord Popgun]

Ferret is the expert on that history. We need him to chime in.

Calling Ferret, Mickie, come in...

I do know that my dealer has a 305 Dream that has RLETS.

[the Ferret]

If you saw a restored Honda without the rubber lever end covers they were not restored correctly. All CB Hondas came with them, including the 1969 CB 750 as well as many other Hondas. I posted a list of bikes one time from Honda that used that part and believe me it was quite extensive. Google 1969 Honda CB 750, look at the Wikipedia definition, the bike in the Honda collection hall has them, look at Google Images of old Hondas, look at images of early Honda ads. Look closely they are there. If you didn't see them on the original bikes, you just weren't paying attention. They came with them and no one I know removed them. I worked in Honda dealerships from 1972-1989. My first Honda was a new 1966 CB160 it also came with them.

1969 Honda CB 750 KO



If you saw a bike without them the lever was replaced by someone but not the rubber lever end cover since it was a separate part from the lever.

BTW many other bikes from Japan came with them too, like the Suzuki GT 750

Honda History

[url=http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1969cb750four/]http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1969cb750four/

look at the images on page 1 and 2

[JustPassinThru_imp]

If you saw a restored Honda without the rubber lever end covers they were not restored correctly. All CB Hondas came with them, including the 1969 CB 750 as well as many other Hondas. I posted a list of bikes one time from Honda that used that part and believe me it was quite extensive. Google 1969 Honda CB 750, look at the Wikipedia definition, the bike in the Honda collection hall has them, look at Google Images of old Hondas, look at images of early Honda ads. Look closely they are there. If you didn't see them on the original bikes, you just weren't paying attention. They came with them and no one I know removed them. I worked in Honda dealerships from 1972-1989. My first Honda was a new 1966 CB160 it also came with them.

1969 Honda CB 750 KO



If you saw a bike without them the lever was replaced by someone but not the rubber lever end cover since it was a separate part from the lever.

BTW many other bikes from Japan came with them too, like the Suzuki GT 750

Honda History

[url=http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1969cb750four/]http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1969cb750four/

look at the images on page 1 and 2

I didn't know this.

I just took them as a retro-touch farkle,,,like wide whitewalls on a car, or outsized hood ornaments.

Didn't know they had a real place in UJM history.

...See? We can all learn something.