When the mind wanders: twenty-seven to one!

[GoldOxide_imp]

If the conditions made sense, I would ride a lawnmower. That would be variety, eh?

GO, with motor or without ???

GO, with motor or without ???

If the conditions made sense, I would ride a lawnmower. That would be variety, eh?

As long as it has an inline-four...

As long as it has an inline-four...

My John Deere lawn tractor has a V Twin and forward controls , am I ok with this set-up ?

the mayor of a local community was just killed riding his lawnmower on the street

Maineville mayor dies after being hit by truck while riding lawn mower

*sniff* I am sorry I brought up the lawn mower. :-/

 

[ysrebob_imp]

The GS BMWs and Harleys have in common that in many cases they're bought basically for IMAGE reasons... people wanting to instantly buy into looking a certain kind of cool with a big swipe of their credit card. I think of these kinds of people as only barely qualifying as "riders." The machines themselves are competent and well made. But they do attract a lot of fools (along with a significant smattering of REAL riders who happen to like that particular flavor of coffee... some of whom have posted above).

It is a shame that so much of motorcycling is composed of people wanting to buy into an image in which the bike is an important prop, not simply the pure joy of two wheels on the road.

The BMW RTs are a different crowd. Nobody buys an RT to look cool. They just happen to be one of the best tools ever made for long distance, high speed riding. I don't own one right now but would buy another RT in a heartbeat if I was doing more multiday trips. For shorter rides the CB is just about perfect.

 

[Stichill]

VLJ, understandable that you’re lamenting that the banality of the mainstream culture also finds widespread expression in the motorcycle hobby. Motorcycling has always been popularly associated with the more lowbrow elements of American society. It’s not all that surprising that a large contingent of Americans motorcyclists are uncultured boors.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

“My point was that it depresses me that nearly everyone in this country chooses to ride cruisers, when there are so many better options.”

Better options for what? That’s a totally subjective assessment and is based on a whole host of variables and in the final analysis is a personal choice made by the individual whose laying down the money. It looks like American riders have voted for a favorite riding platform and it appears to be the cruiser. In a democracy you get your say, not necessarily your way. 1st world problem. Get out and ride!

No, it really isn't subjective. It's quantifiable. Measurable.

Turning. Stopping. Accelerating. These are the three primary functions of a motorcycle. In all three areas of pure functionality, cruisers are stuck in the Stone Ages.

Everything else is vanity.

Now, there are two other functions that matter: fuel mileage, and comfort; comfort being highly subjective. Even in terms of comfort, however, feet-forward cruisers trail the pack. Check the chassis of any motorcycle designed primarily for long-distance riding. Check the Iron Butt Rally bikes. Check the chassis of any Highway Patrol vehicle, or any police vehicle that must be ridden all day, every day.

Never a feet-forward riding position, with the rider's weight centered on his tailbone.

This is not subjective. This is basic ergonomic design, basic physiology.

Quote:and is based on a whole host of variables and in the final analysis is a personal choice made by the individual whose laying down the money. It looks like American riders have voted for a favorite riding platform and it appears to be the cruiser.
Whether it's fast food, video games, auto-tuned vocals, NASCAR, professional wrestling, Monster Truck rallies, the Kardashians, gangsta rap, CVT automotive transmissions, Britney Spears, Donald Trump or Barack Obama, superhero movies, comic books, crap beer, pandemic obesity, embarrassing rates of illiteracy, the dumbing down of the basic English language, you name it, the American public has proven time and again that it flocks like sheep to the lowest common denominator.

Unfortunately, it's just what we do.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

Absolutely.

In our neck of the woods here, i.e., motorcycling, the rampant popularity of cruisers over so many other, superior functional designs is just another three-ton stone added to our growing pyramid of cultural ignominy.

Quote:In a democracy you get your say, not necessarily your way. 1st world problem. Get out and ride!
I do. Just about every day.

+ about a billion. Love it!

VLJ, understandable that you’re lamenting that the banality of the mainstream culture also finds widespread expression in the motorcycle hobby. Motorcycling has always been popularly associated with the more lowbrow elements of American society. It’s not all that surprising that a large contingent of Americans motorcyclists are uncultured boors.

+ another billion!

 

[Gone in 60]

Funny about the highway patrol comments. in many areas of Southern California, especially around me, I'm seeing more new CHP and LAPD Harleys replacing BMW R1200RTP bikes. Speaking with some motor officers at the local Starbucks, some have told me they like the new bikes, some miss the Beemers. One told me the reason was the higher repair and maintenance costs on BMWs considering the type of riding required of a police officer, which was putting premature wear on the clutches. If it's the air cooled models, replacement requires splitting the bike, so I could understand that.

 

[VLJ_imp]

Yes, but those CHP Harleys are not feet-forward cruisers. They're sit-up-and-beg tourers.

 

[Gone in 60]

Either way, VLJ, I'm still retraining my eyeballs to spot them in my mirrors...

 

[VLJ_imp]

Having spoken with quite a few moto-cops during my years as a motorcycle dealer, plus my time hanging around the BMW/Triumph/Ducati shop in Roseville, these are the consensus critiques of each of their official mounts...

-The ST1300 is the smoothest, most reliable mount. Coming off of the Harley, the ST1300 felt like they'd switched to a jet bike.
-The Concours 1400 is the fastest, most fun mount. This one inspired excessive hooliganism. Burned through rear tires like cotton candy.
-The R1200RT is the most comfortable, day-in-day-out ride. Requires a lot of routine maintenance.
-The Harley is the most maneuverable bike. It's the best in tight quarters, or for doing those insane, slow-speed training drills. It's also the slowest and least reliable, requiring the most maintenance, both scheduled and unscheduled.

The CHP guys mostly prefer the R1200RT. The city cops missed the slow-speed agility of the Harley.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I thought I read that BMW offered a very compelling repurchase contract for used RT-P's, which lowered the total cost of ownership to the CHP compared to the HD, KZ1000, ST1300, and C14.

 

[Houtman_imp]

“My point was that it depresses me that nearly everyone in this country chooses to ride cruisers, when there are so many better options.”

Better options for what? That’s a totally subjective assessment and is based on a whole host of variables and in the final analysis is a personal choice made by the individual whose laying down the money. It looks like American riders have voted for a favorite riding platform and it appears to be the cruiser. In a democracy you get your say, not necessarily your way. 1st world problem. Get out and ride!

No, it really isn't subjective. It's quantifiable. Measurable.

Turning. Stopping. Accelerating. These are the three primary functions of a motorcycle. In all three areas of pure functionality, cruisers are stuck in the Stone Ages.

Everything else is vanity.

Now, there are two other functions that matter: fuel mileage, and comfort; comfort being highly subjective. Even in terms of comfort, however, feet-forward cruisers trail the pack. Check the chassis of any motorcycle designed primarily for long-distance riding. Check the Iron Butt Rally bikes. Check the chassis of any Highway Patrol vehicle, or any police vehicle that must be ridden all day, every day.

Never a feet-forward riding position, with the rider's weight centered on his tailbone.

This is not subjective. This is basic ergonomic design, basic physiology.

Quote:and is based on a whole host of variables and in the final analysis is a personal choice made by the individual whose laying down the money. It looks like American riders have voted for a favorite riding platform and it appears to be the cruiser.
Whether it's fast food, video games, auto-tuned vocals, NASCAR, professional wrestling, Monster Truck rallies, the Kardashians, gangsta rap, CVT automotive transmissions, Britney Spears, Donald Trump or Barack Obama, superhero movies, comic books, crap beer, pandemic obesity, embarrassing rates of illiteracy, the dumbing down of the basic English language, you name it, the American public has proven time and again that it flocks like sheep to the lowest common denominator.

Unfortunately, it's just what we do.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

Absolutely.

In our neck of the woods here, i.e., motorcycling, the rampant popularity of cruisers over so many other, superior functional designs is just another three-ton stone added to our growing pyramid of cultural ignominy.

Quote:In a democracy you get your say, not necessarily your way. 1st world problem. Get out and ride!
I do. Just about every day.

+ about a billion. Love it!

VLJ, understandable that you’re lamenting that the banality of the mainstream culture also finds widespread expression in the motorcycle hobby. Motorcycling has always been popularly associated with the more lowbrow elements of American society. It’s not all that surprising that a large contingent of Americans motorcyclists are uncultured boors.

+ another billion!

+ about a billion. Love it!

VLJ, understandable that you’re lamenting that the banality of the mainstream culture also finds widespread expression in the motorcycle hobby. Motorcycling has always been popularly associated with the more lowbrow elements of American society. It’s not all that surprising that a large contingent of Americans motorcyclists are uncultured boors.

+ another billion! You are 100 % right !!!

 

[Stichill]

Followed this worthy on the way home from work tonight. Stinky over-rich fuel mixture through open pipes blatting and hammering and popping as he motored along.

 

[Houtman_imp]

Sandals but no brains ?

 

[peterbaron]

May not even be sandals...look like slippers from a $1 store :huh:

 

[Stichill]

Rubber flip-flops. Just noticed he's riding on the oil line as well.

 

[Cormanus]

Stichill, please don’t tell us that photo was taken with a cell phone by the driver of a car.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Ugh. I can't disagree with the observations and imagining the annoying audio is too easy. Did he needlessly thunderclap the engine as he toe'ed slowly up to the stop sign? Is that the "hammering"?

Worse: He has likely spawned offspring, maybe in multiple counties - even states.

So let's not get too judgmental here. There is no hope for some. We need to remain, um, compassionate. (I think I'm gonna puke)

Nice dash cam capture Stichill.

 

[Stichill]

Stichill, please don’t tell us that photo was taken with a cell phone by the driver of a car.

The fact that it is a phone is incidental to the fact that is a camera.

Because he was wearing flip-flops, he didn't want to put his feet down. So he pulled up early and was rolling slowly when I stopped behind him and grabbed the closeup frame using optical zoom.

Ugh. I can't disagree with the observations and imagining the annoying audio is too easy. Did he needlessly thunderclap the engine as he toe'ed slowly up to the stop sign? Is that the "hammering"?

Worse: He has likely spawned offspring, maybe in multiple counties - even states.

So let's not get too judgmental here. There is no hope for some. We need to remain, um, compassionate. (I think I'm gonna puke)

Nice dash cam capture Stichill.

I was following in my roadster with the top down. He went down a steep hill, over a short bridge, and up a steep hill on the other side. Going downhill the pipes were 'blatting' and 'popping' as the unburned fuel ignited in the pipes every time an exhaust valve opened to release hot combustion gasses. Then he opened the throttle to ascend the other side and it became a series of cracking staccato sonic impacts that sounded like rapid 'hammering' on a 2x4 laying on concrete.

 

[Henrik_imp]

I have to say that this sort of idiocy is not necessarily linked to the same type of bike. The other week, in front of my office, I witnessed a similar fool wearing shorts and flip-flops riding a BMW RT, swerve to go around the wrong side of a pedestrian crossing island hit the island and crash. He was then on the ground screaming as his foot and elbow was bleeding (yes, he was also wearing a tank-top).

I did help him out, and had to tell him to perhaps think twice about how he dressed and rode in the city for riding next time. No serious injury, but it did look painful!

 

[Cormanus]

Who was it who said, “Without ATTG the world is your belt sander”?

 

[Lord Popgun]

Cormanus, check out the sig line in this post from way back: http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=342&pid=4058#pid4058