Motorcycles

Mick,

I think Harley's have a certain cruising value in hot countries and they are good for posing. I have noted how people in Spain will always stop to admire a Harley, (which is not really a motorbike at all imo but an arthritic armchair on two wheels), whilst totally ignoring a real bike like a Yamaha R1 or Fireblade.

I have not been to Calne but I would often ride over to Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria where they have an excellent bike meet. There are some fantastic roads in the area and all through the Lake District. Yes, hundreds if not thousands would gather there by a river in a very scenic area. I had good chats with many people from Barristers, dentists and accountants to plumbers, tatoo artists and hells angels - these meets are great levellers and everyone gets on famously with everyone else (and great bacon sandwiches and mugs of tea).

Brighton sea front often hosts large congregations of bikers too but not on the scale of Calne.

Since having my R1 pinched in Dublin 5 years ago I have not had anything to do with bikes and I dont know the market at all but I remember yamaha Viragos could be got quite cheaply in Spain. I'm a bit of a nut on a fast bike and maybe a Harley would keep me alive longer and if I was moving to spain I would definately consider one.

Regards,

Erik

Hi Mick,

I have two motorcycles; a Kawasaki ZX9R sportbike and a Honda Valkyrie which is known as an 'F6' in Europe. I purchased the Valkyrie (new) in 2001 as a cruiser for my wife and I to do both day trips and more extended week long tours. The bike now has 40,000+ miles on it and has been an excellent machine.

The Valkyrie has a flat 6, horizontally opposed engine and as such is extremely smooth, which is a major benefit if Mrs. Mick will ride with you as it is *far* less tiring (for both driver and passenger) than a V-twin. Power is more than adequate (high 90s HP and high 90s ft/lb torque at the back wheel), it handles well, is reliable and is easy to ride slowly as well as 'briskly'.

Before purchasing the bike I nearly bought a Harley Dyna Wide Glide (in fact I posted on the old forum asking for advice) but came across the Honda which is superior in all important respects; power, handling, comfort, and reliabilty. Plus, Harley's are waaaay overpriced, - they're a 'lifestyle' product, or 'butt jewellery' as their referred to here in the U.S.

The Valkyrie was discontinued in 2003 but a unit in excellent condition is easy to find used, since their owners are generally pretty fastidious about their 'Fat Lady'.

Lastly, apart from Honda's extensive dealership network there is also terrific advice available from owners. I belong to the Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club, or VRCC - see www.valkyrieriders.com - which has over 20,000 members world wide, - so answers to questions are always available.

Options in the V-twin category would be the Honda VTX 1300 or VTX 1800, and the new Suzuki M109 (not to be confused with the Me109 German fighter plane). Personally I'd stay away from the Yamaha and Kawasaki cruisers as they generally tend to be relatively under-powered and have high centres of gravity, which can make slow speed riding and manoeuvering more difficult.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunn

Mark / Eric

I quite fancy a Honda Shadow 750 VTC.

A well engineered machine that looks cool.

Bung a few black leather panniers on it and it looks as good as a Harley for half the price.

Regards

Mick

hi,
Yamaha xjr 1300 - a world cruiser.

quote:

Bung a few black leather panniers on it and it looks as good as a Harley for half the price

Like a mini looks like a Ferrari.

quote:

A well engineered machine that looks cool.

Not with a 57 year old bloke on board, resting the paunch on the petrol tank it doesn't. What it does do is scream "look at me, I'm having a mid-life crisis"

Basil

90% of cruisers are sold to 57 yr old blokes.

Regards

Mick

mick!i had two harleys.there building quality
was definitly not as good as the quality
of a japanese bike.
i had also a rolex watch.it is n O T as
good working as a swatch watch.
My opoinion:
if you like a harley or a rolex,go for it.
and its thoroughly senseless to look for
an non- emotional,rational argument concerning things
(like harley rolex ferrari)that consist nearby
t0 100% percent out of emotion.
O.J.(trying to see it realistic)

Mick

If you wanted something completely different, take a look at BMW's cruiser, the R1200C.

I've a feeling that it's no longer in production, but the quality was superb so a good second hand example should be easy enough to pick up.

A friend owned one and he loved it.

Some info here

Always worth a look at are the Triumph range of motorbikes.

The cruiser range includes the America, Speedmaster, Rocket III & Rocket III Classic.

Not quite my thing (having a crotch rocket, albeit a Triumph) but certainly the Rocket's are very nice bikes and look stunning - nice to ride too according to one guy I spoke to that has one.

Steve.

This is going back a few years. My last bike was a Sportster 1000 and it spent more time waiting for parts than on the road. It was one of the first batch in the UK with no kick start - and guess what packed in first? Things may have come a long way since then but the bad taste lingers. The BSA A10 I'd been running prior to that never missed a beat.

Cheers

If have to have a Harley, and why not, go for the V-Rod, magnificent.

Hi Mick,

The Honda Shadow 750 is a nice bike, but before purchase you should consider how you'll use it. Will Mrs. Mick ride with you more than just occassionally (passenger comfort is relatively poor on this bike), how long will your trips typically be, and how much luggage will you need to carry?

Also, whatever cruiser you decide on, you'll almost certainly want a windshield, highway pegs, and a driver's backrest. These items will make for a very pleasant riding experience.

Lastly but not leastly, please don't ride without the right apparel.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunn

Mark / Chaps

Mrs Mick will not entertain the idea of riding the bike so it is effectively a solo exercise.

The more I think about it, the more I am attracted to the Honda Shadow.

I have a full set of leathers for the Uk and will buy the same for Spain.

Regards

Mick

I think HD's a big target; I'm sure there must be those who've had less than satisfactory experiences.

then again, there's my mate's ma who ran a 1200 anniversary (90's model?) for around 80,k km's and it narry missed a beat (well serviced, and regularly ridden hard)... his dad ran a 1340 big-arsed monster as daily-driver after failing to find a replacement for his trusty K-100 BMW, and had loads of fun on it, similar high milages. Sold them to travel overseas, and now run the modern rubber-mount sportsters - they love them.

perhaps it's not so different from the outside seeing them happy with something that 'just works' (for them), compared to say your average watts and measurements hifi guy looking at a naim enthusiast.

Mick, whatever bike you buy, you'll surely know that it's not what you ride, it's that you get out and ride it.

Mick,

Surely a man such as yourself should be buying British. Which of course means - as Ancipital says - one of these babies from the nice people at Triumph:

Steve

That is one mean bitch.

I will check it out.

Many thanks

Mick

I worked for awhile for Harley Davidson and when I went I was hopinbg to be able to get a discount off a Fat Boy. However, having seen the warranty records I wouldn't touch a Harley with a barge pole. Very unreliable. A second hand model might be a better bet though, if it's had a lot of work done under warranty. Quite like the Buells though

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Steve

That is one mean bitch.

I will check it out.

Many thanks

Mick

Mick, That Triumph is a 2.3ltr motor

Probably cheaper to run a boat

regards

What about a nice little scooter ?

I had a Harley in the early 90's and it came, brand new, with rust. It broke down on the way home from the dealer and that set the scene for the next 3 years. I loved it though, but it'll drive you mad. I eventually went back to Japanese sports bikes until I decided that I wouldn't live much longer. I could never understand anyone buying a sports bike that had sit-up bars and was good for touring - it's either a racer or it isn't, and that was my problem - I was a nutter.
Go get a good used Harley, and sell it if it doesn't suit you. You won't lose much, if anything. It's a piece of crap and you'll curse it, but you'll love it too. It isn't like any other bike and the copycat cruisers miss the point entirely, because it isn't just about the bike; theres a whole thing that comes with it. Totally irrational really.

You'll like this:
This is what I'd get now if I was considering it.

Mick,

I have lived in Spain 50% of the time over the last 2 years. I drive regularly from Jalon on the East coast to the South of France, a trip of 700 odd miles.

I have observed an amazing lack of skill or common sense displayed by Spanish drivers coupled with an ignorant and ill-mannered attitude to other road users.

I would highly recommend that you buy some kind of armoured fighting vehicle rather than a motorcycle.

Regards Graham

This all seems like a lot of money spent justifying an irrepressible urge to clad oneself head to toe in leather....

Not my idea of fun in this weather!

I'd also consider the Motoguzzi California

quote:

I would highly recommend that you buy some kind of armoured fighting vehicle rather than a motorcycle.

LOL!

on an equally serious note, surely that big-arsed triumph pictured earlier is from that category?