New bike

[kyoryu]

Well, new to me anyway. 2004 FZ1, 9400 miles on it.

http://www.wrong.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/fz1-e1285051192672.jpg

I am unbelievably happy. This bike looks like it's brand new, and is a great ride. Just picked it up tonight. And, I got it for a song - $3500.

[Extra_Crispy]

nice bike, never was partial to crotch rockets myself, prefer cruisers, but that is a nice bike. Have fun with it and ride safe.

[kyoryu]

Not really a crotch rocket. That'd be its sibling, the R1. The FZ1 is more of a naked bike, in line with the Ducatis, Buells (RIP), or some of the Triumphs.

I'll be sure to keep the rubber side down.

[IonDragon]

Hot. /drool

That's barely more than I paid for my dirtbike. I would love to have something street legal, but alas, I've got to have a car for the rainy season and i can't afford to keep both.

[Knaight]

It looks nice, and in good condition. And as long as its not a Harley, I approve, so, nice bike.

[kyoryu]

It looks nice, and in good condition. And as long as its not a Harley, I approve, so, nice bike.

Ha! Wonder what you would have thought of my Buell...

I was raised around Harleys, so I can pretty much appreciate anything on two wheels. Cruiser, sportbike, tourer, standard, whatever - two wheels good, four wheels bad!

[Tonal Architect]

Looks like a good purchase. I'm fond of faired bikes, particularly sport-touring models.

I own an old 2 stroke yamaha, myself, btw. Nice to see we have other riders in the playground.

[Zeb The Troll]

And as long as its not a Harley, I approve, so, nice bike.:smallannoyed: Yeah, I ride a Harley. Got a problem with that?

@Kyoryu - It's pretty but, where's your significant other supposed to sit? :smalltongue:

@sharp41 - If you look in the spoilers in my signature, you'll find a badge labeled "Hog Goblins". This came about when a few of us noticed there were more than a few of us around. It's kind of a play on words for Gamers Who Are Bikers Too. :smallcool:

[Knaight]

:smallannoyed: Yeah, I ride a Harley. Got a problem with that?

That depends entirely on noise production in cities. Particularly 2 meters away from people on bikes of the other variety.

[KuReshtin]

I miss riding my bike.
Especially since I live in a country where it seems the roads were constructed to accommodate bikers.

Stupid work underpaying us so I can't afford anything.

I'm not really fond of Harleys either, but that's mainly because of a certain group of Harley riders in Sweden.

I'm not sure what the etiquette of riding is in other countries, but in Sweden, almost any biker meeting any other biker on the road will give a short wave 'Hi' as a recognition of the other biker.
Almost everyone... Except Harley riders, who generally think themselves 'too good' to greet anyone that doesn't ride a Harley.

[Midnight Son]

It does look fairly crotch-rockety. I'm with Zeb on this, though mine was a Yamaha, not a Harley. Cruisers for me. Too much temptation to treat it like a toy, otherwise. In my experience, it's when you stop treating them like machines that the rubber side goes up.

As for the noise, you 4 wheelers don't pay enough attention to what's around you, so we got together and decided that, since you don't wanna see us, you're damn well gonna hear us.

[Zeb The Troll]

That depends entirely on noise production in cities. Particularly 2 meters away from people on bikes of the other variety.So you're generically stereotyping anyone who rides a Harley as someone with 100+ decibel pipes instead of maybe just thinking that different people like different things, and some people buy louder pipes for their Victory's and Honda's while some people who ride Harley's leave the pipes stock. Thanks for that.


I'm not sure what the etiquette of riding is in other countries, but in Sweden, almost any biker meeting any other biker on the road will give a short wave 'Hi' as a recognition of the other biker.
Almost everyone... Except Harley riders, who generally think themselves 'too good' to greet anyone that doesn't ride a Harley.I find this to be decidedly not so. I always try to hail other riders when I pass them on the road and entire groups of riders, even the local HOG chapters doing group rides, have hailed me even when I was riding my daughter's Honda Rebel. I learned how to ride at a Harley dealership (it was that or stand in line at the DMV for four hours and hope that I was early enough to get a slot that year) and they're the ones that taught me the custom of the wave.

I realize that there are a few folks that give the rest of us a bad name, but stop blaming the bike and assuming we're all like that because of the label on the gas tank, huh? I regularly see sport bikes zooming in and out of traffic and causing mayhem because they're too cool to wait at the stop light like the rest of us, blipping their throttles even at a standstill, or redlining before shifting to second gear so that we can all know just how snazzy their bikes sound, but I won't assume that because a person rides a sport bike that they do this. It would be just as unfair to the vast majority of responsible riders who happen to prefer a tighter handling ride with a high redline to the low rumble of a V-twin and the ability sit upright in the saddle.

We all share a hobby, with all the risks and rewards for doing so. Why spew venom at the ones that don't share your particular tastes? Why make a snap judgement about a fellow rider based on the style of bike instead of the actual behavior of the individual rider?

*gets off soapbox*

[Syka]

My uncle has a Harley, my best friend a Buell, and another good friend has some sort of crotch rocket type deal. My friend actually wiped out on the Buell, but the bike was still very ridable after some fixing up.

I will admire bikes, but I'm a bit more of a muscle and super car fan myself. I'm just too uncoordinated to ever want to get on one. Plus we have Crazy Drivers. Crazy Cyclists too, though. Like...when I see someone riding a motorcycle kind of riskily through the streets in a freaking bathing suit...wanna smack 'em upside the head for stupidity.



On topic, nice bike. :)

[kyoryu]

It does look fairly crotch-rockety. I'm with Zeb on this, though mine was a Yamaha, not a Harley. Cruisers for me. Too much temptation to treat it like a toy, otherwise. In my experience, it's when you stop treating them like machines that the rubber side goes up.

As for the noise, you 4 wheelers don't pay enough attention to what's around you, so we got together and decided that, since you don't wanna see us, you're damn well gonna hear us.

It's only crotch-rockety if you think "anything not a cruiser is a crotch-rocket."

Here's an R1 (the sport version):

http://www.pipemasters.net/artnew/r1-yamaha.jpg


Here's the FZ1:

http://www.kyledrennan.com/fz1/fz1side.jpg


Notice how much less plastic there is on it, and the bar and peg positions.

Here's a European FZ1, without the fairing (it's also a newer model, which is why the frame is different):

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200801/yamaha-fz1-and-fz1-f_800x0w.jpg


At that point, the only plastic left on is the rear fender. If that's enough to make it a crotch rocket, what do you think of this?


http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1971-harley-davidson-fx-super-glide-1.jpg
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20B/Harley%20FX1200%2071.jpg


And I totally agree with "treating it like a toy." The answer is simple: Don't. The idjits popping wheelies and treating the road like a race track are just that - idjits. They're no different than the RUB brigade getting on a bike too big for them to combat their midlife crisis and dumping the bike because they don't know how to handle it.

[Mystic Muse]

Am I the only one who was thinking Bicycle and not motorcycle when I came into this thread?

[Vaynor]

No, I thought the same thing.

[KuReshtin]

I find this to be decidedly not so. I always try to hail other riders when I pass them on the road and entire groups of riders, even the local HOG chapters doing group rides, have hailed me even when I was riding my daughter's Honda Rebel. I learned how to ride at a Harley dealership (it was that or stand in line at the DMV for four hours and hope that I was early enough to get a slot that year) and they're the ones that taught me the custom of the wave.

I realize that there are a few folks that give the rest of us a bad name, but stop blaming the bike and assuming we're all like that because of the label on the gas tank, huh? I regularly see sport bikes zooming in and out of traffic and causing mayhem because they're too cool to wait at the stop light like the rest of us, blipping their throttles even at a standstill, or redlining before shifting to second gear so that we can all know just how snazzy their bikes sound, but I won't assume that because a person rides a sport bike that they do this. It would be just as unfair to the vast majority of responsible riders who happen to prefer a tighter handling ride with a high redline to the low rumble of a V-twin and the ability sit upright in the saddle.

We all share a hobby, with all the risks and rewards for doing so. Why spew venom at the ones that don't share your particular tastes? Why make a snap judgement about a fellow rider based on the style of bike instead of the actual behavior of the individual rider?

*gets off soapbox*

Like I said in my post, I have found that a lot of Harley riders in Sweden seem to feel they're too good to hail other riders. Since I've never ridden a bike in any other country, this may not be true outside of Sweden.

Personally, I don't care what bike someone rides. If I'm out on a bike, I'll hail anyone. I even hailed a convoy of German motorcycle cops as I met them on a road in Sweden. I think they were on some official business or something.
Needless to say, they didn't hail me back. :smallwink:

I also try, as best I can, to help out bikers when I'm driving my car. If I see a bunch of bikers close up behind me, I'll give way to help them overtake, and a lot of the time, I get a quick wave 'thanks' as they pass, which is always nice.

[kyoryu]

Like I said in my post, I have found that a lot of Harley riders in Sweden seem to feel they're too good to hail other riders. Since I've never ridden a bike in any other country, this may not be true outside of Sweden.


My experience has been that riders on sportbikes are more likely to wave to other sportbike riders, and cruiser riders are more likely to wave to other cruisers.

Some people are jerks. In any group of people of sufficient size, you will inevitably find jerks. Some people also put too much of their identity in "xyz rider" and so tend to identify only with people riding the same type of bike that they do.

Why can't we all just get along? And gang up on the real enemy - cagers.

[smellie_hippie]

This thread has helped re-ignite my desire for a motorcycle. It's still a little lower on the priority list... but it's there again.

Thanks and damn you. :smallamused:

[KuReshtin]

This thread has helped re-ignite my desire for a motorcycle. It's still a little lower on the priority list... but it's there again.

Thanks and damn you. :smallamused:

I've got that desire in the back of my head all the time.

Also, on contract from Archie: *STABS the Hippie*

[smellie_hippie]

Also, on contract from Archie: *STABS the Hippie*

:eek: WTF Dude!? I thought we were friends!?!? :smallamused:

*urk*

[kyoryu]

This thread has helped re-ignite my desire for a motorcycle. It's still a little lower on the priority list... but it's there again.

Thanks and damn you. :smallamused:

Then my work here has been successful.

I shall go and report to my masters at the Internation Motorcycle Manufacturer's Consortium.

[Archonic Energy]

I've got that desire in the back of my head all the time.

Also, on contract from Archie: *STABS the Hippie*


:eek: WTF Dude!? I thought we were friends!?!? :smallamused:

*urk*

MWAHAHA!
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx135/oots12321/Other/STAB.png

i keep threatening my mates that i'll learn to ride a bike so i can't give them all a lift home from the pub.

[Tonal Architect]

On xenophobic cruiser riders: I've heard of motorcycle clubs (I'm not sure this term's usage is widespread; I'm referring to guys who ride around in jackets with a logotype in the back, and badges and pins everywhere else) which strictly forbid their members, while in "uniform", to engage in social activity with riders not in cruiser bikes. I'm not saying this is standard behaviour, but honestly, some people go way overboard.

[kyoryu]

On xenophobic cruiser riders: I've heard of motorcycle clubs (I'm not sure this term's usage is widespread; I'm referring to guys who ride around in jackets with a logotype in the back, and badges and pins everywhere else) which strictly forbid their members, while in "uniform", to engage in social activity with riders not in cruiser bikes. I'm not saying this is standard behaviour, but honestly, some people go way overboard.

Sounds about right for 1%ers. They are, of course, a serious minority.

[viewcaster]

Congrats... I got rid of my last bike when my wife was pregnant with our son and a couple of weeks ago I went with to look a new bikes (he's 18 now) and I sure got the itch!

[Force]

Beautiful bike-- makes me itch to upgrade from my little Ninja 250. Ride safe!

[IonDragon]

Congrats... I got rid of my last bike when my wife was pregnant with our son and a couple of weeks ago I went with to look a new bikes (he's 18 now) and I sure got the itch!

First time or two I read that it registered as "I got rid of my last bike when my wife was pregnant a couple weeks ago, I went to look at new bikes (he's 18 now)."

[kyoryu]

Congrats... I got rid of my last bike when my wife was pregnant with our son and a couple of weeks ago I went with to look a new bikes (he's 18 now) and I sure got the itch!

You can sure do worse than a first gen FZ-1. Good handling, great power, on a comfortable ride... they're better all-around bikes than the new FZ-1s, and can be had pretty cheaply. Since they're not as "racey" as the R1, they tend to be adult-owned and in better condition than a lot of bikes you can get used.