Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

Brap Brapppp

 

What was the price he gave?

 

Braaap

 

naked gang!

 

$10k original owner 2,700 miles. It was super clean so not a terrible price but on the higher end.

 

It was hot and I didn't feel like doing yard work after work yesterday so I decided to take a nice ride up into the foothills. Seeing all the dirt road off shoots from the mountain loop makes it tempting to think about selling this bike for an ADV.

 

I think with any vehicle there’s always going to be room for improvement in stock suspension. I think for really rough roads you’ll want something with longer shock travel (one of the reasons I’m upgrading mine). It rides “fine” but knowing what I know about the aftermarket, I had to upgrade. Even then, a properly tuned suspension for your weight and road conditions will do a lot to make the bike comply and just feel better. A lot of the guys in here will probably agree that dirt bike suspension is super plush on paved roads because it has such a long stoke- which is why supermoto setups are so much fun on the street.

For reference, I live in somewhat isolated foothill community so we get a lot of twisty roads with elevation changes. There’s also a lot of random bumps in the shoulders of the roads from the roots of all the old oak trees in the area. When those crack the asphalt, they don’t always get repaired right away so you learn to keep an eye out for random gravel or rough patches. That being said, I’m still within the boundaries of Los Angels so we’re not completely in the boonies and most of the main roads are really nice but also usually congested because they’re the only way in or out of our town.

 

On the higher end? Owner is higher than Snoop Dog at a Willie Nelson concert. High retail on NADA is under 7k.

I get that it's a 2003 which makes it a 100th anniversary edition but EVERY 2003 was a 100th anniversary bike and they ran the model year for 14 months! This was during the time I worked for a Harley dealership so I have a but more insight than the average person on this. Believe me the staff got really tired of seeing the same paint colors for that long of a period of time.

 

Ran a search yesterday on cycle trader and there are multiple ones with a lot more miles for that price from dealers. People are crazy right now! I would never pay that much for one. Even if they said they would let it go for $5k I would still be up in the air about it.

 

The V-rod is actually a nice bike but a lot depends on what you want. I always felt that power-wise it felt more like riding a Ducati than a Harley. That engine likes to rev. The frame with the long wheelbase was what made it so odd for me. Keep it pointed straight and it was a lot of fun. Throw it into a corner? Not a smart move. Like a lot of Harley products it was easy to find it's limits. As I said earlier the later Nightrod version was a far better bike for actual riding. The V-rod never really found acceptance with the old school Harley fans. I often wished they'd have given Erik Buell that power-train and left him see what he could do with it.

 

Update to this. The linkage needed a bend in it so the heim wasn’t binding at the end of travel. I made a new one but this time I shaped the square stock to an octagonal profile by hand with a file and some sand paper. Then I bent the brass to shape it followed by drilling and tapping for the rod ends. Brake arm moves free now without binding up.

 

Very cool!

Many years ago I did something similar for my Buell. I made a new shifter rod out of aluminum stock then had it hydro dipped wrapped in carbon fiber.

 

IM BACK! Week n two weekends up in northern ca, 2 major days of motorcycle riding and 4 days on a houseboat.... I dont want to go back to work.

Moto riding up there was E P I C totaled ~ 770miles of roads that were never even close to straight.

Day 1 was from camp to the coast and back - had to change route due to a land slide which added ~ 60 miles.








Day 2 was a big loop from camp back to camp of some of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL smooth clean paved twisties i have ever ridden.

 

With that money you could get the 1290r super duke. And that would be some fun.

 

Thanks for sharing. I saved the map route

 

That’s my T7 money!

 

I have a few bits and pieces of brass on the bike so I’m hoping they will patina the same to keep it cohesive. Harley came out with bronze wheels for this bike and it’s really hard to find paint or powder that matches exactly. Lots of things that are close but a shade or tone off. My OCD sees that and it sticks out like a sore thumb. I may end up powdering the wheels a gloss black when it’s time for a tire change.

 

If you want google maps links / gpx files etc let me know.

 

Sweet! Got my Navi's registration in. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get it due to doing the recall work myself but I guess California doesn't care!


Also, I haven't been riding it to work lately. I've lost more weight and my armored jeans are so baggy and uncomfortable I don't want to wear them for 8 hours straight. So.. I've been riding my bicycle (probably adding to the weight loss lol).