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Steve 220 days ago
I don't know if any of the motorcycle magazines have run performance comparisons between the Yamaha FZ6 versus the Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, but it seems like these two bikes are indeed comparable in many ways, yet quite different in others. But having only ridden cruisers, and not being all that familiar with sportbikes, I hadn't realized that these two bikes are similar in one other way: they're both considered beginner bikes. The story goes back to last week when I was hanging out with some fellow riders at a Wings And Things in Murrieta, CA. Two of the guys there were from the local metric motorcycle dealer, one guy a salesman, and the other a wrench. Both were sportbike riders. So I asked them what they thought about the Yamaha FZ6. I explained that I was actually interested in buying one, because I wanted something that could handle the twisties better than my Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic, that was a lot lighter, and was priced low. And the Yamaha FZ6 fits that ...Steve 311 days ago
After all the news that Myrtle Beach Bike Week was going to be cancelled, the obvious happened: bikers are still going to Myrtle Beach to party. Well, maybe not in Myrtle Beach itself, but all outside the city limits. Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson, the local Harley dealer there, sent out a press release reminding everyone that just because the City of Myrtle Beach passed some laws that would punish bikers for making a peep in their town, those laws don't extend outside of the city. And apparently, that's where the dealer is trying to move the event to. "Many tourists wrongly believe that Myrtle Beach is synonymous with the 60-mile-long 'Grand Strand' that is visited by more than 14 million tourists annually," said Mike Shank, marketing director for Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson. "In reality, the City of Myrtle Beach is just a small town inside of Horry County. It only has 25,000 residents. To the north, south and west of Myrtle Beach is the much-larger Grand Strand ...Steve 315 days ago
I knew it all along, this new Honda Fury that everyone's been raving about is just another VTX. They took their VTX 1300 engine (1312cc, 52°) and slapped it on a different chassis. And now metric fanatics are saying this is going to erode away at Harley's market. Yeah, right, as if the VTX ever eroded away at Harley's market. Ok, it looks like a nice bike. I'm not sure I like the radiator on a raked out bike. But, I'm sure Honda will sell these things. But they'll only sell them to people who already love the VTX. They're not going to sell them to Harley riders. Either you're a Honda rider, or a Harley rider, or a Yamaha rider. Brand loyalty is pretty fierce in the cruiser world. This bike isn't going to take any more sales away from Harley than Harley has taken away from Honda. The problem with Honda, which Dale Franks identified, is that they don't invest themselves into the cruiser-riding community. Harley is always doing stuff with its customer base, ...Steve 382 days ago
The price of oil keeps getting cheaper all the time... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081111/bs_nm/us_markets_oil The price of oil affects the price of everything: food, dining, durable goods, travel industry, plastics, urban sprawl, just about everything. Had the price of oil kept going higher, $5.00 a gallon and up, I would have curtailed my joy riding habits, by more staying closer to home, and on fewer days. As long as it keeps going down, I can at least still ride. And when I ride, I usually stop somewhere for a bite to eat. And as long as I keep riding, I'll have to maintain my motorcycle and purchase new tires, oil, filters, etc. I'm still spending money. In a world so dependent on oil for everything, it makes sense to me that we need cheap oil to get the economy back on track.
Steve 402 days ago
This article from the LA Times paints a rather disturbing picture of what lengths the feds will go towards eliminating gang violence... http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mongols22-2008oct22,0,754213.story But the most lasting blow to the San Gabriel Valley-based bikers may be down the road: In an unusual maneuver, the feds are also seeking to seize control of the Mongols' trademarked name, which is typically accompanied by its cherished insignia -- a ponytailed Genghis Khan-like figure riding a chopper. This makes the feds no different than a rival motorcycle gang. It's not uncommon for a motorcycle club to collect the patches of a smaller club, and effectively put it out of business. And what good would it do to take away the name and logo from a club? It's members are still out there, and will seek to continue their ways under another name and logo. I guess if the feds can buy control of banks and mortgage lenders, they can also seize control of trademarks and ...
