wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
This past weekend was the Spring edition of Thunder Beach here. The weekend our roads clog to a standstill with cruisers cruising to and fro, visiting the different venues, and everyone tries to see, be seen, and make a scene.
(How 70's is that??!?
)
As always, I could care less about the venues and most of the vendors, but there is still stuff to do and to look at. I took a couple of demo rides, and wandered the parking lots looking for cool stuff, things that set themselves apart somehow.
I passed on the Boss Hoss demo ride. I regret that now, just because that's something you just don't have that many chances to do!
You need a 455-HP, 6.2-liter V8 in a motorcycle!!!!
Next was a place that had Moto Guzzis for demo rides. They also had some Aprilia Truenos, but those were not available to ride. (I asked why not, and was told they usually demo-ride them, but these had just been to COTA and needed new tires.)
Here's the California, the full-on cruiser. Footboards way out front, heel and toe rocker shifter, the works.
The V9 Bobber. Look at the tires on that thing!!! 130/90-16. That's NINETY!!!!!! I think this thing could float!!!
The Truenos, two "regular" and two RR. I see nothing wrong with those tires!!! There's no steel or cord showing!!!!! LET US RIDE THEM!!!!!!
This was the one I chose, the V7 Stone. I picked it because it had the least-forward foot controls of what they had available. Turns out maybe the forward would have been better, as those pegs were in the way every time I put my feet down!
Looking at Moto Guzzis, you would swear that your knees would be banging on those cylinders all the time. Turns out they don't. It's not even close. Well, maybe close, but your knees are safe!
As for the ride, I have to say that it's been a long time since I was so disappointed in a motorcycle. And by "a long time," I mean that it's never happened before. Sure, there have been bikes i didn't care for as much as others, but none that I actually disliked! This one was awful. Maybe I expected too much from an air- cooled 744-cc 2-valve engine, but it only had 50 HP or so. It pulled well enough to move through traffic, but I didn't exactly have to hold on tight! Also, the shifter had no feel whatsoever. "Did it shift?" I wasn't sure until I let the clutch out and got the changed engine speed. The shifter may have well been just an electric switch for all the information I got out of it. No tach, either! Really??? And the mirrors were useless!!!! I could sorta see the adjacent lanes, but there was no possibility of seeing my own lane behind me, all I could see was my own forearms. I've been on bikes where you could move your elbows, kinda like doing the chicken dance (now that song's in your head, isn't it???) so you could get a view of what's back there, but you can't get any such view on this bike without letting go of the bike completely and trying to lean your body one way or the other without moving your head. I couldn't do it.....
One thing that WAS fun with it.... This is the first bike I've been on with the crankshaft set longitudinally rather than across the bike, so the bike torques over when you rev it. That was the most fun I had with it, sitting at a light and blipping, feeling the bike rock like it was powerful or something.
Next stop, the Ducati trailer! All they had was the Duavel, their "cruiser," but I signed up. Forward foot controls, high, wide, bars, blah blah blah.
With the Moto Guzzi, I expected some enjoyment from the ride yet received only disappointment. I expected disappointment from the Duavel but enjoyed it immensely. We had to be coached on the starting procedure: Set the kill switch on, hold the button that is where a starter button ought to be until the dash comes to life. When ready, push the button above the first button to crank it up. (Shutting down was kill switch, then that last button to turn off the electrics, which was not the button that turned them on. Weird....)
Anyway, this thing doesn't sit like any Ducati you might ever have been on, but it sounds like one!!!! Four times during the ride, after a turn, the ride lead would hold up until everyone was through, then head off into the distance, giving us a second gear roll-on up to..... um.... more. And I did have to hold on!!!!!
It wasn't perfect, though. Like any big twin I've been on, it certainly wasn't buttery smooth, but I didn't expect it to be. It idled smoother than the Moto Guzzi, though. But during those hard pulls, it was like you could you feel each and every ignition event as a pulse in the thrust of the bike, rather than a smooth constant pull. No big deal, just different. The suspension was rather harsh, though, and the ride was not exactly "cruiser"-ish, and that was the closest part of the experience to disappointment.
The sales pitch about the bike went through the electronic control of ABS and traction control. They told us (but didn't give us permission to test on bikes we didn't actually own) that you could nail the front brake, or pin the throttle, at full lean, and come out of it OK. The bike doesn't just use wheel speed sensors, but it knows where it is as far as lean angle, throttle position, brake pressure, whatever, and factors it all in, protecting all but the stupidest events.
The LCD dash panel had speed, a gear indicator, and a tach across the top. The gear indicator digit was as big as the speed indication. The turn signal didn't click when hit, so I kept having to look down to see if I had the blinkers. You could feel it click when you pushed it to cancel, but no feel to engaging.
Finally, here's a shot of the Duavel's seat. It has room for a fart-blossom!!!!
When it came time to leave and I got back on the FJR, it felt tiny, even though it's a hundred pounds heavier. It's amazing to say, but the bars on the FJR are narrower than the Duavel... your hands are closer together! And lower!!
All the riding done, it was time to wander the parking areas!
Huge curvy front fender. GOTS to be an Indian!!!
OK, I'll be the first to confess ignorance on the decorating trends in the cruiser world, but just what exactly is that 4-foot braid hanging from the handlebar? And it's always only one! Is it like the old single earring on a guy meant gay in the left ear, straight in the right? Or is it a lean angle detector, OMG-pick-the-bike-up-if-it-drags?
I actually kinda like that satin finish!!!
Now these would have been nice to choose from at the Ducati tent...
First-gen FZ-1, with some snazzy luggage. Were those Yamaha-supplied?
Honda something-or-other. Hope it doesn't rain, with those exposed electrics.
'Xcuse me! Pass the chrome polish, please!
Triumph Sprint ST, had three tailpipes under the seat.
Hey, that's not a Kawasaki!!! You can't use that color!!!!!
I literally turned around from that shot, and this is what I saw next!
Things I don't understand..... Giant front wheel, no ground clearance, no cornering clearance, and enough money to buy a small island. (OK, I know they raise up on air suspension when not parked, but not very much!!!)
That one had gorgeous paint, though, a deep candy red, multiple hues and metal-flake! Even the handlebars! (Computer displays, and probably the camera as well, just are not capable of rendering the color that was on this thing!)
That thing's.... PINK!!!!
Another Triumph, this one a Bonneville
This probably started out innocently enough, but...... dayum!
Gotta say, though, I like the intake cover!
At this point in my walk, this bike was the only one I'd seen that looked worse for wear than my own FJR, Well, besides the cartoon bike, i mean!
Ugh. Just, UGH!!!
Here's one for dcarver. Voyager with the 6-cylinder!
And this one is the worst-conditioned bike I saw all weekend. A rough life, this one's had!!!
Ya know, if they'd put a windshield, and maybe a tail bag on these, I bet they'd have an awesome highway bike!!!
Another day, returned to see the MX stunt jumping show, which was cancelled the previous afternoon for high winds. They were packing up when I got there, even though no wind was present. Actually very few people were present, which may have contributed to the early shutdown. Almost none of the vendors stay through the noon hour that they've actually committed to!
Anyway, here's the FJR in parking. Fits right in!!!!
Honda Rebel
I've already said that I'm not a cruiser guy. I don't like the riding position, I don't like the V-twin roughness, blah blah blah. But when I see a Victory, even though they don't do business any more, I have to admire the paintwork! They always have the most lustrous finishes, with wonderful, deep color, and bright shine!
A yellow V-Rod, and a YELLOW!!! V-Rod. (Again, the computer screen falls short. The front bike was a nice, kinda pale yellow, and the one in the back almost hurt to look at!)
Hey, that's not a Kawasaki!!!
Honda V-4 something, made into a bobber.
No tail/brake light, no mirrors... so why a tag?? You don't supposed he fibbed about modifications, do you??
That's just a red plastic disk, nothing behind it, not even reflective. It's NOT a tail light!!!
Hey, yer lean detector's dragging the ground!!!! And what does it mean when it's on the left side?
Last stop, the Harley dealership itself. Again, the FJR fit right in!!!
NSA edition Harley-Davidson
As I approached this black bike, I found that it wasn't black, but the darkest, deepest red I've ever seen.
The dealership has a bit of inventory for your perusal.
For a fiver under 40 grand, you can own THIS, the "winner" of the Baddest Bagger Buildoff. Just think of the prestige! The glamour! The style!!!
(How 70's is that??!?
As always, I could care less about the venues and most of the vendors, but there is still stuff to do and to look at. I took a couple of demo rides, and wandered the parking lots looking for cool stuff, things that set themselves apart somehow.
I passed on the Boss Hoss demo ride. I regret that now, just because that's something you just don't have that many chances to do!
You need a 455-HP, 6.2-liter V8 in a motorcycle!!!!
Next was a place that had Moto Guzzis for demo rides. They also had some Aprilia Truenos, but those were not available to ride. (I asked why not, and was told they usually demo-ride them, but these had just been to COTA and needed new tires.)
Here's the California, the full-on cruiser. Footboards way out front, heel and toe rocker shifter, the works.
The V9 Bobber. Look at the tires on that thing!!! 130/90-16. That's NINETY!!!!!! I think this thing could float!!!
The Truenos, two "regular" and two RR. I see nothing wrong with those tires!!! There's no steel or cord showing!!!!! LET US RIDE THEM!!!!!!
This was the one I chose, the V7 Stone. I picked it because it had the least-forward foot controls of what they had available. Turns out maybe the forward would have been better, as those pegs were in the way every time I put my feet down!
Looking at Moto Guzzis, you would swear that your knees would be banging on those cylinders all the time. Turns out they don't. It's not even close. Well, maybe close, but your knees are safe!
As for the ride, I have to say that it's been a long time since I was so disappointed in a motorcycle. And by "a long time," I mean that it's never happened before. Sure, there have been bikes i didn't care for as much as others, but none that I actually disliked! This one was awful. Maybe I expected too much from an air- cooled 744-cc 2-valve engine, but it only had 50 HP or so. It pulled well enough to move through traffic, but I didn't exactly have to hold on tight! Also, the shifter had no feel whatsoever. "Did it shift?" I wasn't sure until I let the clutch out and got the changed engine speed. The shifter may have well been just an electric switch for all the information I got out of it. No tach, either! Really??? And the mirrors were useless!!!! I could sorta see the adjacent lanes, but there was no possibility of seeing my own lane behind me, all I could see was my own forearms. I've been on bikes where you could move your elbows, kinda like doing the chicken dance (now that song's in your head, isn't it???) so you could get a view of what's back there, but you can't get any such view on this bike without letting go of the bike completely and trying to lean your body one way or the other without moving your head. I couldn't do it.....
One thing that WAS fun with it.... This is the first bike I've been on with the crankshaft set longitudinally rather than across the bike, so the bike torques over when you rev it. That was the most fun I had with it, sitting at a light and blipping, feeling the bike rock like it was powerful or something.
Next stop, the Ducati trailer! All they had was the Duavel, their "cruiser," but I signed up. Forward foot controls, high, wide, bars, blah blah blah.
With the Moto Guzzi, I expected some enjoyment from the ride yet received only disappointment. I expected disappointment from the Duavel but enjoyed it immensely. We had to be coached on the starting procedure: Set the kill switch on, hold the button that is where a starter button ought to be until the dash comes to life. When ready, push the button above the first button to crank it up. (Shutting down was kill switch, then that last button to turn off the electrics, which was not the button that turned them on. Weird....)
Anyway, this thing doesn't sit like any Ducati you might ever have been on, but it sounds like one!!!! Four times during the ride, after a turn, the ride lead would hold up until everyone was through, then head off into the distance, giving us a second gear roll-on up to..... um.... more. And I did have to hold on!!!!!
It wasn't perfect, though. Like any big twin I've been on, it certainly wasn't buttery smooth, but I didn't expect it to be. It idled smoother than the Moto Guzzi, though. But during those hard pulls, it was like you could you feel each and every ignition event as a pulse in the thrust of the bike, rather than a smooth constant pull. No big deal, just different. The suspension was rather harsh, though, and the ride was not exactly "cruiser"-ish, and that was the closest part of the experience to disappointment.
The sales pitch about the bike went through the electronic control of ABS and traction control. They told us (but didn't give us permission to test on bikes we didn't actually own) that you could nail the front brake, or pin the throttle, at full lean, and come out of it OK. The bike doesn't just use wheel speed sensors, but it knows where it is as far as lean angle, throttle position, brake pressure, whatever, and factors it all in, protecting all but the stupidest events.
The LCD dash panel had speed, a gear indicator, and a tach across the top. The gear indicator digit was as big as the speed indication. The turn signal didn't click when hit, so I kept having to look down to see if I had the blinkers. You could feel it click when you pushed it to cancel, but no feel to engaging.
Finally, here's a shot of the Duavel's seat. It has room for a fart-blossom!!!!
When it came time to leave and I got back on the FJR, it felt tiny, even though it's a hundred pounds heavier. It's amazing to say, but the bars on the FJR are narrower than the Duavel... your hands are closer together! And lower!!
All the riding done, it was time to wander the parking areas!
Huge curvy front fender. GOTS to be an Indian!!!
OK, I'll be the first to confess ignorance on the decorating trends in the cruiser world, but just what exactly is that 4-foot braid hanging from the handlebar? And it's always only one! Is it like the old single earring on a guy meant gay in the left ear, straight in the right? Or is it a lean angle detector, OMG-pick-the-bike-up-if-it-drags?
I actually kinda like that satin finish!!!
Now these would have been nice to choose from at the Ducati tent...
First-gen FZ-1, with some snazzy luggage. Were those Yamaha-supplied?
Honda something-or-other. Hope it doesn't rain, with those exposed electrics.
'Xcuse me! Pass the chrome polish, please!
Triumph Sprint ST, had three tailpipes under the seat.
Hey, that's not a Kawasaki!!! You can't use that color!!!!!
I literally turned around from that shot, and this is what I saw next!
Things I don't understand..... Giant front wheel, no ground clearance, no cornering clearance, and enough money to buy a small island. (OK, I know they raise up on air suspension when not parked, but not very much!!!)
That one had gorgeous paint, though, a deep candy red, multiple hues and metal-flake! Even the handlebars! (Computer displays, and probably the camera as well, just are not capable of rendering the color that was on this thing!)
That thing's.... PINK!!!!
Another Triumph, this one a Bonneville
This probably started out innocently enough, but...... dayum!
Gotta say, though, I like the intake cover!
At this point in my walk, this bike was the only one I'd seen that looked worse for wear than my own FJR, Well, besides the cartoon bike, i mean!
Ugh. Just, UGH!!!
Here's one for dcarver. Voyager with the 6-cylinder!
And this one is the worst-conditioned bike I saw all weekend. A rough life, this one's had!!!
Ya know, if they'd put a windshield, and maybe a tail bag on these, I bet they'd have an awesome highway bike!!!
Another day, returned to see the MX stunt jumping show, which was cancelled the previous afternoon for high winds. They were packing up when I got there, even though no wind was present. Actually very few people were present, which may have contributed to the early shutdown. Almost none of the vendors stay through the noon hour that they've actually committed to!
Anyway, here's the FJR in parking. Fits right in!!!!
Honda Rebel
I've already said that I'm not a cruiser guy. I don't like the riding position, I don't like the V-twin roughness, blah blah blah. But when I see a Victory, even though they don't do business any more, I have to admire the paintwork! They always have the most lustrous finishes, with wonderful, deep color, and bright shine!
A yellow V-Rod, and a YELLOW!!! V-Rod. (Again, the computer screen falls short. The front bike was a nice, kinda pale yellow, and the one in the back almost hurt to look at!)
Hey, that's not a Kawasaki!!!
Honda V-4 something, made into a bobber.
No tail/brake light, no mirrors... so why a tag?? You don't supposed he fibbed about modifications, do you??
That's just a red plastic disk, nothing behind it, not even reflective. It's NOT a tail light!!!
Hey, yer lean detector's dragging the ground!!!! And what does it mean when it's on the left side?
Last stop, the Harley dealership itself. Again, the FJR fit right in!!!
NSA edition Harley-Davidson
As I approached this black bike, I found that it wasn't black, but the darkest, deepest red I've ever seen.
The dealership has a bit of inventory for your perusal.
For a fiver under 40 grand, you can own THIS, the "winner" of the Baddest Bagger Buildoff. Just think of the prestige! The glamour! The style!!!
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