Tours of Victory: Seattle, the Long Way

Yes, this is the sportbike forum, in which cruiser reviews are peppered with questions such as, "Why don't my wrists hurt?" and "Why won't this bike do 17,000 rpm?" and performance data on the order of "how many people looked at us outside the restaurant and thought we were cool because of this bike."

Sportbike good. Cruiser bad, very bad.......

If I ran out of gas, I would rather push a 400 lb sportbike than a 600 lb cruiser, but hey I try to not run out of gas....

Re: NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET?

From the report:

"They're cruisers. They are limited by their shape, motor configuration and chassis design to be low-speed scenery-enjoyment devices. Of course, we do like to enjoy scenery when we travel, but a better-handling sport-tourer or standard would let us enjoy the scenery or make it blur..."

Which begs the question, why do motorcycles have to be either/or? Harley, of all people, is the only cruiser maker who has put any effort into building a cruiser with handling and cornering clearance.

People love the sound and feel of big, torquey, slow-turning, narrow-angle, single-crankpin V-twins. They also love going around corners.

Here's an idea: Why not put the two together?!

Re: NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET?

Yamaha Warrior? Victory 8-ball?

Hey, they tested them, didn't they. By definition cruisers aren't built, marketed or generally purchased for this duty.

The other names used to describe bikes like "sport," "tour" or "dirt" may take some more research before I decide what task they are intended to carry out.



Gabe, you were just wearing one of your radio earplugs while you were in CA.....right?

How come the greatest industrial power on Earth, the nation that put a man on the Moon nearly 40 years ago, still hasn't learnt to build a bike that's not a piece of farm machinery? Where's the vision, the inspiration, the technology? We're even seeing the Koreans and Chinese take on the Japanese and Europeans. Has the US lost something?

because they are so far a head you would not buy the first attempt.

I'd say you were correct, but the fact that the Japanese have been tripping over themselves for the last 20 years to copy Harley says volumes about where 'technology' lies in the grand scheme of things. If you like your motorcycle because it has more technology than the others, I'd say you are riding for the wrong reason.

Only in America

"If you like your motorcycle because it has more technology than the others, I'd say you are riding for the wrong reason."

Only in America, where bikes are used mainly as a hobby object, would someone say that. In particular, most cruisers are just a means to an end i.e. a object used to join groups or a social vehicle.

Some of us, albeit a minority in the U.S. , ride bikes for "sport". We love adrenalin we get from riding a high performance vehicle. For those of us who love technology, things like ABS, advanced suspensions, high performance, agility matter.

By the way.....There is no right or wrong reason to ride

Re: Only in America

"By the way.....There is no right or wrong reason to ride"

Sounds kind of hollow coming from a guy that has repeatedly said that cruiser riders are 'idiots'. Which side of your mouth are you going to talk out tomorrow?

Purgatory: riding any cruiser up I-5 while listening to National Socialist Radio.

Nice review. Any chance of seeing a Fat Bob - 8-ball comaparison down the road?

Re: NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET?

Don't know about the Warrior, but the clearance on the 8-Ball is fair to poor at best...

Where's the pictures of KP riding bytch?

Grow the fark up!

It's nice to see that most sport bike riders here still have a healthy, sneering, contemptuous opinion of anyone daring to admit they enjoy riding cruisers.

"Whaddya mean it only does 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds? pfft! It's not a real motorbike unless it does it in 3.5 seconds. Pfft, loser!"

Come on Buz, you know the reason for going to Seatle was so KP could give Sean, and Gabe the grand tour of Boeing, and invite them home for a sleep over.

And harley davidsonis persuing a deal with a motorcycle manufacturer in china..The answer is yep.

Re: NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET?

You're right, just pointing out "other" companies are at least trying.

I really don't think you can address the situation to much or you build a "standard" that no one asked for.

Re: Only in America

Kp needs to take the middle ground; "there's idiots on every type of bike"