Motorbikes - what do you ride?

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Indian?

oooh that kind of sounds familiar.

They used to ride from CA to Sturgis South Dakota for a big motorcycle rally.

Had to google to see what it looked like.. aaah, 250cc scooter, basically.



Here's a modded one that looks pretty sick - predecessor to the Big Ruckus!

Indian has overtaken Harley as The Cruiser to own these days. IF I had the $ for a new cruiser And wanted one, I'd buy an Indian over a Harley 100% - style wise they look fantastic, even the lower priced ones. But the cheapest ones still cost more than I paid for my brand new car, sooo.. they're not exactly cheap, IMO.

My dad wants to go to Sturgis someday.. who knows, maybe in the next year or two or so before he gets too sick to consider it anymore. As long as covid isn't a concern anymore.. variants are proven to be under control via vaccines etc.

I've looked at getting a Royal Enfield just for something to ride around town on in the summer, but a Triumph isn't all that much more costly.

I've had mostly Triumphs, but I did buy a Yamaha once because it was so cheap -- I got it for half off brand new out of the crate!

My big problem, though, is that with my hypothyroid issues, I get cold far too easily and that really limits how much riding I could actually do these days. It just isn't worthwhile any more for me to ride bikes.

if i had the duckie$ and the health, i'd think about getting me another Helix, or mebbe one of those cute yamaha scooters.

Hi all, it's great hearing about, and now seeing, all your bikes. I love the look of that Harley. Not for me though, I'm the wrong shape for one of those to be comfortable on it (too short in the arm!) ....and I'm not really a fan of spending too much time polishing to keep that lovely looking chrome looking good. I do appreciate how good they look though. A friend of mine is a big Harley fan and had a Road King until recently and he's just picked up the Triumph equivalent (I can't remember the model name).
If I can work out how to add pics I'll pop up some pics of my current and previous bikes.
I hope you're all getting some good time on the roads now and making the most of the sun

Just finished giving this dirty boy his first proper bath since I got ‘im. Not a full proper detail, but, back to being “pretty boy,” again.



Not bad for someone who just turned 40… thousand kilometres old, eh?

what do you think of 1960s model BMW bikes?

I think that's where they got the inspiration for their new 1800cc cruiser!



Other than that, they look okay to me. I wouldn't turn down giving one a spin.

The REASON for my BMW though has nothing to do with what it looks like. It's all about the geometry - it's nearly identical to my twin brother's 2015 750 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle. They fit our specific oddball frames like a glove! Same same for the bike he's considering ordering brand new: A Yamaha MT09 SP -> which is also WAY more powerful than either bike, but the critical thing is the frame dimensions and control positions.. they fit our long legs/arms/femurs etc as if they were custom made for us.

Had a go out on my bike yesterday. Not been out on it for aaaaaages due to covid lockdown and also a shoulder dislocation. ......but the sun was shining and roads were dry. Couldn't resist it and went out to blow off the cobwebs. Absolutely brilliant. It's such a good way to de-stress. Smiles all day

It's a hell of a feeling.. those who don't know.. don't know.

Haven't been out for days - something wrong, possibly that just the clutch cable needs adjusting.. hopefully, otherwise it's an expensive repair.

I'm phobic when it comes to riding motorcycles, I must confess.

And to ride on a motorcycle with someone driving it----even worse.

But I do understand the feeling of exhilaration one gets, the freedom one experiences, when somebody rides a motorcycle or even a bike.

There’s nothing quite like it.

Like Ekhart Tolle says, ppl do extreme sports because it forces them to Be Present. Riding a motorcycle definitely forces you to focus on the moment - that’s real free living.. any thoughts about the past or future are fleeting; you’ve got to keep your head in the game of piloting the engine your sitting atop Or, you might make a fatal error. Literally.

Then there’s the vroom vroom engine and exhaust sounds and vibration, the feeling of acceleration - apparent wind in your face.. and the sense of pride knowing that you’re operating the 2nd most difficult to operate machine known to man, piloting it with skill and grace.. not just with mere mechanical inputs, but by feel & a connection to the machine that lets just a little pressure here or a little shift in weight their help navigate curves and avoid obstacles.

It’s pretty badass.

it is like the thing is cheering you up and egging you on.

It's all of those things described above and more. I find it impossible to explain to a non biker but it's all consuming. The need for absolute focus so nobody kills you or you don't hit that bit of gravel or go over the slippery tarmac snakes at the same time as that engine can be felt grumbling in your bones. Just amazing.
And the feeling of taking a bend just right is just fantastic. I don't mean racing fast but just banking perfectly, feeling the balance of the bike hitting the perfect line then switching weight for the next bend in the opposite direction. When it's done just right the bike almost disappears ...I once heard it described as like low level jetpackery.
Brilliant!
I think it's that understanding of the enjoyment of all those things that creates such a bond between all bikers even though in other walks of life they would generally give each other very wide berths!
As an aspie who masks the issue in the real world if I find out someone is a biker I don't have to worry about the usual small talk nightmare- I can just give a motorbike prompt and let them tell me all about their bike, their trips, their kit etc etc and I know all the right places to nod, smile or question. Makes my life a lot easier!