Looks like, so far, it's only in the application status? Only applies to motorcycles? http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=56b77t.2.2 Mike
Yeah and when I read your "I'm no gynocolegist but I'll take a look anyways " I spewed coffee all over my keyboard and monitor.
Well this is some really stupid shit. H-D can suck my heiney hole, don't get me wrong I do feel warm and fuzzy that they survived at all, but what gives? They should patent the word 'hypocrisy' maybe even call a bike that. For years they ignored the very hand that fed them, now they're appealing to God knows what segment of the population. I mean who the hell is this "street rod" bike's demographic? Certainly rice rocket dudes won't touch that thing with a cane pole and traditional (read retarded newbies) can't possibly dig it's styling. I just don't get H-D, they have absolutely no respect for history or terminology, they took Hog, they took Softail, what's next, Rat Rod? Fuck, they can keep Rat Rod.
I'm not a bike guy - is that the one in the new commercials that looks like an OCC bike (or at least the tank)? Mutt
so hatch, just HOW do you know it's a shitty bike? personal exprience? had to constantly work on one? your credentials? i've never rode one so tell me.. i wanna know cuz i'm looking for a crashed/damaged one for a project. what's the problems with them? the name DOES suck, but i'm not in marketing
MY experience with them is that they have all the technology of the other brands but none of the advantages. They're way down on power, they're heavy, they handle like shit. I've ridden them, I was the service manager at a Harley shop when they came out. I still haven't seen them get any better. Sorry but in my opinion you're way better off with an Evo, at least it has some soul left. Personally I'd just get a Flyrite and save myself about $5k...
Let's just say the truth, Harley's suck, I should know, I own one. If you wanna go far with total dependability, buy a fucking BMW or a Honda Goldwing. Whenever the topic of HD's reliability comes up, I'm reminded of a T-shirt I saw on a BMW rider, "Would you fly on a plane built by Harley Davidson?" It's an ego or historical thing with HDs, you have to be a sucker/nostalgic fool to own or build one, I'm one of those fools. Yeah I feel like a million bucks when I'm on my chopper, but when I think that it cost me as much as my hot rod and sled combined, reality smacks me in the head. Do I love my bike? Sure, after sinking 12gs into it, what's not to love? She's a finicky girlfriend who gives me an intense blow job once in a while.
well, i may be picking YOUR brain at a later date but i was asking Hatch what HIS credentials were... actually zman, i'd like to know any reliability concerns of the vrod.... i DO check my pm's now and again if you'd rather
total dependability!?!?!? ask crosley about the gold wing recall....... guess they have frame problems.... i wouldn't fly in a plane built by BMW either. btw, www.hog-air.com
Who gives a fuck about the V-Rod's reliability, it's as ugly as Eileen Wournos, post execution day. I wouldn't be seen dead on one. The only bike uglier than a V-Rod is a Polaris Victory.
I don't own one...my brother does. Never ran right from day one....He's no "wrench", but got it to function with an aftermarket computer. My credentials are simple. I was working at a harley dealer at the end of the shovelhead era....and have had fifteen or so hd's in my life. I bought HD stock the day they went public and used to be a real fan..... Harleys ONLY attempt at making a better bike than the japs is the v rod.....they failed. Just check the stats. Lets talk EVO's...They last longer than shovels, but are still poorer quality than many other bikes of the world. The new hd's have lost the soul of the older bikes.....the sound is gone(looks too).....might as well ride a yamaha. Half the price, and sound the same. Harley sold out. The only parts that function properly are the outsourced ones. Hit any dealer and see what you can buy a vrod for.....discounts are no problem, walmart has a clearance section for "slow movers" too... If you want a vrod type bike, do yourself a favor.... buy japanese. I just about puked the last time I set foot in a hd dealership....it was full of people trying to buy a life.
Well shit, tomslik, you've convinced me, one dude flying thirty miles in a solo aircraft makes HD's the shit, how about taking 300 people Transatlantic? The way I see it is that people get worked up because someone has the audacity to question the quality of an American product and think it anti-American. If American products were so great we'd still be watching Philco TVs and heating tofuburgers in Amana microwaves. The truth is America fell asleep when Hondas were building Civics to compete with Pintos.....history tells us that Civics are still around and when one sees a Pinto on the road one declares it a miracle. Running Vegas are worthy of sainthood. It's truly a miracle that HD's still around, and it's because of mythology and the hankering of limp dicked orthodontists trying to recapture their youth. Yes I think the EVO motor is far superior to it's Flathead brethren on, but even HD's given up on that last link to its storied past. All the hallmarks of HD interchangeability have gone down the toilet, the only reason HD still exists is because they've marketed themselves to people who don't really give a shit about motorcycling but they like the T-shirts.
It's often hard to tell how much something sucks, but with this handy little uni-syn suck meter, you can see the suck on the gauge by how high the little red bobber goes. Also good for tuning multiple carbs and checking your vacuum cleaner for proper suck. pigpen
haven't heard of a whole lot, seems most of the teething got taken care of the first year. I guess those Porsche engineers got the design pretty decent from the git-go. Of course H-D cut the development cycle short. Same crap they pulled with the VR1000 race bike program. In my opinion the V-Rod doesn't represent Harley to me. If I were to get a Harley I'd probably get a shovel or a pan, they represent Harley to me. The Evo is the logical progression of from there but it seems they missed something with the V-Rod though they are doing very well in the Harley drags...
Have you ever tried to buy a '78 FLH rocker box gasket from a Harley Davidson dealer? You can get condoms from a Seventh Day Adventist Church easier.
the reason i ask is that the vrod powertrain is inevitable due to noise AND emissions (but i hate the look of the bike itself, it just ain't harley) and, (supposedly) 100+hp box stock. thinking about a custom bagger.... btw, just traded off my 98 fxdwg for a '02flhtci TC motors DO have a "different sound to 'em.
you guys need to remember that it IS a business and sometimes you have to do what it takes to stay alive. i personally don't see a difference between a HD t-shirt for 20 bucks or a rod run t shirt for 20 bucks. it's still $20 out of my pocket
ain't that what we're ALL doing? it's just a question of $$$ 1 thing i HAVE noticed is the market for used bikes is not as good as it has been(no waiting list for a new harley+ the 100th aniversery is over with,thank god) i think you'll see that the guys who WANT a harley to ride and not display are gonna be able to afford one in the not-too-distant future
When my brother complained to the dealer, the response he got was..."They all do that".....When riding around town, the bike wouldn't hold a steady speed (rpm), no matter which gear you were in. So maybe you haven't heard about it, but the dealers sure have.
HD can trademark my ass. That way everytime I take a shit it'll keep their production up. Even though I'm not the biggest proponent of street rods (dayglo's for life preservers, and soul can't be catalog ordered), this trademarking shit is outta hand.
I think that has something to do with the ineffectual downdraft and the fact that all the "amazing design principle" they put into, they miscalculated one thing. An engine needs air, and the downdraft needs a lot of air, and being under and aerodynaimc tank doesn't help with air. So they recalculate the main processor to just run inefficiently with no power. I could tell some damn good stories about the factory in town that would make you never want to buy a newer Harley ever again.
Not in the cards right now.. Got to finish the roadster.... But I am surprised it's still not sold... supposedly is right... about 68hp at the rear wheel if I remember correctly from the one I got to run on the dyno. I'd figure that to be 85hp or so at the crank. But then again it has been a while, maybe the pumped them up a bit. It'd be easy enough to find out though....
The Jalopy Journal
