The Motorcycle Discussion Thread

[Dayze]

I figure there are some motorcycle guys/gals on CP, so I thought we could have a place to talk all things Motorcycles.

Tire Mount and Balance Prices (as of 10/29/16)

Prices based on if you remove the wheels yourself and bring the wheels and new tires with you:

Cycle Gear - $35 per wheel if you buy tires from them. $58 per wheel if you buy tires elsewhere
Rawhide - $65 per wheel (assuming it would be the same at other HD dealers. they book it at 1/2 hr per wheel)
C R Cycle Tires (DeSoto) - $30 per wheel

Cheapest I've found my Michelin Commander II's. Seem like they have good prices on other brands too.
http://www.jakewilson.com - Free 3 day shipping on orders over $75

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

Truly a bummer. I liked them a lot and spoke with owners that were pleased.
The article spoke of drastic cuts on new models to liquidate, but it would be hard to justify buying a bike brand doomed. I would worry about sourcing parts and resale down the line.

I'm sure a lot of would be buyers are turning elsewhere now.

When Buell went belly up I was looking at getting an XB12s or w/e they were called and as soon as Harley said gtfo I crossed it off my list.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by kcfanXIII

Yeah, I really liked the Cross Country, and was going to look into one when it came time to buy a new bike. Guess it's Harley or bust now if I want a fairinged bagger that doesn't look like it's been hit with the ugly stick.

If you ever wanted one, you can probably get a hell of a deal on one now.

I'm strongly considering it. I've loved Victory for awhile and my '06 Vulcan could use an upgrade. Sure, 10 years from now when the warranty runs (rumors are that's how long they'll have the warranty and service for through Polaris), the re-sale will be bad. But damn man, when's the re-sale on a motorcycle ever worth a damn anyway?

[Kman34]

Hey guys new to this thread.... I'm looking for a 175cc Kawasaki Enduro street and trail bike...I had one when I was a kid and would love to find one that needs a little work to get running again... Not finding what I want on Craigslist....

[Graystoke]

Originally Posted by Kman34

Hey guys new to this thread.... I'm looking for a 175cc Kawasaki Enduro street and trail bike...I had one when I was a kid and would love to find one that needs a little work to get running again... Not finding what I want on Craigslist....

Year range?

[Kman34]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

Year range?

Not sure the year I had but it was a early 70s model...

[Perineum Ripper]

So this March for my birthday the girlfriend said I am getting a new bike..was going to be the Victory Cross Country or the Cross Country Tour but with Victory shutting down I am not going with them due to a number of reasons which makes me sad

Girlfriend and I went to the Harley Shop here in Columbia and was looking at bikes..I have been a fan of the Road Glide for a while now and she saw one in Red and said that's the one..I said that one is the brand new 17 model you won't like the price Momma..she asked the salesman and he said something along the lines of $25000..she asked how much for the stuff I want to add..pipes passenger backrest and the docking hardware for the backrest..so that added about another $2000

We come home and I was in the kitchen getting things for supper ready when she walks in with the kitchen with the laptop..she had been searching for used bikes..on the drive home she was asking me all kinds of questions about what years I would want used and price and color..she found us a blue bike she likes with exhaust and the docking hardware already on it

So I am pretty sure she will make me buy a new bike for my birthday and make me get what I want on it..I think I found a keeper

[Dayze]

Yeah, Harley Prices in general are inflated, but NEW HD Prices are WAY inflated. Now that Victory is done, we'll see prices for HD stuff across the board creep up now that they have a portion of market share back.

These are a few groups I'm subscribed to on FB that are fairly active. I've see really really good deals out there now that it's the dead of winter, and parts-wise, seen alot of parts as guys are doing their winter upgrades or changing out parts etc.


-Harley Davidson Parts (Buy-Sell-Trade)
-Addicted to Baggers & Horsepower
-Harley Davidson Only Motorcycle Swap Shop

I'd say, based the the seat of my pants value meter, that used HD Listings are probably a good 15-20% lower right now than the same bikes will be by late Spring/Summer. My brother found his '12 SG on one of these groups (can't remember which)...23k miles, extended bags, stretched side panels, full VH exhaust, TTS Tuner, quick detach tour pack painted to match, inner fairing painted to match, air ride, 14" apes, after market stereo/blue tooth, alarm/fob system, extra set of wheels and tires (stock), enforcer chrome dipped wheels, chromed forks/lowers............$15k. Had to drive an hour and a half away, but worth it. He bought it mid-december.

[seaofred]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If you ever wanted one, you can probably get a hell of a deal on one now.

I'm strongly considering it. I've loved Victory for awhile and my '06 Vulcan could use an upgrade. Sure, 10 years from now when the warranty runs (rumors are that's how long they'll have the warranty and service for through Polaris), the re-sale will be bad. But damn man, when's the re-sale on a motorcycle ever worth a damn anyway?

My Victory Cross Country is truly an awesome bike and I've loved it since I bought it, but I"m about 90% sure I'm going to sell it. The announcement Polaris sent out stated, they will continue to service and cover warranties for 10 years. My local dealership, hasn't lowered the prices on their bikes yet, so I don't know if the "Great" deals are out there just yet. The only reason I'm considering selling mine, is because I'm concerned the aftermarket parts market is going to dry up. Now, places like Witchdoctor, Lloydz, and Vic Baggers are all saying they are going to keep making the parts.

[stanleychief]

Ok, here's the scenario:

I'ts early June and I have 2 weeks to go wherever I want. I live here in KC. Where should I ride to and what should I go see in this fine country? I've done weekends in Arkansas and there are some neat roads down there, but I'm thinking I want to see some REAL scenery. Do you head west to Colorado, California & Oregon, or go east to Carolina, Virginia & Tennessee?

I'm not sure how many miles a day I can handle, but I'd guess 300 or so is about right. How much do you guys travel on your trips? Any tips to share with a cross-country noob?

[Dayze]

300-400 miles per day is a good avg. You don't want to be so jammed up with "I need to do 600 miles per day" to get back home etc. that 300 range is nice because you can stop whenever you want, look at the sites etc, and not be jammed up on time each day.

I've never ridden outside of the mid-west. i've always wanted to take a trip out to the grand canyone and CA, and spend a lot of time on Route 66 in one direction or the other.

one thing you'll want to do about a month before your ride, is spend a few weekends riding. Like, literally. Get up on a Saturday and do some sort of round trip that is that 450 range. then, get up and do it again on Sunday. Then do it the next weekend. You'll need to get your body ready for a big trip of riding like that.

[seaofred]

Originally Posted by stanleychief

Ok, here's the scenario:

I'ts early June and I have 2 weeks to go wherever I want. I live here in KC. Where should I ride to and what should I go see in this fine country? I've done weekends in Arkansas and there are some neat roads down there, but I'm thinking I want to see some REAL scenery. Do you head west to Colorado, California & Oregon, or go east to Carolina, Virginia & Tennessee?

I'm not sure how many miles a day I can handle, but I'd guess 300 or so is about right. How much do you guys travel on your trips? Any tips to share with a cross-country noob?

I've always wanted to ride out to Rapid City, SD, then down to Duck Creek Village, UT, then back. Riding about 300 miles a day, it would take about 10 days.

[kcfanXIII]

Originally Posted by Dayze

one thing you'll want to do about a month before your ride, is spend a few weekends riding. Like, literally. Get up on a Saturday and do some sort of round trip that is that 450 range. then, get up and do it again on Sunday. Then do it the next weekend. You'll need to get your body ready for a big trip of riding like that.

All of what he says is true, but this especially.

Another bit of advice. Take one of those weekends, and load the bike up. Go to a camp ground close to home. Figure out what you need. What you can do with out. Packing on a bike is an art form, and takes a while to master. You will shuffle equipment in and out. Some things I never leave home with out:

A good flashlight. Doesn't have to be military grade, but at least bright enough you can find stuff in your saddle bags in the dark.

Toilet Paper. Find a roll of camping toilet paper. You never know when you'll be in BFE, and have to grab a fence post.

Paper maps. Go old school, because GPS doesn't always work, and real men know how to read a map. (Pro tip: State visitor centers have free state maps, so you don't have to buy them)

When shopping for camping equipment for the bike, look in the back packing section of Bass Pro, or Cabela's or REI, or where ever you shop. Get light weight, compact items where possible.

A small cooler. Big enough for a six pack or so. You won't be able to take a lot of food with you, but you can use it to keep drinks cold or left overs from that last diner you stopped at fresh.

Don't over complicate your wardrobe. I carry a pair of shorts, sweats, 3 pair of jeans, and 3-5 tshirts, and a hoodie. Socks are also important. I carry extra pairs of socks because nothing sucks worse than dirty socks. Except wet dirty socks.

[kcfanXIII]

Also, I'm happy to report, that after a decade and nearly 80,000 miles put on my jap bikes, I'm in the process of buying a 2008 Fat Bob. I'm trying not to mention it to any of my friends til it is official, so I have to come here and talk about it. I'm really excited. I feel like Cartman waiting on the wii. Not looking forward to a payment, BUT, I am stoked to own one of these. I rode a brother's this summer and fell in love with it. Now I can be a Harley snob too...

[Dayze]

kcfanXIII with lots of good info.

I'd also, get online and print out the procedure to pull DTC / Error codes from your bike. and also print out a list of what the codes are. Case in point - last weekend ,my brother and i went riding, about 1/2 through our ride, my bike lost 90% of it's power while on the highway and the check engine light came on. Bike just had NO balls, and went into Limp Home mode. We pulled over to the shoulder, made sure I had oil, and oil pressure etc. Then I remembered I had the print outs (if you have a harley, the procedure below should work)
http://www.fuelmotousa.com/p-29661-h...ble-codes.html

Ran/Pulled the codes and I had 2 codes. 1) P1511 - EFI Management Module 2) P2135 - TPS Correlation Error". Without having a way to pull the codes/not knowing how and/or not knowing what the codes meant, it might have made me want to ride/limp it to Worth who was just a few miles away. But when I saw the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) code, I knew it was probably something electrical. Cleared the codes, Fired the bike back up, pushed inwards on my throttle (in case it had somehow slid off/lost contact in the sensor somehow), and rode the rest of the way home with zero issues (while watching my Volt reading and Oil Pressure the entire way).

if you ride a Harley, then have a pretty nice free route planner. No different than your usual route planner, but they have nice layers of hotels, and probably more importantly, all the Harley Dealers / Harley Certified shops along the way. So you could have that printed out, or if you have a GPS, load it directly.
http://www.harley-davidson.com/conte...-overview.html

Taking a big trip like that is 90% pre-planning. and like kcfanXIII said, figuring out exactly what you need and not over packing. maybe setting up a rider on your insurance for a tow just in case, getting your bike ready. I'd suggest a full 3 hole fluid change, new tires if they're anywhere close to needing to be replaced (I'd say anything less than 50% tread life, check your clutch adjustment, inspect your clutch cable and throttle cables, check your battery to make sure your at 12v static and if not just get a new battery, figure out what size wrenches/allens etc you need for your major stuff - create a small tool kit. If you end up replacing tires, do it yourself. Not only will it save you a shit load, but you can also inspect the brake pads while the wheels are off, and if need be, replace them. I took the wheels off my SG and hauled them along with the two new tires to a small shop and they mounted/balanced the new tires to the wheels for $30/wheel. MUCH MUCH cheaper than harley doing it.

hell, when my brother went to Sturgis, he bought a few packs of new underwear and socks. Packed old socks and underwear (clean, of course, just old lol)for the trip/ride, and as he wore him, he just threw them in the trash. lol. when he got back, he had new fresh stuff to start wearing. So that's one way to minimize your packing. lol. I've heard of other people doing this too. He said he mainly did it because he was short on space on his night train, and he needed new stuff anyway.

and pack like this (FF to around 2:30 mark):

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by seaofred

My Victory Cross Country is truly an awesome bike and I've loved it since I bought it, but I"m about 90% sure I'm going to sell it. The announcement Polaris sent out stated, they will continue to service and cover warranties for 10 years. My local dealership, hasn't lowered the prices on their bikes yet, so I don't know if the "Great" deals are out there just yet. The only reason I'm considering selling mine, is because I'm concerned the aftermarket parts market is going to dry up. Now, places like Witchdoctor, Lloydz, and Vic Baggers are all saying they are going to keep making the parts.

Yeah, I wasn't thinking they'd have advertised sales, I just figured you'd have to walk into a dealer and haggle with them.

Could be wrong...