Ducati Monster Forum

08 sporster with the 1200 conversion.  whoa.  i never wouldve considered a harley, but a buddy of mine picked this little gem up the other day and I got to rip around on it for a few miles this afternoon. i dont know why, maybe because it felt like sitting on a dining room chair with 90hp and wheels, but i was literally hysterically laughing every time I twisted the loud handle.  what a fun little bike! made me feel like a little kid on a new bmx. the brakes absolutely sucked, the shifting was kind of sloppy, the clutch felt like a wet sponge, but it was a blast. handling was better than I expected and it was tons of fun to lean it over! it kind of felt like you needed to be strapped in, especially at highway speeds. im guessing that's because i'm used to being able to hold on to the bike with my legs, not my ams and hands, plus there's nowhere at all to hide from the wind.

last but not least, self canceling signals should be standard on every bike.

Brakes sucks, badly.  Me like self cancel signals. Compared to my 1100 EVO, gear shifting is actually more precise. Big CLONK when go from neutral to 1st asides  ;D
It is an enjoyable ride (I have a 2012 Nightster) after all. I love mine.

Love me some Harley's.  [thumbsup]

but yer old anyway..... [cheeky]

Bring your chair and find out how old he is. ;D

I don't think so. ;D

good call. ;)

 :D [drink]

My first Harley experience was an early (prior to the huge back tire they have now) V-Rod.  Very impressive motorcycle IMO.  I would own one for 2up or all day riding.  I STILL want to give the XR1200 a shot.  It looks fun.

JM

I recently read a blog about the HD sportster.
Made the smallest and cheapest HD sound like the best HD to own.
I don't know anything about HD motos but the blog certainly made an impression on me. I may have to put this on the next bike wish list.

Here's a link to the blog.
http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/sportster1200.html (http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/sportster1200.html)

Any one familiar with HD's care to chime in on the accuracy of the bloggers points?

Sportsters are the only Harley I have ever really cared about. Every other bike the Harley dealers/ crowd tries to shove down your throat is just so over the top ridiculous that I don't even see the point anymore.

Electra wide ultra classic cvo riders with $10,000 In custom matched hard bags and windshield with built in 1200watt stereo system that I can hear from across the intersection, and "custom" screamin eagle drag pipes (with the baffles drilled out of course) will always look down on the sportster.

But from my perspective, it was one of the easiest, most problem free motorcycles I have ever owned. The only reason I bought one is because my dad had one and he ran his almost 60,000 miles without a single hiccup.

They are in no way the fastest (there is no way a punched out 883/1200 is making 90hp), most comfortable, or best handling motorcycle on the market but the after market is so vast in stuff you could do anything to them. 1250cc kit? Check. Dual front brakes kit? Check. Upgraded forks and shocks? Check. Turbo? Why not?

And the best thing is how cheap they can be picked up.

Yeah I looked into that afterwards.... I was curious what a more realistic number was. Couldn't find any hard numbers

And this thing was ad for under 5 grand if I'm not mistaken.

Sportster was my first big bike.
I commute on it for 10 years and toured on it all over Java. I really loved it. The bike was really reliable. No major problem at all during those ten years. About the only problem I had was that damn ignition module problems. Later, the Moco redesigned the module and with the new module the bike had been trouble free ever since.

I did not leave the bike as stock for a long time. I replaced the seat, upgraded front and rear suspension with Progressive Suspensions, added oil cooler cause I rode in traffic jam and I also upgraded the brake line. Five years later I converted the bike to 1200.

If you want a better braking without changing to some expensive brake calipers, change the stock, spongy rubber brake line with a stainless steel braided brake line. That will be a huge improvement over the stock line.

After that, change the front suspension springs with better aftermarket springs (I used Progressive spring). The bike will corner much better and that new springs will eliminate the nose dive when braking.

In stock condition as 883, only tax paid (carb rejet, free flow air filter and exhaust) my bike was dynoed at 48 hp. Later I converted it to 1200 and it was dynoed at 60hp. That was a basic conversion with no extensive head work or valve or cam change.

It is possible to get high horsepower but it will cost quite a lot of money. You will have to have head work or using Buell's Thunderstorm head and change the valve, cams etc. Will cost a lot of money but you will have a powerful sportster.
Check out Nalin Racing, Zippers or head quarters if you're interested.

I plan on getting my Wife (an excuse  [evil]) a Sportster 1200 sometime in the near future.  I agree there's no 90 horsepower unless they spent mucho dinero on the engine but the bike is purpose built and serves a purpose.  To me there's no need to bump the displacement when the bike's so easy to throw around and lumber about, I have a Ducati when I feel the need for speed.

Why? You mean, HD makes other bikes other than Sportsters?  ;D

I think they do  [roll]

I got to tool around Maui on a big VROD a few years ago.  No helmet.  It was actually kinda fun and unlike the Monster chicks waved when I went by, even though my girlfriend was on the back  :o   

I guess women just love a guy with a 600lb vibrator........  (damn I hope that did not get me in trouble but I had to say it)  ;D

I love my '06 VRSCR. One of the best kept secrets of the moto world, the red headed stepchild of the red headed stepchildren of the H-D world (i.e. V-Rods). Bought it new, it's a keeper. Relatively rare, bespoke frame, inverted fork, first H-D to have Brembos, etc. It's plenty hefty, but was largely the reason I parted with my '94 M900.

Pondering buying a new Road King next spring for lethargic, leisurely touring.  :)

Be happy to.

I'm a 5 time Harley owner - All EVOs, mostly Sportsters, but I did love my Road King I had in the 90s. Can't think of a better way to ride cross country like I did.

The blogger is a bit of an idiot in some ways. I love that his complete lack of writing skills is showcased on a site claiming to be a "publishing" company. As a technical writer myself I hang my head in shame for him.

I really don't know what motivates the blog, but I suspect there's something he's not telling us.

That said, there is some truth to the fact that Harley released a HORRIBLE valve train design on the early Twinkie (Twin Cam) motors. And yes, I believe ALL TC88's (except the one-year only TC88 released in the 2006 Dynas before all BTs were upgraded in 07 to the revised TC96 design) have potential for catastrophic failure due to worn cam chain tensioner shoes. But you really have to be negligent with regards to maintenance to get to that point.

Honestly, it's easier to check the cam shoes than it is to say replace a Ducati Timing belt. There's a small cover, out in the open that you can unbolt for access to the camshaft chest and quickly see if the shoes are worn and require replacement.

The problem is there's about 1.5 million of them out there (give or take a hundred thousand or so) and MOST of the owners aren't aware of the potential (because I think MOST of the owners treat em like garage queens) or because they just change fluids and ride.

There's an easy enough fix if you want to upgrade the system (one OEM, two or more aftermarket including switching to gear driven cams), though you could easily just replace the shoes on the original system and go on.

The shoes CAN fail in as little as 20k miles, though on gently ridden bikes it seems like they are lasting anywhere from 30-50k.

The redesign that occurred in 2007 changed from heavy spring loaded tensioners to hydraulically controlled tensioners (that allow the amount of tension to be better suited to conditions dramatically reducing the tendency for heavy wear). Thing is it requires a lot of parts (Oil pump, timing chain, shoes, possibly camshafts not 100% sure, and adjustable pushrods if you want to do it without taking the top end apart - meaning do it with the bodywork, tank, rocker boxes etc still installed). Dealers charge around $1200-1500 for the whole thing installed.

This past summer I was on a road trip with some friends and acquaintances and one guy said his 2005 RK was making a funny noise (at about 50k miles on the odo). I asked him when was the last time he checked/replaced the timing chain shoes and he looked at me like I was an alien (thing is the guy is a ASE master cert that works for an automotive dealer, you'd think he'd have paid attention to his bike maintenance schedule). Turns out his shoes were shot, and coming apart, and if he'd ridden it much longer he might have lost the motor because the swarf could get picked up by the oil pump and trash it. We rolled into an out of town dealer at 2:00 pm on a Friday afternoon - they had the parts (they were literally about to go on another customer's bike) - they installed them on his bike instead (while we had a late lunch) and we rolled out of there by about 5:00 pm.

The new design is supposed to be pretty much bulletproof though I would still check them by 50k miles or so JUST TO BE SURE.

Now me, I still like having my 4 gear-driven camshafts in my EVO Sporty, but I could own a TC with the upgrade.

And that's about it.

Oh, and Harley HAS switched over to Brembo brakes for the BTs in the past couple of years, they're much better.

And THIS YEAR Harley finally upgraded the brakes on the Sportsters - they're all single disc (in the US) but they're pretty darn good. The one I rode a week ago felt as strong as the dual 2-pot Nissins that are on my current Sporty.

good info! i'll pass it along  [thumbsup]

I rode a friend of mine's sporty and I loved that thing. Sure, it's slower but the sound and torque make it a blast to ride. With forward pegs you have to be careful, they'll grind. How fast do you really need to be able to go when you're ripping through town?

I like me a little of both.........
(http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Daniel_Paine/bikes/IMG_1748_zps246237fe.jpg)

Nice. ^

Test rode a '14 Street Glide a couple of weeks ago. Based on that, I believe there will indeed be a new Road King coming my way next spring.  :)

I have an '08 Night Train.  If you like upgrading - it is a sickness - then you can go nuts with a HD.  You can have complete control over the Delphi ECU with the tools available - which can be good or bad.  40-50 mpg.  No real problems with it. 

I've owned 3 Hogs. Still have a 01' Heritage Softail. For what it's worth IMO Harley manufactures the best motorcycles on the market. Sure there slow ,heavy and, not so great brakes , but fit , finish, and engineering behind these bikes is well above the rest of the market. Excellent dealer and aftermarket support as well. Nothing exotic, or revolutionary, just simple and well built. My 2012 Monster 1100EVO by compairson. Excellent braking, good HP to weight ratio, solid design, all (+).   Poor fueling, over geared, OK on comfort, high maintenance cost, not the best dealer or aftermarket support all (-).  Just my opinon

I had the pleasure(?) of riding a bored out 1938 knucklehead built by Paul Cox. Hard tail, no springs. Open chain primary. Drag gearing and pipes.
His shop was moving to a new location and I was helping him transport bikes and equipment.
I have never before felt such raw visceral power. I could feel all my organs vibrate as if at a Stones concert and I think I lost some fillings. Not only was I freaked from the power but I was riding a bike who's paint job was worth more than my Duc.
I am a firm believer that HD was the pioneer of the travel tool pouch, lol.

Does everyone think harley makes the best cruiser? I mean, they are pretty cool and certainly are iconic....but I rode a vulcan by kawi that I thought was a waayyy better bike.

The problem is defining the term "better" and as I define it, no, the Vulcan is not "better."

If I was to buy a Kawi it would be a W650, ZRX, or just maybe a Versys.

But definitely not a Vulcan.

 [evil]


(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/4aacdda638f5e1b7cf00a203470e03aa.jpg)

OK I'll come out of the closet.
Traded the Cordoba for this.

(http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o508/jobo12/1990%20HD%20FXR/DSCF0046_zps5fe18c0a.jpg) (http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/jobo12/media/1990%20HD%20FXR/DSCF0046_zps5fe18c0a.jpg.html)
(http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o508/jobo12/1990%20HD%20FXR/DSCF0050_zpsd88c2566.jpg) (http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/jobo12/media/1990%20HD%20FXR/DSCF0050_zpsd88c2566.jpg.html)

 Ridiculous? For sure... but.... the more I ride it, the more I have come to enjoy it !?!?!?
The only way I can explain it is that it's kind of like skiing and snowboarding, different means to the same end.
New bars are in the mail anyways. 

I have a stroker panhead like that.  :)


Nice FXR.....  [thumbsup]

Thanks, it has a 42mm. Mikuni flatslide, Andrews EV27 cam and drag pipes. It runs strong.
Shifts smoother than any other bike I've ever owned.

Reminds me of the first bike I built back in the mid-'90s:

(http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo118/Speedbag/fxr1.jpg)

It ran a 11:1 90” stroker with an Andrews EV57 cam and the full complement of other hi-po goodies. The thing flat out ripped, and was generally snotty and antisocial. I rode it for nine years and sold it once it started getting a little rough around the edges. The guy I sold it to ruined it by putting forward controls on it, and eventually blew it up.

Sometimes I wish I had kept it.

...don't we all... :'(

Nice. Looks like a quality build. Is that a Daytec frame?
Any pics of your pan?

It was a Kenny Boyce frame.

Here's a couple of my pan from this summer:

(http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo118/Speedbag/panroad1_zpsf9306cd6.jpg)

(http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo118/Speedbag/panroad2_zps5ec1d128.jpg)

Here's a shot of my Flyrite bobber......

(http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Daniel_Paine/bikes/IMG_1732_zps3ea19816.jpg)

I think this has been posted before but still good info if thinking about buying a HD.
http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/beforeyoubuyharley.html (http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/beforeyoubuyharley.html)
I like the stroked Panny. The Flyrite bobber is cool but too So.Cal. for me.

Tis a pretty HD,  Although part of me in sincerely offended by pretty HD's.  Come on what kind of 1% killer rides a blue HD?   ;D ;)

My name is 77south and  ...I would ride a Harley.  I think the 1200 nightster with low rise handlebars and everything painted matte black is a pretty sharp looking ride.  However, it's about 9 or 10 on the list of bikes I'd buy if I came into a shit ton of money.  It would also need a serious diet.  How does that tiny bike end up weighing 600+ lbs?

Yes, it's been posted before, but it's largely misinformation loosely based on facts.

I wrote a lengthy summary in the last Harley thread a few weeks back. I don't know what bone this guy has to pick with the Moco but it's obviously a poorly written personal vendetta.

While that guy makes some good points, the fact that he repeats the same points to fill out the argument shows he has an axe to grind.

I have owned a '75 XLH, '72 custom FX shovel (Wideglide style) and a performance modified '93 FXR. They were generally reliable but for how previous owners messed with them, and I flogged 'em without mercy. They were simple mechanically. The Sporty was the most fun and led to the Monster.

Found the the Quad Underhead Cam design of the Sporty intruiging. All about good pushrod angle I spose.  I'd love a '60s model XLCH (or XR or KR flat tracker). People are quick to forget the Sportsters racing heritage. Much to my shame I buckled under the peer pressure of my "bros" back in the day and ditched the "skirtster".

Imagine if he owned a plastic tank Ducati [laugh].

I spend a lot of time on the Harley tech sites and see the worst of it but it is not really all that bad.

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc190/stankbone/Train.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/stankbone/media/Train.jpg.html)

Some nice Harleys.
That pan is beautiful, so minimalist.

Thanks.  :) Much time was spent making various parts serve multiple functions toward that end.

And the pics don't do justice to the iridescent metalflake, and ducpainter's application of it  :).

I saw one of these last night at a vintage motorcycle meetup in Ft. Lauderdale.  Unfortunately, I didn't take my own pic because it was too dark.  But it was just like this: 100% stock and freakin' cool.

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/10730640834_5017abbfc5.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76218771@N03/10730640834/)

1979 Harley XLCR by AMF

I would DEFINITELY consider one of these for my collection.  The owner said he bought it through CL in Winsconsin for around $3000.  Lucky bastard!

made from salvaged bowling ball return parts.

I heard Urals are made from salvaged Chernobyl pieces.

He STOLE that XLCR....

Me, I REALLY want an XR1000....  [drool]

so that's why my ass glows

So that's not due to the rotorootering.....

 I've always loved that bike, the only problem with it is the frame, the suspension, and the motor.........

Wow the dmf is getting old. However I too recently acquired my first Hog...

I come from HD folk. Mostly white, indian, and or black scooter trash. My sister has a lowered sporty that once had the lipstick graphic on the tank until she dumped it and got it painted a subtle dark blue metal flake. while it was at the shop she got the saddle re-upolstered in natural ostrich I think--it wasn't cow or vinyl. I met up with a HS buddy a few years ago on my 620 and rode to a greasy spoon. He revved his pan-head bobber as we went under an overpass. I just felt inadequate with my stock pipes. My step dad had a metal flake blue 75th anniversary bagger/dresser that he rode to work early and late season (it inevitably broke down every summer and my mom needed our four wheeled ride.) I still remember him riding in on one cylinder for a week one brisk spring in the 80's. 

Most us were just hardcore admirers back then including my mom. She went to Bike Week in '84 where she saw her first Harley trike... mind you she had a gnarly coffin tank yamaha chopper at home. She piloted it out of a near-miss with her boyfriend who was riding cupcake on the way home from... from church. But she always wanted a Harley and stopped riding after she traded the bike for a van.

As the brand got diluted with officially licensed crap peddled at K-mart I remembered that I always liked the emerging sport bikes. I uttered to myself "Naw, I aint gonna be the sellout honda-loving jerk like Grandpa Bob." In the early 90's I secretly gazed at magazines in a local bookstore. I pulled the trigger on one when I saw the Monster in either Cycle World or Sport Rider. I can have my cake and eat it?! V-twin/ L-twin, air cooled and a veritably old school marque. It would be a good fifteen years until I pulled the trigger on the actual bike.

My truck broke down two Saturdays ago and I had to fix the Monster. First time I rode when it was below freezing.  My Harley is a white 2004 Road King converted into a trike that's on consignment at Sandy's Harley in Freemont, MI. My mother picked it up a few months before she was diagnosed with gastric cancer. I'm back home where I grew up; where my step dad pulled in on his hobbled bike, where my mom pulled in on her trike in the summer of 2012 and where I finally pull in to ogle motorcycles from afar again. 

I get Harley. I guess I always understood. It's like the way my buddy and his bobber looked  lower than a semi's tires on our ride back from lunch. The way my sister's bike gets complements for her "custom" lowered sporty. The way I felt when I first rode on public roads astride my spanking-new 695.

footnote: I only encountered one biker in the cold wet conditions. He half-heartidly waved back from his Goldwing. 

Remember the film "Black Rain"?

Yes an XR1000 streetbike and XR750 (or even KR750) for the track.

Dude, that was one long, boring, pointless story.

 [laugh] [laugh] [drink]

duh-- my mother died last april 15 days before her 66th birthday and waited too long to ride.

Dude, that was cold.

Grew up on Brit bikes in my High School Daze, in the 1980 I picked up my first and until now only Ducati. As odd as it sounds to many, in the 90's I wanted a Scooter and picked up a nice Honda CH250 and yes, I had grown up making fun of "Rice Grinders". Keeping the Scoot, I purchased my first and only Harley a 2005 883 Sportster XL and must say I love this bike. It is what it is, however with the fancy "rubber" mount engine one can actually use the mirrors and for the most part, well Harley parts don't just fall off. It's not fast, handling is solid but it ain't no sports bike, yes and the brakes pretty much suck. Still, slap on a shorty helmet for the sound effects and go out bombing the backroads and it is one fun bike. Mind you, I just picked up a Monster, knowing well that this new Ducati will trounce the Sportster, I don't care. Not planning on selling the 883, I really enjoy riding and owning what I consider real classics. I now own a Vespa GTS 250ie, again a classic that I love to ride. Soon I will round out the old stable with yet another, what I consider true classic a Ducati S2R 800. I should note I did sell my Honda CH 250 Elite when I purchased my Vespa, now the old Honda is not to my mind a classic, still that is after some 20,000 trouble free  miles that 27 year old scoot was still running. I just like riding motorbikes and having been doing just that since 1972, I'm excited to be getting my second Duc although I really hope the electric are a bit more consistent then the old 750 ..........

This is everything I hate about cruisers... and you already covered why I hate Harley's with the crappy brakes and sloppy shifting (except you forgot about the weight, horrible suspension and lack of power).  I've ridden the Diavel and the riding position is why I'll never own one.  Otherwise, it is a fun bike.  Tons of power, great chassis and brakes, handles well but that riding position... and the faster you go the worse it gets and this is a fast bike.  Makes no sense whatsoever.

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/28c14800115712114606d4ca2c0d8db0.jpg)

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/fd18ccf9d6a591697e792a9aef1b71e8.jpg)

Nice Sporty!
Big Mikuni flatslide behind the K&N?

FWIW not every Harley has THAT riding position, though yes, they're pretty much all at least upright.

Brakes, I give you that. Acceleration, I give you that.
But, my Sportster (2012 Nightster), is shifting more accurately than my 2012 Monster 1100 EVO.

I have the same bike as you and I've never had any problem with shifting on mine.  Maybe the occasional missed gear between 4,5,6th where you find that dead spot between gears but really I haven't even experienced that in the last 6-7,000 miles and I have over 13,000 miles on my bike now.

My only problem with shifting was a broken shift return spring... a pretty simple fix but would have left me stranded if it didn't happen 2 blocks from my house.

(http://s29.postimg.org/vt1e5g5ef/Flywheel.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)

I'm not sure about Harley reliability but the Duc hasn't exactly been trouble free... which is why I didn't mention it.  ;)

That pic above looks cool but I bet that's an uncomfortable beast to ride.  My neighbor had a cool custom bike for a while but he got rid of it for a bagger which I've thrown a leg over but haven't ridden.  He also has a Street Bob.  The bagger with the half windshield probably would be decent, it feels very well balanced I'll give it that.

He got rid of this because it is just a miserable bike to ride and he did ride it... I'll give him that.  Why even own a bike if you're not going to ride it?
(http://s10.postimg.org/nqhbw1n89/20130210_133851.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/48mog3qad/full/)

FWIW, comparing over 100k miles on a couple of Harleys with over 100k miles on a couple of BMWs and couple of Guzzis, the HARLEYS have been FAR LESS trouble.

I never had any trouble with my last bike, a Suzuki I bought new.  In the 3+ years I owned it I put almost 17,000 miles on it and never had a single issue with it at all.  I've had my Ducati for a little less than 3 years and almost 14,000 miles and I've had numerous issues with it... nothing that has left me stranded but a couple of them could have, and none of them would have been cheap to fix out of warranty.

Draw your own conclusions but nothing is selling me on American bikes over Italian bikes and certainly not over Japanese bikes which are far better in every way other than individuality.

lol, not looking to argue, but I'm talking multi 100k anecdotal evidence, and you're really countering with NO anecdotal evidence for American bikes and less than 1/10th on Euro? :D

Uhhh, ok, happy new year...

I have my neighbor's Street Bob for anecdotal evidence if you want.  ;D

Not looking to argue either though.  Happy New Year!  [Dolph]

Lol, well, and that said, I'd still prefer a Guzzi, Harley, or Ducati over JapanInc.

Hell, I'd take a BMW or Triumph first too...

I don't care how reliable an appliance is of it doesn't stir my soul.

Yeah well, that's why I have a Ducati I suppose.  [thumbsup]

Most of them are appliances, but that Super Hawk I had had some soul to it. it had 4 issues in the 55K hard miles I put on it.

1 Forks needed re-valved & sprung from the get go
2 Cam chain tensioners wore out (but super easy to replace)
3 The finish on the bolts and brackets and other little stuff doesn't hold up so well in the coast air.
4 It was a shredder of back tires. (They should probably put less twisting force in the Motor)  ;D

It made cool noises and had a nice Bark with the Two Brothers cans on it.

Hmmm... Either time for a warranty claim..., or pilot error???!!!  ;D ;D ;D

 [evil]

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/66b9292fd2343da9b7e268efe05fc847.jpg)


(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/f99dca5aff734f4b2a5534f33eca184e.jpg)

W00t? You cannot be serious!  ;D

Don't get me wrong, there are occasionally bikes from JapanInc. that speak to me, and many I'd happily own. It's just there are more, from other sources, that I'd prefer.

For the most part, yes, except for the VRSCR.....very sportbikey.  ;)

Or the XR/XRX.

But I wasn't even going that far with the explanation. Most sport bike guys seems to assume that any riding position where the feet aren't below you (rearsets) are all "forwards".

However there's a HUGE difference between a position where you're sitting upright, or possibly with slight lean forward, legs going straight out in front of you BUT knees bending about 90 degrees and feet below knees AND sitting upright or leaning back (or dog even worse leaning forward) BUT legs out in front of you straight or almost so, toes pointing skyward.

I can't stand the latter, but the former is what you might find on at least half the Harleys out there, and a lot of other bikes from Wings to Bonnies and lots in between.

i wouldn't mind riding this harley...

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EwbhGAfHT70/UPCvD638g9I/AAAAAAAAjYU/u-dpuT4Nv6E/s1600/dudt%2BIMG_1933.jpg)

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/9a99304f7208d78c0abbdb4c1db00f8c.jpg)

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc190/stankbone/6751f740-89c1-47d3-aabe-d0d336d4d9e2_zps52bf0ba6.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/stankbone/media/6751f740-89c1-47d3-aabe-d0d336d4d9e2_zps52bf0ba6.jpg.html)

^^^ Big money right there.

6 piston calipers in the front?!

"Since 2004 Hoshikawa, 37, has run Asterisk Custom Cycles, a small three-person operation in northern Japan specializing in bare-bones Shovelhead-powered specials. When a customer came in requesting a traditionally styled Evo Sportster café racer, Hoshikawa convinced the client to step things up several notches. “I was not interesting in mimicking an old café racer,” he says, “I wanted to produce a modern café racer.”



(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/dc9d36bc9844707037806a71fe443222.jpg)

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/a92d6827d4b778f958c488770f6523b1.jpg)

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/3b0743c1932c971813234190832e64d4.jpg)

Great! A 25-mile range...  ;D ;D ;D

My gawd that thing is hideous. Talk about taste judgement...
It doesn't even wink at cafe's of yore.

That's most likely why Hideki made that comment.  ;)

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/ca312bfbe9e36b949c0d439492dab55e.jpg)

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc190/stankbone/hd1_zps040bc307.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/stankbone/media/hd1_zps040bc307.jpg.html)
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc190/stankbone/hd2_zps921cbf7b.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/stankbone/media/hd2_zps921cbf7b.jpg.html)

Showroom Harleys are uninteresting to me altogether, but the 'tracker examples above are really cool.  That said, I'd ride this for fun:
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d147/pompino/Supernicepan_zps0cb2588d.jpg) (http://s34.photobucket.com/user/pompino/media/Supernicepan_zps0cb2588d.jpg.html)
...although my grandfather would roll over in his grave.  He was a Henderson (he had a really nice '29 KJ) and British bike man.

Super-rare head and carb setup on that one. ^^^^^

 [thumbsup]

Beautiful HD.  8)

This is cool, but technically I don't think there's a single HD part on it.

^^^
When I hit the lottery  [roll] ... one of those Ecosse Heretic's and a 427 AC Cobra.  [evil]

Speaking of not a single HD part...
(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc190/stankbone/677033f1-641e-47dd-a9fc-0a0db81bdf8a_zpsa4f1e9b2.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/stankbone/media/677033f1-641e-47dd-a9fc-0a0db81bdf8a_zpsa4f1e9b2.jpg.html)

I guess decals don't count.   [laugh]

Nice bike though.  Ever take off any sweet jumps?

http://youtu.be/OShjZerzzvc (http://youtu.be/OShjZerzzvc)

Man, that's fun to watch!

 [Dolph]

That motor looks exactly like the one in my buddies Roland Sands built cafe racer.