VTRsurfer

Yeah, but if a train was on asphalt, it wouldn't corner for s#*@.

CANADAVTR

Hah! LOL, that we did, Nath...actually, back to the original issue, I have to say that I was happy to laze along at 2000 rpm in top...feathering the throttle if I needed a litle more road speed, but having read the excellent comments from the lads on the forum, I don't go below 3000 rpm now.

Back to the GM/ Ford etc comments...I agree with you. I run an 06 Impala as a Company car...130,000 kms (85,000 mls or so). 2 months ago I had to take it to the Dealer....2 ball joints, 2 tie rod ends and a power steering pump later and $2,300 bill, I had some explaining to do to my boss....

Before that, when I had a really posh motor ( Pacifica) I took it to the Dealer for a new headlight bulb. $180 !! WTF!
That's big dollars IMHO and no wonder the domestics get hammered...

Great original topic though - very useful!

autoteach

I have had the opportunity to ride a HD or two, changed oil, tires, and done miscellaneous other jobs on them. Their fuel injection is as "high tech" as Polaris' FI. If anyone here has ridden a sportsman, they know what I am talking about. They can choke out a shop with raw fuel in minutes.

How about the cam chain issues ($2K to solve)? Rebuilds at 60k miles? Designing multilayer rocker boxes to accommodate frame designs? 4" bolts to hold a 1/2" thick sprocket in place? rear brake lever that is off a early model T? 45 degree v with cams and tuning to make it shake? Shared rod journal?

I will stop there for now on their problems. As for the benefits of a HD- good MPG, keeps you warm on those cool days, dzus fasteners holding bags on (makes tire changes rather easy, although it takes two people due to the weight of the tire and axle), comfy seats, and I'm out.

V-king

rpm? i don't know....
in sixth gear i reached 285 kilometers/hour (on speedometer), but how many rpms...i don't know...
hope is enough for you.

nath981

OK OK! I concede.......you really are the V-King..............Equals 178 miles per hour. Now i don't speak romanian, but i would say respectfully that you might be losin ya flockin binocks or your speed clicker is on steroids. Whichever the case, if you keep bi-polar **** up, you're either gonna take a cager up the *** or be up for a driving award courtesy of the local constabulary.

8541Hawk

The speedo gets real optimistic at top end..... The times I've had mine to top speed the speedo was well past 180mph but the true speed was 157mph

nath981

I try not to look at the speedometer cause it scares me.

V-king

also i think that the real speed was 260- 265, maximum 270 km/hour.
at 150 km/hour a stationary radar indicate 138km/hour.

V-king

Tweety

Well... As long as it's just the speedo and not the ride that's scaring you, it's all good...

8541Hawk

Very true.....lol but in my case I thought the bike was rather well behaved at top speed.....

VTRsurfer

My bike feels solid at high speed. I just haven't come across a road suitable for a true top end run...straight smooth asphalt with no traffic and no side entrances, and no cross wind. I hit an indicated 135 once, but I started running out of road, and the gusty cross wind was making me a little nervous. And I was at about 4500 feet elevation. Plus the road was slightly less than smooth, with tar snakes and all.

nath981

hahaha! I can max it out in sixth, but it's not that fast with the 15/44 gearing. My speedo is so whacked i could discard it to save a lb. Straight line speed is not that scary other than police. I do scare myself quite often because, even though I try not to ride past about 80%, sometimes I find that i need 100% to get through a turn. rot roh! Maybe having a little too much fun, huh. hahaha.

My processing speed seems to be diminishing a bit, especially at night and with changing bright light and shadows. Eyes adjusting too slowly and i end up guessing where the road's goin. When you get up here, you'll find out what I mean. I'm headin for 68 but feel like I can ride like I'm 20, and that's why things can get interesting. hahaha