Not so much. Sure, I ride a BMW bike, and I also have a 3-series sedan, but Colorado is, now at least, just like everywhere else. The vast majority of the bikes I see here were made in Milwaukee.

Bob

LOL.. the Harley posers are everywhere. Like everything else in the USA - people live vicariously. Reality TV, bankers riding Harleys.. same thing, imho. When I lived in Denver in the eighties there weren't many but now they're everywhere, clogging up all those nice canyon roads. Last time I came through on my RT they were in huge dawdling groups, and I was passing a half-dozen at a time.. and predictably getting the finger. Don't even know why they're on motorcycles, going so slowly on such beautiful roads. Oh yeah, because they don't handle worth a $hit. Well they won't ruin my fun.

ain't it obvious? the slower they ride, the longer the peasants can bask
in their v-twin glory!

"there is no charge for awesomeness!....or attractiveness."

Pretty funny! Saw an article about declining Harley sales: bad economy was part but also younger folks not as enthusiastic about motorcycles let alone bicycling. It's pretty freaky to go out on nicest days & see that 99% of kids are indoors.

I met 000Fred from Shop as Soulcraft through my vintage biker nongroup and he could fix a lot of oddball bikes that no one else could. He used to say that the only tools you need to take with on a newer bike were a cell phone and a credit card because the days of fixing your ride in the shade were gone for riders of newer bikes. I don't really agree with that, but it's hard to argue with him when you realize how complex bikes are now and how much the manufacturers don't want you working on your bike.
One of the things that got me to quit riding motorcycles was the "dealer experience". I went from riding an airhead they didn't want to work on (and didn't even stock enough parts for it) to an oilhead. The parts guy told me they were the ones that should be installing the $7 copper plugs I was buying from them, and didn't like it when I told him they'd convinced me that they shouldn't work on my bike when they didn't want to work on the airhead.

The entire experience has changed significantly in the past 40 years. Admittedly, bikes were not as reliable as now. That's probably why anyone who rode much, knew how to repair their motorcycle. Remember when you could walk back into the service area and watch the mechanics? Those guys taught me a few things.

Before riding to Mexico two years ago, I more-or-less disassembled my GS, noting which tools I used. Those tools and various hard-to-find parts went with me. Another guy rode with me. He had a Harley. That he carried no tools was irrelevant because he would not have known how to use them. It was just dumb luck that he didn't get a flat. I suspect that most motorcyclists are like that guy.

Bob

The dealership I can't account for, but my hexhead was easy as pie for me to work on. I don't recall any particular difficulty doing regular maintenance or farkles. The single sided swingarm made the rear tire change especially simple and clean compared to axle, cush drive, chain. The "too complicated" was mostly in the body work, where they would never use one piece of plasic and a hardware store socket head cap screw where the same job could be done with two pieces of plastic, a stepped bushing, and a Torx-head screw with a proprietary stepped shoulder. I know why they designed it this way, and the result is indeed better, but my opinion is that is not sufficient justification for making it that much more complicated and proprietary.

My year bike had servo ABS and it made a pretty off-putting group of Star Wars droid noises that told me it would be a pain to work on if it ever went bad, but it never did.

Both bikes were fairly easy to work on, but the oilhead obviously had a lot more proprietary electrical stuff on it that would require replacement if something went wrong. Plus some parts were just engineered wrong, like the brake light lens that broke if you didn't have it flush with the housing when you tightened the screws. Or the throttle bodies that needed to be synchroised on a fuel injected engine. And the starter that needed to be lubricated periodically. And then there was a piece of electrical tape covering the wires that were supposed to have been replaced by the dealer as a part of a recall. Bicycle maintenance is a lot easier than motorcycle maintenance.

Definitely. I grew up when it was common to know how to fix what you rode/drove and had the ever expanding tool roll to prove it.
I think it's funny looking at the reactions I would get when I would talk to the salespeople at some of the bicycle shops I've been to when asking for help when buying parts. They'd start telling me how complicated it is to do some of the repairs and I'd ask if they thought those repairs would be harder than rebuilding the front end on my first motorcycle. They'd usually get quit and say something like that sounds too complicated to think about. One of the reasons I shop at the local Performance store is the help I get from one of their mechanics. He's a great help just like those old school mechanics you mentioned.

I think it's been years since I've seen anyone doing maintenance on their own motorcycle or bicycle. For most casual bicyclists it's quicker & easier to have bike shop fix a problem, cost is moderate. But for motos one has to get a ride home from shop/trailer it to the shop/hire shop to transport & the labor costs are more. Only time I remember seeing motorcyclists doing their own mech work was at road races; I guess racing motos lighter & simpler so easier to work on than touring motos.

I could ride a lot faster than I normally do on my KLR but I enjoy cruising around leisurely...which is probably why I use a bicycle more than anything else.

Motorcycle touring lets you travel 400 miles a day without the bother of actually seeing anything. I did it for a long time. Now I bicycle. 40 miles a day average. See lots. Often I ride my bike where I have ridden by moto.

I stopped by the side of the interstate one day hours from home to help a Harley rider with a flat. He was amazed I'd riden that far and even more amazed when I said I had a plug kit on my bike we could use to fix his flat. While we were talking another guy with a trailer pulled up saying he'd just dropped his Harley off at a shop for a tune up. After they both got over being surprised that someone would ride around prepared and knowledgeable enough to fix their motorcycle we got down to plugging the tire. They didn't even think to pick up the CO2 cartridges after we were done.

That's just sad.

Houston to LA in two days

April 13, 1993

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=497491

Mr 10, I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say 1991?

I haven't done moto touring but your comment is a bit surprising still. Motorcycles go pretty fast but I'd have thought one still gets a lot of the sights & smells etc as w/bicycle touring. OTOH I've done long walks in my area & it's surprising how much stuff I notice that I don't see while bicycling. & if a touring motorcycle breaks down it's gonna be a ***** to push. Seriously--in the old days when Harleys were less reliable I'd occasionally see guys pushing them, must have been strong construction-worker dudes or something.

I rode motorcycles all over the midwest and camped out for the most part. My last 2 bikes where Honda Goldwings. I still get the bug to buy another one, after 17 years of riding. Ive been riding bicycles for 10 years now and it is a lot cheaper and just as enjoyable.

And I'm going to guess that was a Vetter helmet. I bought the same one as my first helmet if it's the one I think it is.

It was a Bell

But you are coy on the year.....

Arriving in Palm Springs had to wait in a 7 car line to get gas.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=497677

The kawwy is recognisable (when I raced, the 550gpz was out, was the start of that styling look) but can't tell what yours is.

I remember buying the helmet and being told that Bell made it for Vetter as a private label.