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Daytona Bike Week

gatdammit

gatdammit

Joined Mar 2013
3K Posts | 161+
Naples, IT
Me and a buddy rode down to Bike Week yesterday. No races- just cruised the tents and got some lunch. Only sport/adventure labels present were Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, plus some custom shops.

Still, there were some interesting bikes on display:

I really dig this stripped bike from Arlen Ness.




Anybody else know Eric Buell was making bikes again? It looks very serious and he some really fresh design cues. He kept some of the cool stuff from the older Buell line, as well.




Blown V8. Ridiculous.




30's are the new 20's.




My favorite sighting of the day tucked away all inconspicuous in the parking paddock. Pristine condition.
 
I love the Erik Buell bike! For sure you can see the good stuff from the older bikes, but without the Harley-inspired [as in force-fed] oddities.

BTW: No offence to Harley fans, but that was a really bad/strange marriage from day 1. Harley and Buell?? It's like having Caterpillar as the parent company for Ferrari. Just odd..
 
The EBR was really amazing in the flesh. Think it sticker'd around $20K, but it looked and felt like a $20K bike. He looked very happy to be on his own. He had about 10 complete bikes on display so it's not a half-hearted attempt.
 
EBR has been accepted into WSBK, that took some effort. The partnership with Hero did not hurt. Wish they had a dealer closer to me.

I once told Eric to his face that I would buy one of these...but I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait for the naked version. Getting too old for clipons. And I loved my XB12Ss, had the most advanced chassis in the biz. Certainly had better suspension than my Strada!

In 2005 I bought a used HD E-glide and rode it to Daytona w/wifey on the back. We spent a day in Daytona, then spent a week with friends in Miami. We were seriously unimpressed by the track - very poor sight lines for watching and no pit access. But the Harley made it there and back (6000 miles) with zero problems - used half a quart of oil and I had to wash it once.

That sure changed my mind about The Motor Company's products. But I haven't forgiven them for F'ing Eric. They even stole his name! :mad:
 
Frank Rizzo said:
I love the Erik Buell bike! For sure you can see the good stuff from the older bikes, but without the Harley-inspired [as in force-fed] oddities.

BTW: No offence to Harley fans, but that was a really bad/strange marriage from day 1. Harley and Buell?? It's like having Caterpillar as the parent company for Ferrari. Just odd..
Click to expand...

If you read up on the history, after Eric got shafted over his GP effort he started building racebikes powered by HD engines. So there was already a history with them. And Harley has a long history of supporting racing. Heck, they were racing when Ducati was still making toasters! I blame the divorce on the economic meltdown, along with poor management decision-making on HD's part.
 
Eric was there talking to browser's and he looked very happy and excited about the bike.

I was never a HD fan growing up because of the stereotypical d-bags that often mounted them here in the south. That, and sport bikes were my idea of riding. Then I had the (dis)pleasure of taking a friends 883 Sportster out for the day- a low mileage one all chromed out with lots of screaming eagle parts. I like anything with a motor but was so unimpressed. It basically made a lot of noise, shook and vibrated intensely, handled like a block of wood and felt slower than my ancient 4 Runner. It lived up to my expectations.

Our jaws dropped when we saw a Glide on sale in the tent with an MSRP of almost $45K. Granted, Harley shocked me with their new HID headlight cluster and a pretty sweet infotainment system...but, my buddy and I walked away naming off what 2 or 3 other European label bikes we would rather buy with that money.
 
Ha ha ha no spit. We bought a used '04 Sportster for my wife, it was terrible in spite of the (Buell designed) rubber isolation. Heavy, stiff, and uncomfortable. I took it on a 1000 mile trip to Norcal once, it was downright painful. I wonder how they sell them. When ours left under a new owner it was one of the happiest days of my life.

OTOH, the Big Twins are much better, but of course they are designed for straight roads. You can improve the handling with a few tricks (like a fourth isolation link right behind the gearbox), but the footboards limit cornering clearance. Makes a sound like someone throwing a toolbox across a parking lot...the only time my otherwise fearless wifey pokes me in the ribs!

I once had a great ride on our (then stock) '08 Road Glide up mega-twisty Ortega Hwy. following a BMW cruiser - remember them? We really went after it; the BMW guy was amazed that I kept up. They are not as bad as many riders think, and perfect for long distance travel here in the US.

Bottom line is that the rider is more important than the bike.
 
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Yeah, my dad is gonna get a used Glide. I like them and have always been a Fat Boy fan. The new 48 isn't bad to look at either. And don't get me wrong, I get a little jealous occasionally when a guy is lounged out with his feet up and his hair is barely moving at 75 mph on a big Hog.

But if I needed some performance in the recipe, I could only ride a V-rod. I'd probably shop Guzzi or Victory 1st. Diavel is my idea of perfect cruiser.
 
The V-rod is the worst handling bike HD ever made. No comparison to a Diavel. Remember the full-on V-Rod drag bike they offered? Would not beat any street legal superbike in the quarter mile, pathetic.

Wish your Dad lived closer, my Road Glide is FS. It's a 2008 w/ABS, cruise control, rear trunk, and some other functional mods including a ride-str8 link. No bling, that's not my style. The frame-mounted fairing makes it much better handling than an E-Glide w/40 pounds on the 'bars, I've had both. 13k miles, ready to ride anywhere. I'd pick him up at the airport...;)
 

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Wasn't aware V-rod was such a hog (pun!) on the road. I've watched a friend at work dump thousands into his...recently fitted carbon fiber wheels. I guess it's the only HD that doesn't look like a HD, which is what I always liked about it.

Nice Glide. Good to know about the difference in fairing mounts. He's capped at $10K, and I'm thinking you want a bit more than that.
 
Yeah, you are right. I've got about $23k in it! He would have liked my e-glide, though - let it go for ten. It was hopped up quite a bit, and had a lot of performance goodies from S&S. Was even a bit loud. The guy who bought it blew the gearbox out, some problem with an oil change. Typical HD guy....clueless.

I am NOT your typical HD guy. Note the stock exhaust on my FLTR. My motto is...I speed up for corners! :D
 

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