fastbob

New battery in the Harley . Yuasa YTX20 , £100  , ouch ! 

The old one wasn't holding a charge despite what the Optimate was saying . 

Does anyone else suspect that Optimates are grossly over hyped pieces of junk ?  

I must be getting old . Surely I'd remember our conversation if we'd met ? 

I love a good , straight ahead boogie so I'm currently fixated on this revisited little gem from Lou Reed. 

Started both of mine up . The ER5 fired up straight away despite being outside for months. The Harley has a semi flat front tyre which is puzzling because it's a tube type  . Easily fixed if it actually turns out to be a puncture  .

5 hours ago, Nick the wanderer said:

One day I will get my old 1100 back on the road. The truth is though they are just heavy great lumps to move around in a tight space (my yard)

Hence the lighter and noticeably better everything of the Yamaha.

I thought that would get your attention . That's a beauty you've got there . I bet that chopped can sounds awesome . Brutal bikes , I had mine for ten years and the WP for another ten years . 

Finally got that damned screw out of the battery box and tightened my loose battery terminal . My fault for not looking properly and trying to use a Phillips on a Torx head . So now the polishing begins in earnest ready for that first dry weekend . 

On 18/03/2024 at 09:34, Nick the wanderer said:

Hi, 

yeah I can see you are brand loyal Bob, good for you. They are not for everyone though and I stand by everything I said.

Brand loyal ? Not really . I just fancied a change from Suzuki and was pleasantly surprised . 

On 01/03/2024 at 09:28, Nick the wanderer said:

Hi,

Those old Sportsters are ok for pottering around on, they have a turn of speed in a straight line, but the brakes are questionable. You wouldn't want to be doing more than 130 kph for long. Best at 80 kph. They vibrate like a washing machine on spin with a broken bearing. If you like the look and buy into the Harley image great. Regular maintenance required.

I'd be looking at a Japanese bike for reliability ,there seems to plenty of choice here, not sure about where you are. But then I wouldn't be looking at a cruiser, I'd be more road bike inspired. Loads and loads of those for half the money of a HD.

Good luck and enjoy searching.

Nah , not necessarily so . I did 16,000 miles of mostly long distance riding on mine . After 2004 they came with a rubber mounted engine that got rid of most of the vibration . My particular model had twin discs up front so I was able to ride it the same as a sports bike  . Pottering around ? Sportsters are considered slow because people think they should sound like a Shovelhead but they are built to be thrashed . 

On 13/03/2024 at 18:21, Bianco2564 said:

I now have this scenario selling the Kawasaki.

Ebay buyer wants to pay by PayPal or bank transfer and send someone to collect it.

The way the buyer has written out the message sounds legit, not just “ I buy bike, send van”

Wouldnt do PayPal but a bank transfer should be ok?

Just a bit wary as work got hacked, they say our personal details are ok, but who knows.

Not in a million years !!

Buying a Harley is not a rational decision . You buy one because you want one . 

I've owned a few bikes , mostly Suzuki's but until I got my first Harley ( Sportster ) I never felt the urge to pull over just so i could dance around my bike giggling like a lunatic . 

4 hours ago, Vic101 said:

google FTW it's 47

It's very much appreciated but I've got an Optimate 3 . Anyway I've got two steady green lights at last after a weekend of flashing orange .

Now that you have the correct tyre pressures , whack the tyres with a big spanner and memorise the note that they make . This is a quick way of checking for a drastic fall in pressure . 

Do so if you must . Personally I like to announce my arrival by a good blip of the throttle while simultaneously flicking the kill switch . Then again , I don't think there is a side stand switch on my Harley . 

The only electric motor I want on my bike is the one that starts the engine .

On 27/01/2022 at 00:39, fastbob said:

As I did say , that one is not mine . This one is mine . Four evenings of painstaking work and it's only the size of my finger . 

1 hour ago, Interference Fit said:

I saw the twin rear shocks and took an ignorant guess on the Dyna - I'm absolutely not knowledgable with HD. 

I'll need to ride some as from all the reviews, there is so much conflicting opinion it's difficult to assess what's what. 

I've just told you what's what . Get a mint condition Dyna . The latest Harleys are so bland that you might as well get a Jap lookalike . They've got ABS , balancer shafts and even liquid cooling . They are assembled using  components from all over the world and can hardly be described as American . All they make now are Soft Tails that are , at best pretentious . But if you want to blow 15 to 20 grand on a new Harley then go ahead . But if you are buying one for the bike and not the brand name , a Dyna is where it's at . 

1 hour ago, Interference Fit said:

Thanks - the only Dyna(?) I like the look of is the original A spec V-Rod from 2002-2006 as that gives me enough 'wow' factor for my own personal taste, but finding a cherished minter with original un-dinged, all original brushed aluminium airbox and non-corroded trim appears almost impossible. I like my bikes absolutely split mint as new/perfect so buying used is unlikely unless it's been a dry use only, low miles piece of art rather than a mode of transport for someone. 

 

That and the ones mentioned with the M8 are the only ones that I'm personally attracted to.

Well just buy one then . Good luck . ( A V-Rod is not a Dyna by the way . ) 

I'm biased of course but if you want to venture into the world of Harley Davidson then you would do well to be looking at a second hand Dyna Super Glide . People buy Harley's for a variety of reasons so there are plenty of ten year old bikes that are barely run in . A good place to start is anything from 2007 onwards because that's the year that they introduced hydraulic cam chain adjusters . 

Don't piss about with 1450s , go strait for a 1585 or a 1690 then you won't be riding around wondering " What if ? " 

On 19/12/2023 at 06:45, Interference Fit said:

Anyone on here got a Sportster S or Sport Glide?

I've just realised . By Sportster S you mean that new thing not the original Sportster S .

On 19/12/2023 at 06:45, Interference Fit said:

Anyone on here got a Sportster S or Sport Glide?

I had an 04 1200 R for a few years . Great bike , best of all worlds . Carb , twin discs , rubber mounted engine , tacho , big fins , 5 speed box .

On 27/11/2023 at 09:20, RideWithStyles said:

If i was gonna get a cruiser id Prefer the Indian and Guzzi over the harleys myself.

If you look at it objectively you need a Suzuki or a Kawasaki because they are superior in every way . But if your heart rules your head you will get the real thing and learn to live with it . 

On 25/11/2023 at 17:14, Ian Frog said:

There you go @fastbob Screaming Eagle filter. 

Cheers 

Ian

Now it all  makes sense .

1 hour ago, Ian Frog said:

Hi @fastbob

You really need to work less hard lol.

What I have photographed is the original back plate and filter that I have removed and the label is from the stage 1 kit I have installed.

My hope is your set up is already a stage 1 filter as your pipes are already in place and I found it ran absolutely spot on.

Cheers

Ian

Ok then . That proves conclusively that I do NOT have a Stage One filter or backplate . I would be interested to see what the new one looks like when it is installed. ( Without the chrome cover obviously ) 

3 hours ago, Ian Frog said:

Hi @fastbob

Back plate with and without filter and label from stage1 filter.

standard chrome cover goes back after the change so hopefully you have it already.

Cheers 

Ian

It's been a long hard week so please forgive me for being so slow on the uptake . What are you actually replacing ? The backplate AND the filter element or just the filter element ? The back plate in THIS picture is a standard item and not part of a stage one set up .