Forum: Author Hangout

but it won't give me the subjectivism of experienced bikers.

The big motorcycle show/rally in the US is Sturgis.
https://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpIbA9Iq_8AIVlCCtBh3EGADHEAAYASAAEgL_i_D_BwE

Wikipedia (spit!) might furnish cited facts (although there are fundamental issues with its citing system) but it won't give me the subjectivism of experienced bikers.

True, but it can give a starting point to investigate brands that are possibilities. For subjects like this Wikipedia can be a good starting point, it's not likely to be affected by bias, too much ;)

But it's not going to tell me eg

Honda model X, equivalent to 9" penis.
Kawasaki model Y, equivalent to 8.5" penis.
BMW model Z, equivalent to 3" penis.

For that information you need this forum :D

3 digits

Was that over 100 miles an hour or over 100 kilometers an hour?

Is it fair to assume that Japanese manufacturers offer their full ranges in the USA?

Yes.

But again, as far as US motorcycle enthusiasts go, unless you are specifically limiting things to the "crotch rocket" category, nothing from the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers would be considered "timeless classics".

Japanese motorcycle manufacturers would be considered "timeless classics".

Maybe something like a Goldwing.

Maybe something like a Goldwing.

Maybe, but probably not. The first Goldwing came out in the 1970s.

For hard core US motorcycle enthusiasts, the "classic" period is going to be the end of WWII to the 1960s.

But again, as far as US motorcycle enthusiasts go, unless you are specifically limiting things to the "crotch rocket" category, nothing from the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers would be considered "timeless classics".

Honda's CT series (in the US they're known as the Honda Trail (followed by engine capacity in cc)) would probably qualify.
Their development from the late 1960's in to the 1970s was apparently due to feedback from the US market at the time.

Produced since 1960, although production did stop for almost a decade, but resumed again last year.

Unfortunately getting one takes more money than it should, and patience. They're pretty much sold as they leave the factory at present.

...will probably end up being in the UK...

Then you should look up the Norton motorcycles. Long history and one of the prominent manufacturers in WWII.

Is that a crotch rocket? Will anyone outside the UK have even heard of it?

Since it has the world's largest production motorcycle engine, with a capacity of 2500cc, I'd say yes, bikers outside the UK have heard about it. They export them worldwide as well.

Not a true crotch rocket, mostly because if size matters to you it's just more, bigger, in size, in power and in comfort. Very distinctive sound too.

Have you guessed I'm a Triumph girl yet?

:)

ps

The vibrations when you open it up are just.... yummy (sigh)

Ladies. You NEED to try it, honest, you're worth it..!!

link

Since it has the world's largest production motorcycle engine

It wouldn't be street legal in the US and never went to production, but someone built a concept motorcycle around the V10 engine from a Dodge Viper.

https://www.allpar.com/threads/the-dodge-tomahawk-concept-motorcycle.228421/

Don't be so sure. I know of two motorcycles made in the US that had an engine displacement of 2,512cc.

The Triumph Rocket III is available in the USA. Starting from $22,500.00 and yes it is 2,500cc

But I think what DS was referring to as not being legal was the concept motorcycle around the V10 engine from a Dodge Viper.

Not sure why he added that, since it wasn't a production bike or even made by a well known bike manufacturer.

Don't be so sure. I know of two motorcycles made in the US that had an engine displacement of 2,512cc.

It's not the engine size that makes it not street legal. It's the fact that it has 4 wheels. It was done that way because it's a full block engine and no one could hold it up at a stop with only two wheels.

It says in the article on it I linked to that under US DOT regulations, because it has 4 wheels in stead of 3 it would have to meet car safety standards instead of motorcycle safety standards.

If they'd done it as a trike it would have been fine. but the designer wanted something that would handle like a two wheel motorcycle.

Supposedly by giving it 4 wheels set close together it is more stable at low speeds and will stand unsupported at a full stop but will still handle like a traditional motorcycle at speed.

4 wheels is not a motorcycle, that pretty much goes without saying I would think.

A cycle is a pattern that repeats. As an example, the Swarm Cycle available here on SOL, by Thinking Horndog and a whole lot of other authors. A cycle with a motor doesn't have to have four wheels. Even a Bicycle might not have to have exactly 2 wheels. One with training wheels, for example.

Even one ridden by a bisexual might have odd numbers of characteristics. Binomial In linguistics — In linguistics Binomial pair, a sequence of two or more words or phrases in the same grammatical category, having some semantic relationship and joined by some syntactic device. Buy Sexual can involve more than two people. Try sexual doesn't have to have three wheels. There might also be a steering wheel.

Maybe you should take a ride on Lubrican's Babe Bike from his The Babe Bike Blues story. Rite in the story description it says "His hard tail affected her soft tail"

Maybe you should take a ride on Lubrican's Babe Bike from his The Babe Bike Blues story. Rite in the story description it says "His hard tail affected her soft tail"

I'll add it to my reading queue, thanks.

The thing about the Rocket III is the sheer size, the width requires spreading your thighs wider than other bikes. By scooching forwards it is possible to find the sweet spot where you are sitting comfortably yet pressed against the rounded tank for maximum... Sensation...

Yummy.

You ever noticed how biker girl leathers -never- have anything that might scratch the paint if pressed against it in the -good- places?

:)

They are not alone in offering a 2500cc.

FGR Midalu 2500 V6 made in the Czech republic is a 2500cc as well.

https://newatlas.com/fgr-midalu-2500cc-exotic-luxury-bike/46151/

They are not alone in offering a 2500cc.

Nope. Not what I stated. The FGR isn't a production bike.

By that logic, the rocket doesn't make the list either.

https://www.visordown.com/features/top-10s/top-10-biggest-motorcycle-engines-2018

Of course, bikes of that power only serve as faster delivery systems for road kill.

By that logic, the rocket doesn't make the list either.

The article you linked to is a bit out of date (2017) So the Triumph Rocket could be back in production.

Try finding one for sale.

https://www.jayspowercenter.com/inventory/2021-triumph-rocket-3-gt-reedsburg-wi-53959-10953403i

There was a few that made it to the US. What you quoted was a used one. Where are they being sold new?

. What you quoted was a used one. Where are they being sold new?

No, what I quoted was not a used one. The listing is for a 2021 model with 0 miles on it.

Try finding one for sale.

Easy. Just contact your nearest Triumph dealer.

"Do or do not, there is no try."

By that logic, the rocket doesn't make the list either.

Not that I rally care, but it would be helpful if you read stuff first, then comment.

1. The Rocket hasn't been out of production. The article referred to the Euro 4 standard to which the Rocket, and may others, wouldn't meet without modification. All manufactures have to change things in new models to meet new standards.

2. I didn't state it was faster. I only stated it has the largest engine of any production bike. Yes there are bikes with bigger engines, no they are not recognised as 'production' bikes.

3. Linking to an article that contains a 'top ten' most of which are under 2,000cc who a Rocket iii 2,500cc isn't really adding anything. Using a comment about future required changes isn't actually proof of 'no longer in production'.

Not that I rally care, but it would be helpful if you read stuff first, then comment.

Give up.

His article was 4 years out of date.

I posted a link to a 2021 Triumph Rocket 3 (0 miles) for sale in Wisconsin and he came back with:

What you quoted was a used one. Where are they being sold new?

Give up.

I was doing my 'good deed' for the day.

:)

But to quote Ron White - "You can't fix stupid."

Sure, Yamaha's got the V-Max, which will hold its own in most dick-measuring contests. And the lower-powered V-Star lineup would be something for a beginner to intermediate. Both are more cruiser style than sport bike.

Triumph's got lots of different lineups, too, from cruisers to scramblers to sport.

Probably steer clear of the Italians if you're trying to portray budget-consciousness. Mine is anything but, and definitely not for a beginner.

I was thinking more along the lines of the car industry where mentioning the name Mercedes C-Class or BMW Series 3 will leave readers with a broad impression of what the vehicle looks like without fixing the date by specifying the exact model.

Well, that makes the Honda Goldwing a good candidate. In production since 1974, so plenty of versions to choose from if the story requires it for a specific period. It's both modern and a classic with a bigger engine than a lot of European and Japanese cars. It is of course a cruiser type 'car on two wheels', not a crotch rocket. Honda also has a lot of other models to allow a wide range of types: https://www.hotcars.com/best-honda-motorcycles-ranked/.

Picked up a used '78 CX500 in '81, hauled it out to Oahu with me, then had to leave it behind in '86 because of shipping weight limits ...

It was bought out and the name used but it was different.

Indian Motorcycles was relaunched in 2010.

They aren't quite the same, but the styling of the 2021 lineup pays a lot of homage to the mid 20th century Indian Motorcycles.

https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/

Indian Motorcycles was relaunched in 2010.

Yeah I think it's owned by Polaris now.

Yeah I think it's owned by Polaris now.

That seems to be correct.

For classic motorcycles most people think in terms of Norton, BSA, Harley Davidson, or Triumph brands.

As Ernest says, if you mention Classic bikes, they're what most people will think of.

If you talk of classic Japanese bikes, then they'll think of the 1970's models.

While the Japanese had been making bikes for ages, when people thought of a motorbike they'd think of the brands Ernest mentioned (along with Moto Guzzi & Aprilla, Ducati etc); European & American brands. If they thought of a Japanese bike, it'd be the likes of the Monkey, Super Cub, CT/Trail series. 60-125cc with the odd 185cc model. They did have larger capacity bikes, but they just didn't sell.

The 1970s was when the Japanese got serious about competing with the European & American bikes, and that's when they came up with their 750, 1000 & 1100cc bikes that are considered classics now- bikes with plenty of power, torque & reliability.

Unfortunately as good as the engines were, the chassis, brakes, suspension & tyres were still only good enough for engines that produced a half (or even just a quarter) of the power and torque the new engines were producing (eg Kawasaki's H1 Mark III 500cc 2 stroke that was known as the Widow Maker). But by the end of the decade they had all those other things sorted out as well, and by the mid 80's were the powerhouse of bike manufacturing world wide that they still are today.

I linked to an article about it above.

It's not street legal because US DOT regulations around motorcycle sets a maximum of 3 wheels. Having 4 wheels the Dodge Tomahawk would have to meet car safety standards. That would be a little difficult. Particularly when you get into things like seat belts and air-bags.

At the top speed of 420 mph, the Dodge Tomahawk

That's nice... if it could hold enough gas to get to that speed. One of the technical specifications missing in the list is that it's fuel tank can only hold enough gas to get from gas station to gas station :D

That's nice... if it could hold enough gas to get to that speed. One of the technical specifications missing in the list is that it's fuel tank can only hold enough gas to get from gas station to gas station :D

If you look at the article on it I linked to above, it does list the gas tank size, 3.25 gallons.

What it doesn't list is gas millage for the super-bike.

However, the Dodge Viper V10 lists at 12MPG city / 21MPG Highway. The Tomahawk should do better simply for being lighter.

The Tomahawk is a little under half the weight of a Viper, so as a first pass estimate, double the millage of a Viper.

That would give the Tomahawk a range of 78 to 136 miles on a full tank of gas.

It should have plenty of gas to get to top speed if you just go full throttle out of the gate. Of course, at top speed it will empty the gas tank in around 3 minutes, maybe less.

CB = cheap bike or so went the saying in the early 70's. The last new 450 came our in 74 and replaced with the CB500 in 75.

Torn seats patched with duct tape, scraped and dents all over from being laid down in parking lots or other mishaps, and a great many other things took their toll.

Duct taped seats usually came with not paying attention to what was on your belt.

The Honda CB series would fit the OP request from the late 60's through the mid 80's.

And while many people are throwing out a variety of makes and models, the issue is that without knowing the income level of the main character, it might be way out of their price range. For a middle-class college student, a $20,000 bike is really out of the question. As is picking something so rare that only a real wheel-head would even recognize it.

Twenty grand in college was definitely out of my reach. Especially when paying for college with no loans on my own. For me at the time it was Honda motorcycles. Cheap and reliable being keywords.

ETA: I still have the Honda CB450 I rode in college. Still safe and reliable to this day.

The fastest CB series bike I owned/own was the CBX inline 6 cylinder. It was no slouch when compared to other superbikes but in the era you specified, the Suzuki variants were recognized as the fastest. My 450 was the get around town bike, but any long trip was the CBX. Mainly for the comfort of the larger bike.
I would occasionally trade off with the electra glide depending on where I was going. In that time frame, showing up at Sturgis on a Honda was an invitation for trouble.