Are crotch rockets fun to ride? What about Harley-Davidson?

Question

At one time I thought of buying a motorcycle, just for the purpose of taking long Spring/Summer weekend rides... as well as taking the occasional midnight speed burst on the Garden State Parkway. What's your experience been like, do you hook up with other bikers.

Do you recommend any specific types or Brands? I dont particularly like high exhaust noise, but i do like fast acceleration and cruiser-comfort. Honda seems to have made a name for itself in the large-cc class. I hear Harley has poor reliability, is that still true?

Answer 1

So called crotch rocket motorcycles force you to ride in a somewhat uncomfortable position and they are not noted for being reliable or having a long life before major repairs are required though the cost to buy one is less than a harley davidson,though modern day harley davidsons are very well known for offering you a comfortable riding position (just sit on one at a dealer and your hands fall naturally to the grips on the handlebars) and other than routine service they are for the most part matience free.While it is true that some of the older model harley davidsons were prone to leak oil and require regular repairing all that is a thing of the past ever since they introduced the evo (evolution) motor and the top of the line harley davidsons come with what is called the v-rod engine which was designed and built in concert with porsche. Yes it is true that you will pay more for a harley davidson than you would for a crotch rocket motorcycle the harley davidson will still be running long after the crotch rocket has died.As for your concern about noise levels anytime you get going on a crotch rocket motorcycle the more you open the throttle the more the bike screams and to get any decent level of power out of a crotch rocket motorcycle requires a high rpm level hence more noise,while a harley davidson for the most part is a very quiet bike around town and under most highway operation though it will get somewhat louder as you drive it harder (of course how loud any motorcycle is depends on if you keep the stock exhaust system or replace it with a performance one or if you run straight pipes with no mufflers of any kind).My vote is for the harley davidson and I have owned over the years most every type of motorcycles from dirt bikes all the way up to full dresser ones and currently I own three harley davidson street motorcycles and two japanese built off road motorcycles and I will never buy any other brand of street motorcycles than harley davidsons as one of mine is a old 1966 one while the other two are modern day ones.

Answer 2

If you're just getting started, you probably won't want to start off with anything too wild. A good rule for a first bike is to avoid any bike that you can't pick up if you drop it, any bike where you can't put both feet flat on the ground when sitting in the saddle, and any bike with enough horsepower for a small car.

Comfort is a rather personal thing. I for one find traditional cruisers uncomfortable. Others can ride them from one end of the country to the other with no trouble. If you happen to find cruisers comfortable, your best bet may be to start off on a 750 cc or smaller Japanese cruiser, or maybe a Harley 883 Sportster, You may like the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 in particular - it's one of their smaller sportbike engines in a cruiser chassis. There aren't any particular brands to avoid, really, except the cheap Chinese copies.

Answer 3

Harley's used to have poor quality and reliabilty during the 1970's when the company was owned by AMF. I have a 2004 Softail Standard and it is really reliable. Not one problem in 2 1/2 years.
Honda's are good bikes too. It's really your preference and what you can afford.
Harley's come with quiet mufflers from the factory. It's people like me that put loud pipes on them. The term, "loud pipes save lives" means because 80% of car drivers are inattentive in some way, the loud exhaust noise draws attention to the motorcycle rider.
Good luck.

Answer 4

It really depends on what you're looking for. If you want a rush and you like techinical riding there's nothing like a Sport Bike! If you want to ride long distances and you want to sit back and enjoy there is nothing better than a cruiser. It also depends on your size and age. Normally the older you get the heavier you get too! Therefore you should ride a comfy cruiser. You won't see alot of oversized riders on sport bikes, because they're made for speed not comfort. If you're young and nimble (skinny) then you could ride a sport bike easily. I love sport bikes fast, tecnical riding, insane acceleration, high tech engines, incredible horsepower to weight ratios, high rpm's = rush!!!

Just my opinon of course!

By the way I'm 46 years old, 5'-7" tall and 147 pounds. Hehehehe.............yeah I can fit on a sportbike ;o)

Answer 5

If your taking a long ride, rice rockets suck. The Bikes made in Japan normally make you lean forward with your feet back behind you. this makes for a bad ride of any distance. the American Cruisers let you ride more along the lines of the way you sit. this is much more comfortable on a long ride. For bursts of speed......the crotch rocket is the way to go. DO NOT DRINK EVEN ONE BEER AND RIDE A BIKE!!!!!!. if you drink you will die. there is no room for error on a bike. a rock will crash you. a deer will kill you, a Rabbit can make you flip. be safe!

Answer 6

I would get a sport touring bike all the crotch rocket speed with a lot of cruiser comfort suzuki sv650 good power and a fairly upright riding position

Answer 7

It all depends what kind of riding you like to do and what kind of personality you have. I LOVE my R1 and would never consider a cruiser. But I have friends who swear by their Harley's. If you like a sporty ride, but don't like the crotch rocket feel, look into something like a Yamaha FZ1 or FZ6. They handle almost like a sport bike but let you sit very upright. I've ridden both and they are fun and comfortable.

Answer 8

Honda is the standard for reliability.