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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 2, 2018 1:16:38 GMT -5
Unpainted median curbs at intersestions.  Those pesky booby-traps are the main reason I installed super-bright LED driving lights on "Minnie Mouse". (You can see them on my avatar). Just blocks from my place, there is one of those curbs left over from a past turn-lane that's doggoned-near invisible even in daylight. A leftover from what WAS a major surface street, now, a strip of road seldom used. Going straight ahead through the intersection, my neighbor hit it one night in his new Jeep, and tore out the entire front drive/suspension, oil-pan, tranny and finally rolled the Jeep onto its roof, TOTALLED it completely. He was just going straight through, and had just started up from a red-light, so he was not speeding... Probably less than 20-mph. The next day, I nearly did the same on my SCOOTER, even knowing about it.You just do NOT expect a 10" curb ACROSS THE INSIDE STRAIGHT-AHEAD LANE. That miserable obstruction now has SO much car paint and white gouges and chips that you can almost see it if you're looking for it...
I guess I'll repost the how-to on the lights... They've saved my bacon more than once in two years! And, even though they light the road for over 300 yards, I kept them low, and have not had even one vehicle flash their lights at me, so they don't blind oncoming cars. They are an inexpensive and HIGHLY-EFFECTIVE safety upgrade. Ride safe!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 2, 2018 0:52:20 GMT -5
larrball,
I am not up on the new offerings... Just noticing new scoots at my dealer and saw the "Chicago Scooter Co." rides. I asked the dealer about them and he said they are a new brand, made in China and sold under the Genuine/Buddy brand... The ones on his floor did have "Genuine" badging.I looked up "Chicago Scooter Genuine Buddy" on the net, and found the homepage. I cut and pasted this quote... "Chicago Scooter Company is the new company from the people at Scooterworks (Buddy, Genuine, Stella). These bikes feature the reliability and dealer support that Genuine has always been known for.
They come with a one year warranty."I've always thought Genuine/Buddy scoots were made in Taiwan. They are sweet little rides! Sounds like lots of interrelated holding companies involved here. I'm not sure anymore if you can actually be sure just WHERE bikes and components are really made...  LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 29, 2018 23:13:21 GMT -5
For me...MAJOR FREAK-OUTS:  "Invisible" curbs left over from abandoned left-turn only lanes... TEXTING drivers. DRUNK drivers. BRAIN-DEAD drivers. ILLEGAL-ALIEN drivers who can't drive their stolen cars, OR read traffic signs. SECONDARY FREAK-OUTS:  Animals... All types. Pot-holes... All sizes Road-debris... Mufflers, hubcaps, drive-shafts, tires, etc.... Pea-gravel/oil-slicks & wet leaves.. Bullets, buckshot and beer-cans...….
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 29, 2018 23:00:43 GMT -5
I want to know how that 4-wheel "trike" gets away with a trike status. Unless those rear outrigger wheels are high enough that ONLY ONE can touch the ground at a time, it's legally a CAR... Subject to all the ridiculous regulations of a 4-wheel vehicle.
Unless rules have changed (and they may have) outrigger wheels on both sides of a bike can ONLY have ONE touch the ground. That works OK, only leaning the bike slightly to one side at a stop.
Just wondering???
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 29, 2018 22:32:16 GMT -5
... First, H/D rushes into production of their 500cc and 750cc V-Twins to counter the successful, track-inspired Indian Scout and Scout Sixty... Good move! Then H/Dcalls them "LEARNER BIKES". Any of you boyz n' gurlz out there wanna ride a Harley they call a LEARNER BIKE? Yeah, I didn't think so... ... Ride safe,Leo I'd ride a Harley called a Learner Bike, but not a 500 or 750. That's not Learner that's getting Big Dog! >'Kat
YOU are PRICELESS... Have a bone!You and I agree, and you make my point perfectly... A 500 or 750 is NOT a learner bike. At 12 years old, I learned to ride on a fifties' Duo Glide with kick-start only and suicide shift... I guess THAT made the 900-pound beast a "learner bike"... LOLOLOL! Those "Hoglets" (which ARE nice entry-level MOTORCYCLES) were marketed (originally) to compete with the very successful and very REAL performance motorcycles by Indian, the Scout and Scout 60...
Heck, for MANY riders, a 500 or 750 is plenty of bike for as long as they ride!When I was younger and in my "biker prime" a 500cc machine was considered a REAL credible MOTORCYCLE and a 650 was a full-size "big bike". A 750cc was over-the-top big-boy stuff pretty much limited to the Brit Royal Enfield750 and the incredible Norton 750... Both 100+-mph road-burners.
A "learner bike" would have been anything from a Whizzer, to a scooter, to MAYBE a Honda 160 twin.
Harley Davidson's move to make bikes "elsewhere" was talked about long before Donald Trump took office. This is just a lame excuse to save money. As others have pointed out, there are many businesses out there who for the price of a top-end Hog, will build you a real H/D-style bike (chopper, bagger, trackster, trike, etc.) from all American parts and labor.
And, there is Indian...  Dang! I wish I was spry enough to throw a leg over a new Chief! If that thousand pounds of steel, skirted fenders, leather, fringe and flathead-styled motor doesn't light your fire, you wood's wet! Or, you're just too young to get goosebumps over the rides your Grand Dad "had a Jones" for... LOL!
Harley Davidson bikes have an undeniable mystique attached to them, and Indian has the same mystique attached to the name. After at least two badly-failed attempts by others to resurrect Indian, Polaris has pulled it off... AND, with track-winning style!True, they are modern bikes using new tech, but they kept true to the original look, and make the machines in America. I think serious "Ameriphobes" (is there such a word?)… LOL! Will gravitate toward Indians and custom made bikes more and more. One of the most aggravating aspects of H/D's proposed move is its secrecy. Yes, just WHERE are they going to be made...? H/D just says "Europe". It's admitted that the 500 and 750 "Hoglets" are made from parts from ALL OVER the world, supposedly assembled in America, in a factory H/D says is closing. It might be noted that similar H/D bikes ARE made and sold in India, built in the H/D factory there...
Does THAT make THESE Harleys real "INDIANS"? Hoo-Haa, Woo-Hoo… I just could NOT resist THAT pun...  Younger riders with plenty of money will always buy a Harley no matter where it's made. Look at many American flags for sale for the upcoming 4th-of-July, MADE IN CHINA... I rest my case..... 
If the new Indian ever makes a nice, old-school step-through scoot, with springer-fork, and, say about a 500-700 cc motor... My budget will be in deep trouble... LOL!Ride safe,Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 28, 2018 21:08:22 GMT -5
We shall see how this business decision works out for them. I will predict this is a very poor business decision,
I predict YOU are RIGHT about that... As an old-time Haley rider, and a life-long advertising/marketing professional, I'm sad to see these kinds of moves. First, H/D rushes into production of their 500cc and 750cc V-Twins to counter the successful, track-inspired Indian Scout and Scout Sixty... Good move! Then H/Dcalls them "LEARNER BIKES". Any of you boyz n' gurlz out there wanna ride a Harley they call a LEARNER BIKE? Yeah, I didn't think so... Now, they announce moving production of some H/D machines to "Europe" and I don't think INDIA or CHINA constitute "EUROPE"... Must be that some younger marketing guru simply doesn't understand the iconic nature of the Harley-Davidson brand. Or its loyal buyers. And likely doesn't care, either.
This is like giving the "keys to the kingdom" to the new Indian brand... And if Polaris is smart, they will milk this H/D marketing mistake to the hilt with a push about Indian being an American icon OLDER than Harley, American made, worthy alternatives to H/D and still affordable.
If health and budget allowed, I'd be on a new Indian this season!Ride safe,Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 24, 2018 22:47:28 GMT -5
You're RIGHT... It SUCKS... Have a bone! Leo Chopper dude I'd like to reciprocate but I have issue with Dudes giving other Dudes Bones. lol.. I don't care if anyone labels me as whatever. Wish it was Pistons or Valves or something Pistonguy… Hmmm... Yeah, it DOES sound a tad strange when I think of it... LOL! Consider them "dogbones" for the bars on a chopper...  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 23, 2018 1:28:01 GMT -5
You're RIGHT... It SUCKS... Have a bone! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 23, 2018 0:38:54 GMT -5
Oh wait, who was the Scarlet Pimpernel? Was that Niven? I'll have to change my vote if so. "They seek him here, they seek him there, Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in Heaven? Or is he in (nnhmmm)? That demmed elusive Pimpernel."
Your post reminds me of those great old Warner Bros. cartoons where their characters played famous movie roles... Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in "The Barber of Seville"... Bugs as Jack (in the beanstalk)… and of course, DAFFY DUCK as... "The Scarlet Pumpernickel"... I can barely SAY "Scarlet Pumpernickel" without chuckling...  I miss some of the hilarious cartoon characters of my youth... "Bosco" "Speedy Gonzales" "The Frito Bandito"... All done strictly in fun, but nowadays deemed "offensive". Offensive? We (including my Black and Hispanic pals) just thought they were funny!  OK, I won't even go into the original 1950's animated "P.F. Flyers" sneaker mascot and his jingle lyrics... Yeah THAT really WAS offensive... LOL!Have a bone on The Old Chopperguy! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 22, 2018 0:13:59 GMT -5
The models built (Dyna, Vrod) in KC were dropped. The Thai plant is for sales in Asia.
I'm always amazed at the manufacturing practices of good old Harley-Davidson... Having been a factory visitor and test subject for the old "Night Train" which ended up the "Super Glide" I was always happy that "Milwaukee Shakers" were REALLY still made in Milwaukee... That was then. 
Lately, I've noticed the new HD 500 and 750 V-Twins. Nice looking bikes, and though liquid-cooled and "modern" they still make nice AFFORDABLE (as in the price of a 350-400cc scooter) "real Harley"... Even if they've picked up the less than complimentary moniker "Hoglets". They make a low-cost "po'boy's" substitute for the Indian Scout. ONLY in appearance of course... They ain't likely to win any races, but are reported to still sound SOMETHING like a genuine Hog. Maybe...
Anyway, I've wondered just WHERE they are made. All I can find is that they are supposedly (partly, maybe) assembled in Missouri from parts from India and other much more obscure places. Oh well, to get a genuine (?) Harley for under $8K I suppose those under 50 won't care where the parts come from so long as it says HARLEY-DAVIDSON" on the tank. AND, it goes "potato, potato, potato" at idle. I've seen pix of some VERY good-looking bobbers made from both the 500 and 750. That must count for something...  Even though HD itself gave them the unfortunate nickname "Learner Bikes"... Cheesh… I learned to ride at 12-years old on a kick-start 53 Duo-Glide with hand-shift, suicide clutch and left twist-grip spark retard... "LEARNER BIKES"...
Harley Davidson marketing: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? These days, we have to live with our favorite bikes, cars, guns, electronics, etc. being made EVERYWHERE, from parts harvested from EVERYWHERE... Leo (figgering since I took "Minnie Mouse" somewhat apart & reassembled her some for mods, she's now made in TEXAS)
Ride safe! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 21, 2018 1:50:15 GMT -5
C'mon now guys and gals,NOBODY on the site would approve of genocide of any kind. Just enforcement of the existing laws.  Not a good idea these days to joke about that stuff I suppose... One of my favorite preachers often muses about his Dad chewing him out as a kid, telling him he might KILL him, and make another one just like him... Years ago in my day, you could say things like that and nobody took offense. Today, we have a nation that has made a fine art of being offended... and every word is taken literally and offensively. Part of the problem we deal with these days... Sad.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 20, 2018 21:10:08 GMT -5
My wife still says all illegal aliens should be rounded up en masse and shot. Jarlaxle… If they did THAT, I'd have NO neighbors! |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 20, 2018 20:57:05 GMT -5
I thought the Genuine Stellas were made in India?
I think they were, and may still be... It's the "Chicago Scooter Co." brand sold under the Genuine/Buddy name that's Chinese, and has a very good rep.
And yes, China makes many components, engines, etc. for name brand rides. It's the older Chinese bikes that gave me a VERY bad taste in my mouth. I understand new ones are much better, but after the grief I went through with my '07, I feel "once burned, twice shy"...
It was no surprise. I'd heard how bad Chinese scoots back then could be, and I gritted my teeth and wrenched, and wrenched, and replaced "new" parts... My Xingyue cost $650 delivered to my door, and after replacing a LOT of defective parts, I still had less than $1,100 total invested. Overall, a bargain, EXCEPT for the countless hours of diagnosing, fixing, walking home after breakdowns, etc. the money saved over buying a better-made scoot doesn't begin to offset the never-ending misery... LO not so L. 
Whether the new tariffs on Chinese goods is good or bad only time will tell. China and other nations have been destroying our exportation of products for decades and nobody seemed to care until recently. Could be that a little of their own medicine might help in the long run.America is getting a much-needed dose of bitter medicine (call it tough love) and unemployment is at an all-time low since the post WWII boom. Jobs (decent jobs) are coming back by the millions. The rest of the world is finding out (finally!) that America is no longer a clown-college run by buffoons. The rest of the world has bled us dry, and beat us almost to death. Only time will tell, but I'm old enough to understand that spanking China and other nations that have been beating us with unfair trade practices should only "hurt for a little while"... Things will even out in just a year or two.
A small price to pay for 40 years of America being on the dirty end of the stick.I'll still go Taiwanese, Japanese or Italian. And if the ride has a Chinese engine/components, that's OK. When I hear Washington use the term "zero-tolerance" I say to myself "it's about time". it's the terminology that counts. Whether immigration reform, crime, trade, law-enforcement, international relations, etc. it matters little. I grew up in a "zero-tolerance" atmosphere. And, I mean ZERO-TOLERANCE. Period. NO excuses. Not ONCE, not EVER. You kept your nose squeaky-clean or got your butt kicked and woke up in jail... and worked AMAZINGLY well.America needed a good "woodshed-spanking" and now it's time we wipe our nose and do some spanking of those who've been beating us for a half-century.
About half of America would say YESSSS! to this, and half would call me cruel, insensitive and outdated. That's OK. It's a free country. Let's do a little more spanking, and keep it that way.
Wherever your ride is made, enjoy it and...RIDE SAFE!Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 19, 2018 22:13:35 GMT -5
I'll go with Errol Flynn too based on movie after movie... I think that pic is from "Dawn Patrol" (one of my favorite oldies) since it features genuine "golden age" aircraft... And, in that venue, it's about a dead tie between Flynn and Niven. Both great actors, and in THIS flick, a fantastic match. I wouldn't have relished being "the Hun in the sun" in my Fokker, facing the guns of either of these guys had it been real life... 
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 19, 2018 22:00:23 GMT -5
Sure makes a new Taiwan-made scoot look better and better!For me to even consider putting up with the cross-threaded bolts, nearly dead-on-arrival starters, coils and CDI's, undersized headers choked with weld residue, "square wheels" rotten valve-stems, rotten fuel-lines, non-working lights, hidden disconnected wires, needles falling off analog gauges, totally out-of-whack carbs, crankcases full of used tractor oil and grass, NO instructions and NO dealer backup of any kind... I'd have to get a new Chinese scoot for HALF of what a well-worn Japanese, Taiwanese or Italian equivalent costs... Even then, I'd have to think twice, and I'd probably STILL go non-Chinese.
Yeah, there ARE quality Chinese scoots... Like the "Chicago Scooter Co." rides from Genuine/Buddy... But $3,200 for a 125cc SHOULD buy top quality.
I paid my "Chinese dues" for five seasons getting my Xingyue 150 "right"... And I finally DID get it right, AND totally reliable and quick... But was it worth FIVE years of wrenching, no riding and walking home to save a grand?
NO.  This is my 6th season on my '07 Kymco Grandvista 250 which had 15K miles on the clock when I bought it... Absolutely TROUBLE-FREE. Just turn the key and RIDE... NO wrenching necessary...If you have the money, get a NEW Japanese, Taiwanese or Italian scoot... If the budget is tight, find a nice USED one. And, if at all possible, from a reliable dealer who backs up his/her products after the sale. Just my two-cents' worth, but I've BEEN there, DONE that, GOT the T-shirt... Ride safe,Leo (happy old KYMCO jockey) in Texas
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