psyco1

Yea, core lifts really help. Don't have much to worry about here, I've got a 365lb squat and a 475lb deadlift and do roman situps with a 50lb dumbbell for the abs.

The Valk had the Goldwing GL1500 engine and it got about 40-45, like the Wing. The damn thing is huge. Anyway, yes they're going to have to change as their demographic gets older, they're doing that in some ways already. They're planning on making a trike, for that aging demographic. They're looking at making a diesel( they're getting about 80mpg). They've got a good engine in the vrod to build another line around, which I think they'll have to do, since that's the most modern, but it line really is a flop compared to the rest of the range. As far as making more on their merchandise, care to show some numbers, because I don't buy it, they have nearly half the US motorcycle market. http://sec.edgar-online.com/2003/03/28/0001104659-03-005244/Section2.aspA sizable sum I bet, probably more than any other brand in the US, but not most of their profit by far. This is a dip in the whole market, other brands are having lower sales too, if people aren't going to shell out 18K for a Road King, they're not going to shell out 18K for a Goldwing either. This is a few years old, but the numbers haven't changed that much: Percentage Market Share: For years ---------------------2002 --- 2001 ---2000 --- 1999 ---- 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycles 47.5% - 45.0% - 45.6% - 48.8% - 48.1% Buell motorcycles - 0.7 - 0.7 - 1.2 - 1.4 - 1.4 Total Company - 48.2 - 45.7 - 46.8 - 50.2 - 49.5 Honda --19.8 - 20.5 - 18.5 - 16.4 - 20.3 Suzuki -- 9.6 - 10.8 - 9.3 - 9.4 - 10.0 Kawasaki -- 6.9 - 8.0 - 9.0 - 10.3 - 10.1 Yamaha -- 8.9 - 7.9 - 8.4 - 7.0 - 4.2 Other -- 6.6 - 7.1 - 8.0 - 6.7 - 5.9 Total -- 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % http://sec.edgar-online.com/2003/03/28/0001104659-03-005244/Section2.asp Harley sells almost half of the motorcycles in the US, Honda has a fifth of what's left and everyone else grabs the scraps. They can afford to trim a lot of fat before it really causes big problems.

Harleys have their own niche, if they replaced the paint shakers with an inline their sales would tank. Their buyers want what they want and it doesn't matter what you I or anyone else think they should make. They sell more bikes than anyone else in the US. Eventually they'll have to do something to meet ever more stringent emission regs as they're running the newer ones pretty lean and hot, I think that's what the Vrod was supposed to be. But it turns out that that line is their lowest selling, it's the only one I'd want from them, but I'm not a typical Harley buyer and they want the paint shakers. In fact they canned the Streetrod, the only one with mid controls, so I guess there's no model I'd want. Though I'd take a 1200 Sportster (if it were free) and Cafe it. The bigger ones like the Glides and Road King are decent, stable as hell touring bikes if that's what you want to do, just don't bother taking them into the twisties.

That was possibly the worst launch I've ever seen.

Hellloooo ladies

Red & yellow? Put Repsol on the side of it and start calling yourself Nicky.

Just give up on vodka altogether. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMxzKQFl7pw My 15 year old son came out not too long ago, thing is I guess I've known for about ten years or so by the way he acts, reacts, the way he moves and who knows...maybe gaydar. Sometimes, you can just tell. Gays often do follow some stereotypes just being themselves and how butch dykes often are built like guys leads me to believe that there is at least a genetic component, but probably much more going on. Do I love him any less? No, that's just who he is and always has been.

I heard the name came from paramedics, I guess when you're ripped in half your trailing intestines give the impression of a squid. IMO, a squid is anyone under dressed, doesn't matter if it's a fratboy wearing shorts and flip-flops or a Harley rider trying to look like a gay pirate.

Took that road again today and showed it who's boss. Ha!

Had a drop today, I was slowing down for a stop at the end of a curve and hit that yard wide strip of tar and gravel the county DOT likes putting down toward the sides of the roads. The front washed out and slid into the ditch, which luckily was only a foot deep or so, but filled with mud, gravel and last years leaves. I was only doing ten at the most and I was wearing gear, so damage to both of us was almost nonexistent. The left mirror needed bent back and there are a few more scratches on it now, but I consider this pretty lucky since it could have been worse. The front tire was covered in mud/gravel, so I wiped the brakes off and went home to wash it off. Funny feeling, that going down.

This one has been done to death in Somethingawful's automotive forum, the US is pretty much an anal retentive whiner when it comes to lane splitting when compaired to other countries. Look at Mordeth13's vids on youtube in Taiwan, it's standard operating procedure for everything on two wheels to lane split, 10 or more cycles and scooters all flowing to the front of the line. It's awesome and less dangerous for us since we wouldn't have to contend with the idiot on the cell slowing down to stop and shoving us into the car we're behind. I think a lot of the resistance to it comes down to the way we view motorcycles here in the US. In most every other country it's viewed as a valid form of transportation, just another vehicle. Here in the US riding is viewed as a passtime and "why should that guy only out having fun get to go ahead of me on my way to work". Or maybe it's a case of "If I can't have it, you can't either" Mini rant over.

There's too much Kentucky jelly down there.

I believe you can be ticked for it, as two vehicles can't share the same lane. The only state where you can do it is Cali, and the cops will give you a ticket if they think you're doing it in an unsafe manner.

Kurt Vonnegut wrote a short story about a situation like that years ago, before I knew about that I just thought it was a snopes-like urban legend. Damn, poor kid.

http://img.waffleimages.com/334635dc68c1346e44115762ad852856c05071e8/lackoffaith.jpg

For the most part the 10's fine with me, it's just that ugly-ass bullhorn tailpipe. WTF were they thinking when they designed that? If I wanted a blunderbuss on a bike I'd install one on the upper, pointing forward to get the idiots out of the way.

This link has mulit-part vids about a bunch of cycle companies like BMW, and Alpinestars. They get to ride quite a few sweet cycles too. Enjoy. http://turbo.discovery.com/beyond/?playerId=245988601&categoryId=1418496841&lineupId=1454906888

Maybe if you open your mouth and raise your head so the wind whistles through your nose you can get a harmony going with the helmet. That raises the number of potential songs exponentially. Of course, you'll look kinda silly moving the head & helmet around trying to do Sweet Child Of Mieieienee.

Went to the Iron Pony and picked up a Scorpion EXO-700, black. Feels good, a lot better than the old HJC, pretty light too. Have to wait for better weather to see how loud it is with all those vents.

Winter's awesome, 60-80 degrees and sunny just about every day. As long as you're still used to Ohio weather it's great, but after a couple of years that 70 starts feeling like 50 as you get used to the 110 degree summers. There are some great roads too, the one between the Superstition Mountains and Tortilla Flat is great as long as it's not clogged with tourists. There's some nice riding around Cave Creek. If you head north a couple of hours to Sedona and Oak Creek on up to Flagstaff it's downright dangerous because it's so beautiful you'll end up gaping at the scenery instead of the road.

Weighted crunches and deadlifts, you'll be able to lean forward for hours without putting much, if any, weight on your wrists.

That was a weird blizzard, at 3:30 it was snowing and blowing, then at 4 it completely stopped and the sun came out. Then the driveway was clear...2 freaking hours later. Shouldn't have gone heavy with those deadlifts yesterday.

I had a nasty cold this year, but a few friends from the gym went there had a good time and picked up some freebies. Steve said something about someone benching 700 with a grip so wide and chest so big that the bar only moved 2-3". They were on lookout, with no luck, for those velcro barbell collars like one of the guys got a few years ago, those have since seen a few too many heavy deadlifts and aren't gripping like they used to. Guess I'll have to amazon.com some, dangit.