Not what you think....
I'm both a movie maker and a motorcycle rider. I'm at a cross roads, so those of you who live their lives in a similar fashion might be able to help me out.

I've been a life long rider of Jap Iron. I have a beloved 1992 Kawasaki Concours sport touring bike (bought new in 94). But I'm ready to move on.

My choices are down to this.
1. A new Honda Goldwing, with most of the options (no carbon fiber stuff though). The Goldwing is arguably the finest long distance touring bike on the road (not dirt, but road). I know the BMW folks will disagree, but thats my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

2. A new Harley Davidson Road King standard. I was in a large HD dealer in Charleston SC yesterday (Low Country HD, 60K sq feet very nice folks). Walking around with my Sister in Law who just returned from duty in Iraq and is a fervent Harley owner/rider. She talked me into checking them out...And I finally caught the Harley bug just sitting on one.

Considering the Goldwing is a superb bike and has a large and loyal following. and considering there is nothing quite like a bunch of Harley owners when they get together...which one would you choose. The only unacceptable answer is for picking up women. The only woman I'll be picking up and flirting with is my wife.

p.s. I have the Easy Rider DVD and I love it, but I don't do drugs or wear colors.

bring it on folks.....

Reading your posts title I was ready to begin talking about that chasing sequence in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...
But I don't know anything about motorcycles, though, héhé.

If'n you can afford a new Goldwing or HD, chances are you can afford a classic. Get you something old and stylish, with a bit of substance to it. My personal choices would be a 57 Panhead, 69 BMW R9, 55 Sportster K... just off the top of the list ;)

If'n you can afford a new Goldwing or HD, chances are you can afford a classic. Get you something old and stylish, with a bit of substance to it. My personal choices would be a 57 Panhead, 69 BMW R9, 55 Sportster K... just off the top of the list ;)

Uh, the revolution will be financed. hehehe.
I didn't feel the custom or Classic were worth the additional money. I could always add stuff later. I liked the clean
monochromatic look of the standard.

Have you seen the Honda Rune?

A buddy of mine going through his mid life crisis... just bought a Honda Shadow Classic WITH a sidecar. This was the bike they made for two years, that looked so much like a Harly, that Harley sued them for Trademark infringement... and won. They only made them for two years. GREAT looking bike, and the sidecar makes it look... well, CLASSIC. Yeah, it's a head turner. You might have to look around to find one. I THINK it's a 1200, or maybe 1000 cc, not sure, but it's plenty big for cruising the road. Email me and I'll send you some pix.

Great post. But it also hurts. I just sold my 1999 Harley to pay for a new video camera and a few other things. I keep thinking to hell with it, to hell with cameras, damn Nikon, damn you Canon and Panasonic, then go back and buy a new bike. I haven't bought a camera yet!

When I get a new one and I will someday, it will be a Harley. If you get one you will never go back. I would go with the Road King. The best buy is the Electra Glide standard. It's alot of bike for the money. Good luck and enjoy the ride.

When we sold the house, it was understood that 10K was going towards new gear. Then one day, it dawned on me that I had enough for a Harley, even a new one at that... if I wanted a Sporty. It got tough after that.

here is me on a trip to Sturgis bike rally 2001. I had to ride out to see a location from a movie!

Doodeedoodoodooooo...

Did you climb it?

no just looked around and bought a t-shirt. I'm going to try and make that picture bigger

the last one was pretty small

I was kind of hoping a couple of UFO's would fly by.

They were avoiding the government agents on top of the monument...

Keith watch out for the storm down there. Doesn't look like it will be too big but a cat 2 or 3 can do some damage as I'm sure you already know.

Already on it. Putting up the sheet metal over the windows tomorrow, getting supplied up tonight. Been going through this for 40 years now, and I don't panic till it hits a 3 or higher.

True, when I lived there, Cat 1 was just another rainy day. Potential damage, but nothing to lose sleep over.

Ok..I'm leaning toward the Road King. I went down to Manassas VA and checked out both the Harleys and the Hondas at different dealers.
The GoldWing is awesome, top of the line gets you great stereo/cd player, heated handlebars and seats, gps and abs brakes and great handling for a large bike. And boring as hel#. I was standing there, with all my history of riding Jap Iron and liking it, and the bike was just.... boring. Too George Jetson for me I guess. I even took a look at the st1300 and it just didn't do it for me.
More bike for the money when compared to the Harley, but the Hog spoke to me on a very deep emotional level. Doesn't make sense, but so far thats the way I'm seeing it. Maybe turning 50 is the new turning 40. I don't know.

I can think of all sorts of logical reasons to choose the Wing. None of them interest me. Weird. Maybe it's Harleys new perl black that comes standard, and the new 96 inch cubic thunder with 6 speed trans. Maybe it's seeing a bunch of Harley riders just having fun. hmmmmm.

btw, the Honda Rune has to be special ordered , none of the dealers carry them. I've seen one at a show and it's beautiful.

Lastly, the Honda dealer is also a Kawasaki dealer. When I told them I currently owned a 92 Concours, they kept trying to push me ove r to buying a new one. Even when I told them my current one is in great shape and I didn't want a new concours. Really started to piss me off that they kept bringing it up. They must be stuck with some stock they can't get rid of. Have to figure that in when making the final decision.

On the other hand, the Harley salesman was totally cool, knowledgeable, informative and told me in addition to his Ultra Classic, he also liked his Suzuki Vstrom. He let the Road King sell itself and didn't go to the old self rightous Harley routine I've seen in the past. Very patient, gave me an out the door price and offered to answer any questions I had. No high pressure at all. I like that. Have to consider the dealer when making a purchase.

The kawi dealer down here has a few Runes in stock. The first time I saw one, I thought- This is something out of Batman! I just can't see spending twice as much as I spent on my new car.

Joe you will never be sorry for getting that Road King. There is something about a Harley that you just won't get on a Honda, etc. I know a few guys who had Harley's then tried a Gold Wing. They liked it but in a year or so they were back on Harley's.

and your right those new 96's with the six speed trans,,,,what a ride,,,the local dealer around here is having a open house in two weeks. They will have the demo fleet in to test drive. I'm hoping they have a new Road King to demo.

I sat on a fully tricked out Goldwing in the dealership. And it dawned on me. For nearly the same ammount of money, I could buy a Miata... and get the same 'open road' effect with a passenger seat beside me. I mean, I just felt like I would be buying a convertable, that was short two wheels. Too much stuff for a motorcycle, not enough for a convertable. Know what I mean?

I think the visceral appeal of the Harley is... it doesn't betray it's roots. And if you want a MOTORCYCLE... you want a motorcycle.

My two cents.

Richard- That sums up how I feel about overloaded dressers. You can't grab it anywhere, because there is fiberglass everywhere. Really bulky, and it really deadens the ride. Just give me a cruiser with a simple fairing, and maybe some leather saddlebags.

try riding in 0 degree weather and you'll suddenly appreciate all that plastic, and heated handle bars and seats (no one uses fiberglass any more, just injection molded plastic, it's less expensive and lasts longer).

as far a a Miatia, you can't lean into a curve in one, but you have a point, one that I've though about. But my God man..a Miata? Would you actualy want to be seen in one? hehehe.
The Wing is really for the cross country rider (that and BMWs). ou can also add an after market trailer.
I'm wondering if I could physically handle cross country on a Harley, and would it make it from VA to Las Vegas or beyond. But I have to admit, going out west on a Road King sounds romantic. I've also looked at the Ultra Glide (I think...) with the BatWings. But they are 1400 more. Same ride and power though. Besides I have a pair of custom made chaps from a place in Richmond Illinois that are the smoothest, most comfortable leather I've ever had in my life.

I think I'll rent one before I decide. I've ridden a Wing plenty of times (my brothers'), so I already have reference on that.

Just give me a cruiser with a simple fairing, and maybe some leather saddlebags.

You've just described the Road King classic.

btw, If I decide on the Wing, I won't get it from the dealer I saw yesterday.

Hey folks, forget the bikes, I want one of these

http://corporate.honda.com/press/article.aspx?id=2006080838554

Just kidding, but what a fantasy.

I ride a 99 Honda ACE 1100. I'm also looking to get a touring bike. I love the classic look and sound of the Harleys, but I'm leaning towards the Wing. I have a buddy with a GL1800. I've ridden it and it's --smooooth---. What I like the most abot the wing is the technology. ABS, sound system with an input for my MP3 player, Nav system, heated seats and grips, cruise control, etc. THe best part is enough cargo room for my XL2 and some sound gear.

My vote: Get the Wing.

I've also been looking at the ST1300. A full dress Harley is about the same as the fully loaded Wing. 20+ thousand dollars also has me thinking about going down to FL and bringing my Concours out of mothballs. At least it's paid for.
Man oh man, talk about sticker shock!!

I poked into this thread expecting talk of Easy Rider ... :)

Any one here a fan of "Electraglide in Blue"?

I poked into this thread expecting talk of Easy Rider ... :)

Any one here a fan of "Electraglide in Blue"?

Yes, haven 't seen it for awhile though.

It was released on DVD this year(or was it last?). It's a good transfer. Lovely cinematography and I like the off beat story. A real treasure not many people have seen. I hope the Robert Blake infamy doesn't spoil what people think about it.

Since there seems to be so much interest in motorcycles here, I'll swing things slightly back towards video: This Honda 650 with its Czech sidecar was my video go-getter for 3 1/2 years. I could buzz around quickly and get to some places that weren't so easy to reach with a car. What a job that was installing the sidecar correctly. It took several months before I had it right and if a sidecar isn't adjusted just exactly right, you've got trouble. It was a lot of fun and it was nice not having to put a foot down at intersections. But, it was cutting into my bicycle riding too much, so 4 years ago I parked it in my shed and there it's been staying. The 2nd picture shows my video vehicle from before and after my motorcycle epoch. It will go even more places and the gas crunch is not on my worry list. That's my latest computer and monitor loaded on top, coming home from the dealer. Guess why I was given the web handle I use of "Bigrocketman". Some smart-aleck kids were once razzing me about it. They asked me if I had my wife inside. I shut them up by saying, "What's left of her!".

first, Keith, just have to remeber when it was made and not get caught up with recent events...

Now for the bad news...

A very nice woman I work with just had a life threatening accident on her motrycyle caused by an agressive driver. It's still touch and go as she remains in the ICU at Fairfax County Hospital in Fairfax VA.

A van merging with traffic at high speed caused a car to veer away and into her. The other horrific part was her husband was on his bike behind her and saw the whole thing.
Here is a link to a newpaper article.
http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN/MGArticle/WPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190962536

I and others are praying for her constantly. Any of you fellow riders who would like to, are encouraged to join in. At this time I don't know where or how to send cards and such. We made donations at work.

Real happiness is neither. A new motoguzzi will take years off your life, not to mention dollars from your wallet.

Joe, gotta chime in here...I've had 3 Harleys, 2 Suzi's, a Yamaha road bike, and 4 Honda's in various flavors including Silver and Goldwing, plus a short stint with the Aspencade.
I now own a Valkyrie, and love it to death. Customized out the wazoo, it's the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. Harleys are cool for the social factor, Valkyrie is cool for the ride factor. I don't socialize, so have gotten rid of the Harleys for close to what I paid for them.
Plus, the Valkyrie has all sorts of places you can hang a camera...:-)

Hey guys, it's nice to know some of us are m/c enthusiasts. I'm a 20 year rider myself....love the sportbikes so I ride a Kawasaki ZX10R....few trackdays but mostly street.......well just wanted to say hi to my fellow dvinfonetters!

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BUY THE 'WING!!!

These bikes are leaps and bounds ahead of Harley. I don't know how you can speak of them in the same sentence.

Hey, you guys should check out some of my custom paintwork- I've been in a few magazines and have won various trophies and awards....I have some videos on my site as well......

http://stevenunez.com/

Nice work.

But it must suck having to paint on something as crappy as a Suzuki! (-:

I think all the manufacturers make nice bikes- there's truly no junk bikes anymore with the exception of the new Chinese imports which are knock off's of some popular Japanese models.

I think all the manufacturers make nice bikes- there's truly no junk bikes anymore with the exception of the new Chinese imports which are knock off's of some popular Japanese models.

I know man...its a joke.

Amongst all my Honda's there lies one Suzuki...a SV650....one of my track bikes.

UPDATE, it appears Viviana is going to make it, but it will be a long road back. Broken arms, pelvis, severe internal injuries. Her family from Chile got here last week.

Spot, I"ve always liked those Valkyries, a cruiser that doesn't look like a harley clone is very appealing, I'd forgotten about that one. I'll have to check them out.
I've had Suzukis and Kawis. The wing is great, but man talk about sticker shock. There's something inside me that rebels at paying as much for a motorcycle as a good car, no matter how good the bike is.
The Honda ST1300 looks apealling. Big step up from my Concours and I can get it for under 15K. Last time I checked Valkyries were running at around 13K and based on Hondas site, they don't make them anymore unless you want the Rune.

looky whats coming from big green early 2007....
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=220
First official redesign in over 20 years.