Thread: Getting power out of a harley

Originally Posted by Finnwolf

That explains the lack of power on Harleys - they don’t rev enough!

actually you are not far wrong there... horse power is a measurement of torque output x revs basically.... and of course the speed an engine spins up also has an affect. hence light weight flywheels on modern sports engines. I dare say a harley probably runs a heavy flywheel which wouldn't help

Yeah I was thinking of a DR650 since they are pretty cheap new. It's the narrow seat that doesn't appeal.

My Bandit does 3000rpm at 100km/h and has a heap of toque when ya twist the throttle at that speed.

Originally Posted by outlander

It would be difficult to fault the old rock steady and moderately priced DR650. Parts are plentiful in many countries and they can run on molasses/paraffin if so required. I'm sure the suspension would be an improvement on the Himalayan too.

Originally Posted by outlander

It would be difficult to fault the old rock steady and moderately priced DR650. Parts are plentiful in many countries and they can run on molasses/paraffin if so required. I'm sure the suspension would be an improvement on the Himalayan too.

I am not sure on that. That is like saying the suspension on a Rav 4 is not as good as the Hilux....The DR650 is a proper trail bike, where the Himalayan is a RTW bike. The suzuki is running more modern types of running gear, but for what its worth the Himalayan is a more comfortable ride

The Late , Robert Holden, rode a Harley 883 as his road-bike. He was often asked to explain why, and he just loved the sound, torque etc, of a bike that was only toddling along. He said he rode it for pleasure, and could still take in all the sights as he went. If it makes you happy....

Originally Posted by rewa

The Late , Robert Holden, rode a Harley 883 as his road-bike. He was often asked to explain why, and he just loved the sound, torque etc, of a bike that was only toddling along. He said he rode it for pleasure, and could still take in all the sights as he went. If it makes you happy....

Your last few words sum things up perfectly - you’re not buying a motorbike to make other people happy, likewise you aren’t buying one to make yourself miserable.

Some people don’t seem to be aware of that....

Originally Posted by timattalon

I am not sure on that. That is like saying the suspension on a Rav 4 is not as good as the Hilux....The DR650 is a proper trail bike, where the Himalayan is a RTW bike. The suzuki is running more modern types of running gear, but for what its worth the Himalayan is a more comfortable ride

I bow to your superior knowledge on Toyotas and Himalayans. The Suzuki DR 650 is an adventure old school bike, developed as a replacement for the DR600 in 1990. They are well proven Round The World bikes too.

Nothing wrong with the DR series bikes. Those 650 and the 350 engines are generally super reliable and I know the 350 can take an absolute pounding then call you a pussy and demand you stop riding like a girl.... great bikes and I'm not a big Suzy fan generally speaking. Most of their motors are good but can cost cut in other areas such as suspension if in direct competition with a different manufacturer so they come in cheaper on the showroom floor in comparison. Some of the bandit models the rear shock needs rebuild after 30 thou km

Originally Posted by Ftx325

Nothing wrong with the DR series bikes. Those 650 and the 350 engines are generally super reliable and I know the 350 can take an absolute pounding then call you a pussy and demand you stop riding like a girl.... great bikes and I'm not a big Suzy fan generally speaking. Most of their motors are good but can cost cut in other areas such as suspension if in direct competition with a different manufacturer so they come in cheaper on the showroom floor in comparison. Some of the bandit models the rear shock needs rebuild after 30 thou km

Value for money the DR series. The early XL/XR motors ran their camshafts straight in the head ( no bearings) and caused much spending of beer money. The old Pro Link seemed plusher than the Suzuki Full Floater I thought. All water under the bridge now though.

Sounds like Honda got those models pretty wrong then. Xl was a bit more of a road going version I think, and the XR was a bit more off road. Used to steal the bosses XR250 and go for a hoon when he was in town, and blat down a gravel road out in Karaka when I was 15 on my first farm job. There was a guy who ran a shop out of a double garage. Used to ride back to the farm with chips and chocolate crammed down the front of my jumper.

Originally Posted by outlander

Value for money the DR series. The early XL/XR motors ran their camshafts straight in the head ( no bearings) and caused much spending of beer money. The old Pro Link seemed plusher than the Suzuki Full Floater I thought. All water under the bridge now though.

Originally Posted by outlander

I bow to your superior knowledge on Toyotas and Himalayans. The Suzuki DR 650 is an adventure old school bike, developed as a replacement for the DR600 in 1990. They are well proven Round The World bikes too.

@outlander please dont take me wrong, the DRs are a very good bike too. I used to have a DR250s and my brother rode a DR200 back in the day. And correct, the DR will make a great RTW as well. Its just that the DR and the Himalayan are very different set ups. They do different things and are designed for different styles. They are both 2 wheelers and both are capable of providing many hours of enjoyment...

Originally Posted by berg243

but i can buy a bike to make the neighbour unhappy.

Harley with open pipes it is then.....

Originally Posted by Ftx325

Harley with open pipes it is then.....

A long time ago, way in the distant past, my road bike was a 996 SPS, the exhausts worked rather well, I may have been guilty of doing laps of the underground carpark at Countdown to see which car alarm sounds I liked the best....... wife was on the back at the time, might have been scolding me for being juvenile, but I couldn't hear her - felt the punch in the kidney though....

Impossible to sneak up on the house, whole damn street knew I'd arrived.

same with my crossplane R1 with race system... used to pull the clutch and idle past any cops so as not to attract attention. the missus reckoned she could hear me coming along the motorway about 2 k away , although i think that may have been a bit of an exaggeration . When I first fitted the pipes at work and fired it up everyone came running with their cell phones out and we had a rev up recording session , they all wanted it for the ringtone on their phones...lol. oh what a glorious noise. it was loud but sounded so good no one ever actually complained... it was always " give it a rev mate " ...

Shorty megaphones on the old Norton Commando: impossible to go easy on the throttle

We had a bunch of XR Hondas in the last 10 years or so - for playing offroad here in Canterbury. An old 83? XR200 which was given to me, an XR400, and a little XR125. All went well and proved reliable - though they were not worked too hard...