Thread: Getting power out of a harley

Originally Posted by rossi.45

my 2c . . . beware of what you think you want

all that fun you had was on the bike the way it is . . . run 2 bikes if you want want something with some real power, hopefully it has decent brakes & frame etc hat handles that extra performance.

i have thoughts from time to time of upgrading my older Triumph for a newer model with more horses, better brakes, all the new tech stuff . . but i fight that urge because i know in reality its the feeling i get on the bike now that puts that big grin on my face, getting somewhere quicker isnt going to do that.
when i do open it up when i feel like breaking the law and risking my licence ( crazy i know ) i love that roar from the induction noise as the carbs suck more air, getting down low on the tank and the old girl struggling to push through the air with me hanging on, that is Old School fun. having another 50hp isnt going to make me happier, infact itll make it to easy.
i dont want, fuel injection, heated grips, cruise control, ABS, traction control or any other modern BS, bunch of pussys if you ask me, but good luck to them that want that . . each to their own.

enjoy yourself and good luck.

This is very close to what I did / am doing. I have a jap cruiser (XV1000) that I have had for nearly 30 years. Great fun to ride but I wanted more....I looked at what it would cost to "tart it up" and put that money into another bike instead. Now I have a Royal Enfield Himalayan that is also a real hoot. That will be someone elses hoot soon as I will sell that and look to buy something sportier (maybe) or an electric one is on the cards for the commuting duties or a Vmax / Rocket !!! if I decide to "go large" and already looked at a VStrom 1000 and that is a potential one too......

I am still young enough to ride as I push 50 but while I will still be able to ride in 10 years, will I mend as well if it goes wrong? So I will enjoy the two wheels as much as I can while I can.

Just remember, while you are doing the sportster up, you are not riding it. And when you do ride it, it wont be the bike it was.....

Originally Posted by timattalon

This is very close to what I did / am doing. I have a jap cruiser (XV1000) that I have had for nearly 30 years. Great fun to ride but I wanted more....I looked at what it would cost to "tart it up" and put that money into another bike instead. Now I have a Royal Enfield Himalayan that is also a real hoot. That will be someone elses hoot soon as I will sell that and look to buy something sportier (maybe) or an electric one is on the cards for the commuting duties or a Vmax / Rocket !!! if I decide to "go large" and already looked at a VStrom 1000 and that is a potential one too......

I am still young enough to ride as I push 50 but while I will still be able to ride in 10 years, will I mend as well if it goes wrong? So I will enjoy the two wheels as much as I can while I can.

Just remember, while you are doing the sportster up, you are not riding it. And when you do ride it, it wont be the bike it was.....

funny story and true . . . cop is parked up outside a small Sth Island country town
a bike goes passed full noise at over 90mph
the cop sets off in pursuit and pulls him over a few miles later
the rider is this old guy 90 something years old
cop lets him go with a warning

hope i am still riding at 90
hope that cop ( or his son ) is the one that pulls me over when i have a sudden stupid idea

I dare say we have all had stupid ideas at times. My last one was a number of years ago on my 1997 yamaha r6. I won't go into detail but apparently I had been chased by this cop for ten minutes before I even knew he was there and the first thing he asked me when I stopped was how fast was I going. I replied I dont know as I was concentrating on riding the bike and was not watching the speedo. He claimed he was doing over 220kph and I was still pulling away. I only knew he was there after I came up behind a car and slowed to normal speed then he finally caught up.
I was given a ticket for 30km over the 100 limit as that is what he got me on on radar before I had decided to have a play through the twisties. Said he also rode a bike and it was obvious I had race experience and was a capable rider and as I slowed down when approached traffic he just gave me the one ticket after listing all other possible options he could have done.
As I was in the middle of nowhere that could have been a very long walk home.....

Originally Posted by Ftx325

I dare say we have all had stupid ideas at times. My last one was a number of years ago on my 1997 yamaha r6. I won't go into detail but apparently I had been chased by this cop for ten minutes before I even knew he was there and the first thing he asked me when I stopped was how fast was I going. I replied I dont know as I was concentrating on riding the bike and was not watching the speedo. He claimed he was doing over 220kph and I was still pulling away. I only knew he was there after I came up behind a car and slowed to normal speed then he finally caught up.
I was given a ticket for 30km over the 100 limit as that is what he got me on on radar before I had decided to have a play through the twisties. Said he also rode a bike and it was obvious I had race experience and was a capable rider and as I slowed down when approached traffic he just gave me the one ticket after listing all other possible options he could have done.
As I was in the middle of nowhere that could have been a very long walk home.....

Complete and utter rubbish.

Originally Posted by Proudkiwi

Complete and utter rubbish.

Pray expand upon that statement sir............

Lose some weight yourself? (-; Power to weight ratio matters.

Originally Posted by chindit

You want to turn heads, you want power to weight ratio, you want to grind foot rests when you carve around those bends. Sell the Harley and buy a older 2 stroke. Easy to work on, cheaper to fix when you break it and any more than 2 strokes is a wank. The sound of a angry 2 stroke will annoy the neighbors, the smell you leave when you release the beast make the greenies higher than the shit they are smoking. Rinnngggg ding ding ding ding

Everytime I got off my H1 at the end of a ride I knew I was alive! And that was 45 years ago. 'Eyes as wide as saucers' alive.

Originally Posted by Proudkiwi

Complete and utter rubbish.

what's rubbish about that....true story mate , albeit 10 or so years ago.

There isint a police car in the country that can hit the speeds you’re talking about.

And you would have been charged with reckless driving in those circumstances, not given a ticket. Regardless of how lazy the cop was. That’s without getting into the fantasy where they said ‘it’s obvious you’re a good rider by the way you’re driving’

It just didn’t happen.

not sure if your harley will handle it...or indeed if you already do it...but running decent fuel makes a hell of a difference to smaller motors and cars too for that matter . the BP ultimate98 is a heap better than regular 91 and even super 96 octane...that extra 2 makes a big difference...chainsaws,lawn mowers and outboard motors all love the stuff....I found with wee 6hp four stroke outboard the top end speed was 2-3km more it was a LITTLE harder to start than with 91 and used more fuel but was much more fun to use.

Ok bro in the know
So pretty much the same thing didn't happen to me too?
bummer I didn't know you at the time,you coulda told the coppas and got my demerits cancelled.

It just didn't happen orificer

I have however received a ticket for travelling "well in excess of 170"
so I'm guessing that one didn't have the legs.
or nuts?

well I know it happened , I was there along with several others who the cop overtook in chasing me. I wondered for weeks as to why he never threw the book at me but I came to the conclusion that because he himself had admitted driving at high speed when they are supposed to stop pursuit it would be thrown out anyway. And since when can't a late model, at the time, car do 220? He wasn't driving a Vauxhall velox ya know. Either way I was not stupid enough to do anything like that again and have since stopped riding. I have a family now and have become a (somewhat) responsible citizen.
damn I miss my bikes though

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Great thread - very funny

I agree that hp is not the chief criterion. It isn't with sports cars either. You can only do 140kph and its byebye licence. Just find the model/design that pushes YOUR personal buttons and thats what matters. If you want a big hp increase the HD platform may not do this economically, but there will certainly be other models/makes that will give you this. Go try a few and see what puts a smile on your dial..

I had several jap 750 fours from suzuki, yamaha, honda. And the one i liked most to climb on for a weekend cruise was actually the slowest - my old 1977 CB750F Honda with about 67hp. Beautiful old girl - wish I still had that one and not the FZ750 Yamaha etc. It ain't about max speed and hp..

I think you've nailed-it; because he enjoys it so much, he feels that improving it will equal more enjoyment, when really, it 'Is what it Is'. I'm on my 40th bike, SR500 single, its a hoot to ride, with a nice noisey-muffler, very similar to his Harley in that way... (well maybe a bit quicker haha) If you want it faster, have deep-pockets, contact Peter Sales at Total Motorcycles..he could even make you a one-off crank for it

Originally Posted by XR500

Everytime I got off my H1 at the end of a ride I knew I was alive! And that was 45 years ago. 'Eyes as wide as saucers' alive.

They all do that, sir.

Originally Posted by XR500

Everytime I got off my H1 at the end of a ride I knew I was alive! And that was 45 years ago. 'Eyes as wide as saucers' alive.

Back in the day, one went past me, on its back wheel. and I was speeding at the time (open road). They killed a lot of people back then, no wonder you felt alive