Trucks, Caddies, AND

Bikerdoc · May 11, 2012

Thought I'd...........well, here's our new ride. 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Convertible.....build for Chrysler by Karmann in Germany... shares 80% of it's components with a Mercedes SLK320 if you take away the skin. 6 speed manual tranny, 3.2 liter SOHC V6..........34,000 miles.
So, we got 33 mpg on last week's trip to N.Y. for my little sister's 60th.

I got it for Gypsy and she loves it. And of course there's the stereotype of the grey-haired couple in a sportscar. And there's always the "coooooooooool factor". :lol:
It's uncomfortable for me to say the least but when I'm not on my motorcycle I'll be in my truck......a gas guzzler that more than makes up for that 33 mpg.

Truthfully we really don't need either of these toys but we've already lived once in a "work-your-tail-off- world" where being practical was necessary to get here. The "now-we're-retired-world" is a whole new ballgame and we're still in the first inning. :wink:

Peace

Geo · May 11, 2012

Nice rides Doc.... Let's see a picture of your bike. 8)

George

Bikerdoc · May 11, 2012

Geo said:
Nice rides Doc.... Let's see a picture of your bike. 8)

George

This is a 2012 Harley Switchback I got new just before Xmas. We rode to Alabama the 2nd week of April. It's not for me. I'm making a deal on another 2012 Heritage.

This is my 1998 WideGlide. It's been all over the country and it's being retired from the long hauls. Notice the little Dodge truck in the background. That's just been hangin' around since '04 and it's a great truck so I've kept it as well.

This is the 2010 RoadKing I traded in for the Switchback. It was a great bike but a bit clumsy/bulky for my old knees on back roads. We put 30k miles on her last year. I really thought the Switchback with the different chassis would be easier to handle given the type of riding we do. It handles nicely but I'm not happy with the way it feels going down the road; a little too much vibration for a bike to tour on.

And here's a link to what I'll soon be riding.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A ... l-classic/

Geo · May 11, 2012

Alright Doc!!! You the man!!! 8)

Nice Bikes. I'm glad you ride them. I used to have a Roadking myself. I have a couple of old Panheads and a generator bottom Shovel. I ride my Lowrider most of the time because I like having good brakes. :lol: But I love the old iron.

Ride safe bro & thanks for sharing the pictures.

George

Scratch · May 11, 2012

Quite a cool stable you have there Doc. Still waiting for you to make a Texas trip...

Our friend who owns Ninfa's Lakeside Restaurant traded her 2009 Corvette for a 2006 Crossfire in February. You'd swear the thing was brand new; 12K miles on it as I recall... The 'vette' nickle and dimed her to death and she was never satisfied with it. She raves about the Crossfire and it really does outlook the vette. Now Pam wants one... :? Sandy also has an early Thunderbird and an early Mustang garaged up. :mrgreen:

Oh; I once had a Honda 400!

Geo · May 11, 2012

I've owned a lot of Harleys but my first motorcycle was a 1972 Honda CB750. I loved that bike!!!!! :mrgreen:

George

guitarjamman · May 11, 2012

Sweet bikes!! I have always wanted to get a nice comfortable bike to ride across this country - maybe one day once I pay all my dues. Still got quite a big I.O.U. to Uncle Sam for letting me participate in college.

This is the current bike I own - A 2004 Suzuki DR650 SE:

Not quite a comfy cruiser but a great way to get off the pavement and see some different areas. Seeing that it only weighs 350 lbs when wet....It is not suited for any highway riding (not much fun letting Jesus take the wheel after being passed by a semi-truck with the unbelievable amount of turbulence they generate). She gets upwards of 55 mpg while still being tough to keep the front wheel planted.

As always - ride safe out there! It is a war against us and the "Dazed and Confused" drivers that I intend to win!!!

walrus · May 11, 2012

Nice, Doc! Love the bike...

walrus

rampside · May 11, 2012

Man you keep your rides lookin' good Doc. I mostly just ride my V-Twin lawnmower now. In fact, I took her out yesterday for the first time this year and spent about 4 hours on it.

Bikerdoc · May 11, 2012

rampside said:
Man you keep your rides lookin' good Doc. I mostly just ride my V-Twin lawnmower now. In fact, I took her out yesterday for the first time this year and spent about 4 hours on it.

MOWIN THE LAWN ON MY RIDER WHILE I'M SUCKIN' DOWN THE BEER.

i wrote an original tune for doin' just that.

Scratch · May 11, 2012

Lets hear it Doc!!!

rampside · May 11, 2012

Bikerdoc said:
MOWIN THE LAWN ON MY RIDER WHILE I'M SUCKIN' DOWN THE BEER

Oh man, how perfect Doc. Would that be a blues, country or rock tune?

West R Lee · May 11, 2012

OK, let's talk bikes.....we'll see how far back you guys go.

Back in about '70-'72, there was one bike on the road that would beat the Honda 750 in the quarter mile......the Kawasaki 500. The next generation Kawasaki hot rod was the 750 Mach IV....a two stroke 750 with 83 hp and weighed a mere 480 lbs. The Honda 750 packed 67 and weighed 540 lbs. My first big bike (though nothing campared in weight or power with what folks ride today) was the Mach IV. I had a buddy with one just like it, both in lime green. We thought they were gorgeous. He and I fitted both bikes with big Mikuni carburators and expansion chambers (two stroke headers). We once raced without helmets on Interstate 20 and I can remember Frank passing me and I was doing 147 mph.........20 years old.......and still here to tell the story :shock: !

Then the 750 wasn't fast enough and I made the mistake of riding the newest hot bike.....the Kawasaki Z1 900..... :shock: :shock: :shock: . The 750 would climb a tree and stay with the Z1 through 3 gears, then bye bye. The Z1 900 was my next bike.

Then, one day, I was riding way out in the country by myself........down a beautiful black top rod on a day that was very hot......so hot the tar on the road was liquified on the surface. I started up a long gradual hill, and at the top of the hill, with no street sign warning me of a 120 degree turn to the left...........well, I hit my brakes and locked it up and began to broadslide. My footpeg, which is supposed to fold up, dug into the soft tar and .......does the word "highside" mean anything to you? I flew off the bike and hit hard on my shoulder and head (happened to be wearing a helmet that day) and ended up in the ER. I got off lucky......broken collar bone.

I sold my bike after that mishap and haven't owned one since. Both bikes are now classics outside the Harley fold. Did 11.8 sec. at the dragstrip on the Z1. I think a couple of the high powered present day crotch rockets now turn 8's. :shock:

:idea: :idea: :idea: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI ... 231cb27e97

West

twocorgis · May 11, 2012

Nice ride Doc! I actually considered one of them before buying my 5er, but decided against it. I'm not much of a ragtop guy, and the coupe I tried was near impossible to see out of. I could have bought a barely used one for a fire sale price too. For some reason, these have really tanked in the resale value department, which of course is good for cheapskates like us. 8)

Geo · May 11, 2012

Hey West, I remember the old Mach III & IV aka "Widowmaker". Three cylinders, two stroke, undisputed king of the streets. Talk about come on the pipe! :shock:

Mach III 500

Mach IV 750

Z1 900

Four Cyl. King of Superbikes... Four Stroke, Dual overhead cams, two valves per cyl. 8)

The speedometer went to 160 for a reason.

George

twocorgis · May 11, 2012

West R Lee said:
OK, let's talk bikes.....we'll see how far back you guys go.

Back in about '70-'72, there was one bike on the road that would beat the Honda 750 in the quarter mile......the Kawasaki 500. The next generation Kawasaki hot rod was the 750 Mach IV....a two stroke 750 with 83 hp and weighed a mere 480 lbs. The Honda 750 packed 67 and weighed 540 lbs. My first big bike (though nothing campared in weight or power with what folks ride today) was the Mach IV. I had a buddy with one just like it, both in lime green. We thought they were gorgeous. He and I fitted both bikes with big Mikuni carburators and expansion chambers (two stroke headers). We once raced without helmets on Interstate 20 and I can remember Frank passing me and I was doing 147 mph.........20 years old.......and still here to tell the story :shock: !

Then the 750 wasn't fast enough and I made the mistake of riding the newest hot bike.....the Kawasaki Z1 900..... :shock: :shock: :shock: . The 750 would climb a tree and stay with the Z1 through 3 gears, then bye bye. The Z1 900 was my next bike.

Then, one day, I was riding way out in the country by myself........down a beautiful black top rod on a day that was very hot......so hot the tar on the road was liquified on the surface. I started up a long gradual hill, and at the top of the hill, with no street sign warning me of a 120 degree turn to the left...........well, I hit my brakes and locked it up and began to broadslide. My footpeg, which is supposed to fold up, dug into the soft tar and .......does the word "highside" mean anything to you? I flew off the bike and hit hard on my shoulder and head (happened to be wearing a helmet that day) and ended up in the ER. I got off lucky......broken collar bone.

I sold my bike after that mishap and haven't owned one since. Both bikes are now classics outside the Harley fold. Did 11.8 sec. at the dragstrip on the Z1. I think a couple of the high powered present day crotch rockets now turn 8's. :shock:

:idea: :idea: :idea: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI ... 231cb27e97

West

Great yarn West! I used to own a KZ900 back in the day, and like you said it was scary fast. I was very lucky not to kill myself on that one, as I was young and stupid at the time (shouldn't that be one word?)

I've always owned a bike up until a couple of years ago, the latest being a BMW K75C, much to the chagrin of Mrs. Two. I was rounding a decreasing radius turn near my house that fateful day, when a cell phone talking soccer mom in a huge SUV was in the process of completely blowing the turn and heading straight for me. It took all my bike handling skills to lowside, and thankfully I had all my protective gear on (all the gear, all the time, as they say). I trashed the bike pretty good, but the only injury I sustained was a big hematoma on my left hip that took almost three weeks to recede, and that was with body armor! I can only imagine what kind of mess I would have been in without all the gear on. :shock: Needless to say, my bride totally freaked out, and that was the end of my riding days. I miss it sometimes, but when you stop and think of the population density around here, and the sobering fact that there is a small but significant segment of said population that is out to kill you, you get over it.

On another note, a bumper sticker seen on a Harley Road King the other day that just cracked me up "I'd Rather Eat Worms Than Ride a Jap Bike" :lol:

West R Lee · May 11, 2012

GEORGE! Thats' my 750.....identical!!!!!

Where did you find those shots? My Z1 was black......just too cool!

But Harley's weren't quite the status symbol back then that they are now Sandy.....not down here anyway. You'd see the occasional BSA or Truimph, but it was rare here. And it seems that back then, other than the cops on their Harley 74's, if anyone rode a Harley, it was a 900 Sportster.....probably because the kinds couldn't afford anything bigger.

Harley's are cool bikes. I've driven a few but could never afford one......goodness gracious at the prices. We rode what we rode becuase they were affordable for kids like us.

And we liked speed back then as I recall.

West

Bill Ashton · May 11, 2012

West, we must be close to the same age as I can remember those bikes...fastest I ever rode was a friend's Suzuki T500, brandy new when they first came out...scared the hell out of me...back to my T350 :lol: Think I sold it in the mid to late 80's, kinda miss it, kinda not...

Geo · May 11, 2012

West R Lee said:
My Z1 was black......just too cool! West

I remember seeing Black and Gold Kawasaki motorcycles back in the day. Seems like most had two-tone paint IIRC.

I wanted a kawasaki real bad but I got bit by the Harley bug and it was all over. :lol:

George

West R Lee · May 11, 2012

There ya have it George.....just like that.

And Bill, I was never afraid of them until I wiped out driving about 25 miles an hour. That spill really rattled me......especially when I think about all the dumb things we'd do on them. The 750 would gas the front end off the street in the first 3 gears :shock: . The 900 would just boil the tire. :wink: Gosh I haven't thought about those things in a long time......man that 750 had the torque of a 750 cc dirt bike.

West

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