Ok I know I am not the smartest person on this forum, and once I heard a instructor say there was nothing that was a stupid question because if you don't know then sure as green apples someone else is not understanding so ask for both of you.
So with all the smart and knowledgeable people we have on this forum, I am sure someone will have a really viable answer and make it easy to understand.
#1. Why do people go and buy a big fancy bike, and get it with a batwing fairing, and then remove the stock bars and put on ape hangers?
#2. Sort of same question you put the ape hangers on your bike, and are having to reach up why do you cant your bars forward so now you are reaching forward and all stretched out.
#3. You spend mega bucks on a full face helmet, why are you riding in shorts, sandals, and no shirt, your only going to slide on your head?
or am I the one messed up?
;D
I suspect your questions are intended to be somewhat retrial but to #'s 1 and 2, in this world of cookie cutter houses and with a white Prius on every corner, bikes have become one of the last items you can personalize to fit your own tastes. Whether is ape hangers on a bagger or aluminum panniers on a BMW-R1200-GS, tastes vary and some may be questionable. Today I read a comment posted on a web site reviewing the new Indian calling it "....an underpowered overpriced piece of butt jewelry for seniors who want pretend to ride bikes." I am a senior and I don't "pretend" to ride but butt jewelry? Maybe so in some cases. Hey I ride a 15 year old Indian knock-off and love every minute of it. Who am I to talk.
As far as #3 you can't fix stupid!
I understand about the personalizing the ride, we all do it, but to buy a bagger (batwing fairing) then not use it for the intended purpose, seems sort of........oh well.
Questions that just make you pause and wonder that is all.
sort of like were did the sock go from the dryer, just vanished.
#3 has always been one that bothered me!
I once tried on a helmet that had very good reviews, only to realize that most of the interior padding was smack on the top of your head. Now, I can't remember the last time I saw or heard of someone skidding down the road doing a headstand!
You all know how I feel about ape hangars. I'm all in favor of retro, but going back to a questionable fad from the San Francisco bay area that only lasted a short time is just a little too much. How about we start a new one? Chrome welded chain steering wheels instead of handle bars...probably won't be as detrimental to handling as ape hangars....As far as the helmet...I've seen that for ever...Full face helmet, shorts, flip flops and no shirt on a dirt bike...go figure.
oh well let us go one farther, welded chain ape hangers........
Now, there's a thought....what kind of bike, though? How about a chopped dual sport!
Quotechopped dual sport!
aluminum panniers,
welded chain ape hangers,
22" rear wheel,
sandals, flip flops, shorts and a full face helmet with a Mohawk strip on top,
That's a bit like asking why buy a 1500cc motorbike that will only do 107mph flat out..
It's because that's what we want to spend our money on..
John.
As far as the apes go I hade 12" mini apes on my last bike, I know not full apes, but I became a believer after trying a friends. I, like him have a strange build, 6'3" with a 32" inseam, I'm all upper body. They were way more comfortable, that being said, the 4" risers on this bike work just as well.
#1- I think it depends on the height of the bars. a little higher fits some people, and are still low enough for the batwing fairing to have a function. Now the really high ones that stick above the fairing, that I don't know. Seems a bit odd to me, but to each their own I guess.
#2- This I'm pretty sure is to just look "cool". I'm also pretty sure most people that do this don't do any sort of distance riding.
#3- I see this on a regular basis. I also see no gear at all on a regular basis. It's not just limited to crotch rockets either. At a car/bike/whatever show over the weekend I saw a couple of guys on sportbikes ride by with zero gear. A few minutes later, guy rides by on an HD Electra Glide with his helmet strapped to the rear luggage rack.
Quote from: gdrudd13 on July 14, 2014, 15:06:28 PM
#2- This I'm pretty sure is to just look "cool".
I have to agree. Guys I see riding with tall apes don't look the type to concern themselves with "fitment". It says I'm "hard core". It also says that after 50 mile the blood will run out of my hands and I will not feel a darn thing.
I'm not into apes, but they do look awesome on some rides
I known some people hate them but my father inlaw had apes on his evo harley an I would ride it with those and I loved them they were a little bit of a reach but in the open road through the beautiful missouri back highways they were soo comfortable an easy. There are mini apes on my fugly monster drifter now an when I paint it an made it good looking again I am gonna keep the miny apes (https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1194.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa366%2Fjesse10886%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2FIMG_1778_zps47zxy8g6.png&hash=045e14311cf59438cf00e30da17cae4fbf7ed2be) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/jesse10886/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_1778_zps47zxy8g6.png.html)
Quote from: jmbo on July 11, 2014, 22:06:42 PM
I suspect your questions are intended to be somewhat retrial but to #'s 1 and 2, in this world of cookie cutter houses and with a white Prius on every corner, bikes have become one of the last items you can personalize to fit your own tastes. Whether is ape hangers on a bagger or aluminum panniers on a BMW-R1200-GS, tastes vary and some may be questionable. Today I read a comment posted on a web site reviewing the new Indian calling it "....an underpowered overpriced piece of butt jewelry for seniors who want pretend to ride bikes." I am a senior and I don't "pretend" to ride but butt jewelry? Maybe so in some cases. Hey I ride a 15 year old Indian knock-off and love every minute of it. Who am I to talk.
As far as #3 you can't fix stupid!
I think "butt jewelry" would be highly undesirable thing to "google".
Thats awesome I know someone is now gonna google butt jewelry lol gross
Some things just cannot be unseen. :o ;)
Ratman posting his snow pictures again???
NO SNOW ANGELS!!!!!!
Quote from: Boaski on August 29, 2014, 15:15:33 PM
I think "butt jewelry" would be highly undesirable thing to "google".
That's funny---lol--- you gotta be right on that one...
Quote from: kawasaki.addict on August 29, 2014, 14:03:34 PM
I known some people hate them but my father inlaw had apes on his evo harley an I would ride it with those and I loved them they were a little bit of a reach but in the open road through the beautiful missouri back highways they were soo comfortable an easy. There are mini apes on my fugly monster drifter now an when I paint it an made it good looking again I am gonna keep the miny apes (https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1194.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa366%2Fjesse10886%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2FIMG_1778_zps47zxy8g6.png&hash=045e14311cf59438cf00e30da17cae4fbf7ed2be) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/jesse10886/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_1778_zps47zxy8g6.png.html)
That just look's ridiculous !
He loved the look and a 6'8" the stock bars made him reach forward and down he sat way too high and look like a bear on a tricycle rather than a bearded biker. The apes with his height put him to the advantage of bent elbows natural easy riding position and it didn't handle bad at all i could drag the foot pegs around corners all day with those apes. That being said i do look ridiculous on it but i am a foot short than him.
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. (https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1194.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa366%2Fjesse10886%2Fdrifter%2F20140930_113848_zpsl97iuegy.jpg&hash=c0e696dc1de9dc6113284fc4ae2dc2d105d62e80) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/jesse10886/media/drifter/20140930_113848_zpsl97iuegy.jpg.html)
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. (https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1194.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa366%2Fjesse10886%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F2014-10-16-08-32-07-1864998149_zpsqkjcxxpm.jpeg&hash=fe3672880fd9a05b479b9385e009be7c9172f63e) (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/jesse10886/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-10-16-08-32-07-1864998149_zpsqkjcxxpm.jpeg.html)
Quote from: John Hopkins on July 13, 2014, 07:37:17 AM
That's a bit like asking why buy a 1500cc motorbike that will only do 107mph flat out..
It's because that's what we want to spend our money on..
John.
My bike has after market pipes an the entire reed valve smog emissions bs cluster removed. Outside of that she is stock an my bike has zero problems burying that 130mph speedo. The 107mph max on these bikes is there for the same reason as the goat bladder ajd the reed valves keep the dumb ass liberal Californians happy. It is very friendly on insurance pricing with the 107 top speed stock and very friendly smogged as vtwin 90ci motors go. Kawasaki knows that few people are gonna leave them stock so they build them below standard emissions and insurance safety limits to make them affordable for us an green to those that care about that. But the 1500cc bike is in no way a weak or slow machine they were just produced to standard set by idiots. My 1600cc mean streak had a fuel govenor set to 103. At 103mph sje would start popping an fuel died off to 97mph. Put on vance an hines pipes with a power commander zoom zoom she cpuld fly!