| Author |
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Jaimec
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 02:41 pm: | 
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I think a lot of the problems with the Blast as a training bike goes along with clutch lever effort. It is considerably harder to pull than any other training bike I've seen and that makes the learning more difficult as well. After an hour or two of "Friction Zone" exercises a lot of the smaller (i.e. weaker) students almost need to ice their left hands. |
Doug_s
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 02:54 pm: |
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"...Not really - manufacturer hyperbole is universal. Crosses all brands and borders.
Overall press kit presentation is very slick though. They actually hype the scribes the best of any of them...."
but, this was not the press release - this was an independent (or maybe not?) publication. why the need to spew out the garbage as received?
ymmv,
doug s. |
Babired
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 02:56 pm: |
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we have the EZ pull clutches at the dealership I teach at. They work but a new student on the blast keeps looking at the controls when trying to start out, no directional control when this happens, and has one foot on the ground and another on the peg most of the time. I have a new mentee who rides a trike. In class she dropped the bike and was counseled out, a regular MSF college class. So when I was talking to her she told me something that really opened my eyes. The noise the bike's engine made scared her. So when they did FINE-C she was terrified just by the noise! On the Blast I see the students "dump the clutch" trying to start out all of the time and notice they roll off the throttle when they get thru the friction zone, eyes down, one foot on the peg blah blah  |
Ezblast
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 04:06 pm: |
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http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/201 64/66673.html?1280273823
This should be done to every RE Blast in service - the Blasts durability is beyond question now.
Sportsters have always sucked in my opinion - to way out of date for that name - try mini geezer glides - lol
EZ |
Danger_dave
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 04:24 pm: |
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>> why the need to spew out the garbage as received? <<
It's the internet - you get what you pay for. |
Jaimec
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 04:46 pm: |
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quote:a new student on the blast keeps looking at the controls when trying to start out
That's not unique to Rider's Edge or the Buell Blast.
One of the things we tell all of our novices the first time they sit on the bike is to take a good, long, hard look at the gas tank. We assure them the color they see is the color that will remain throughout the rest of the course so there is no need to look down there again... EVER.
Most of the time it gets the point across. Especially when we catch them looking down and we yell something like: "Nope, it's still blue!!"  |
Danger_dave
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 08:29 pm: |
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Same question - different forum
>>Like i said what makes this "news WORTHY"!!<<
Well, there are several angles you can read into it.
One is that times are pretty tough still and recovery from the GFC is painfully slow. H-D aren't the only ones without 'breakthrough' new model releases.
The other is they have tarted up the sporty again and lots of people like it.
Another is 'syncopated cadence' in the copy. That's world class hyperbole right there. |
Babired
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 08:32 pm: |
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Ha ha I tell them the parts aren't going anywhere, neither are the painted lines or cones during an exercise |
Britchri10
| | Posted on Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 08:34 pm: |
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"Always look at where you want to go!" A direct quote from my uncle who has/had everything in his garage from a D14 Bantam to a Black Shadow. If you don't look down but look at where you are going, there you will be. So hard to persuade new riders of this, but IT WORKS! |
Midknyte
| | Posted on Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 11:06 pm: |
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"Always look at where you want to go!"
Taught my boys to ride their bicycles this way. 'Twas the only thing I had to say... |
Paint_shaker
| | Posted on Friday, July 30, 2010 - 10:15 am: |
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Some how I don't think the introduction of an overpriced sportster or 4 "new" cvo models starting at $29,000 is gonna get harely's financial motor reving....
I'm just sayin...
(Message edited by Paint_shaker on July 30, 2010) |
Rainman
| | Posted on Friday, July 30, 2010 - 04:01 pm: |
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"Look where you want it to go. Do not look at your gas tank. If the bike catches fire, you will most likely be the very first to know." |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Friday, July 30, 2010 - 04:16 pm: |
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Just got the new Cycle World, which includes a road test of the new Sportster Superlow. The writer virtually raved about how much improved the bike is- until he got to the first curve.
The bike now has radial tires front and rear (18" front and 17" rear) which dramatically improve ride and handling. A side benefit is the wheel/tire assemblies are lighter and have MUCH less rotational inertia, which makes the bike noticeably quicker than last year's 883 Iron. In a straight line, he says it's the best-riding Sportster he's ever ridden. The new tires and altered suspension geometry improve low speed handling, making it much less prone to "flop" into a corner. Where it falls down is with a complete lack of cornering clearance. He said he began to scrape hard parts riding in only moderate twisties behind a dually pickup. Harley claims that low seat height is paramount on a new rider bike like this, so they aren't apt to change anything about that.
There's a short road test of the Sportster XR1200X in this issue as well, and oddly enough, its cornering clearance is also a problem. They mention that it features the Showa Big Piston Forks (BPF) that would have been a feature of the Barracuda.
Sigh... |
Swordsman
| | Posted on Friday, July 30, 2010 - 04:40 pm: |
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LOL, I had scraping issues on my Blast during the MSF. The ginormous pegs really got on my nerves.
When I got really aggravated at my Ss engine stumbling I went and test rode a Nightster. Nice to sit on, but the ride changed my mind very quickly. Curves I never even noticed before would cause scraping, and not even on the exhaust side. Suspension was non-existent compared to the Buell... I had expected a "cruiser" to be softer than a sport-tuned suspension, but I guess that's not always the case. Or maybe they just had it adjusted for a 250 lb rider....
I'm glad to see the Sportster line narrowed down though. You can actually tell these apart by looking at them, whereas in years past every model looked identical. You had to read the specs on the site just to find out what was what.
~SM
(Message edited by Swordsman on July 30, 2010) |
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