I went out this past sunday to a relatively local lake. Their is a marina with restaurant, store. Lots of riders hang out in the shade trees along the property at the lake and just enjoy their day.
I went in the store and bought some drinks.
When I came out there were 3 harley type guys hovering over my 6th gen. I go to my bike and they instantly started asking questions. They heard me pull in and wanted to know what type engine I had. They said it sounded like a stock car and thought it would be awesome if their HD's sounded like that. They didnt know there were any v4 motorcycles, They said that was awesome, half a v8.
One guy points out the swingarm and they were very confused. One guy said "wont that break, it has to flex". I showed him how it's supported and how thick it is and it blew his mind. I told them a goldwing has a sssa and they thought I was lying.
Another guy noticed the VTEC emblem I have on my valve covers. All 3 knew of vtec on honda cars but had no idea their was ever a bike made with VTEC INSIDE.
Felt pretty damn good to get complements from our brothers on the other side of the fence.
They didnt know there were any v4 motorcycles, They said that was awesome, half a v8.
Next time tell them even HD build V4 motorcycles. Have them google the Harley Davidson VR1000 and HD Nova (water cooled V4 project that never made it into production). The VR1000 may be a shock to them because it is not only a V4 but also a sportbike :biggrin:
Easy guys...don't turn this into pirate bashing. I think it's cool they had an open mind to educate themselves about a bike they knew nothing about. Sounds like these guys were an exception to the rule, however...I will grant you that.
They didnt know there were any v4 motorcycles, They said that was awesome, half a v8.
Next time tell them even HD build V4 motorcycles. Have them google the Harley Davidson VR1000 and HD Nova (water cooled V4 project that never made it into production).
The VR1000 may be a shock to them because it is not only a V4 but also a sportbike :biggrin:
I thought the idea of a V4 Harley sportbike was fascinating! After punching it into google it seems that the all knowing internet says it is a 60 degree V twin motor- which puts it more like a Buell with a liquid cooled engine.
They didnt know there were any v4 motorcycles, They said that was awesome, half a v8.
Next time tell them even HD build V4 motorcycles. Have them google the Harley Davidson VR1000 and HD Nova (water cooled V4 project that never made it into production).
The VR1000 may be a shock to them because it is not only a V4 but also a sportbike :biggrin:
Yeah it seems like they were still 2 cylinders too short. I remember them running this though, I thought that they were finally going to break out of their stereotype and build something that ultimately was built be Buell.
I thought the idea of a V4 Harley sportbike was fascinating! After punching it into google it seems that the all knowing internet says it is a 60 degree V twin motor- which puts it more like a Buell with a liquid cooled engine.
I stand corrected! I remember seeing a HD sportbike being auctioned a few months ago and it was advertised as being a V4. It sold for €54k IIRC. I am sure if there ever has been a HD V4 sportbike our resident V4 guru BLS knows more, as the internet comes up with nothing.
They didnt know there were any v4 motorcycles, They said that was awesome, half a v8.
Next time tell them even HD build V4 motorcycles. Have them google the Harley Davidson VR1000 and HD Nova (water cooled V4 project that never made it into production).
The VR1000 may be a shock to them because it is not only a V4 but also a sportbike :biggrin:
I thought the VR1000 Superbike racer was a twin.....
All joking aside, I think it's cool that they were interested in your VFR. Most of the HD guys you meet don't even give you a second look, let alone come talk to you about your ride. The only time I seem to get this is when I'm on my Duc. Maybe it's because is a V-Twin or maybe because it's NOT a Japanese bike, but even then all I usually get is "nice bike", no real Q&A or conversation. Maybe they sense I have no mutual interest in their bike, but I have never been impressed by HD motorcycles. Things like the Desmodromic valves, V4 Motors or V-Tech engines seem to spur the curious side of me more than chrome and loud pipes. Yes, there are a probably a few HDs that are of interest, but you do not see too many of these on the road, mostly just at MC shows. However, that being said, sometimes you stumble onto the odd bike once in a while...
I saw these bikes today picking up my exhaust from the place that did the ceramic coating. The owner of the bike wasn't there but his is for sale. Now these piqued my interest!
One of the casual benefits of riding a bike that isn't widely known.
+1. But many people who do know motorcycles know the VFR - or at least one generation of it. If you're riding a Gixxer, CBR, Harley, Goldwing, or BMW touring bike, most people (even non-riders) are at least a little familiar with your bike. But that's one of the things I love about my VFR: It's a little unusual in a sea of more recognizable machines. It matches very nicely with the non-conformist in me. :smile:
When people hear the exhaust I usually get "Is that a Ducati?" On one occasion I corrected the gentleman and said, "no, it's a Honda Interceptor". His reply was "That's the coolest bike I've never heard of!" After I thought about it a while, it seemed to fit perfectly - people love it, but they've never heard of it. For me it's perfect - the puzzled looks from all sorts of bikers as I ride by and get on the gas that say "what the hell is THAT?!"