>Jim and Ron, you guys are outstanding citizens of this fine
>country! I fell out of my chair three times while browsing
>the links above. I'm not even going to say anything else,
>besides:
>
>If you own an import, check out both of those links, and ask
>yourself why.
>
>Also, check this one out, this is easily the dumbest car
>I've ever seen. Hold on to something before you click, it's
>really that bad!
>
>http://www.goingfaster.com/spo/ghettostang.html
>
>'77 F100, 302 (the aftermarket Prodigy), C4
>Cadet Second Lieutenant John F. Daly III
>South Carolina Corps of Cadets, The Citadel
>The "cast iron for life" TorqueKing

Good lawwwwwwwwd that is one fugly Mustang. Good thing I'm buzzed or that would **** me off........

Ron

 

The Japanese have produced some unique bikes which were pretty cool:

1. Early Goldwings, up to the 1200cc. Nothing at the time could touch them for touring.

2. Honda Sabre V45. Screamed "muscle".

3. Kawasaki H3. Something about a 750cc two stroke street bike is cool.

4. Honda CX500 turbo. Nothing like a forced fed engine!

5. Early Honda Magna, before it started slowly transforming into a Harley wanna-be.

6. Yamaha Venture Royal. Talk about a sleeper. Full dressed 1300cc tourer that could blow away a lot of bikes.

Just a few examples. The Japanese can make a decent looking bike without copying but unfortunately the copy-cats outweigh their unique designs.

Then again... isn't Harley Davidison guilty of exactly the same thing? The Buel and V-Rod have "Japanese" written all over their looks.

 

>Motorcycles from Japan that try SO HARD to look like a
>retro-JAP version of a Harley Davidson or an Indian from the
>fifties that it makes me try very hard not to throw up at
>the very sight of them.
>THESE ARE CALLED "HARDLY DAVIDSONS"
>
>Next question please....

Absolutely!

When on two wheels-
FXSTC
Mesa- AZ

 

>The Japanese have produced some unique bikes which were
>pretty cool:
>
>1. Early Goldwings, up to the 1200cc. Nothing at the time
>could touch them for touring.
>
>2. Honda Sabre V45. Screamed "muscle".
>
>3. Kawasaki H3. Something about a 750cc two stroke
>street bike is cool.
>
>4. Honda CX500 turbo. Nothing like a forced fed engine!
>
>5. Early Honda Magna, before it started slowly transforming
>into a Harley wanna-be.
>
>6. Yamaha Venture Royal. Talk about a sleeper. Full
>dressed 1300cc tourer that could blow away a lot of bikes.
>
>Just a few examples. The Japanese can make a decent looking
>bike without copying but unfortunately the copy-cats
>outweigh their unique designs.
>
>Then again... isn't Harley Davidison guilty of exactly the
>same thing? The Buel and V-Rod have "Japanese" written all
>over their looks.

The Venture Royal was a great sleeper. It contained a V-Max engine without the V-Boost. Still a big HP machine. What a touring bike. Wow!

 

While I will agree that japan has produced some very impressive machinery, (and leaving copy-cattism out of it) I tend to look for things that have interchangeable parts among a variety of models.

Fords are like that, we can build whatever we like best using donor vehicles from a wide variety of years.

I also keep close to heart where the money goes after it leaves my wallet - and I would like to think the phrase "Buy American" has some substance to it.

I did some work on a few bikes in the past, and remember a Honda 4 cylinder that ate it's whole top end because it had no cam bearings to speak of. (And I believe it was a goldwing, come to think of it)

In recent time, the "Valkrie" is a bike that got my attention -
It seemed to be a "chopped" version of the six cylinder Goldy. But I still don't necessarily want one.

Each of us have our own preferences, and mine will always be made in the USA.

But that's just me.


BTW: Did I sleep through something, or didn't Beulle start out as a customiser not associated with Harley? In fact - I thought they were based in Australia at first. I could be thinking of someone else.

Umm, I will make one exception:

If I ever get my hands on a running 350 twin I have a mission involving it that has to do with the Great Divide and fire trails.

 

>Each of us have our own preferences, and mine will always be
>made in the USA.

Same here. But the simple fact is that Harley has priced itself outside of the range of many and leave a lot of people with no choice but to buy Japanese. The median income of Harley riders is $70K.

>
>BTW: Did I sleep through something, or didn't Beulle start
>out as a customiser not associated with Harley? In fact - I
>thought they were based in Australia at first. I could be
>thinking of someone else.

True. But its still a crotch-rocket style bike with a Harley engine. Harley bought them because it gave them entrance into the rice rocket market without alienating their hard core base.

 

Actually Beulle (the more I think about it) was a hard core racing team that thought Harley Davidson bikes could be made competitive with some radical modifications.

Nothing like racing as a proving ground is there?

Ken, I can see you have opinions based on a slightly different point of view than mine. But that's not only okay - it opens the way for discussions about things neither of us might have considered.

This is 'way cool!

And thank you for your comments.

~Wolfus

 

Ok guys, Not trying to start any trouble here. But I think some of you might like this one. I picked up an '81 Toyota Celica rwd with a custom T-Top, new paint, almost new interor, nice rims and tires for $100. But the bad (or should I say good) part is that the motor is bad, so the little wheels started turning in my head. I have an extra 5.0 with 5 speed trans. sittin around........hhhmmmmmmm. Guess what it fits right in the Toy. Now I have a 5.0 Toyota that can keep up with almost anything on the street. At first glance you can't tell any different, but why would a Toyota have headers hanging behind the front wheels...hhhmmmmm
:-staun


I'm sure it could be consitered a "RICER" but its domestic driven, and best of all, FORD POWER! As far as I'm concernd if a car goes from point A to point B, it is good enough for me. But yes some of thies little "RICE BURNERS" do get awfully anoying. Thanks for your time, now back to work on my '72 F250.

TTFN

 

I was just about to say, that 5.0 is a great motor to go in any RWD car, even Mazda RX-7's go much faster on Ford Power!!! TK

 

My definition of a ricer is any compact that is a musclecar wanna be that never will be-in other words fart muffle, 100hp worth in stickers, wheels that stick 6 inches from the fenders, and those gay rear wings that are 10 sizes to big.


One word thndertruck, DAMN! I would like to take a GT40 crate engine on NOS and a reworked mustang 5 speed along with a detroit 9 incher, 4 link in back and a 5.0L stang clip up front, and put it in my dads quarter ton nissan truck(body was just fixed up a year ago-hit a really big deer so it need a new front clip and the rust got fixed at the same time too). Now that would be a fast little truck. All i would do to body and interior would be a stereo, seats, toneau cover, and find the piece thats missing from the grill.Don't ya think that would be kinda neat.


Cody, Coutts Alberta

82' Flareside: zoom zoom doesn't even begin to describe it, 2/4 Drop, Soon to have 325hp 351 Clevo (maybe more,in a 3600lb truck)Backed by a C6 with a 2000 rpm stall and a 3.50 9 incher, American Racing AR-23 (series 23) wheels, Upgraded interior, Sony Xplod stereo

 

>I also keep close to heart where the money goes after it
>leaves my wallet - and I would like to think the phrase "Buy
>American" has some substance to it.

I can appreciate where your comming from. However some of the Japanese bikes are made here in the good ole U.S.A. I believe Honda builds their Gold Wing here. So does buying a Gold Wing constitute buying American? Even Harley Davidson uses some Japanesse parts on their bikes so it's not completely home grown now days. The Japanese make some good bikes and that's where my money is going when it comes to motorcycles because I can't afford one of those Italian sport bikes. If I wanted a curiser I'd buy a Harley but since I can't afford one of those either I'd have to settle for a clone. The high end Japanese cruisers are not bad bikes. If they were you wouldn't see so many on the highway. Now I'm not saying you feel this way but I take issue with those who think Harley is the only bike one should have because it's home grown. Should someone buy American just "because"? Not me. If it's not what I want I'll take my money elsewhere no matter who built it. Supply and demand.

As for ricers and motorcycles? Well I would define a ricer as a hardcore sport bike rider. A canyon squid who likes to hang off even at moderate speeds. Carbon fiber, custom exhaust, premium rubber. K&N, Fox racing and Vance and Hines stickers. Corbin custom seat. Color matching leathers, helmet, boots and gloves to match the graphics on his bike. Not much different from the hardcore Harley rider, with out the graphics ofcourse. The hardcore Harley riders like leather too. Black, lots of it and a big Harley logo on the back of their jacket. And let's not forget those loud pipes! It's all just an attitude on both sides.


>BTW: Did I sleep through something, or didn't Beulle start
>out as a customiser not associated with Harley? In fact - I
>thought they were based in Australia at first. I could be
>thinking of someone else.

I don't believe Buelle actually "customized" bikes. I believe he started making his own bikes after leaving the Harley factory, making american made sport bikes to compete with the Japanese. A good bike too. From what I remember he built his own frames and added the sportster 1200 engine. I think the engine had a few mods. to add more punch and than standard engine. Each bike was hand built so availability and the price of ownership was out of reach for most. The Buelle wasn't a Harley factory racer. Harley developed their own racer, the VR1000, a completly different beast which debuted at Daytona. Can't remember the year. As for Australia, I think you might be thinking of John Britten, but he was from New Zealand. He developed his own V-twin racer known as the Britten. Considered to be one of the best V-twin racers on the planet. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I still never have figured out the purpose of the 2 ft. spoilers that put downforce on the rear when all of these cars that have them are front wheel drive..........seems odd to me!

Dayton

 

Ive been wondering - in "ricer" terms - if an 80 cubic inch motor needs a 5" exhaust, then what size exhaust would a 351 need - 15"??

And if those big aluminum wings actually worked - they would probably rip the trunk lid clean off.

 

>Ive been wondering - in "ricer" terms - if an 80 cubic inch
>motor needs a 5" exhaust, then what size exhaust would a 351
>need - 15"??

Well let's see if you divide 80 by five, you get one inch added to the muffler size for every 16 cubic inches. So following that example a 351 needs a 21" exhaust

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 05-Aug-02 AT 11:55 AM (EST)]>
>>I also keep close to heart where the money goes after it
>>leaves my wallet - and I would like to think the phrase "Buy
>>American" has some substance to it.
>
>I can appreciate where your comming from. However some of
>the Japanese bikes are made here in the good ole U.S.A. I
>believe Honda builds their Gold Wing here. So does buying a
>Gold Wing constitute buying American?

No. It is a ricer. Honda is a Japanese company.

Even Harley Davidson
>uses some Japanesse parts on their bikes so it's not
>completely home grown now days.

True -- as is with most ANY product -- but it is an American company.