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I wanted to say "Cannondale Bicycles", but, sadly, like most of the "big brands" they have had to offshore some production to remain competetive. They tried for soooo long and sooo hard to remain State-side. They deserve props for being one of the last hold-outs in the biz. You can thank your cheapness-at-all-costs- Wal-Mart -shopping-fellow-Americans for pushing them over the brink (insert bitter-ness icon here). Just ask at your dealer if you want a "made in PA., USA" product; they can steer you in the right direction.
There are plenty of small bicycle companies still making excellent products in the USA (Independant Fabrications in MA springs to mind) but don't expect "cheap". American workers need to pay their bills.
Really, you guys think H-D are solid products? Go visit your local dealer and take a peek into the repair shop... Or speak to the guy I saw last weekend stranded on Rt. 64 in St. Charles, his bike was smokin like a cigar. Or the gentleman I saw outside the Filling Station (bar restaurant), with a BRAND NEW H-D (didnt even have plates for it yet) that had a lake of fuel under it. Or my uncle who got stranded on his wideglide in NM when his bike ran lean and burned a hole in his piston (strangely just one). Excellent stuff there.
My dad has a 76 and a 77 Honda CB750SS that hes had since they were BRAND NEW, and the ONLY repair work hes done is a clutch on each, and random carb synchronization. Top that. The bikes are 30 years old and he hasnt sunk a dime into unnecessary repairs. And yes, they get ridden too, his maroon 77 has over 100K on it.
And its true that Harleys are made for cruising, but thier hp per displacement is A JOKE. You get all these pansies that dont shave for 5 years, strap on some leather with skulls and rebel flags, and think that theyre soooo bad a**, when all they look like are fricking homeless bums. Then you get the lawyer/doctor crowd, who by day are suit and tie, by night are road warriors. Give me a break. Buying a Hardly-Ableson does NOT make you a tough muthapucka. Whats more pathetic is a few weeks back my friend and I were coming down Randall Rd when a pack of flatulating H-Ds came rolling up. These boneheads were revving up like there was no tomorrow. My friend has a modified Dodge Neon SRT-4 with a shade over 300hp. Anyways, the light went green and we took off slow, shifted to second when one of the Harleys came FLYING up, almost busting my eardrums with its straight pipes (man those sound awful). A second later, the other 5-7 of them do the same thing. My friend just laid into it with them, and by the time we reached the top of 3rd gear, those all-bark-no-bite POS's were a good 5 car lenghts back.
Oooooh, for all the toughness that that crowd puts forth with their dress code, un-shaven faces and straight pipes, those bikes sure are the biggest bunch of pansy crap. We laughed all the way back to his house, wondering what was going through their heads when they witnessed a 4 door, 4 cylinder Dodge just completely annihilate them. At the next light, they stayed back by his rear bumper, they didnt even come close to the line. Just what we thought.... a silly biker facade hidden by mean sounding straight pipes that pronounce:'hey, look at me, I spent too much money and waited way too long to own this slow piece of crap. But hey, dont I look like a bada** with all this leather and chrome?" Puhleeze, until H-D can make a cheap bike that runs like a bat out of hell and doesnt sound like its farting all day, then I will buy one. I refuse to buy one now because theyre embarassing...
Sorry to be blunt, but thats how I feel. Some crowds just dont make sense, and the H-D crowd and import ricer crowd are the ones I hate the most. Whats funny is that the H-D crowd despises the import ricer crowd... BUT THEYRE NO BETTER!!!! They claim "at least our bikes are built in America"! Guess what pal, so are all the Hondas and Mistubishis (OH and IL respectively) that they drive. Harleys are loud and slow, so are most Honda Civics. Leather is a facade of toughness, so are those obnoxious rear wings that the ricers use. Those 2 crowds should actually be friends. They can go around flying down the highway, making everyone deaf with their fart-can exhausts, while Mom in the minivan next to them can outrun them.
A second later, the other 5-7 of them do the same thing. My friend just laid into it with them, and by the time we reached the top of 3rd gear, those all-bark-no-bite POS's were a good 5 car lenghts back.
That was a very stupid and dangerous thing to do. You really shouldn't tried to forced them out of the lane, it could've easily caused an accident. Were you looking for a lawsuit?
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with its straight pipes (man those sound awful).
Are you kidding me? I love the sound of straight pipes on a Harley, they may be loud but they sound great!
While you may think leather is a sign of toughness, many bikers wear it because it's the one material that will protect them if they fall. It's tough while most other materials would rip.
We didnt force them out of the lane, guess I should have stated that. We were on a 4 lane road, us in the left lane, them in the right lane, both heading southbound over the hill. It was a bit of antagonizing on thier behalf, and they were shamed when we whooped em. It wasnt pretty. LOL
Ok, I guess I didnt illustrate the straight-pipe thing either... they DO sound good, ONLY at idle. At WOT they sound like a big fat fart, and in fact theyre losing their already-miniscule hp levels by decreasing backpressure with those straight pipes. As for the leather, its not a safety thing for H-D riders, I think you know that already. LOL Most wear leather pants and gloves, sometimes a vest, thats not gonna help. Besides, 99% of H-D riders dont even wear shirts or helmets, because its "cool" or whatever.
HEY STEVE-O>>>>>> "Friends" Don't let "Friends" drive Dodge Neons!!! You sure seem to know a lot about Harleys, but apparently don't know a CRAP car, even when you're sittin in one!!! SERIOUSLY!!!
HEY STEVE-O>>>>>> "Friends" Don't let "Friends" drive Dodge Neons!!! You sure seem to know a lot about Harleys, but apparently don't know a CRAP car, even when you're sittin in one!!! SERIOUSLY!!!
Apparently you dont know a dang thing about cars, otherwise youd shut your mouth and appreciate how truly quick a Neon SRT-4 is. Do you even know what the SRT-4 is? Didnt think so.
Out of the box, with a turbo 4 banger, they can beat Mustang GTs, hang with Honda S2000s, Nissan 350Zs, Camaro Z28s (with the LS1). My friend has made some decent mods to his SRT-4 (downpipe, cat-back 3.5" exhaust, Injen intake, front and rear strut bars, 2" lowering springs, ECU flash). Considering the fact that (car cost included) hes spent about 25 grand and can run high 12s, you just ate your words. When he gets his stage III Mopar turbo kit, hell have NO PROBLEM eating Vipers and Corvette Z06s! How stupid would a driver of those high-buck V8 and V10 monsters feel when a 4 door 4 cylinder Neon SRT-4 sucks their doors off?
Until you do a little research and actually know a thing or two about cars, dont speak, you look a little silly.
Apparently you dont know a dang thing about cars, otherwise youd shut your mouth and appreciate how truly quick a Neon SRT-4 is. Do you even know what the SRT-4 is? Didnt think so.
Out of the box, with a turbo 4 banger, they can beat Mustang GTs, hang with Honda S2000s, Nissan 350Zs, Camaro Z28s (with the LS1). My friend has made some decent mods to his SRT-4 (downpipe, cat-back 3.5" exhaust, Injen intake, front and rear strut bars, 2" lowering springs, ECU flash). Considering the fact that (car cost included) hes spent about 25 grand and can run high 12s, you just ate your words. When he gets his stage III Mopar turbo kit, hell have NO PROBLEM eating Vipers and Corvette Z06s! How stupid would a driver of those high-buck V8 and V10 monsters feel when a 4 door 4 cylinder Neon SRT-4 sucks their doors off?
Until you do a little research and actually know a thing or two about cars, dont speak, you look a little silly.
I am most familiar with the SRT-4. SURE--it's fast. Does that equall quality???
Look at the reliability ratings on MOST Chrysler products. THEY ARE JUNK> you couldn't give me one!! I grew up in the era of "muscle" cars. I have FORGOTTEN more about cars than you know!!! MOPAR---WHAT A JOKE!!!!
I am most familiar with the SRT-4. SURE--it's fast. Does that equall quality???
Look at the reliability ratings on MOST Chrysler products. THEY ARE JUNK> you couldn't give me one!! I grew up in the era of "muscle" cars. I have FORGOTTEN more about cars than you know!!! MOPAR---WHAT A JOKE!!!!
Do you know anything about me? Ive worked for Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac and Honda. Ive driven more cars and have spent more time around cars in one week than you probably have in your whole life. If you really did grow up in an era of "muscle" cars, then why are you calling Mopar a "joke"? And the reliability on Mopar cars is about equal to GM or Ford, trust me, Ive worked at MANY dealers. In fact the PT Cruiser is amongst the MOST reliable cars on earth. And my buddies' SRT-4 has handled over 300 hp and daily abuse for the last 2.5 years, without so much as a hiccup. And if you really did know anything, youd know the SRT-4 motor is sourced from Mitsubishi.
And no, fast does not equal quality, but NONE of the fast American cars are exactly what I call quality machines. Of all the fast American cars, Vettes are probably the most reliable. But Mustangs, Vipers, Camaros, etc are NOT what you call reliable. Reliable is a Camry, an Accord, a Corolla, a Civic....
Oh, nice PM to me too. Youre such a classy fellow.
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