New Yamaha 2014 Bolt

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Those Sportys are a really cool bike I have to admit. Once you scratch below the surface you'll find the motor has to hang off tie rods and rubber biscuits to deal with the vibration. Which is fine because V Twins vibrate except if they're engineered not to. When HD did the major revamp for '04 they chose to leave the vibration in rather than engineer it out. Why? Because they didn't want to mess with the authentic Harley-Davidson lifestyle experience. That type of authenticity I can do without.
And would it kill them to put a man size fork on it? 39mm? Seriously? That's so 1984. Oh wait, ah, never mind.
Go Yamaha.
 
Starley Davidson.

Julz said:
For an xtra what 2k might as well buy a Sportster....those comes with a badmofo attitude you won't get with a yamaha
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Look at the marketing photo. If that's not a hipster being ironic riding an imitation Sportster I don't know what is. Like the Honda RS, it's probably a better bike than the Sporty, which is itself a sanitized version of the original models. HD has a pretty substantial aftermarket though.

$2k could buy you a lot of costume, whether it's aviators, lumberjackets and Kodiaks or leather vest, chaps and fingerless gloves. I think those chained wallets accessorize either look pretty well.

I'd rather have that SR400 Yamaha was caught testing in California a little while ago. That's my TOO COOL FOR SKOOL ideal.
 
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Julz said:
For an xtra what 2k might as well buy a Sportster....those comes with a badmofo attitude you won't get with a yamaha
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If you're buying a Sporty to get a bad mofo attitude then the only sort of people that you'll fool with it won't know if it's a Harley, or a Yamaha.
 
BNKN said:
Those Sportys are a really cool bike I have to admit. Once you scratch below the surface you'll find the motor has to hang off tie rods and rubber biscuits to deal with the vibration. Which is fine because V Twins vibrate except if they're engineered not to. When HD did the major revamp for '04 they chose to leave the vibration in rather than engineer it out. Why? Because they didn't want to mess with the authentic Harley-Davidson lifestyle experience. That type of authenticity I can do without.
And would it kill them to put a man size fork on it? 39mm? Seriously? That's so 1984. Oh wait, ah, never mind.
Go Yamaha.
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Agreed. Having spent a few days and hundreds of miles on a new Harley this past year I would likely never buy one. I love how some HD owners say it doesn't vibrate that bad. Well obviously it's not bad it was completely horrible!
 
More than half of the replies in this thread are about looks and perceived attitude related to riding a certain motorcycle...
 
Kri$han said:
More than half of the replies in this thread are about looks and perceived attitude related to riding a certain motorcycle...
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There are a few things going on. Looks and "attitude" are very important to most people, even if we say we are indifferent.

I think Japanese manufacturers used to produce great bikes, and they would tell the consumer "Here it is, a bike that has built-in value and it is fun to ride". Even if the bike was inspired by a Harley model, the marketing was very mild. It focuses on the quality.

So, Honda and Yamaha and Suzuki and Kawasaki marketing is like that, they never acknowledged that the design was getting too close to American. They would never say "By the way, this may be a copy in design, BUT the quality is legendary Japanese". Until now.

Yamaha is taking the gloves off with this one. This bike is very close to a HD in all design and cues, and the marketing (the video) is now pushing a particular attitude. They are targeting a "lifestyle". They removed all Japanese branding from the bike. Most people who don’t ride will not know what it is. It is going to go head to head with Sportsters (the original concept).

But the Bolt most likely is faster than the original, better built than the original, looks better than the original, so we can say the copy is now better than the original. The student has become the master.

So, yeah. Looks and attitude are very important. This is the kind of bike you buy with the heart, not with logic.


BTW, riding in Canada sucks donkey's *****, that’s logic.
But we are still riding, that’s heart.
 
Rob MacLennan said:
If you're buying a Sporty to get a bad mofo attitude then the only sort of people that you'll fool with it won't know if it's a Harley, or a Yamaha.
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I'm sorry I forgot to put :rolleyes: for sarcasm. But I am serious about just going for the sportster, why would someone get an imitation....nvr mind.
 
The upsides to this bike outweigh the negatives in my mind. It is priced right, available for order now. And I do mean now, dealers can order them and they are available in Canada as of 9:00 am this morning. The 950 motor has been absolutely bullet-proof. The V-star 950 was probably the bike that surprised me the most in the last few years. I did not expect them to be as good as they are. Light years ahead of the Kawi and Suzuki.

As far as comparing them to Harley's, I will help anyone make this ride like an 883 if they want. What you do is flat spot both tires and then move the engine balancer a couple of teeth out of time and it should vibrate your fillings out the same way as a Harley.

I can't help the hipsters... but that fad should die as quickly as the Yo Yo Ball, hopefully.
 
Imagine it with Ohlins shocks and inverse forks.... now that would be badass
 
I think it is a good step for Yamaha, The biggest factor that will help this bike over a HD will be the insurance costs for new riders. Unless things have changed HD's do have a premium on them. I looked at a Sportster a few years back and insurance was 3X's more than a bike of the same value and displacement, when I asked why, they simply stated it's a HD. Now I am sure many will disagree with me, but I am sure that if a young or new rider wanted a HD with out all the pressure of a HD this woudl be a very solid choice that is just what Yamaha is banking on...
 
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