opinions on riding a hard tail bike

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Rigid frames aren't for me. But, I do understand that some folks like stuff I don't. Like bobbers. I don't get the fat front tire with no fender. Some folks love that look. Same with rigids.

My brother had a rigid frame HD rat in the early eighties. He loved the look of the thing and road it many miles, including Newfoundland and back. No back problems ensued.

I think if people are worried about back problems they should worry more about keeping themselves in shape. The fat blob riding a cruiser with foot forward controls will have back problems. May be completely unrelated to the ride. But the slimmer guy that is in good shape shouldn't be worried that his rigid-frame is gonna put him in the hospital.

I'm also not sure how much worse a rigid frame is for negotiating corners than a heavy, long wheel base, low foot board cruiser is going to be. Neither one is built for speed around corners. Is it really that much worse just because the rear end is not sprung? To me, if you're riding a heavy, low ground clearance cruiser you've already decided cornering is not high on your list of things you want from your bike.
 
Griffin said:
if you're riding a heavy, low ground clearance cruiser you've already decided cornering is not high on your list of things you want from your bike.
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I ride a low ground clerance, Long, Heavy power cruiser and High on my list of things I want to do is corner.

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That does beg the question then - why?

If you value cornering that much why buy a bike designed and intended to go from zero to ridiculously fast in a straight line?

It's like someone saying that they value performance and handling and buy a Hummer instead of a BMW Z4.
 
Griffin said:
That does beg the question then - why?

If you value cornering that much why buy a bike designed and intended to go from zero to ridiculously fast in a straight line?

It's like someone saying that they value performance and handling and buy a Hummer instead of a BMW Z4.
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1. I like the ergo's of the Vmax (although I do have other bikes)
2. The old saying it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. (Goes for cornering as well)
3. Also I like to show that riding skills are more the rider than the bike.
4. The Vmax is know as a straight line bike mostly because people who buy it ride in a straight line, not because the bike is not capable.
5. And I like a bike that can do more than one thing, The Vmax is powerful, fast and can tow when the need arrises.

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Can other bikes corner better? YES. I like to ride and I have done days of over 1,000 miles on the Vmax, Not sure I would even attempt that on a SS bike.
 
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Outlaws Justice said:
Can other bikes corner better? YES. I like to ride and I have done days of over 1,000 miles on the Vmax, Not sure I would even attempt that on a SS bike.
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I hear ya. 700 - 800 miles per day is about max on an SS for me. But for me, riding a bike like the Vmax makes my back ache within 20 minutes. To each their own.
 
i found the design of the bike changes the ride... for instance, the same "bike" 1967 BSA with a 8" over springer front end. rigid frame 8" longer... springs in the seat... the bike looks like capt america.. rides like a rubber banana,, the springer flexes before it springs,, the entire frame [flexes] springs,, and then you have the loss of traction as said before when the bounce starts,, you loose a lot of road in a turn.. sometimes entering into oncoming lanes to complete the turn... uh uh uh uh oooohhhh! phew ! made it!! and that is at 70km hr. 1967 BSA with stock front forks... shorty rigid frame,, solid seat, the side stand is only 3 in off the ground and drags on a left hand turn,, but the ride is way better,, except the left hand turn spark shower, I have ridden it all day,, electronic ignition,, and most times there isn't any issue.. to me or the bike. but sometimes the carbs vibrate apart.. or the headlight loosens and droops.. or the battery lead plates break.. or the handle bars spin in the mount, slip on mufflers fall off.. but no fenders to fall off !! I had to mount the lic plate on rubber so it wouldn't continue to crack and fall off...
 
As Seemingly the only person on here who seems to own and ride hard tail Harley's I will tell you don't listen to the stupid opinions about handling and other stuff. They are fine and can be ridden many miles without problem. I have been riding them for 20 years and as pointed out unless you are out of shape and or a fatty you will be fine. I have ridden and raced many different kinds of bikes, hard tails are just another bike.
 
rebellious-D said:
hey guys i looked around but couldn't find much.

Im looking at getting a xs650 as my first bike. Probably a bobber because i love the look and insurance is cheep. I want a bobber and not a ss because im only 20 and have only had my m2 since may. My question is for those that have ridden hard tail is it really that bad? The farthest I would ride is from Mississauga to niagara once a month. But for the most part no big road trips.

thanks
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First of all, good on you for choosing something different than the usual 600SS-as-a-first-bike lemmings. Bobbers are fun, cheap and can be built to be comfortable and reliable. The XS650 motor is practically bullet-proof and parts are easy to find. Some great examples can be found here: http://www.xs650chopper.com/
I rode a hardtail Triumph chopper for several years and had a blast. No, it wasn't a hi-po bike but it was comfortable enough to ride all day, with a major king-queen seat. I was also a lot younger and my tolerance for things a lot higher, but what's the point of being young if not to beat the hell out of yourself having fun?
Lots of nay-sayers here, telling you hardtails aren't good enough, modern enough, performance-oriented enough. They're opinion, I guess, but in my opinion, riding a bike should be first and foremost FUN! So enjoy your hardtail. You'll have much better stories building and riding it to tell than talking about lean angles.
 
Peter Fonda is a really old fart and he can still ride a hard tail so go for it. Here he is at Goodwood in '09 riding the Captain America replica. Looks like he wimped out and added front brakes.:p
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I ride a hard tail HD Ironhead with a springer seat. It takes a bit of getting used to and the ride is fairly uncomfortable if you don't know what you're doing. Obviously you have to be on the lookout for manhole covers and large potholes and avoid them because as someone already posted your back tire will bounce up in the air and you'll loose traction. You'll want to avoid being bounced up from the seat by standing slightly on the foot pegs like motocross riders. I also have apehangers and right leg shift witch makes it a bit tricky. I wouldn't recommend riding a hard tail with a foam seat directly on the frame. Having said that I like the challenge of riding the bike and it is much more tiresome than riding a modern suspension cookie cutter.
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