Letters
LETTERS
Cruiser quips
I just read October’s mid-weight cruiser review. While I welcome the coverage of this class of motorcycle-my last two bikes have been cruisers-I was surprised by one glaring oversight in your review.
Your main objection to the Vulcan, its price, became a non-issue in midsummer when Kawasaki lowered the MSRJP on this bike by $1200. I’m surprised your people didn’t update the review with this information, or at least make a note of it in a sidebar. (Note: A good negotiator can buy the Vulcan for around $6000, as I did in late July.)
I do, however, agree totally with your criticism of Kawasaki’s idiotic placement of the rear shock absorber. Kawasaki’s engineers must have been comatose the day they designed that. Adjusting the preload requires that you remove the muffler, storage box, sidepanels and the shock absorber. Ludicrous! Frank Colligan
San Francisco, California
You talked about the Sportster being a value, which it would be if dealers actually sold Harleys for sticker price. But, as you always fail to mention in your comparos, dealers never do! And I am not sure how your Vulcan was set up, but you complained that the suspension was too soft. I weigh 195 pounds, ride double with my wife and I have never had a problem with my Classic-although the shock is hard to adjust. My only other complaint is that the seat is hard on the tailbone, but I can afford a new seat, that’s easy (and cheap) to fix! Joel Pennington
Evergreen, Colorado
In your October issue, the H-D 883 Sportster won by virtue of its bargainbasement price. I’d like to recount my experience with this machine.
The purchase was a textbook version of an impulsive buying decision: “Wow! A Harley for under 6K!” So I bought it. Then I needed the accessories-you know, helmets, boots, gloves, glasses, etc. But because I didn’t want to be a non-commissioned advertisement for Harley-Davidson, I checked out my local Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki dealerships. That is when I realized that their bikes came from the factory with a ton of things the Harley was missing.
Remember, you get what you pay for...and sometimes a lot less.
Michael J. Merz Boca Raton, Florida
I just finished reading the “Urban Enhancement” cruiser comparison for the second time, and I still can’t figure out how in the hell you picked the Harley 883 as the winner over the Yamaha Virago 750. The Virago beat the Sportster in every category except two: price and weight. John Falcone Elk Grove, Illinois
Either you guys are possessed by Harley demons or someone in Milwaukee paid you a handsome bribe. The XLH Sportster as the winner? C’mon! The Yamaha Virago 750 is the obvious winner here. I purchased my 750 Virago brand-new in 1989, and I have yet to give it a tune-up. With just oil changes, it still runs like new. I tell ya’, it has the maintenance requirements of a brick. Maybe that’s the reason why there are so many Harleys and so few Yamahas listed for sale in my newspaper’s classified section? Yamahas are keepers. Abi Diaz
Chicago, Illinois
Get real! You claim $5465 for the H-D XLH Sportster 883 in your October’s “Urban Enhancement” comparison? Where is there a Harley dealer offering suggested retail on any new Hog? I checked with three Harley dealers and the closest any of them came was $6500, and that dealer wouldn’t say if he had one in stock.
Other than suggested retail price, the Virago beats the Sportster in almost every category. I checked with three Yamaha dealers also, and the highest quoted price was $6200, the lowest $5900, and they all had at least two Virago 750s on the showroom floor.
As for its “dated, gaudy” styling, perhaps Yamaha hasn’t changed the Virago in almost 10 years because it is so successful. I don’t notice a lot of style changes coming from Willie G., either.
Robert E. May Indianola, Mississippi
Why do you say a Sportster costs $5465? I went to three Harley dealers, and the cheapest price quoted was $8500! This is why I bought my Suzuki Marauder. Michalene Polise
Belleville, New Jersey
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MEMBER MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY COUNCIL, INC.
Audit Bureau of Circulations Member
Picking the Harley 883 in your October cruise-off partly because of price is a joke. The Harley dealers in central Florida want $8000 for one, plus sales tax. Please tell me where I can buy one for the price in your test.
David Di Ponzio Deltona, Florida
Couple o’ things: Yes, Kawasaki did drastically drop the price of its Vulcan 800 Classic (and 800 Custom); unfortunately, that information was not passed on to us until after the October issue had shipped. We did make note of it in the November issue, though. On the subject of H-D pricing, we checked with our local dealer, who informed us he is selling 883s for the suggested list price, proving that as with any consumer item, it pays to shop around for Sportsters.
Boy-O-Boy Racer
Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen! If you are going to do a piece on a legendary bike such as the AJS 7R Boy Racer (CW, October ’97), please get your facts right. I am not even an Anglophile and yet I’m certain the Brits will be gathering a lynch mob and heading for Mr. Catterson’s house. I quote from the selfsame gent’s article: “Hailwood raced a Manx Norton that day at Willow, but earlier in the year, he’d very nearly given AJS what would have been its only victory at the Isle of ManTT...”
As the Brits might say, what a load of rubbish! Only victory? By my unscientific count Ajays have won at least five times at the IoM over the years. So, pox, shame, and fie on you, sir, for ruining an otherwise splendid bit of work!
Squire Jon F. Thompson clearly wins the prize for classic reportage in your October issue for his piece on “A Changing of the Guard,” although he also merits a slight slap on the wrist for not mentioning the influence of the German Adler two-stroke on Yamaha’s early efforts.
In everlasting gratitude, you may deliver my new Bimota Vdue anytime you like. Cheers!
Francis “Crazy Frank” Klimek Castleton, New York
Sorry, Frank, but we ’re fresh out of Vdues. Can we interest you in an overpriced Sportster instead?
