Letters
LETTERS
The X-Files
After the Indian fiasco of the past seven years, I was pleased to hear that someone was reviving the Excelsior-Henderson name. Then I read cofounder Dan Hanlon’s comments on “diamonds” vs. “cubic zirconium,” comparing made-in-the-USA cruisers to those from Japanese companies in CW's January “X-Files” article.
I was both surprised and disappointed by these statements. Mr. Hanlon has yet to build his first production motorcyclein fact, he hasn’t even broken ground for the facility to produce his first bike-and already he has started to play the “ours is better than theirs” game. Well, Mr. Hanlon, cruiser innovation is now the name of the game, and your bike is not innovative. It has a V-Twin motor, belt drive, hidden rear suspension and instruments on the fuel tank; funny, that description would seem to be interchangeable with a Harley-Davidson Softail. Okay, your front suspension is unusual, but it is based on old technology and to top it off, it’s ugly as hell!
Now, Mr. Hanlon, had you built a cruiser with, say, shaft drive, liquid cooling, inverted front fork and a flatSix motor that puts out a hundred horsepower, that would be a unique machine.
So, I’ll take my money and buy a quality cruiser built right here in America-no, not the one from Milwaukee, the one from Marysville, Ohio. The Honda Valkyrie. Steve Hall Germantown, Ohio
I viewed your January, 1997, issue with great enthusiasm. Oh boy, the Super X; I couldn’t wait to read Kevin Cameron’s “X-Files” story.
Well, it should have read Super XLax! Just what we need, another overpriced, poser road barge. I was hoping a couple of Midwest farm boys were
going to give us a new product for real people. Instead, we get this.
X-Files, indeed. Better get back to Planet Earth, guys. David Rossi New Smyrna Beach, Florida
I just received your January issue and fell in love with the cover. There, in green and white, was one of the most beautiful cruisers I ever laid eyes on. But when I began reading the article, the bike slowly turned me off. What we have here, basically, is a Harley with a different name, Excelsior-Henderson.
E-H officials say they are going to compete “more against the Japanese” than H-D. If that’s the case, they better take another look at their $20,000 price tag. Stuart J. Bracken Puyallup, Washington
I saw the pictures of the new ExcelsiorHenderson Super X in your January ’97 issue. Then I read the article, including the part where the Hanlons plan on selling their bike to people who make at least $60,000 a year and park a Mercedes-Benz in their garage. I’ll be writing back to you in a few months to let you know when I’ve stopped laughing. Gary Furgerg Denver, Colorado
I believe the Hanlons are off the mark when it comes to the styling of the new Super X. The front end of the bike needs quite a bit of refinement in order to better duplicate the original style. As
is, it’s extremely bulky and the large springs appear to be an afterthought.
In fact, everything on this motorcycle seems too large. The original Super X was light, lean and fast.
I understand it is very easy to sit back and criticize while someone else is out there making the effort. I do hope the Hanlons make a go of this; I can honestly say I am saving a space in the garage should this project fly. R. Brown Hartford, Connecticut
As explained in the article, the Super X’s styling is in flux. The Hanlons say another six months of refinement is ongoing. "Besides,” says Dave Hanlon, "the front end is supposed to jolt people; it’s intended as a statement.”
Kissing S
Did Erik Buell do something to hack you off? While I certainly recognize the faults described in November’s S2 longterm test, some of the comments, especially the ones from Buell owners, seem unfairly harsh.
I have approximately 14,500 miles on my S2 (the speedo cable was broken for a bit...), in just over six months of ownership. I have had some problems with
it, and I too bemoan the awful build quality of the factory saddlebags. While playing road-tag this past June up in the Santa Cruz mountains, the right bag popped open, spilling the inner liner out onto the shoulder of the road. Fortunately, no serious damage to its contents.
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The rear seal on my shock developed a leak at about 6500 miles; the unit was cheerfully replaced under warranty. I’ve had no problems with any of the bodywork, in spite of some lessthan-gentle landings practicing my wheelie skills-when I grow up, I want to be just like Don Canet! It’s obvious, however, that I’ve done the steering head bearings no favors.
Eric Putter’s “lack of horsepower” comment should be addressed by the new S3, using as it does the SI Lightning motor.
As you noted, the sidestand-locking mechanism is indeed cheesy, but I only know one person whose bike fell over while parked. However, this is one bike too many.
When I bought the Buell, it was because I believed it could provide me with sportbike competence, long-range comfort, and the power delivery and charisma of a Harley-Davidson. It has excelled in all three areas. Sportbike manners with a healthy, big-inch American Twin for propulsion? Heaven on Earth. Stuff it hard into a comer, taking advantage of the chassis and brakes, keep the tach at about 4200, and power out like Emmitt Smith exploding out of the Dallas backfield. Do I like my Buell? Lust is closer to the truth. Jerry Haughton Pacific Northwest Buell Owners Group Port Orchard, Washington
Arlo’s Army
December’s “1000 Mile Ride” by Wendy Black was a good story. But she is about 3000 miles off the mark in identifying the Alice’s Restaurant located on California’s San Francisco Peninsula as having been made famous by Arlo Guthrie in the 1960s. Arlo’s Alice’s was in Massachusetts. Ben English Albany, New York
Alice’s Restaurant on California’s Skyline Boulevard is not the Alice’s Restaurant in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, that Arlo Guthrie wrote about in the famous 1967 song recounting his arrest for littering after a Thanksgiving feast, which gave him a criminal record that kept him out of the Vietnam draft. Fred Tausch Jr. Lexington, Massachusetts
All right, enough already, no more letters! We stand corrected. As penance, Associate Editor Black has been sentenced to sit with the mother-rapers and father-rapers on the Group W bench. □
