Beauty and Rideability is key to being pleased and surviving over the long run of a relationship with your loved one--- your motorcycle.
That said, many a mans been fooled by false advertising, pretty posing and words that dont match the performance attributes you're really looking for. That Commando above could be good for most, but you dont know if it's good for *you* until you climb on and twist the throttle yourself. So, no matter what the Pope thinks, I believe you really can't determine true beauty and rideability until you validate performance over a couple of long rides...
Controlled power slide, one hand on the bars comfort, and overall cool as a cucumber at high speed. Looks easy, with the right practice. Surely the gentleman in the picture is taking in everything as she passes and will be waving the checkered flag by next lap.
Two to tango on the circle track. With the right confidence, leans, angles and teamwork you can form the Karma Sutra of motorcycling.
Sometimes it may take a little push to get her going, but she's in it for high speed performance. Here is Kelly Haynes riding her Indian at El Mirage in 1948. She hit 142mph before the bottom end of her ride gave out.
She's a little tense, but knows where she's going-- and wants to get there fast. A little relaxation & rider position change, and surely the front end will be up and perky instead of sagging..
This last picture speaks to the moral of the story. Looks like a great ride, but perhaps some sort of photoshop manipulation back in the day? The top end looks good, but where the rubber hits the road looks a little too good to be true. But then again, you never know......
MORAL OF THE STORY: Before making the leap, make sure you take it out for a ride and find out if it's what you want for sure. Buyers regret can be a costly mistake.
I wrote this as motivation because my Norton has been teasing me from the corner of the garage this weekend. I haven't taken her out for a ride and that's not good for either in our relationship.
-scott noteboom
Looks like fun. In fact, they all look like fun rides!
Posted by: hopdup | October 12, 2008 at 10:33 PM
ba-dum-dum!
I don't know where you found all those photos, but that's what I call erotic art.
Posted by: iowahawk | October 13, 2008 at 06:43 PM