Cruiser

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31
Jul 10

Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra FLTRU – Part III

Comfort features can be found in the Road Glide Ultra’s vented fairing lowers, passenger backrest and electronic cruise control. Audio acoustics are improved for the Harman-Kardon Advanced Audio System thanks to four speakers (two in the frame-mounted fairing, two on the Tour Pak assembly), plus there’s a CB/Intercom system so you can link to truckers or your passenger while logging the miles.

Road-Glide-action_silver_2 Like the rest of the Touring line, the Road Glide Ultra rides on Dunlop’s D407 Multi-Tread rear tire that was developed exclusively for Harley’s big rigs. The tire’s construction offers longer-life centre tread compound with softer shoulder compound for improved cornering grip. The rear wheel hub’s Isolated Drive System compensator helps control vibration and noise under all riding conditions, too. But make no mistake, the centrepiece for the new Ultra (as well as the Road King Classic and the Electra Glide Ultra Limited, the latter of which we tested here), is the 103-inch engine.

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31
Jul 10

Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra FLTRU – Part II Power Pak

Harley’s marketing madness for model year 2011 that should find favor among Harleyphiles who feel that bigger is, indeed, better. You can special-order the 103-inch engine package on certain other Touring models (FLHX and FLTRX), too. Known as the Power Pak, customers can upgrade to include the larger engine, or stick with the TC96 for their bikes. 

Road_Glide_375O0557.preview The Power Pak option also includes ABS (anti-lock braking system), the Smart Security System with hands-free arming and disarming functions, and exclusive “103” emblems for the derby cover and air cover. Now for the even better news: the optional Power Pak costs $1,995, a bargain when you consider that the cost for upgrading a standard 96-cubic-inch engine is about that for parts and labor alone. Think of the ABS and security system as a bonus. Ditto for the engine ID emblem.

Interestingly, the price for the Power Pak equates to about 10% over the MSRP of both eligible models, so you pretty much get what you pay for in terms of added torque per dollar spent. And keep in mind that torque, not horsepower, translates to a rewarding ride for most long-distance riders packing extra gear. And speaking of long-distance riding, Road Glide Ultra customers won’t be disappointed in what they’re treated to once they settle into the newly formed seat for an all-day excursion. In fact, all the Touring models have re-shaped seats for added comfort. In addition, the sculpted saddles for the Ultra models (Road Glide and Electra Glide) offer additional lower back support, and a narrower forward section makes it easier for riders to place their feet firmly on the pavement during stops.

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31
Jul 10

Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra FLTRU – Part I

For the 2011 standard models lineup (non-CVO models), H-D has unveiled the Twin Cam 103, an over-bored version of the tried-and-proven TC96. The new engine powers several of Harley¹s top-flight baggers, among them the all-new FLTRU Road Glide Ultra. Only The Motor Company¹s exclusive CVO line (stay tuned for reports on those high-end models) with their 110-inch engines offer more displacement among bikes wearing the Bar & Shield logo. The new TC103 is a result of increasing the TC96’s bore from 3.750” to 3.875”.

CVO_RoadGlide09_FLTRSE_R.preview Before we snoop through the FLTRU’s spacious saddlebags and Tour Pak, and poke and prod at its other long-haul features, a little clarification about the engine displacement is in order. No doubt, there’s no replacement for displacement, but Harley-Davidson opted to keep engine size at 96 cubic inches for the remaining Big Twin line (Road King, Electra Glide Classic and Ultra Classic Electra Glide, plus the Softail and Dyna platforms).

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29
Jul 10

Batmobile

DgWKw I have absolutely no idea how this became possible. This is not the same batmobile that was seen at various places of the city when the movie The Dark Knight was screened. It looks like a completely useable one and the rider appears to be respecting the State’s helmet laws and wears one too. Whatever it is, it looks awesome and cool. Would be great if they made more of these.

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26
Jul 10

Harley-Davidson Sportster XR1200X – Part I

Finally, we, too, the Americans, will now have the XR1200X. It’s the first release of Harley’s 2011 models and it’s slated to hit dealers by this August.The X model trades the XR1200’s 43mm non-adjustable inverted fork for Showa’s fully adjustable 43mm Big Piston Fork, first seen in wide release on the ’09 ZX-6R. Also swapped out are the fairly basic twin coil-over shocks in favour of fully adjustable 36mm Showa shocks.SportsterXR1200X

The spirited 1200cc Sportster engine in the X model gets the black-out treatment, as does the dual upswept exhaust system that’s reminiscent of the XR750’s high pipes. The XR1200’s engine and exhaust were finished in a silvery color. Orange pinstripes for the three-spoke cast aluminium wheels round out the cosmetic updates.

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25
Jun 10

BMW R 1200 RT

bmw_20r1200rt_2005_20_201_115 The latest model of the r1200rt was introduced by BMW in the year 2009. The vehicle has a 1170cc oil cooled DOHC opposed twin engine. The compression ratio is 12:1 and features a six speed gearbox. The engine produces a maximum of 110 bhp at 7750 rpm and a torque of 88lb-ft at 6000 rpm.

The vehicle features a tubular steel chassis and two 320mm discs in the front and a single 265mm disk in the rear. The total kerb weight of the bike is around 260kg and the fuel capacity is 25 litres. More on the bike in the following posts. Stay tuned.

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14
May 10

Honda Gold Wing GL1800

Honda Gold Wing is the flagship luxury tourer motorcycle of Honda. It was introduced in the year 2001 though the concept surfaced an year ago. The GW range of touring motorcycles was introduced in 1975 and since then a lot of models have been out and this is the latest from Honda’s stable. The GW is popular in North America, Europe and Australia

The bike features a 1832 cc engine that churns out 117 horses to its rear wheel. The bike has a unique feature that its predecessors sis not have. Its frame is made of light weight aluminium alloy that reduces the overall weight of the bike but is stiffer and stronger than the frames found on previous GWs. The frame features just 30 parts. For comparison, previous frames of GWs had 130 parts. The GL1800 was the first production bike that featured an airbag. ABS is an optional feature on this machine and other options include GPS, audio system and seat warmers.

This bike is every tourer’s dream machine.

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12
May 10

Kawasaki ZZR-X

ZZR-X concept first surfaced at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 2003. It is touted as a high speed touring bike. But the uniqueness of this bike lies in adjustable riding mode mechanism. This allows the rider to adjust the bike to suit the rider’s style and road conditions.

At low speeds the protective fairing and wind screen can be lifted and in full sport mode the fairing and the screen goes down to give the ZZR-X its most aerodynamic form. The fairing also changes shape depending on the speed there by providing an optimum profile. Other clever designs that ZZR-X has are rim mounted disk brakes, centralized fuel-tank and a large space for storage in front of the seat.

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14
Apr 10

Yamaha VMAX

The new Yamaha VMAX was unveiled as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in the year 2005. This vehicle boasts a state of the art braking systems and fuel intake and throttle control systems. It uses the propeitary Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake and Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle systems which work in unison to calculate the fuel needed to burn based upon the throttle response using various sensors and onboard computer system.  This improves both the performance of the machine and the rider control.

The machine is powered by a massive 1679 cc, liquid cooled , four stroke, four cylinder engine arranged in V formation. The engine produces a maximum power of 197 p at 9000 rpm and a massive 123 ft-lbs of torque at 6500 rpm. This engine is mated with a 5 speed gear box that has a slipper clutch system. The machine has an all aluminium body frame and this reduces the weight of the machine further.

The motorcycle is best suited for touring and long trips cruising an open roads as it simply refuses to run out of breadth.

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6
Apr 10

Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle

The Harley-Davidson’s VRSC (V-Twin Racing Street Custom) family of cruiser motorcycles was introduced in 2001 in a single model called the V-Rod. The engine of this class of bikes was developed jointly by both the Harly engineers and the Porsche engineering team based in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle was first introduced in the year 2008 for the year 2009 production model at the Harley-Davidson dealer show in Las Vegas. This Harley comes with a 1250 cc liquid cooled, four stroke, V twin Revolution engine. The motor produces a massive 86 ft lbs @ 6500 rpm and and about 120 hp @ a low rpm of 500 and is mated to a five speed gear box.

The V-Rod happens to be a machine that is built on the drag race platform. the motorcycle boasts a wide 240mm rear tire and a 5 gallon fuel tank. Just like any other typical Harley , the Muscle boasts a huge road presence and adds a nice touch with the turn indicators integrated to the rear view mirror.