Best Ride For You

Archive for December, 2011

The Suzuki TU250 is a newer concept for the 250cc motorcycle class. Cruisers like the Honda Rebel and sport bikes like the Ninja 250 have dominated this class of motorcycle for many years. For those that wanted just a standard 25occ, the choices were limited and the styling was limited. The newer 250cc Honda Nighthawks were the closest bikes and if you didn’t like the 80′s styling, you were out of luck.

Now Suzuki introduces the TU250. At first glance, it reminds me of a Triumph, but there’s also some 70′s Japanese motorcycle look  in there. Only the looks are retro though. This bike has modern fuel injection that makes it easy to start and increases performance. It also handles well with a great chassis and suspension.

The TU250 is only new to the United States. Suzuki has been selling it in other countries with success for many years.

For beginners, this bike is wonderful if you’re tall enough for a seat height of just over 30 inches. Many will find this much more comfortable than the very low 250cc cruisers. The stand configuration is more stable than cruiser configurations too. It weighs 326 pounds, so it’s quite manageable for most riders.

For experienced riders, you’re not going to get many performance thrills of course. Although it’s fuel injected, it’s a lower compression than some of the sport bike 250′s. The lower compression does indicate a motor that will probably last longer. For commuting, this little motorcycle will do find and the TU250′s mpg is good. I’d like to give you a good number, but with fuel injection on a 250cc motor, the results are going to very wildly. I light rider riding conservatively can expect 75mpg+, but a heavy rider going fast may not see 60mpg.

Related articles

• Road Test: 2011 Suzuki TU250X (nationalpost.com)
• Finding A Bargain Motorcycle
• Best Motorcycle For Gas Mileage

So many consider Harley to be the best motorcycle to ride, so we should take some time to look into their history. Like them or not, their history and popularity cannot be ignored. Harley-Davidson’s influence on motorcycle design has been a driving force for all manufacturers and they play a major role in the cruiser and touring motorcycle markets. There is a full Harley Davidson timeline, but I’ll condense it all here for you too.

The Early Days Of Harley Davidson

In the early 1900′s, William Harley and Arthur Davidson founded the company in a small garage. Their first motorcycles were bicycles with motors attached to them. They sold a few and won a 15 mile race which started their popularity. Not long after, the company moves to a larger facility, begins to employ people, and dealers are recruited.

The quality and design improved and Harley Davidson started winning races, endurance contests, and contracts with police departments. They even reached an incredible record of over 188 miles per gallon! Economy and their quiet engines were major factors when buyers considered the many competitors that were popping up. By 1910 their iconic V-twin motor design was introduced and the famous bar and shield logo was added. The first decade was a solid foundation that stays with them until this day.

Major Technology Advances And War

In 1911, Harley-Davidson started using the F-Head engine. Valves were a big problem in this era due to the lack of quality metal for the valves. The F-Head allowed for lower quality valves that would last, but the engine lacked performance. These were phased out over time when all riders started demanding high performance engines.

The factory starting growing by adding more space. Models were upgraded with clutch and brake pedals. Transmissions were being upgraded, first with a 2 speed hub, then later with a 3 speed sliding gear transmission. These improvements paid off for the company and our military when World War 1 called for heavy demand of Harley Davidson motorcycles. Production was increased and Harley Davidson also started producing bicycles. In 1919, a new 37 cubic inch motor is introduced with much popularity overseas.

In 1920, Harley Davidson has grown to the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. Their race teams are setting speed records and their mascot, a hog, starts the first reference to the Harley Davidson as a “hog”.

Giving Customers What They Want

Harley-Davidson continued to improve and give customers what they wanted. More speed and reliability. In 1922 they introduced the 74 cubic inch motor and added a teardrop shaped fuel tank that sticks with their motorcycles to the current day. In 1926, they even reintroduced some of the other side-valve motors for customers who wanted them. In 1928, then introduce a twin cam motor capable of speeds of over 85 mph, very fast for the day. With all of this speed, they also added front brakes to slow the motorcycle down.

The Harley-Davidson flathead motor is introduced in 1929 and it remained in production all the way until 1973 on some models. There were many advantages to the flathead motor:

• Inexpensive
• Could withstand high rpm’s
• Reliable
• Simple to work on
• Low speed torque
• Ran on low octane fuel.

The flat headmotor was a remarkable achievement for the company and it paid off well over so many years.

The Depression

Harley Davidson survives the next 10 years relying much on simply improving existing products. However, a new 3-wheeled service trike becomes popular amount police departments and service industries. In efforts to boost lagging sales, the company finds that adding stylish paint and other ornamentation gives them a sales edge. By 1931, the only remaining American motorcycle company is Indian, but they still needed to find every possible advantage to keep sales up.

Harley Davidson starts the Japanese motorcycle industry by selling blueprints, tools, and dies to Japanese manufacturers. An ironic twist of history when one considers the competitors of Harley Davidson today.

In 1936, the first Knucklehead engine is produced along with an 80 cubic inch side valve motor. By 1937, a 61 cubic inch motor is breaking previous speed records. In 1941, productions is diverted to the country’s war effort and civilian sales are almost completely stopped.

 World War 2 Boosts Production and Postwar Popularity

After 1941, Harley-Davidson was committed to the war effort. Motorcycles played a major role in transport during war. They were inexpensive to operate, could go anywhere, fast, and used less fuel than Jeeps. Harley Davidson produced more than 60,000 WLA models and numerous other specialty motorcycles in an effort to meet demands by the military.

Returning soldiers had learned about H-D’s great motorcycles during the war. They had worked on them, pushed them to their limits, and knew what to expect from them. They also longed for the thrills that they provided now that the excitement of war had worn off. As the economy picked up, so did the ability for soldiers to buy motorcycles for utility and recreation. The company wasted no time in providing new and improved models to the public.

By 1948, Harley had a vastly improved motor to add to their offerings, the Panhead. This motor had overhead valves, aluminum heads, and hydraulic lifters. Chrome pan shaped valve covers gave the motor it’s nickname. This motor was used in many different lightweight models and was a proven winner on the race track. Improvements were made to the bigger road bikes as well with hydraulic front forks added to the Hydra-Glide models in 1949.

The 50′s Spark Innovation For Sport Models

In 1952, Harley was competing with small British motorcycles that were impressive in their own right. They designed a K model that was smaller with a side valve engine. It was ok, but not a stunning success against the competition. Like many of Harley’s attempts, they turned it into a success later when this turned out to be the forerunner to the Harley Davidson Sportster.

1953 brings their 50th anniversary and many more wins at the race track. They gain major wins at Daytona and gain the spotlight when the young rock star, Elvis Presley, has a promotional photo taken while sitting on a 1956 Model KH. In 1957, they release what will turn out to be one of the best selling motorcycles in history, the Sportster.

In 1958 rear brakes and a hydraulic rear suspension is added to the Duo-Glide. This sets the stage for more luxury and larger motorcycles, but while this is taking place, Harley also ventures into scooters and small motorcycles. In 1960, Harley Davidson makes the Topper scooter and starts a European division called Aermacchi Harley-Davidson that starts making small single cylinder motorcycles for the markets overseas.

Harley Davidson In The 60′s

In 1964, Harley Davidson starts one of it’s most forgotten popular sellers, the 3-wheeled Servicar. It was a great way for business, police, and anyone else who needed an economical transport and room to carry some cargo. It was even popular with the ice cream man. It had Harley-Davidson’s first electric starter.

Harley Davidson hadn’t forgot their motorcycle touring enthusiast. In 1965 the Electra-Glide replaced the Duo-Glad with many updates, including an electric start. In 1966, the leap forward was made with the introduction of the Panhead motor’s replacement, the Shovelhead. The Shovelhead went through some changes, but the basic motor stayed in production until 1984.

In 1969, AMF(American Machine And Foundry) bought Harley-Davidson.

Harley Davidson’s AMF Years.

In 1970, a 16 ft. streamline with a Sportster engine breaks sets a land speed record at just over 265mph. Harley maintains it’s prominence on the flat track, but import motorcycles are starting to take over much of the racing scene. Harley-Davidson’s engine design is no match for the Japanese superbikes.

Harley turns to it’s classic design for custom motorcycles with history and heart. With the success of the FX 1200 Super Glide introduced in 1971, the company builds on the custom look idea. The FXS Low Rider and the FXEF Fab Bob are rolled out and the designs are welcomed by Harley Davidson enthusiasts.

Harley Hits It Big In the 80′s.

The first innovation for the 80′s was a vibration dampening system for the drive train and a new 5 speed transmission. Technology was advancing and they needed to improve the quality of the ride. Also, the chain drive was replaced by a Kevlar belt. This was a huge improvement that reduced maintenance costs and aggravation in general. The “Wide Glide” was introduced in 1980 as well. After these advancements, senior management stated that they intended to buy out the company from AMF to break free of AMF’s rule.

Soon after Harley Davidson’s break from AMF, the Sportser was redesigned in 1982. The rubber mounted drive train and a new welded and stamped frame was added to greatly improve the Sportster’s quality. Harley also ads improvement to their manufacturing processes that streamline their production by ordering materials only as needed. This created large reductions in production cost and added quality to their products.

Japanese motorcycles are providing fierce competition for Harley-Davidson in the 80′s. They’re not only producing very high quality and low cost bikes, but they’re starting to copy Harley-Davidson’s “cruiser” style. The U.S. government agreed to place high tariff’s on Japanese imports and Harley formed The Harley Owner’s Group(H.O.G) to create a more competitive marketplace.

With a fair marketplace and a growing commitment to quality, more innovations needed to be added as the Japanese continued to improve the technology used in their motorcycles. Harley-Davidson introduced a new Evo V-twin motor that retained their heritage in the V-Twin market, but improved their motorcycle. The Evo motor had lower vibration, more power, didn’t leak oil, and ran cooler. It changed the minds of many riders about Harley’s quality.

New models were designed and produced and their styling was highly desirable. Shocks were hidden in the Softail models and the Springer reintroduced the front spring design for a beautiful retro look. With these impressive and unique developments, investors saw new promise in the company and trading began on stock in the company. H-D discovered that combining quality motorcycles, corporate funding, and incorporating their long history into their company was providing suprisingly good results.

Easy Ride For Harley Davidson In The 90′s.

The corporate model set up in the 80′s paved the way for an easy trip in the 1990′s. Much of the decade was spent designing new models and improving the facilities where they were built. in 1990, a paint facility was started in York, PA and the new Fat Boy model was an instant success. The following year, the Dyna Glide starts the successful “Dyna” line of motorcycles.

1993 brings the 9oth Anniversary and the start of the Buell partnership that will create a line of sport motorcycles that will use the 883 and 12oocc motorcycle engine. This partnership lasted until 2009 when the lack of demand for the motorcycle and a national recession prompted Harley Davidson and Eric Buell to cease production.

In 1994, the Road King was introduced and proved to be one of the more popular models. In 1995, the Electra-Glide is the first Harley Davidson to use sequential port fuel injection. Massive changes in warehousing and parts distribution are implemented and in 1997, a new plant is added in Kansas City to produce Sportsters. In 1999, the new Twin-came 88 engine is added to the Touring and Dyna families of bikes. For the first time in history, production begins at an overseas plant in Brazil.

More good times for most of the 2000′s

Harley-Davidson entered 2000 with some exciting changes. A new 88 inch motor with a counter-balanced engine to reduce vibration and in 2001, fuel injection was added to the Softail line. Also, the 1 cylinder entry-level Buell Blast was an instant hit and  pulled many new riders into fans of Harley. Buell also begins to make a name for itself on the race track and among the sport motorcycle crowd.

Vast improvements with rubber motor mounts, suspensions, handlebars, and overall design keep new customers coming to Harley and old ones returning. TV shows about choppers keep the excitement and enthusiasm going. In 2006, sales even begin in China for the first time. All was going well and the company was doing everything they could to please their customers, but then in 2007 the Great Recession began to take hold.

Harley’s momentum had been gained by drawing in the luxury crowed. For many, the motorcycle was nice, but not a necessity. As many lost their jobs or experienced reductions in income, they began to sell their motorcycle and stop buying new ones. The company’s plan is in the process of changing. Efforts to bring more women to the motorcycling sport were increased. Plants were streamlined for lower production. By 2009, Harley had announced plans for production in India. The days of Harley Davidson being an “American” company are now in question.

In Conclusion

The next decade for Harley Davidson will be an interesting one. Slow economies never stopped them before and now they have more technological advances than ever before. We can look forward to more from this fine motorcycle company, but it won’t be more of the same. There are those that have doubted many things about the company, but their history is extraordinary. So much so, that it’s a major selling point of their motorcycles. For all of us riders, I hope their future proves to be just as extraordinary.