Tundras live: Dumb Dad Jokes, Incorrect Opinions, and Relationship Advice.

Pretty sure he said reliable and not going to kill himself on it. KTM meets neither of those criteria.

 

"it worked perfectly fine" until it didn't.

and people died.

that is the pure definition of design flaw. regardless of the lame excuse of maintenance.

then they changed the design, because it was wrong/deadly.

 

went to the wedding....and deep into the events, folks were asking me why we didn't drink.

man, I did my best to be civil. and I did a good job.

my point...folks that drink AND question you about why you DON'T are a special breed.

it tells me who they be.

on a side note....it is awesome to see folks drink and the mask comes off. it shows me who they truly are.

most, if not all, the folks there were awesome. truly comfortable in life.

 

That is blatantly false. It was 100% a maintenance issue.




They redesigned it to have a failsafe in case of a similar situation so the lack of maintenance wouldn't bring down a plane in future, but it would have never been an issue if the airline had maintained and replaced the worn parts.

 

they redesigned it because it was a bad design. it killed humans.

hence, the redesign.

 

If you want reliable and not going to kill you, stick to Honda or Yamaha. They are the pinnacle of reliability in bikes. Honda is kind of like Toyota in that they are reliable, but not as exciting as something exotic or race oriented. A honda 650 won't be as fast or sporty as a KTM or Ducati equivalent, but it'll live longer. Yamaha has a little more sass than Honda, but not sure they really have anything in the beginner range that isn't either dirt or sport oriented.

If you want something more comfortable (recommended if your joints are taking a beating) I'd look at Adventure touring or Sport touring bikes.

The kicker is that even a "slow' bike is fast. My CB500X, which is geared toward beginner to intermediate riders, is considered slow for a bike. It's just as quick off the line as my WRX was.

I cannot recommend enough; get scheduled for the MSF course. I honestly don't think people should be allowed a license without it. It is very good instruction and quite fun.

 

Nope. It only failed due to humans being lazy and not maintaining it. You can't blame a tire manufacturer for a rollover crash that kills people when they decided to ride on a bald tire. Same thing here.

 

@T-Rex266 doesn't strike me as woke enough to ride a Harley.

 

So you think nothing should ever have to be maintained, replaced or lubricated?

 

Thought they corrected?

 

I never said that.

 

It seemed to be the implication because you are blaming the design when proper maintenance would have prevented the failure. You keep saying it was a design flaw, but the NTSB found lack of maintenance to be the cause.

 

Did they fire the guy reponsible for it?

 

No clue. I didn't dig deep because I'm not interested in their bikes. If they ever make the Pan America shaft drive I might have to do research, but until then...

 

Fair enough. I'm not really a bike guy, but if I was Harley would be the last brand I'd buy. Loud, slow, annoying culture surrounding them and my MIL has one.

 

I see I've touched a nerve. My point was paying folks a 25% raise in this economy.



why did they redesign it?


I get stuck on the people dying.

if it was all hunky dory...why change it?

 

I agree on a lot of that. I love the sound they make and the cruiser aesthetic, but it only makes that sound if it's horribly inefficient and the look can be had on better bikes. Once I learned that I don't feel comfortable with the cruiser foot controls it crossed cruisers off my list of bikes. It's a bummer, because I do love the look of some of them.

The Pan America is a huge departure for them and they did shockingly well for a first foray into the adv market. If the work out the kinks, lighten the bike up, and refine it a bit, Harley could be a serious player in the segment.

 

They changed it to make it easier to see the wear and to add an additional failsafe. They redesigned it because there was an incident and it looks good to the feds if you are helpful.

The thing is the wear wasn't hidden, so making it more visible wouldn't have fixed the lack of maintenance. Wear was documented, reported, part replacement was recommended, and it was all ignored. That is not on the manufacturer. That is not on the design.

 

so riding my 2004 950 over 70k miles isn't reliable? Not one issue outside of regular maintenance. I had 22k on my 690 when I sold it as well. Where on earth does someone listen to a guy who refuses to own a chain drive bike because he won't do maintenance on a bike. And also a guy who trailers a bike to go ride it. I rode my ktm everywhere and anywhere without one issue. KTM is the leader because it's race ready out of the box and runs for lifetimes.

 

Don't listen to the non mechanical guy on this one. Trust me.

 

And 2000-2006 Tundras went a million miles on regular maintenance. That means the new 3rd gens are gonna be flawless.... oh... wait...

I don't like doing. I did it. Did it probably more than needed. Found a way to make riding more enjoyable. Sue me.

And another personal attack. Go back and read why it was trailered. I'll wait...

Any manufacturer can have a winner, but only some earn a reputation for it because it's consistent and repeated as a brand.

 

I used to play drums in bands and toured up until the plandemic. As you can imagine, lots of bars or venues with alcohol. One of my bands was a metal band that was picked up as an opening act for a national tour sponsored by Jaegermeister... I guess there were some mixed singles with that one, as the lead singer/guitarist and I had both been a few years sober at the time, haha.

After most shows, it was crowd work and just hanging out. Everyone always trying to buy us drinks (even though most bars covered our tab). But when I turned down a drink and asked for water, it was humorous how many people were uncomfortable with me NOT drinking!

Here's the thing: I didn't make it a point to tell people I was in recovery, nor did I care that everyone around me was drinking. I had been there done that and was a "functioning" alcoholic, right up until I wasn't, haha. I wish I could have drank in moderation but it wasn't in my cards so I did something about it.

Some folks I met along the way eventually needed help and I was glad to be there for them. Others were just contentious dickheads who were so insecure with themselves that picking a fight was the only way they could reconcile what they were feeling. C'est la vie. We're all just people trying to get shit figured out.

I hope I don't sound like I'm on some high horse or soapbox. Just a piece of conversation I feel I can chuck ¢2 at.

 

@T-Rex266

On the bike front you've got a lot of options. Do research, talk to people you know that ride, and all that to make your decision. There are some generalities that usually hold true, though.

Italian bikes (Aprilia, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, etc.) are here for a good time, not a long time. Fast, fun, beautiful, but generally they are described in one of two ways. Quirky by those that love them, and unreliable by those who don't.

KTM and their sister bikes (KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas are all the same family) are performance beasts. They are also more maintenance intensive than Japanese bikes. Reliability is arguable, as demonstrated above. Rabid following for them because they are higher on the performance spectrum. Some have issues, some don't, but all will need a little more TLC than their Japanese counterparts.

Japanese bikes (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki) are generally regarded as "bulletproof" for reliability. That's not to say there is never an issue or complaint, but they usually just work. Many will have much longer maintenance intervals (sometimes double what other bikes in the class have), but it comes at the price of personality. They're not full of character like the KTMs and Italians. That's not to say they aren't fast or capable, but they are mellow about it.


Be honest with yourself about what you want out of a bike. Dirt, street, or some of both? Only you know and that should be a good starting point if you decide you want to get a bike.

I'd also recommend you pop into this thread over on TW. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/motorcycles-bs-thread-2-0.420753/ Its a good group of guys with a wide variety of experience. Just be warned, all of us will tell you to buy the bike. Whatever the bike is, "Buy it!" will be the answer. LOL

 

As somebody who grew up in a drunken home, I can't tell you how awesome that is for your kids. Besides, all that beer money can be put into the motorcycle fund, now!

 

I'm pretty sure all that money goes to the Elon Tithing Fund