Ha ha, geez, if you'd read any of my 700 million posts, you'd know that I bought my first CB750 in 1978, and have a garage full of bikes built between 1970 (my K0) and 1992. If you looked at some of my posts you'd see pics of my K0, K1, (posted by TiO a page back) K2, K3, F2, and my CB750 based endurance racer project bike.
Also, there's my recently restored Suzuki Yoshimura GS1000 and GS1000S "Wes Cooley replica". I don't own a new bike, my newest is a 1992 BMWK1100LT that I "inherited" from the original owner, an old Army mate who bought a new BMWR1200GS (which I hope to also "inherit" in 10 years time) and the BMW dealer didn't want to take his 13 year old, but mint, K1100LT because it had 90,000 (now 100,000) miles on the odometer.
Don't get me wrong, if I wanted a new bike I'd buy one, but modern Jap bikes don't do anything for me, and there's no room in my garage for a Harley Fatboy at the moment. Over here we have plenty of "pretenders" on Harleys too, but that shouldn't put anyone off buying a new Harley, unlike a lot of the Harley knockers here, I've previously owned a Harley and can tell you "first hand" that they're a great bike, they don't leak oil, their electrics are good, they're very comfortable to ride long distances, and they're as reliable as any modern bike. If they weren't, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki wouldn't still be trying to copy them. If you knew (first hand) what you were talking about, you wouldn't knock them.
Also, if you'd read some of my posts, you'd also see my "how to paint a tank" thread, my "top end oiler" thread, pics of rearsets and fork braces that I've manufactured and sold to guys here, along with my oil pressure guages and oil cooler kits. Is that "put up" enough for you? What, exactly have you guys done, anyway?
And Tim, I must apologize that my oil cooler kits look like asss, you see I only machine the adapters from aircraft quality 6061-T6 aluminum billet, (well over 200 sold to date, many to other forum members here without one single complaint so far, check their "thank you" posts in the "Good People" threads, and elsewhere on this site) but the oil radiators and hoses I buy from American manufacturers like Hayden and Lockhart, so maybe you could tell them?
Of course, they might just conclude that you're a moron, seeing that they've sold millions, but hey, you might somehow open their eyes to the errors of their ways?
Now I didn't mention age having anything to do with your poor taste, or inability to build, own, or maintain your own bikes, in my experience, ineptitude is not limited to the inexperienced young, but it does seem that many of the younger members here have a real chip on their shoulders when it comes to "youthfull exuberance versus actual experience", which is a shame.
I have two sons in their 20's who I've taught how to (properly) paint, MIG weld, operate my lathe and mill, boring bar etc, and how to repair and maintain their own cars, and I don't ever remember them asking me to "put up, or shut up", based on a premise that with half my years and experience, they somehow have developed experience well beyond their years? Or it might just be that I need to turn my hearing aid up, do you think?
