A few questions about the Meanie et al...

[Lazer645]

SPOK,

Great, great pic!

Excellent!

[MeanGirl]

LOVE this picture Spok!

QUOTE=Spok]I took this picture last year while riding glacier national park. as you can see my stock mirrors are pretty smooth when riding

[/quote]

[MeanGirl]

Hey Tiger, I still have the stock pipes on my Meanie and they are definitely "neighborhood" friendly....a little too neighborhood friendly for me. I'll be swapping em out when I break in the motor (Cobra or V&H are my top choices). I recently swapped out my stock mirrors but it's been too frickin cold to take her on the road since I put the new mirrors on. They seems sturdy so don't know if I'll have any vibration (stock mirrors were clear of vibration).

[jnk]

Originally Posted by Spok

I took this picture last year while riding glacier national park. as you can see my stock mirrors are pretty smooth when riding

thats amazing the mirrors on my ms are neever that clear at some rpm's i can make out whats behind me but most of the time all i see is a blur

[Spok]

Originally Posted by jnk

thats amazing the mirrors on my ms are neever that clear at some rpm's i can make out whats behind me but most of the time all i see is a blur

well, it is a national park so the speed limit was like 35 or something, we wern't going all that fast

[MeanieRider]

Tiger 77 - I can't help but think that the vibration is due mostly to some of the aftermarket stuff the present owner put on the bike. I have on '03 with original pipes and stock engine, and there not much vibration at all. There's a little vibration when I'm stopped at a light - but I like it - it's the gentle pulse of a motorcycle. But the mirrors don't shake that much and when I'm riding the mirrors barely vibrate at all. And if its too loud for you - you might like the stock pipes. They still produce a nice rumble - it's just not particularly loud and as someone else said, their "neighborhood friendly".

[Tiger77]

Originally Posted by MeanieRider

Tiger 77 - I can't help but think that the vibration is due mostly to some of the aftermarket stuff the present owner put on the bike.

This is exactly my concern. I was somewhat afraid that he might have possibly installed something wrong (even though I think he had a dealership do the work). After the installation of the tornado air and the cobra pipes, maybe there should have been some additional adjustments to smooth it out a little. I thought this, but wasn't sure enough since I don't have a meanie already. That's why this board is so great.

[honestlyinsane]

I will attest that if you change the mirrors they are barely useable most of them are smaller then oem and they vibrate more .....hey but they look cool. I saved my stockers in case i ever get sick of the vibration.

As far as feeling the vibration should smoothen out as you are riding down the road.
he also may have his idle too low in order to get the sound he is looking for out of the motor.
they only thing I have change out for extra comfort is the seat, and just about everyone has made seat mods or replacements no matter what model they have because oem seat suck for comfort.
Not sure why but alot of people put risers on their handlebars . I have no problem with reach or stock footpeg location.

[accord_guy]

Originally Posted by honestlyinsane

I will attest that if you change the mirrors they are barely useable most of them are smaller then oem and they vibrate more .....hey but they look cool. I saved my stockers in case i ever get sick of the vibration.

As far as feeling the vibration should smoothen out as you are riding down the road.
he also may have his idle too low in order to get the sound he is looking for out of the motor.
they only thing I have change out for extra comfort is the seat, and just about everyone has made seat mods or replacements no matter what model they have because oem seat suck for comfort.
Not sure why but alot of people put risers on their handlebars . I have no problem with reach or stock footpeg location.

I put the risers on because my upper body weight during braking made
my wrists tired. The small adjustment was just enough to lighten the
pressure to almost nothing.

[bigjohnyeti]

Spok-just curious-who`s that in the mirror? By the way,that`s such a great shot I just put it as the background on my computer..
John

[Deeppurple52]

Don't shoot, it's just my opinion! I have over 40 years of riding experience on a wide variety of bikes. I have ridden every new model out there and that provides a basis to compare how they measure up. Of the 20 or so bikes we rode last year, the Meanie ranks in the bottom third on my list. It has killer style. If there is a better looking bike, I haven't seen one. But, the engine is very peaky with on or off power. This greatly exacerbates the shaft jacking problem at low speeds on rough roads, etc. My wife was the first up on it last year and did not enjoy it at all for the reasons mentioned above. When I took it out, my opinion was the same. It goes like hell but is a PITA in traffic, rough roads, or the parking lot. Five of us went back in October and each took two turns on the Meanie. We were unanimous that it wasn't the bike for us. That doesn't mean that it isn't a great bike for a lot of folks. The general comments from the owners here indicates that they love them. By the way, the M-109 is worse. The cycle mags generally agree that the peaky power of these two bikes detracts from the overall feel. Other bikes that we felt were downers were the VTX 1300 and 1800, all Buels, Sportster (dead last!). Again, this is only my opinion and I don't own one!
It sounds like you are looking for smooth and quiet. Those two attributes don't mix well with the Mean Streaks personality. Sitting on a bike ain't riding. To see if the bike suits your taste, you have to get it out on the road.
For those of you in AZ, Bike week is coming up at the end of March. It is an opportunity to ride a lots of different bikes.

[bikeaholic]

how bout a positive post of the bikes that are worth riding???

[Rocsmeanie]

Yeah, bikes with power will do that.

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by Deeppurple52

Don't shoot, it's just my opinion! I have over 40 years of riding experience on a wide variety of bikes. I have ridden every new model out there and that provides a basis to compare how they measure up. Of the 20 or so bikes we rode last year, the Meanie ranks in the bottom third on my list. It has killer style. If there is a better looking bike, I haven't seen one. But, the engine is very peaky with on or off power. This greatly exacerbates the shaft jacking problem at low speeds on rough roads, etc. My wife was the first up on it last year and did not enjoy it at all for the reasons mentioned above. When I took it out, my opinion was the same. It goes like hell but is a PITA in traffic, rough roads, or the parking lot. Five of us went back in October and each took two turns on the Meanie. We were unanimous that it wasn't the bike for us. That doesn't mean that it isn't a great bike for a lot of folks. The general comments from the owners here indicates that they love them. By the way, the M-109 is worse. The cycle mags generally agree that the peaky power of these two bikes detracts from the overall feel. Other bikes that we felt were downers were the VTX 1300 and 1800, all Buels, Sportster (dead last!). Again, this is only my opinion and I don't own one!
It sounds like you are looking for smooth and quiet. Those two attributes don't mix well with the Mean Streaks personality. Sitting on a bike ain't riding. To see if the bike suits your taste, you have to get it out on the road.
For those of you in AZ, Bike week is coming up at the end of March. It is an opportunity to ride a lots of different bikes.

Well, I own a Meanie, and while I don't agree with your opinion, your observations are really very accurate. The peakiness (is that a word?) of the engine is a characteristic rather than a flaw to me. Low speed and rough road handling do take some getting used to, thats is for sure. I am much bigger and considerably stronger than the average rider, so the small problems handling at low speed are sort of muted for me.

However, I feel that these things are always going to be a part of a bike that is meant for higher speed handling.

Most cruisers are a blend of comfort and style, and performance only happens by accident (or aftermarket..LOL). The Mean Streak is about style and performance. I guess its all about what you are after in a bike. I don't think anything is more personal than the decision of what bike is right for you.

I have only ridden 6 or 7 different bikes, but I can say that your analysis is pretty accurate. The VTX's are definitely worse than the Mean Streak. I rode a 1500 Classic once, and while it was very smooth and comfortable, I found it very lacking in personality.

Its all about what makes you happy!

[Targetbuster]

I'll chime in just because I have had the opportunity to own a MS and 800A and a Nomad. Matter of fact I have all three at present. The difference between the Nomad and the MS is hardly describable. The MS is definitely a lighter bike that, compared to the Nomad, has much more vibration. I doubt that if your looking for smooth and quiet, you'll really be happy with it. Like one other person said, "tradeoffs". It also rides more firmly than a classic roadbike and is harder on the bum (even with custom seat) than the Nomad. Styling is great but you do pay in some ways. Now don't take this to mean I don't like it. It is really fun to twist the throttle and go through the twisties because it flat will do that. But all riding is different depending on the bike your on. I'd highly advise riding a Nomad before making the choice. Even if you don't like the looks of the Nomad, do it anyway. You need to know the difference. JMHO
One other thing, I have not felt the "peaky power" mentioned in other posts on either the MS, the 800 or the Nomad. Power delivery seems fairly smooth but it is a "torqey" bike. Throttle response is what I would call very good. And while I understand the "shaft jacking" issue, I really don't think it is a really big deal. I have no problems at all at low speed but I feather the clutch and that probably eliminates some of that effect.

[azchick]

My Meanie is fine with the stock pipes... I am surprised that they rumble a bit. My right mirror started to vibrate too much when it loosened once... but when it's tightened right there is very little vibration... (that blurs out the view completely)

[honestlyinsane]

peaky power ??????
you are kidding right....this bike is tame
For some that has ridden all models take a ride on zx12r you will see what a touchy throttle is........if you are looking to ride a couch yeah this isn't your bike....but for me the bike is perfect cause I always hated cruisers until the meanstreak and when the wife and I were shopping I told her it was this cruiser or no cruiser.....its all about what you want.

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by honestlyinsane

peaky power ??????
you are kidding right....this bike is tame
For some that has ridden all models take a ride on zx12r you will see what a touchy throttle is........if you are looking to ride a couch yeah this isn't your bike....but for me the bike is perfect cause I always hated cruisers until the meanstreak and when the wife and I were shopping I told her it was this cruiser or no cruiser.....its all about what you want.

I think what I notice most with my Meanie is that its got a very narrow range of RPM where the power exists. Anywhere else, its kind of weak. Learning to keep it in the right RPM range is important.


As you say, nothing compared to a sport bike, but the power with the mean Streak seems to come on and off sort of quickly. Definitely moreso than other cruisers.

[Rocsmeanie]

It's a cruiser with decent power.
Better than most, less than others. But it can sure handle.

[Paganstreak]

Have to disagree about the shaft jacking issue. If you want to experience shaft jacking sit and rev or ride a BMW. I have owned three shafties; a VMAX, an ST1300 and the M/S and have ridden a few others and to me the Meanstreak has the least jacking effect, especially given its torque.
Dan