Thanks mate, I went today and measured a 1200 with mid-set pegs (folded up), taking the brake and gear levers as the widest part: 60cm.  To the gate's 63.  

 

Given the gate is rotting, maybe I do need to do the landlord a good turn and 'rebuild' it for him....  

 

I was talking to a mate who returned to Melbourne today from six months on the mines.  He's a talented bike fabricator (boiler maker etc by trade) and he's ready to get into some good projects. We were talking about this: 

 

im in coburg, like you late 19th century single front workers cottage type thing, lucky though, we still have the old cobble lane at the back, its a pain in the arse, but at least it gets it off the st.

but.. if someone wants it.. theyll take it. My pristine Suzuki RGV, with full race system was stolen from a secure underground carpark, my sporty gets parked in the city during the day on a main thouroughfare, so far ive had both tyres let down and glue smeared all over the paintwork.. meh..

I reckon any bike on the street attracts a risk.

Personally,  mine spends every night under lock 'n' key but when I am out I just walk away into the pub, club, mates house etc and let the alarm do its work without locking the steering or ignition switch and the immobilizer does the job. even got my current H-D Softie set to keyless ignition.

Alwys done the same thing from Shovel (but had to turn ignition off and take key on them)  until now and rarely  locked steerring and aint had a problem but no way i'd leave it on the street night after night in the same spot.

I reckon doesn't matter whether it was a H-D , YamaHoZuki or whatever like soemone said here some clown would just as likely push it over or fall off it pissed just being a tough guy sitting on it for a pose.

 Mat 

Getting off netrider i see at long last mate.

let me say a Harley can lane split better than a CB250 or any postie bud its called turning circle i defy anyone to outride a sporty down a packed inner suburban street. full stop.

The back yard it is at the least mate.

Do not park anything you care for on the street mate and i defy anyone that has owned a Harley tweaked it modded it spannered on it chewed the fat about it etc etc to NOT get emotional about its welfare. 

Insurance is cheap yes do i ever want to put it in a position where it may be needed no bloody way. 

You will love it Mat 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Hello Brucey, small world!

 

I've been surfing the ads tonight, there's a few nice examples of Sportsters out there for my price, including 1200s.  I really want mid-set pegs though, which narrows it. 

 

 

Regarding the issue keeping bikes on the street, I've regularly had to do it over the years (regularly had no yard, only ever commuted by bike).  I've never really had a problem, though I used to stress over my SR500 because it wasn't insured for street storage (but I had no choice but to risk it or give it up - kind of the same situation with a HD, but for different reasons now: I haven't mentioned that cars regularly and illegally park in the back lane, blocking me in, which is a stress I don't need - I wanna get on my bike and get to work without hassles).  The other bike's were less desirable or less near to my heart (not that I could afford to lose any of them at the time).  As I say, I've never really had a problem, despite the area resembling the last days of Rome on a weekend night.  Again, a good lock, but a lock that holds the bike to the pole.  And the bike always aligned to the pole beside the seat, so it's hard to get on the bike.  And always a cover straight on the bike, and if I'm feeling paranoid, with the cover tied on.  I've not used a motion sensor but I'll use that too.  The key is to provide enough psychological barriers to the drunks, and to keep it out of anybody's eyes.  In over a decade of street parking, the worst that's happened is a $10 bike cover was stolen.  So I'm confident with keeping a bike on the street.  I was just concerned that the marque, which is new to me, might create a different situation.  Sounds like that's not the case though.  Sports bikes and dirt bikes are more commen fare for the thief.  I guess the $330 per annum street-parked insurance says it all....

 

Thanks for the input All.  I'm still undecided between the two bikes (bike buying has never been so agonising) which means, I guess, that whichever one I buy is the right one. 

 

 

 

 

Chain a bad arse German Shepard to it!!

  Goodness gracious me......cant believe this thread is still running hot ..... if its a harley, or a postie bike, or a second hand toaster or even a broken yoyo its gunna go missing if it's not secured proper. 

Will it fit through the front door? Steps, build a ramp/planks. I'd sleep a lot better if my bike was IN the house. Alarms are bullshit, the stock ones anyway. A dealer showed a mate how to disarm his, just pulled the right fuse out.  

Forgive my ignorance here but has any of our members had their bike actually stolen? It looks like we're all doing a good job at security as there are thousands of bikes stolen every year. Maybe Harleys are just too heavy to steal easily. Before I got my first Harley 9 years ago I checked with the insurance company and they had only had 1 stolen in the previous year in WA. I was very surprised. Trail bikes are easy to steal and hard to trace if unregistered.

I think there were some bikes stolen at a HOG Rally a few years ago? 

Leaving any bike outside in the cruel world that you care about would be hard to do, especially a harley sportster, or a beautiful looking w650, and on that subject buying a small harley can sometimes cost you a lot more money as there is a major temptation to upgrade very quickly to a bigger model, if i was going to park a bike out on the street i would make sure it was not very appealing to the eye (but had a lot of hidden grunt)  and yes theft is a big issue, your bike would have to be very secure and dont forget you cant put a cover on until the thing cools down

I wouldn't live in a place where I had to park me bike on the street. Fuck that. I wouldn't sleep properly at night with a bike out the front. My bike was first when house/flat hunting. If it didn't have a shed, I wouldn't live there. Or if the bike fitted through the back/front door,cool. Otherwise, fuck that. It's the choice of where to live for the bike' sake. Ha, a flat in Cronulla I lived at,had a lockable shed, was cheap and done the job.Couldn't have a dog their,but the sawnoff and M1 Carbine was "extra" security. Glad I never used it,fark,silly c**t!!! I wasn't too rapped about the upstairs flat shitter leaking down the wall occasionally in the kitchen though. (behind my ol "weighed a ton" fridge that had a block of wood under one corner so it wouldn't fall over and an occy strap around it to stop it opening!) But I put up with it for a coupla years while waiting for an insurance (3rd party) claim.   Claim happened,paid the softy off, and bought a split level house, with a double lock up garage underneath my bedroom,happy as. And a Great DaneBoxerBullterrierBullMastiff cross puppy and called him  Brain. Pissed the guns off.           

I feel for you guys that have no choice in the matter but to lock up ya bike out front, that's nerve wrecking stuff!!      PS: I used to put empty tins (1/2 doz?)of any sort under the bike cover, couple on the seat and some elsewhere on the bike. When the cover is removed by "unknown persons" the tins will make a hell of a noise when they are dislodged and fall off and hit the cement or whatever.The noise should at least make stealers bolt !   

Fuckin luv that one chimney,what a classic. I wouldn't go to that extreme but it sure sounds good. Ouch!!