Comments on: Biker Malady #1: Is There a Fix?

By: Charly

Charly — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:28:34 +0000

Farkles: Definition? Useful at times but not required… I ride a full dress Intruder 1500 and the only accessory I would add is a Tach. No Radios of any kind as they contribute to lack of attention i.e. riding safely. Besides I ride to get away from it all, not to take it with me. GPS, come on…if you can’t read a map you shouldn’t be out playing in traffic….besides, yet another distraction from paying attention to what’s happening around you like the music. Radar…simple. OBEY THE LAW…end of discussion. Kickstand pad?…sure I have one JIC. Drink holder? Yep, got one of those too. Cel phone holder? It should be turned off while riding so why would you need more than a pocket in your jeans? Loud pipes? Usless Farkle…Wastes gas and annoys everybody. Air Horn? – Great Farkle. Mustang Driver Back Rest? Wow, best farkle I got! Clock, great when it works. Saddlebags…a must for any rider who goes farther than around the block. Windshield? O’boy, can’ imagine suffering wind blast on long rides, or short ones. Besides, keeps the bugs off your teeth. Cruise Lock?…yep, my old wrist gets tired at times.

So, some farkles are a pleasure to have mounted while others like entertainment systems are very dangerous to have on a bike, or even in a car for that matter, we almost never turn ours on in the car either and our cel phones are always off, yes always!

Riding a motorcycle is for fun not for getting somewhere in a hurry. Fun is enjoying what’s around you, being a swivel head; not rolling down the road listening to some rock garbage or rap crap.

60 years of riding and a million miles in the saddle and still enjoying every “farkle” minute of it.

By: zg1286

zg1286 — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:19:02 +0000

My favorite accessory is GAS
My favorite farkle is my GPS
I ride a GL1800 and I belong to the Less Is More Non Chrome Society

By: David R.Young

David R.Young — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:12:26 +0000

If all the new farkles add to the safety and comfort of riding a motorcycle from A to Z then why not? As long as you don’t become preoccupied by them they will not be the end of you. All the gadgets that keep coming from the inventors are to make their mark, and to make them money.
My motorcycle is a bare bones 1976 KZ 900 with some upgrades for performance and reliability. (new coils, progressive springs in the front forks, front fork brace, extra ground wires, electronic ignition, a new voltage regulator-solid state without diodes, a 4 into 2 exhaust since the original pipes are almost $2000-way too much money, a new chain, a new timing chain, and the seat redone the original one was too soft).
Teams of engineers spend great periods of time to design and enhance the performance of a motorcycle. But some things do get better as the decades keep passing by. If they only do something to improve the attentiveness of car drivers, too many of them are oblivious to others, especially motorcyclists!!!

By: Ernest Curry

Ernest Curry — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:55:05 +0000

In July I made a trip from Missouri to Dallas TX on my ’06 Yamaha fjr 1300. As you know it has been HOT down there. Before my trip I knew I would need plenty to drink, so I devised a farkle for that. A large butter container with a hole cut in the lid and two magnets in the bottom held down with duct tape. ( I spray painted it flat black so it would look cool) Voila! A homemade magnetic cup holder. Using a large styrofoam Sonic cup and a straw, I had plenty of ice cold drink all day in the 100 degree heat.

By: Paul Trizonis

Paul Trizonis — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:13:34 +0000

Riding or day dreaming all day of riding is a serious disease. The biggest hurdle is convincing the spouse that ride time is an absolute requirement to go on living. This is one obsession I can live with. Not sure I ever owned a farkle but guess riding a 1981 Yamaha XT 550 for 22 yrs is pretty bare bones. Got a 98 Shadow but there is something about no shield , no add ons , just 325lbs of metal that has me clinging to the enduro bars every day. Had a BMW guy recently with way too much $ and farkles comment on my oil leaking , smoke belching , rough looking ride and it took all my control to not say , “little boy , go away before I beat you up and take that bike”. Love this forum and be safe out there.