Harley Davidson.

Marty is right in that car operators cannot see motorcycles or scooters until the last minute(sorry, i forgot this FACT).
How many times have you had a scooter or motorcycle pass you just to frighten you BC you didn`t even see it coming??
I guess since there hasn`t been any device to silently inform cars of a 2 wheeled presence, loud pipes are (for now) the only option(anybody have other suggestions!).

I still don`t think people LIKE loud noise no matter where it comes from!
For instance, not everyone enjoys your taste in music.

My problem with motorcycles is the driver who feels he is beyond the law. Driving down the center stripe in order to bypass traffic won't hunt. And put a muffler on that puppy. :-X

To add to my previous comments. If your moral compass allows you to do illegal things because they are "accepted" or because your chances of being caught seem small, well, that is the sort of person you are. I am sorry. Illegal is illegal.

Moral Compass. What the h#ll are you talking about ? I happen to hold the highest level security clearance one can hold . My compass is aligned properly,I always try to not infringe upon others. I can see that you can't resist being one to always push your point until others follow. Not a follower here.

You live your idealistic life because people like me do what you can't or wont. I do not go around trying to draw attention to myself,no matter where I am at. Just because it is loud does not mean I rev all over the place or crank the stereo so that everyone can hear it . I guess you are another future customer down.

Has anyone tried S-1 products on chrome ?

If I do as I would like to,all of the whiners and ethics police stay the heck away. To the rest of you,nothing but respect and love.

As far as riding lines, lets just say that a nice Harley is expensive and oh they are also air cooled,so they don't like to be tied up in stop and go traffic. They can take some,quite a bit actually but after a while it is hard to sit on a $ 5000.00 motor,yes that is correct just the motor by it's self and watch it go up in smoke.

Most get 42 plus miles per gallon and are fun to ride. I would ask people who are opposed to them. What do you do for the enviorment and conserving energy ? What kind of mileage does that old Island car get ? How much smog does it pollute ? How much oil does it burn and leak ? I happen to have way to much money in my ride to let it leak and run like crap.

chockman: I was not referring to you.

Moral Compass. What the h#ll are you talking about ? I happen to hold the highest level security clearance one can hold .

That is one of the most amusing statements I have read on this forum! At my last job everyone had a Q clearance, and I found the morals among the folks working on the Star Wars project to represent the moral diversity among the population in general. When investigating an applicant for a top secret security clearance, background investigations tend to be limited to checking for a criminal record, and interviewing friends/neighbors/coworkers/family to ferret out any secrets you may have that could be used to blackmail you. The good folks at the FBI may pay lip service to morals, but they know people with a top secret clearance are expected on occasion to lie about their work -- and worse. You may be the most upstanding individual on the planet, but your badge is not evidence that you have a working moral compass.

Sorry east ender. Dntw8uup you are correct and know the Q,system well.

I don't believe we have the law making a motorcycle have the same rules as a car and not be allowed to ride the line.
Regarding the noise; has the police gotten their meters yet? They could be used on a daily basis around here.

A motorcycle here is supposed to follow the same rules as any other motor vehicle in traffic. There is nothing in the code specific to motorcycles that designates lane-splitting as legal (California is the only place in the U.S. where this is legal, to my knowledge), so bikes are legally required to follow all the same traffic rules as cars.

I believe this is the law that actually makes lane-splitting illegal, but it might fall under § 492. Operating motor vehicles in reckless manner, if the officer who wanted to give you a ticket was in a bad mood. 😉

§ 495. Meeting; passing; turning; signals

(a) Upon all highways or streets of sufficient width a vehicle shall be driven upon the left half of the highway or street, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or when an obstruction exists making it necessary to drive to the right of the center of the highway or street, or when driving on a one-way street. No motor vehicle shall overtake and pass another motor vehicle on a curve, at the intersection of another road, or when approaching the top of a hill. No motor vehicle shall overtake and pass another vehicle in violation of traffic control signals, road stripings or markings. If there are no signals, road stripings or markings, no motor vehicle shall overtake and pass another unless the road ahead is clear of other vehicles, pedestrians or other obstructions for a distance of not less than 200 feet. The driver of a vehicle overtaking and passing another vehicle shall do so on the right side at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the left side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.

Guys you are all correct,lane splitting except in California is illegal. I don't do it. However if there is a shoulder on the road I will slow way down well away from other vehicle and proceed very slowly. But I do know that road shoulders on St Croix are few and far between.

How is the traffic in Christianstead these days ? The last time were there we rented a car,it did have AC. As you drove through town heading to point Udall the traffic slowed way down to a crawl.

chockman,
Bring your ride down here and ride it like you stole it.

Lizard,I may get 1st or 2nd gear maybe 3rd on a good day. I have driven on St Croix so to say the least I would be riding very defensively.

As far as riding lines, lets just say that a nice Harley is expensive and oh they are also air cooled,so they don't like to be tied up in stop and go traffic. They can take some,quite a bit actually but after a while it is hard to sit on a $ 5000.00 motor,yes that is correct just the motor by it's self and watch it go up in smoke.

Translation. Baby boomer easy rider wannabes have driven up the prices of poorly engineered archaic piece of junk. Modern water cooled bikes have no such limitations, aren't built loose as a goose so they don't seize at the smallest opportunity

Most get 42 plus miles per gallon and are fun to ride. I would ask people who are opposed to them. What do you do for the enviorment and conserving energy ? What kind of mileage does that old Island car get ? How much smog does it pollute ? How much oil does it burn and leak ? I happen to have way to much money in my ride to let it leak and run like crap.

Motorcycles as a group (newer bikes with smog controls excluded) are extremely dirty compared to a car or light truck

Michael. I have the latest in Wide band O2 sensors technology. I control all the fuel injection curves on the bike as far as remapping is concerned. 1 USB cable and a laptop.

What are you driving ? My newer technology is an 08 Silverado with all the smog BS. Are you still running a carb ?

LOL I knew that would get a response. 😀

On land Subaru Forrester.
Multipoint F.I.
Transports 5 people in air condition comfort at 28 MPG = 140 passenger miles per gallon.
No noise to bother my neighbors.
My preferred mode of transportation is sailboat.
Solar panels make our electricity. Watermaker makes potable water. Sun makes hot water for shower. No pollution, no WAPA. Oars or sails power the dingy - only pollution is from my sweaty body though that get pretty intense at time LOL.

No Noise to bother my neighbors? You are only talking about Land & Sea Transportation right.

So I guess you would be dependent upon someone else to pull it out of the water. 5 people in a Subaru,I wouldn't try that here. They have been know to be a good car.

I could not do the live aboard thing. The main reason is we can't afford the Yacht it would take for the dogs to have their own private beach.. One is very old and not looking good today. The other three are all the same, Cane Corso's 120 pounds each. But I can promise that no one unwanted will board your vessel. I like all boats,but once speed gets in your blood it never leaves.

A person just has to know how and when to make noise,so they don't bother their neighbors. Run a lawn mower at 6 am and I won't be a happy camper. If a person does not like noise at all,I would suggest that they move far away from others and be completely self sustained.

My wife is a big solar freak. I have seen postings on here where people are trying to push their products but are there any home owners on St Croix who have invested in the cost, and if they did how did it all hold up during a storm.

Lizard, it sounds like you know this cat.

Chockman,
Don't know him, only from this forum. I think it's kinda funny with the limited amount of motorcycles on any of the USVI people will complain. The noise , riding the center lane, easy rider wannabes, it's kinda funny that the majority of the foreign cruse motorcycles try to copy the look and the sound of a Harley with their knock off models. When you have to explain to a vespa rider the mystic of a Harley they wouldn't understand. Harley also has a healthy resale value that the competition doesn't. I also don't think the twin cam or the evo was archaic engineering. I forgot Harley does have a liquid cooled engine V-Rod, The competition has liquid cooled engines not water cooled.

Jeep Wranglers have a very good resale value as well, and as good as their resale is their reliability is some of the worst. There are many people out there that will buy somethin cause it's pretty to them whether or not its actually a good product is another thing. I don't see the point of bikes here. There no where to ride, it'd be the same thing all the time and with the sharp curves and bad roads and rain it would be dangerous. Not to mention the expensive insurance and the constant maintenance. Its an individual choice for sure but I don't think people are complaining as much as pointing out its not the best life style choice with the virgin islands.

Betty.
I mentioned the complaints from this thread only. I didn't read anything about life style choice with the virgin islands.. If you have the ability and want to ride, stx is your best choice for a cruse or touring bike out of the three islands. Insurance is cheaper on the island and what constant maintenance are you talking about. I have had motorcycles all my life, from Triumphs, BSA, Norton , Ducati, and Harley's. The Harley's of today do not require the maintenance the older era bikes did. Just like a car they trouble shoot with a computer today not by ear. I believe all the old school riders would agree with me. There are sharp curves, bad roads and rain on the mainland. to each his own.

Uh do you own a bike on island?? They will break down. Most don't do well just with the shipping. There's no one with a computer to fix these things. There's one guy over by Hess (very old school) and Nissan will only fix there own bikes. The other bike shop keeps going in and out of business, last I heard they were out. My insurance was very far from cheaper on island. Bikes here will rust and fall apart quicker, you need to be handy to have one here. If you're not handy you better have a pick up to take it in. I totally said its an individual choice but its definitely not the best or easiest choice for the islands. Its fun for sure but in my experience it became much more of a headache here then enjoyment. Also you will have to be very careful with it and hopefully be able to put it inside at nice. Its better for the bike and they steal them like crazy.

Betty,
Nope, don't own a bike that's on the island. however I do own a 2000 Harley Ultra Classic which is housed in NJ. It's stored 9 months out of the year with a bat tender.. Starts every time, Routine maintenance every 7000 miles every ten thousand miles I change the back tire every twenty thousand (20000) miles I change both front and back tires. The computer is hand held for diagnostic testing. When stored I don't drain any fluids and fill up the gas tank for condensation with no fuel additives. I put 40lbs of pressure in the rear tire and 36 in the front tire and keep it on the side stand. I use NU Finish Formula not wax on paint and chrome and cover it with a sheet. I pump my air in the rear shocks with a hand held pump, I change all the fluids required,and the oil in the front shock. I live in a condo on the island and only have two outside parking spaces No garage available for me. I know as a fact that Bikes are crated for shipment land or sea and arrive undamaged. Insurance for my bike in NJ is $1,550.00 PA Last years quote from Marshall Sterling for same coverage was $640.00 on STX. I can do most repairs myself except top end work, but I can pull the engine crate it and ship it out if necessary. I don't bring my ride down to the islands because at my age I have slowed downed. If I were younger I would rent a garage to park it. I use a motorcycle for pleasure today not as a means of daily transportation. I see a lot of boats parked here (STX) and they are used for pleasure as well. Again I say to each his own.

This entire conversation is so telling of the human experience.

When people have nothing to argue about, they will find something new to argue about.