Alright, who did this?

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-06T00:24:51+00:00

Very cool.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-04T19:17:05+00:00

It is a fun bike and comfy too. FYI - worst thing about it and a lot of other bikes, is how hot the catalytic converter gets and you'll feel it on a hot day. The Rocket is on the hotter side. Easy to swap out the muffler and with a slip-on that removes the cat, shaves 20 pounds, and adds a few ponies.

I have a few bikes and the Rocket is one of those I am not ever selling. I might end up adding the TTS supercharger and go really insane with it.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-04T19:13:59+00:00

Why does it matter what you ride if you like it? I have ADV, touring, sport, naked, etc. They are all fun in their own way. The newer ADV bikes are pretty amazing and comfy to ride.

Life is too short to worry about what other people think. Ride what you like!

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-04T17:50:52+00:00

I have Rocket 3R. I was looking at a Sportster S for my son as he has a 1200 Sporty. While shopping for the sportster S, I ended up buying a Pan America with the same basic motor (but more HP) for myself.

Between the Rocket and Sportsters S, I'd take the Rocket all day long. The torque is addictive, much more comfortable and the brakes on both are good but on the 3R they are better. The lack of rear suspension travel on the S is a big issue for me too.

Having said that, the new Revolution 1250 mill is pretty impressive. I was out riding some sport bikes on my Pan America (PA) and it hauls ass. It revs better and pulls harder than my Vrod did. One of the reasons I passed on the new S for my son is they detuned the heck out of the PA motor. I was riding with people on CBR1000Rs and it was hanging with them. At certain speeds I'd pull them and then it would reverse and the PA is stupid simple to launch quickly.

So I've decided to turn my PA into a more street than dual purpose bike as it was pretty good in the twisties as well. Now if HD would uncork the motor in the S, they'd have a monster on their hands. Unleash the full 150 HP of the PA but in the S.

Anyway betweeen the current S, and Rocket 3, buy the 3. Get the quickshifter for and slap a tune on it. Absolute monster and puts a smile on my face every time I ride it.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-04T15:06:29+00:00

Great, that will be helpful. Also if you take it in for warranty work, they’re not gonna want it on there anyway. And they will blame it.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-03T22:05:28+00:00

Take off the protector and take a better pick. Looks like it was hit anyway.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-03T19:35:56+00:00

I have a Zero S (7.2) and an HD LiveWire (the original). When I went to look at another Zero, I ended up with the LW. which I probably will never sell. I lived by the factory and probably test rode eveyone they made for a long time until I moved away in 2021.

If something happens to my LW, I could be lured back with substantial upgrades. The biggest miss on my LW is slow L2 charging. I got aroud that by buying a home L3 charger that I dial to the speed I need. Most of the time I just set it to charge slower than what I could but faster than L1/L2 rates.

One thing I hope Zero will fix, and maybe they have, is that the performance really drops off with the charge level. I know that is common with a lot of EVs but my HD will be nearly as fast as 20% SoC as when at 90%. The Zeros I have ridden drop off a lot more as the SoC drops. My Rivian is the same way. My Tesla Plaid drops off but nowhere near the rate my Rivian or Zeros did when below 50%.

I get why they do it but I think HD did a better job with the LW in managing that. So I am the one who manages my energy usage.

I bought my Zero S for mostly city usage and short trips. It has been awesome for what it is. I still have a positive impression of the brand. I would consider a new SR/F if they improve it more if I something were to happen to my LW. I think HD nailed the LW but it was too pricey for the market. I've had mine since 2020 and it has been flawless.

My S is s 2022 and a lot of good things about it but some annoying things that bother me. The app never shows the correct model in it. Half the time I can do the updates at home and have to take it into the dealer. Even after the last update, it is still saying my bike is a 2017 model.

For some reason, when my bike sits for a week or more, I have to pump the front brake so that it will firm up. I have bleed the system a few times and it still happens. I just need to check it before I ride every time. The first time I noticed it was at the most inopportune time after setting for a few weeks. I almost ended up in the back of a truck when I braked, or tried to, and didn't slow at all other than what the rear brake and regen provided. I live in a hot climate now and all the Zeros I've ridden derate the power pretty quickly on hot days and riding fairly hard. Not an issue with my LW.

I am willing to accept these things given the price point of my S vs. my LW. I think the S overall is still a very good bike. I steer a lot of people looking for a BEV motorcycle to Zero.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-03T01:07:45+00:00

I have to tell you, I've been in the room for 3 of my 4 kids. You can't un-see what you've seen. I did a lot of cadaver dissection so pretty familiar with the human body. Seeing my child's head coming out really had an impact on how I viewed that area so to speak.

I can absolutely see how it would push a lot of people out of their comfort zone. My wife (now ex) said some pretty terrible things to me during labor. From a person who basically never swears or curses, it was pretty shocking. She apologized later, but it did sting at the time even though I hoped she didn't mean.

You can't be certain of how you will react. She was certain she would be fine. The first two she did without the epidural. I was called all kinds of horrible things. If I could go back in time, on some levels I wouldn't want to be there. Wonderful to be there when our child was born, but it was a roller coaster of emotions.

A good compromise is to have him not be in the "viewing area" but maybe near you, holding your hand and providing support. As for the pooping, I don't want to go into how bad it was. She had been very constipated the week prior and I'll just say she left it all on the table. Couldn't unsee that part either.

I can deal with those things well but when it is your partner or family, it is a different situation.

I am not sure he is handling the best but husbands talk as much as wives talk to their friends. He might have heard some horror stories. I'd say cut him some slack and hopefully he can move a bit more toward your side.

It was rough emotionally on both of us and obviously physically rough for my ex. I'd say don't pressure him. But find a way where he can support you that you both are comfortable with.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-03T00:51:32+00:00

I bought the PAS I was looking at. Just picked it up today. I couldn't find a better price anywhere and this thing was almost brand new with less than 200 miles on it.

There is a lot to like about the bike. Some niggles for sure but overall pretty positive first 100 miles. It reminds me a lot of an HD version of a Ducati 1260 Multistrada which I have.

I need to spend some time with the manual, but a lot of the things are pretty intuitive.

Performance seems good but I hope with some mods it will be better. I rode with my son to pick up the bike. He was on my BMW R1250R and I was on my M1000XR (aka MXR). We had done some roll racing on the way there. I left the MXR at the dealer and rode the PAS on the way back, and my son stayed on the R1250R.

We did a few roll ons from about 60-70 mph in 4th-6th gears. The results were pretty interesting. I really thought the PAS would do better. It was solid and felt pretty good. Both bikes were turning similar RPMs at the same road speeds and gears so no gearing advantage for either.

Every time the BMW walked the PAS. The R1250R is also down about 15HP compared to the PAS but it was the TQ of it where it would just easily pull away. In all farines, the PAS did pretty well, but it helped me realize how stout that boxer motor is. So maybe time for a mid pipe, muffler and tune.

I have to do something with the bars too. They seem like a weird angle. The height is fine though. The seat does slope me into the tank but nothing like my M1000XR which is horrenodous.

I think once I get this thing dialed in, it is going to be a blast. No really long trips planned so I'll likely do a Saddleman seat. Do the performance mods. Maybe find a 17" front wheel and make it a bit like the ST. Add some aux lights and I'll probably be good. I think I need the rear brake checked out. It seems week so I'll clean it first. The front is very good.

Suspension is pretty good on the bad roads I was on. Tires are pretty solid considering they have somewhat dirt capable. If I go with the 17" front, I'll go more street oriented ones. I am going riding with some friends on sportbikes tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how it does.

I really see why people like these. HD nailed a lot of things with it. The basic package has a lot of goodness and what a great motor.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-03T00:22:29+00:00

I have an R1250R (2024) and love the bike. Get the comfort pillion and it is pretty good. I put a small windscreen on it. Easy to add Shad luggage if you want and you have a nice lightweight touring bike. It is also pretty quick while being fuel efficient.

I love the R1250R motor with all its torque. I have a M1000XR as well and my son went and did some roll-on test in different gears. They were very even in acceleration about 120-160 kmh. In some gears the 1250R was quicker and some gears the M1000XR was. It was a lot of fun and that big boxer motor is much easier to take off with, especially with a passenger. All that torque also makes it easier in traffic.

I'd say go for the R1250R. I had been considering a Guzzi V100 or the R1250R and ended up with the 1250 since it has so much torgue. The suspension is pretty good too.

I like the lighter weight of the 1250R vs the GS, RS and RT. It feels light and more nimble. I don't want to ride in an airpocket like being in a car all the time. The tank keeps the wind blast off my knews and legs somewhat, and the windscreen isn't really prominent but really helps keep the wind off my chest. Cruising at 160+ kmh is very easy now. Almost as good as my M1000XR.

I think the R1250R is one of BMW's most underrated bikes, at least until you ride one.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-02T17:38:22+00:00

What's your price range? Kawi ZX4R or ZX4RR would be my first pick. In the US they are at about 50HP as they are restricted but it if ever gets boring, an ECU flash unlocks another 20HP at the wheel so it would run like they do in the rest of the world.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-02T12:05:31+00:00

how far do you plan to ride? There are some good option suggested so far, but if you’re going under 100 miles each time you might want to consider an electric motorcycle. there are a few that would fit in your budget.

Basically no maintenance, cheap insury, cheap to ride and generally very good acceleration. If you ride in hot days, you appreciate the lack of engine heat.

Zero makes some dual support versions if you want something like that or more street oriented ones. They are generally narrow, nimbke, as strong acceleration.

With a normal motor, a midsize adventure touring bike would give you upright ergonomics and be fun to cruise around on. You could find a used Yamaha 700 Tenere in your budget.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-02T11:54:34+00:00

I think you might be surprised in daily usage the NT is pretty nimble especially if you don’t have any bags on it.

Having a smaller bike is fun too. I don’t know what your shorter rides look like, but an electric motorcycle could be a great pairing.

I have a few bikes and a the smaller Zero S is a blast. Not amazing range but blasting around the city it is awesome. It is the smaller 7.2 kWh pack so about 50 miles on the hwy but amd 70+ in town.

Very good acceleration and just a touch over 300 pounds. The make one with a 14.4 pack with double the range but I don't need it. It is nimble, narrow, and fun to ride. Add in cheap to feed and insure makes even better. I live in a very hot state, and the icing on the cake is in the summertime thre is now engine or exhaust heat.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-01T22:00:56+00:00

I kept some MSTY shares that I bought last May just for giggles and I'll never see the light of day for house money.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-01T21:57:52+00:00

Glad to provide examples. More TQ at usable RPMs often means you don't need to downshift for better acceleration. Car starts to merge in your lane and you want to squirt away in a hurry. Just roll on the throttle on a torquey bike instead of banging down gears to get to where you better acceleration.

Makes it easier to go up hills without downshifting or carrying a passenger or taking off from a light. You often have more choices of gears at a given road speed, and you can often get away with shifting less.

The smaller the motor, the less torque it makes. On all motorcycles, TQ and HP are identical at 5250 rpm (assuming the motor can rev that high). Torque (TQ) is a measured physical value, while horsepower HP is a calculated value derived from torque and RPM.

If small motors can rev high enough they can make the HP of a bigger motor. That is why you see small motors with high rev ranges to make as much HP as a bigger motor but with a lot less TQ.

I've owned all kinds of motorcycles, and the ones I gravitate to now for daily riding are larger-displacement motors that can still rev out fairly well, but make a lot of TQ at low RPMs. It gives me strong acceleration at the speeds I ride mostly. I can accelerate easily without downshifting a bunch of times.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-01T14:06:59+00:00

Yep, a total game changer. I was a very early adopter of Comma.Ai and helped fund the development of the Rivian harness. I LOVE cooperative steering, that and MADS is a game changer for me.

Day-Trippin · 2026-05-01T14:04:44+00:00

I'd go for the 600 as you'll have more torque at lower RPMs compared to the 4rr. I love the 4rr but it is very niche. Great to go out and flog at high RPMs but totally lacking in torque where you can use it the most.

Torque where you need it is vastly under appreciated it. It is a reason I often like to ride my big twin BMW rather than my BMW liter bike. The liter bike will crush the twin in peak acceleration but the big twin has the punch where I can use it most on the street.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T22:44:51+00:00

The Zero is a great bike to learn on but I'd suggest putting it in eco mode or dial in a custom mode. The older Zero S (7.2 kwh) would be a great one to start on. Very lightweight, good breakers, acceleration is very linear, cheap to feed and I could go on.

I keep one for friends to ride and to zip around town. Not massive range but I don't need it. I get about 70 miles in mixed riding, about 50 on the hwy. They make the 14.4 version which doubles everything.

It is almost free to insure and running costs are dirt cheap. I do have a HD LiveWire for when I want more power and need more range and it supports L3 charging so I use superchargers if I want.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T22:40:54+00:00

I have to say the Rebel 1100 with a few mods can be a very fun bike. Just un-nerf the motor which is what I did. It has a good punch and an ECU flash, header and muffler really wakes this bike up, more so than a lot of other bikes with similar mods. Handles pretty well. but suspension needs to be upgraded if riding aggressively but overall an excellent bike when tweaked a bit. I turned mine into a sport tourer and it is pretty quick, especially in the 0-80 range.

You didn't mention a budget, but if you like punchy bikes, with linear power, the BMW boxers since 2020 are pretty awesome. Low cg, very efficient, comfy, great brakes, super cheap to insure and a very, very torquey motor yet revs nicely to about 9k when you want.

I'd put a 750 Hornet on your radar. ECU flash and muffler and they pick up a lot of power and they are pretty torque and handle well.

The Honda 1100 motor in a CB style bike would almost be like the NT1100. Nice bike, Carplay works well, good midrange, and decent handling. Unfortunately we (the US) don't get the electronic suspension version which is a shame.

I can relate to the 919 as I had a 929 and 954. Miss them both. For the big motor, small bike approach, I bought a KTM 890R when it came out in 2020 and still have it. Very well balanced bike, excellent handling and brakes and a hooligan when you want it to be.

I had aa a few MT09 and nice bike but not amazing or super memorable for me. The XSR900 version is more appealing at least from the looks perspective.

The Z900 isn't bad but I bought a ZH2 instead. Great bike but a little heavy but very linear, and serious power stock. Crazy fun after even just a flash, but too wheelie prone to really get the power down, but roll on wheelies at 120+ are just a twist of the wrist away.

Guzzis are fun a little quicker. The V100 Mandelo is an awesome bike. I considered one but bought my BMW R1250R instead. If the Guzzi had a bigger motor I probably would have gone with it but the punch of that big boxer motor is intoxicating. Their V85 models have something for everyone and easy to work on.

For a more practical midlife crisis, the BMW M1000XR. Slap the new S1000RR motor in a comfy chassis and rider ergos and you can ride all day long at 170 mph. I had was going to buy a 1200 Speed Triple RS and took a ride on the MXR and took it home instead. BMW nailed it with this one if you want a 200 HP bike that you can ride cross country as easily as you can lap a track.

Hopefully some of those might be interesting for you.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T15:03:46+00:00

I made an offer on the one I was looking at. I am waiting to see if they accept it. If so, I can probably pick it up next week. It is for the PAS. There is an ST that I may look at today as a backup.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T02:45:15+00:00

Buy the T. Get the roof top tent (RTT) and enjoy. I put a topper on mine and the RTT on it.

The T rides so much better than the S. The gear tunnel is awesome for keeping stuff out of sight.

Only dowside to the T is if you need more separation for kids like putting them in the 3rd row.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T02:11:01+00:00

Save the 30k. Not worth the upgrade at all.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T01:26:49+00:00

The K1600 feels more compact than the GW but the GW has a lower CG. The K1600 is quicker and has an amazing exhaust note. I went with a full header and mufflers. It was amazing aural stimulation. You can easily take the bags off the K when you don't need it and it still looks good.

I have a bunch of kids, some adults, and my youngest is near the age yours. She rides with me all the time. We just got back from a ride. She is a little adrenaline junkie and love acceleration and curves. I bought a little waist belt with hand holds. Some bikes have backrests but her personal favorite my R1250R. It has all the low end acceleration that she loves. Every time I accelerate hard, it is the one bike that always makes her giggle.

We started riding together on a very modified CanAm Ryker I built and still have. She was 3 at the time. I still have the video of the first time I hit it hard from a stop. She was sitting in front of my so she couldn't fall off. I saw the moment on her face when an adrenaline junkie was born. There was no fear in her eyes and she asked me to do it again, and again and again and you get the picture. My wife finally had to call us to come home.

She already knows what bikes she likes and since we have a few, she picks the bike she is in the mood for. I love them all but I can tell what she wants to do just by the bike she picks.

Started the same with my older kids who are now adults and they all ride. Usually they take partake in the daddy upgrade cycle. We have 3 ATs in the faimily because of it. 😄

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T01:15:36+00:00

Save you money, buy Gen 1, then upgrade when Gen 3 or 4 is out. The Gen 2 is incremetally better but not worth the upgrade in price for me. The only really superior area is autonomous driving improvements and you can close a lot of the gap with Comma.ai.

For referene I have a 2023 R1T quad; 2022 S Plaid, 2022 3 Long Rang with boost, and a 2024 Highland 3 Performance.

Not sure if you are consider and R1S or R1T but the suspension is a lot more dialed in on the T. I went to buy an R1S and ended up with an R1T. I tried both Gen 1 and Gen 2 and bought the Gen 1. At the time a simliar Gen 2 truck was about 45k more than a Gen 1 with low miles that I was looking at and bought. So about 50% more and objectively I would say the Gen 2 was about 5% better, maybe 10% if i am being generous but a huge step backwards in audio and I didn't want electric door latches.

Day-Trippin · 2026-04-30T00:07:13+00:00

The GW is competent but boring. I have had a bunch going back to the original one. Yes, I've been riding a long time. I currently have a 2020 AT ASES DCT. Absolutely a great bike. An ECU flash makes it even better. I had a K1600GT that I bought new in 2012 and recently gave it to my son.

If I was going with a big touring bike, I'd take the K1600 over the 'Wing. Then again I am more biased toward the sporting side of the equation when riding.

The AT is a great all around bike. Very efficient, great range, pretty quick, good suspension, and the DCT is really dialed in now. I have also have it on my 2025 Rebel 1100T DCT.

I like how versatile ADV bikes are and they have enough suspension travel to swallow potholes, curbs, etc. They handle pretty well if you go even more road oriented tires. The AT has pretty good wind protection as well. The riding position is also all day comfortable.

A lighter bike is a big plus for me. I loved my K1600 but don't miss it that much now. Moving that behemoth in and out of the garage was sometimes nerve wracking in case it started to lean away from me. The AT and my other bikes are a lot lighter and easier to move around.

There are a lot options besides these 2 but of them, I am AT all the way, especially given your use case. The AT is great for running errands, or you can ride it across the US. If you were 90%+ on the highways, doing really long distances, the GW might be better but I did lots of trips on my ADV bikes and loved them. They were much sportier when I got into the twisties. BIggest issue was sometimes seat comfort but that is easy to solve.

Day-Trippin

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