04-20-2008, 06:04 PM | #1 (permalink) |
Junkie
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What is a "metric motorcyclist"?
While at the book store today, I grabbed a stack of motorcycle magazines, and ultimately settled on Rider and RoadBike. I haven't had the opportunity to read either in their entirety yet, but I noticed that RoadBike claims to be "All Metric," and their website claims to be "the #1 web resource for metric motorcycle riders!"
What exactly is a metric motorcycle rider? I've never heard of the term applied to motorcycles before, and I haven't had much luck searching Google, either. I like the content and writing I've read so far in RoadBike, but as someone that is just recently entering the world of motorcycles and riding, I'd like to make sure I am reading material that will ultimately be at least partly relevant to my own interests and pursuits. Thus, clarity on what exactly "metric" is in regards to motorcycles and/or riding would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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04-20-2008, 06:20 PM | #2 (permalink) |
Tilted
Location: Wisconsin
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I found this question interesting, so I went and asked my father (who is really big into his Harleys and BMWs) and he said that "metric" is just a sort of nickname for Japanese bikes because all the adjustments and measurements are in metric system.
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04-20-2008, 06:23 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Darth Papa
Location: Yonder
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Yeah, a little googling turned me up something like what Starshine says. It appears that in the custom bike world, there's Harley and there's Metric. The main thing that makes metric bikes metric is that they're imported. They use the metric system, and so their parts are all different from US bikes (of which only one maker's name seems to be mentioned).
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04-20-2008, 06:38 PM | #4 (permalink) |
Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
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I don't see it much different than cars. The imported japanese cars are metric, and the American standard.
I had a 250 Ninja at one point in time, all of that was metric. I assume the rest is the same for the japanese bikes.
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04-20-2008, 07:16 PM | #6 (permalink) | |
warrior bodhisattva
Super Moderator
Location: East-central Canada
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Quote:
Imperial = American Metric = Everything else Though an Imperial biker might need something more like this:
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04-20-2008, 07:22 PM | #7 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Pats country
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Simply it's pretty much American vs Everybody else. Think about the 600 and 1000cc engined bikes vs. the TC88 Harley motor. cc's vs. cubic inches...
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04-20-2008, 09:26 PM | #9 (permalink) | |
Getting it.
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Location: Lion City
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04-21-2008, 04:00 AM | #10 (permalink) | |
I Confess a Shiver
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Thanks for advising me on the proper vernacular.
Honestly, I'd never encountered anything "Imperial" in regards to bikes before, though. In my experience over the last year and change with ordering parts and busting my knuckles to put them on the beast... it's always been standard (inch / American) and metric (metric / non-American). Standard is also a "type" of motorcycle, also meaning a bare bones cruiser (a ride without all the junk that makes it a "touring" bike). Quote:
Last edited by Plan9; 04-21-2008 at 04:07 AM.. |
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04-21-2008, 04:50 AM | #11 (permalink) | |
Getting it.
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Location: Lion City
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05-02-2008, 02:24 PM | #12 (permalink) |
Insane
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You guys are too young to get this correct. Metric implies anything Oriental, and late model Euro. Imperial also encompasses anything acceptable to a real old school biker. Many manufacturers from England also fill the bill, long gone names like Norton, Triumph, BSA. Metric bikes screech, scream, whine, or sound like jets. The automotive equivalent of anything from Toyota to Porsche. "Regular" bikes rattle windows, and thump the earth. Like an Olds Rocket v-8 for comparison.
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05-04-2008, 07:40 AM | #15 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Pats country
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Quote:
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