I am by no means a seasoned rider and have only ridden my soft tail. The other day I was watching a beautiful chopper leave the dealership I was visiting. A few seemingly insignifican bumps on the pavement caused him to bounce on the seat pretty good as he was pulling out. I have wonered about this for awhile, namely how does one negotiate the unexpected highway bump when at speed with one of these bikes? I have hit my share of pavement moguls on the Fat Boy and manage to negotiate them when going 55+MPH but have to think it is more difficult with a rigid frame bike. Can some of you hard core chopper guys fill me in. One guy I know built a chopper and in the same week it was finished had it up to 130MPH here on our Rte 66 which has a nasty surface in places. Thanks for the enlightenment. Ed

 

As a old timer, don't do it if your going to do any hard core rideing, like 15--20,000 miles a year..they are ok for a bar hopper but that is about it, rideing one will ruin your spine, kidneys, liver and your hemmorids, outside of that, they are ok..How do i know all this?? I rode them..if you really must have one run as little air as you can in the rear tire and have some nice springs under your solo seat..and keep a eye out for pot holes..I really don't want to talk you out of it, perhaps you can ride someboys hardtail for a day or two?? and form your own impression, just hate to see you blow a large amount of money for something that you are not happy with.[sm=biker.gif]

Its been a long time since I was in Va. how are the roads down there now?? up here in Iowa we have a lot of frost heaves in the roads and lots of breaking up of shoulders on some 2 lane highways..makeing a hardtail sort of out of style.

 

Rigid frame=Man killer.
Although they for the mos part,get the most looks.They are the least comfortable bike to ride.

 

on my ol 62 Pan, I had to keep the rear tire at about 16 PSI and it was still a pain. I took to wearing a kidney belt for a while.
Get a hardtail.. when you start peeing red, trade it in.. lol

 

Cant beat the looks of a rigid,but put in a full days ride on roads such as in the northeast and you will feel like you had your butt whooped.Try experiencing a bump in the road or hole that you hit hard enough to lift the rear end of the bike at highway speeds.Keep em as bar hoppers.

 

Just imagine how pissed you'd be if you just dropped $50,000+ for your new OCC rigid. You'd be the envy of every ER doctor within miles and you would have an actual reason to park the bike in front of your house as a showpiece. Having ridden here in the NE for longer than I care to admit, we do have our share of potholes that will just about drive your spine into your skull. Unfortunately it's not just NYC and large urban areas any more, a lot of highway departments are cutting back on basic maintenance these days to save some cash.

I've hit a few holes on supposedly "good" roads that have bounced me pretty severely and that's with a good rear suspension. A hard tail may sit low and look cool, but my guess is that a few drops in to good ol' NY Thruway potholes would change your mind.

 

b

 

Ya gonna need brass kahonies.

 

I had a rigid 650 Triumph in the seventies in SoCal, and even with the relatively good roads there, it would beat your *** to death. Of course, I was a much younger man then, and looks trumped comfort.

Also, it ran like a bat outta hell, weighed in under 300 lbs. Now that I think about it, that bike was FUN!

Today, I wouldn't ride it further than the local bar.

 

I had one, it was a head-turning, dude-envying, chick-capturing, tree-climbing, get-the-hell-out-of-my-way, wicked monster deprived of common moral values. Yes it is a rigid. Not to be rated for comfort or dependability.
They are generally rated for power and looks; from the minute mine started to the minute its shut down, it is pure aggression. You better get a good grip or you're going to get thrown off this beast. High horsepower. High performance. It was low, fat, loud and vicious. It was pure violence.
If you get one, be prepared for a serious love / hate relationship. They are recommend for the type who likes working on bikes, as they will require your attention. Most are great looking, great riding bikes that are ideal for riding around town, bar hopping or short rides. If the rigid chassis is long enough and flexible enough, then it will absorb much of the imperfections found in roads, but a good chuckhole will still slam your teeth together in a pretty sound fashion. These bikes are all about power. The power produced by my 113 cubic inch S&S is unbelievable. The phrase "Sit down, shut up and hold on" really applies here. With the twist of the throttle, regardless if it was from a stoplight or at 80 mph on the freeway, this bike would rocket down the road. It just hauls *** and then looks great when it's parked at one of the local bars or restaurants.
Why did I sell it? In one word… dependability, one too may time were my friends are ready to ride and I would have some issue with the bike. Even though I sold it, I had some on my finest moments riding it. Now I have the Fat Boy. Customized of course.