Back in the '60's I had a hardtail and it wasn't bad - but I was a lot younger and it had a tractor seat.

 

60's and 70's I had a couple, was the cool way to go and at my younger age, wasn't bad at all, you definitely kept an eye on road surfaces though.

Now at 65 and not so strong a back as I once had, no way.

Al

 

Had a 53 Pan in the mid 70's, love the motor and the ride at the time (20's at the time) but never again!

 

Basically you are able to adjust the ride with comfort tricks like seat, springs for seat, alter riding position through changes with bars, control position, etc. I used to ride a hard tail across the state and never had any major concerns. I was a younger and lighter so that helped.

You will have to judge. Can you ride your bike for 3 hours without pain? The hard tail will be rougher if you are on worse roads or don't care to dodge the little potholes and road dips. If you are the type of rider that has a bunch of problems with newer bikes and stock seating/suspension/ride position, then you might not like it.

Finally, I would not recommend buying in another state. There is about a story a week on these boards about people getting pissed when they go to pick up a misrepresented bike, or the deal changes, or the test ride is a turn off.

 

Avoid it like the plague. They are unreliable at best, have no resale value, and aren't even
"trendy" anymore.

Unless the price is ridic. Like 3 grand for a full-on custom. You're gonna have a hard time with parts & repairs.

 

As others have said, the ride's not too bad if you have a springer seat. Especially if you're just using it as a bar hopper. I don't take mine much farther than the 20 mile ride to work, not that its not comfortable enough, but because its not reliable enough.

 

It is just an expression that has been coined over the years. In the 70s it kinda met riding a rigid that would make your kidneys bleed out, or a chop that was always easy to follow because it left a trail of parts behind as $hit vibrated off.

Basically a bike that would only get you from home to the next bar. Doesn't have anything to do about short and long bar stops and getting $hitface drunk.

Todays bar hoppers seem to be coined around those with a lot of bling and fancy paint that is protected by using Pledge....can't take them anywhere because they might get dirty and would ruin the image.

One of my first bar hoppers. Built it in the early 1972. This is a pic I took just before I sold it around 1982. Was actually a comfortable ride, more comfortable than my 52 but gas range was limited to 110 miles so it mostly stayed in California.

 

2 best responses on this thread.

I've owned some hardtails, and my favorite was the last one i owned. It was put together right, and handled great. 280 rear tire called for 40 psi and i usually ran it around 32-35 psi. No air suspension, nothing else. I loved that bike, and had no problem riding long distances on it. It's all in how the bike fits you as to how comfortable you will be. If the bike fits, you can ride it a long time, hardtail or soft.

With a hardtail you will be keeping your eyes on the road for those mega potholes...

 

I guess you wouldn't want to ride around here,or go on a poker run with us!
I used to tell people I was afraid to ride sober.