Conservatives vs. Liberals: A tongue in cheek side by side comparison

Conservatives tend to be generous with their money: Liberals tend to be generous with other people’s money.

Conservatives believe the government’s role is to protect your God given rights: Liberals believe the government’s role is to allow you to have (some) rights and protect you from the idea of a God (unless you’re Muslim).

Conservatives believe criminals commit violent crime: Liberals believe guns commit violent crime.

Conservatives believe the government depends on a good economy: Liberals believe a good economy depends on the government.

Conservatives believe people know how best to spend their own money: Liberals believe it’s not your money if they can tax it.

Conservatives respect private property: Liberals photograph their “private” property and send it to college girls on Twitter.

Conservatives believe that marriage is a divine partnership: Liberals believe it’s simply a contract between partners.

Conservatives believe a smaller government is the answer: Liberals believe government is the answer.

Conservatives know the effort that goes into making a dollar: Liberals know the effort that goes into taking away $.75 on the dollar.

Conservatives believe we should harvest oil locally to cut gasoline prices: Liberals believe you should buy a smaller car, preferably manufactured by a unionized organization that contributes to the Democratic Party.

Conservatives think: Liberals feel.

Conservatives can balance a checkbook: Liberals see no need, if you get in trouble just ask your neighbors to bail you out.

Conservatives have only themselves to blame: Liberals blame everyone but themselves.

Conservatives believe victims have rights: Liberals believe criminals have more rights.

Conservatives believe in justice: Liberals believe in compassion, unless of course the crime was classified as a “hate crime” then it’s all “fry the bastard” and all that stuff.

Conservatives believe that racism is bad: Liberals believe that racism is good as long as it’s in the form of affirmative action or otherwise discriminatory against any Caucasian male.

Conservatives deal in facts: Liberals deal in emotion.

Conservatives tolerate opposing ideals: Liberals espouse tolerance and attack anyone who disagrees with them (except if your Muslim).

Conservatives think that 9/11 was a vicious attack on our country caused by cowardly terrorists: Liberals believe that 9/11 was in response to something we did to piss them off and we just need more “understanding”.

Conservatives know we have an immigration problem: Liberals know a new potential voting base when they see one.

Conservatives tend to be patriotic: Liberals tend to be pessimistic.

Conservatives tend to be independent thinkers: Liberals tend to fancy themselves as independent thinkers because they’re told they are by their friends who think just like they do.

Conservatives tend to think that abortion is murder: Liberals tend to think that executing a murderer is murder and/or eating meat is murder.

Conservatives believe that loosening revenue and tax cuts will boost economic growth: Liberals believe you can tax yourself into prosperity.

Conservatives like traditional American ideals even if we haven’t always lived by them: Liberals have contempt for those ideals and love pointing out that we haven’t always lived by them.

Conservatives believe in “teaching a man to fish”: Liberals believe in trading fish for votes.

Conservatives read the Constitution with reverence and respect: Liberals read it with a highlighter, a red pen and whiteout handy.

Conservatives believe the Bill of Rights were meant to protect us from unconstitutional actions from the government: Liberals believe the Bill of Rights is more like a list of best practices.

Conservatives believe Socialism in any form cannot work: Liberals believe that the only reason Socialism and Communism hasn’t worked is because the Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Cubans, Laotians, Albanians, Angolans, Bulgarians, Czechoslovakians, Ethiopians, Finnish, Germans, Greeks, Grenadians, Mozambicans, Polish, Kampucheans, Hungarians, Romanians, Somalia’s, Yemenis, Yugoslavians, etc. just weren’t as SMART as THEY (the American Liberals) are” and neither are you.

DIY: The pride of putting life back into a machine

Last night was a milestone for me.  I finally finished “restoring” a 1998 Harley Davidson Dyna Convertible Wide Glide conversion (a Franken Harley).  A few months ago I went to buy this bike from a guy selling it with a clear title and 21K miles on the bike.  I had been looking for an EVO Dyna for a few months, had seen several Wide Glides ranging in price from $11K to this one for $5,800.  Naturally, being the cheapskate that I am reputed to be, I went for the lowball in the full knowledge that it had a couple of maintenance issues. 

The bikes original owner took a lot of pride in it which is indicated in that it has every chrome OEM Harley Davidson bolt on piece in the catalog for that year, to include the gold flames on a chrome backing on the handlebar risers, air cleaner cover and timing cover.  It certainly is not my style but I’m glad that this person thought enough of the bike when it was new to do this.  This tells me that this guy also almost certainly made sure the bike was broken in correctly and according to Harley specs (which is critical for life longevity of the bike).  At some point the original owner went from the narrow glide front end to the Wide Glide front end complete with rake.  My favorite Harley Davidson front end is the Wide Glide or the Springer, so in my book this is a winner.  It’s a double win for me because I do not care for the duck tail (Fatbob) rear fender of a true Wide Glide and much prefer the graceful curves of a Superglide, etc.  Since this was a conversion it has the front end and the rear end I like best.

When the second owner purchased the bike he already owned a Shovel bobber.  His intention was to bob this bike, strip the chrome off, add ape hangers and pretty much turn it into an EVO version of a Streetbob.  This would have been a shame since the tins kind of remind me of a late 1960’s to mid 1970’s throwback with the vintage, big script, western font looking letters on the tank decal.  The gold lettering with red outline on a black background on makes it look all the more vintage, but I digress.  The second owner had been putting so much time and money into his shovel he basically let it sit with Stabil fuel stabilizer in the tank, for at least a year.  The fact that he had to buy a new batter just to sell it and the condition of some of the hoses when I got it lead me to believe it was probably sitting for longer.

Upon picking up the bike after purchase I cranked her up and had to wait a while for it to warm up enough that it wouldn’t stall and die at idle.  It spit black smoke (not a lot but enough to know that it was burning additives) and it smelled very, very rich.  I began to limp the bike home when about a mile down the road it died on me in an intersection…it was completely out of gas.  The A-hole rode all the gas out of it before I could pick it up but somehow let it sit with bad gas for over a year…what a putz.  Anyhow I pushed it to the gas station, filled her up and away we went.

I finally got the bike home, pulled the plugs and they were fouled beyond belief.  After a complete tune up, changing plugs, wires, fluids, rebuilding the carburetor, etcetera I finally got the bike ready to put on the road when suddenly I back a bolt out of the primary and noticed that it stripped all the thread off of the primary (as opposed to the bolt).  “DANG IT”…I was furious.  I cursed my luck, kicked empty oil bottles around, wiped up the oil from a half full jug I just kicked and went inside the house to lick my wounds.  I did some research and found out that it was a simple fix involving a Helicoil kit, a drill and a steady hand but even still I’m so pressed for time and have already spent so much of it on this bike, I was discouraged. 

Last night was it, last night I finally got the Helicoil installed, redid some of the fluids and put the bike back onto the road.  I took her for a test spin, all covered in grease, grime and oil and pulled into a gas station.  Suddenly my bike was the center of attention with one biker even trying to guess its age (the Wide Glide front end threw him off or so he said).  I explained that the bike wasn’t vintage, just old and that I had just finished “restoring it” so to speak and this was the first time I had it on the road all summer.  The guy looked at me appreciatively and asked me if it rides better now that I know how to fix it…I thought about that for a second and you know what?  He’s right…it does ride better knowing that I know how to fix it.  Granted I didn’t tear the engine down, pull the jugs or tranny and I certainly didn’t have issues with the frame requiring a blowtorch and a ton of skill, but even still, the hours I spent in my cluttered garage, in 100+ degree heat with my humble collection of tools were hours that I invested emotionally, financially and physically into this machine.  It makes it special, it makes it mine.  Guys who wrench their own machines know the feeling of accomplishment and connection that I’m talking about.  Well that’s how I feel today. 

I rode this bike into work today and probably had a grin on my face all the way from Fort Worth to Dallas.  I’ve been sitting at work dreaming of leaving and looking forward to the commute home.  I can’t remember last time I looked forward to commuting anywhere.  So I guess you can say that the bike an owner can feel the most pride in is the one he put life into as opposed to just money.  The guys out there with oily jeans, busted knuckles and dirty fingernails…well…they know what’s up.

The Great Helmet Debate: Are you free or a freeloader?

Few things are debated in the motorcycle culture as hotly and intensely as whether or not bikers should wear DOT helmets.  Of course every biker I know thinks that at most, it should be left up to the individual rider.  But once you leave the confines of the freedom loving state of Texas or the biker community in general, opinions begin to change and quickly.  This is plain to see for anyone who participates on the various motorcycle related forums (my favorites are www.v-twinforum.com and www.harleytechtalk.org) or who keep up with the news on legislative action that affects bikers.  On what I like to call the “left” side of the argument are some motorcycle enthusiasts (I refuse to call them “bikers”) and seemingly most people who do not ride anything at all who espouse the life saving and supposed injury prevention virtues of helmets which of course they believe translates to lower insurance premiums and fewer medically related taxes in their state.  They also argue that wearing a helmet is the right thing to do by your family and have no qualms forcing you to do so.  The “right” side of the argument is often “it’s my head and I should be able to do whatever I damn well please with it”. 

To me, both sides of the argument have valid points but I’m obviously going to have to go with the “right” side of the argument.  My reasoning for those who care, is based not just upon freedom of choice but more on that of the role of lobbyists and government in our lives combined with deductive reasoning.  First, let’s look at the deductive reasoning part of the argument; riding a motorcycle is dangerous compared to driving a vehicle no matter how long you’ve ridden or how talented you may be.  Motorcycles will lose in pretty much any type of collision or accident bar none.  Wearing a helmet may prevent some types of injuries but certainly not most and it is no guarantee of survival as we all know.  Will this result in lower insurance premiums?  Honestly I do not give a rat’s flea bitten posterior.  Why?  Because if we solicited our government to take action to prevent us from doing anything remotely dangerous that would cost insurance companies more money we’d have to outlaw most power tools, all guns, fireworks, ladders, cars, anything sharp or mobile, electrical sockets, etc.  Following this line of logic to extremes…well you get my point.  Granted they’ve won the seatbelt law thing for decades but you have to pick your battles. 

Which brings me to the whole “freedom” thing.  The government has never had any qualms about telling people what they can, cannot and must do with their bodies.  The “it’s my head” argument is likely one of the weakest arguments we can raise in this debate and resounds exceedingly hollow with the voting public at large.  The government already tells you that you have to vaccinate your kids despite sometimes dangerous side effects; you must also refrain from illegal drug use, despite the fact that some legal pharmaceuticals are far more dangerous.  The government may also draft your body and send you to war to get shot and blown to pieces if it deems necessary (assuming of course you are a male).  So why should the government suddenly balk in fear of forcing people to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle?  The answer is because of organized efforts by responsible bikers that make it politically and financially prohibitive to do otherwise. 

Personally I wear a helmet, a DOT certified helmet that probably makes me look like a character out of Spaceballs.  I do it anyway though because if I ever go down, I need every advantage I can get.  I wear the helmet for my wife, my two children and for myself, not because the government wants to play surrogate parent.  I am a reasonably intelligent, productive member of society capable of determining the repercussions of my actions on my own and because of this I will use my resources, financial and otherwise to make sure this freedom is preserved even if I myself do not partake of it.  But you bikers out there who are insisting upon riding without a helmet who are not part of the ABATE, AMA, TMRA2 or like motorcycle rights organizations and who do not participate in legislative calls to action by such organizations should be ashamed of yourselves for piggy backing upon the efforts of your fellow bikers/activists.  Just because your God given freedoms shouldn’t be taken does not mean that they will not.  Your freedom to ride without a helmet only exist as long as the efforts of your fellow bikers exceed that of well financed and organized insurance lobby groups who will never quit.  These lobbyists will do everything in their power to sway popular and political opinion and guess what?  In some states they’re winning.  We are the extreme minority where every effort or lack thereof impacts the final outcome, think about that. 

Join the TMRA2, AMA, ABATE or a like organization and make sure to pay attention to calls for support and action from these organizations and organizations like the U.S. Defenders.  If you are an independent, unaffiliated rider get involved by supporting the AMA, ABATE and the Coalition of Independent Riders.  Ride free, not freeloading. 

Think I’m full of hot air?  Just within the last three days 2 new news articles have surfaced…

Michigan voters oppose helmetless riders because of insurance premium concerns for non-motorcyclists:

http://www.freep.com/article/20110716/NEWS06/107160363/No-helmet-legislation-losing-voters-poll-shows

Delaware debating on making wearing of a helmet mandatory:

http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2011/07/16/news/doc4e21b5ec2682e674823105.txt

Worthwhile Organizations

TMRA

http://www.tmra.org/

TMRA2

http://www.tmra2.org/index.shtml

ABATE

http://texasabate.com/

U.S. Defenders

http://usdefenders.org/States/Texas.htm

AMA

http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/

TCOC&I
http://www.coctx.org/

 

The 10 Commandments Translated for Bikers

1.) God is more important than your colors, bike or girl, ‘nuff said.

2.) No matter how much you love your bike or how much chrome, flat paint, engine mods or whatever you add, you’d better not put it before “the Big Guy” who allowed you to own it in the first place.  (If in doubt, see rule #1).   

3.) Don’t do evil in the name of God.  If you claim it, walk it, otherwise God doesn’t want you and likely nobody else will either.

4.) Make sure you remember to take a day off from work to take a bath, rest up, and give thanks to God at least once a week and not just during football season. 

5.) Don’t make your parents regret putting you in this world by acting like a butthole all the time or else God might shorten your stay with us.

6.) Don’t be murdering folks, even if they really piss you off, even if they’re a soccer mom on the cell phone while putting on makeup at the wheel of a speeding SUV on the freeway.

7.) Don’t be messing with your buddy’s old lady.

8.) Don’t take something that ain’t yours without the owner’s permission.  Only punks steal…

9.) Don’t be telling lies about people and starting drama or trying to send folks to the pokey. 

10.) Don’t be eyeballin’ your buddy’s gal, bike, house or anything else wishin’ you had it instead of him.

Concert Review: The Whiskey Folk Ramblers kill again

(Crappy pic of the outside of the club)

Last Saturday Billy and I went to watch the Whiskey Folk Ramblers at club Dada in what used to be the thriving Deep Ellum portion of Dallas, TX.  It was a hot night and the band was to play the outdoor stage but at least the beer was cold and we were able to sit comfortably near the band in what I would call the audio “sweet spot”, not too much bass and not getting our heads peeled off by guitar. 

(Dallas parking sucks in general, but parking with a motorcycle is a lot easier)

Club Dada itself was nice by Deep Ellum standards meaning, crappy parking arraignments, overpriced beer (but not too overpriced) and restrooms that would gag a cockroach but the sound system was good, the sound engineers knew their stuff and it was relatively easy to get service at the bar.  Also the door guys were friendly; something that 10 years ago would have been unheard of, when the scene was jumping.  The fact that they provided actual chairs to sit in was a nice touch as well. 

(It was a dark, muggy night)

The crowd seemed to be largely very early to mid twenty something, there were some of the kind of guys who wear skin tight jeans sagged around their butts and some of those who wear what Billy referred to as “man Capri’s” pants with those shoes that look like socks with a bit of rubber thrown on the underside of them.  However there were many bands playing that night so it’s a given that this might not have been the typical Whiskey Folk Ramblers crowd.  Needless to say, two bikers in their 30s did stand out a bit and the gold vests only made the distinction more obvious.  But everyone either kept to themselves or was polite to a fault and we had no troubles.  The crowd seemed to be really into the music and that’s what it’s about after all. 

(Crappy pic but you get the idea, there was a band, some people, some beer)

The Whiskey Folk Ramblers have been described in the Dallas Observer as country and old Americana pop with “a shot of youthful energy” (Jesse Hughy, Dallas Observer 2008).  Personally I’d describe them as modernized folk Americana mixed with Red Dirt country music and a splash of Polka and Klezmer thrown in for good measure.  The band is very rhythmic with a lot of soul and I found myself tapping my foot and/or slapping my knee in time with a giant, cheese eating grin on my face for probably half the show.  I really loved it and it’s sad that these guys do not get more local attention than they currently do.  The Whiskey Folk Ramblers are easily one of the more talented bands playing in the State of Texas as a whole and North Texas is blessed that they call our local digs “home”.  With the upright bass guitar thumping to a shuffling drum beat and churning acoustic guitar, punched with some horns, mourning accordion lines and of course a plucky banjo, this isn’t your typical “rock-N-roll” or “country” live show.  The singer reminds me somewhat of Johnny Cash if Johnny Cash actually had any vocal range to speak of.  (I love Johnny Cash so this isn’t a dig at the man…I’m just saying the guy lacked vocal range)  This band has something that is very special and terribly rare in music these days…soul and an original sound.  Now I know what you might be thinking, some bands are called “original” when the truth is what they really mean is “they suck”, but this is not the case here.  Let’s put it like this, if you like Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions, Johnny Cash, most rockabilly, Bob Dylan, etc. you’ll love this band.  If the Children of Bodom and cutting yourself is your bag, you’d probably be best served to spend your time and money elsewhere.  Either way the band put on an energetic, tightly played live show with excellent crowd interaction.  Nobody had to beg the audience to come up to the front near the stage and the enthusiasm was truly organic.  My only regret is that they didn’t have more time to play, maybe next time.

Will I go see another Whiskey Folk Ramblers show?  The answer is obviously yes.  Two thumbs up for the Whiskey Folk Ramblers.

http://www.whiskeyfolkramblers.com/

http://dadadallas.com/

The Humble Sportster: Heritage, first true loves and some tips on buying one…

I had been married for a couple of years and my wife and I were about to sell our little townhome and move into an actual house.  We needed cash so I sold my Kawasaki Ninja EX500R.  I really enjoyed that bike on so many levels but the truth was a 500cc scooter just wasn’t enough to haul my 5’11, 230lb butt around anymore.  A few months went by and gradually the urge to ride kept coming up until eventually I just gawked at every motorcycle that crossed my path to the point that I think my wife started to become concerned and maybe a bit jealous all at the same time.  Seriously, if Jessica Alba decided to streak my neighborhood by riding around on a Ducati Monster 900 I’d have every bolt on that bike committed to memory before I’d even notice a woman sitting on top of it.  In short I had a problem, I knew it was time to get another bike.

My friends at work kept egging me on “just get one; you know you will eventually anyway”. They were right, I was going down to the employee parking garage and just fondling their bikes until they would give me that concerned “quit touching my bike” look while gradually leaning it away from me and say “dude, when are you just going to get a bike already?”  I had enough, I started shopping everywhere, newspapers, Craigslist, even those stupid ad magazines that make you pay to get it and the owner of the bike pay to list it.  The clock was ticking now, it was only a matter of when.

Given that my first bike was a Ninja I naturally started looking at the sport bikes.  My buddy would beg me not to get one and kept trying to get me to buy a Harley instead, even my father in law kept trying to convince me to buy a Harley.  I still wanted the performance of a sport bike though, finally when I asked my wife for her opinion she said, “guys your size don’t usually ride sport bikes” implying that my fat butt looked like a gorilla humping a bicycle when I rode my Ninja.  “Dang” I thought…”am I really that fat?”

I’ll admit it; Harley Davidson motorcycles held very little appeal for me, they were for the old guys.  I just didn’t see myself rolling up to a night club on a loud, oil spewing, unreliable, underperforming and overweight Harley Davidson.  I hated the idea, but I hated the idea of looking stupid even more and besides that I asked myself “how often do I go to nightclubs these days anyway?”  The answer?  Never, so that was that. 

I finally found two Harleys in my price range.  Both were Sportsters, both were XL883Cs and both were black (which was important to me at the time).  I finally chose a 2005 Sportster Custom (883 of course) and grew to hate the performance.  The former owner drilled out the baffles on the mufflers but did not rejet the bike or add a high flow air filter.  First order of business was getting that fixed.  I added what I could afford, a simple jet kit that I had a guy install for $50 and a pair of Taiwan made V-Twin Mfg baloney cut slip ons.  They were baffled so when I brought the bike by the same guy who jetted it for service he exclaimed “that doesn’t sound right” and looked in the ends of them.  He saw the baffles and recommended I remove them and either unwrap the fiberglass, cut them in half or just replace them altogether.  I got home, yanked the baffles out and out of curiosity cranked the bike up.  It was as if a monster came to life in my garage and roared it’s indignation of the weak hearted to the rest of the world.  I was ecstatic at the sound.  I jumped on it and ran it up and down the street and noticed a considerable boost in the low end torque.  This sucker felt like it could shoot off the line and sound like the wrath of God was coming while doing it.  Needless to say, I never did replace the baffles.

 

I learned a lot about riding a motorcycle on the back of that Sportster.  First is that there is no substitute for a well made seat that fits your backside.  For me the Mustang Vintage Wide Solos are the only way to go.  Second, I learned the value and satisfaction that comes with wrenching on your own bike.  Third, that overall Harley Davidson dealerships suck but the factory turns out a pretty darned good bike.  Before I sold the bike I kept trying to think of ways to make a good bike “gooder” but eventually economic conditions prevailed and I had to let my old friend go.  It actually broke my heart for a couple of days and I immediately regretted that decision.  Maybe one day I’ll have another but at least I owned that bike long enough to gain a healthy respect for the HD Sporster line.  Anyone who calls these things “skirtsters” or a “mini-Harley” or otherwise implies that these bikes are 2^nd rate Harleys is missing the point of these bikes entirely.  They are not “beginners” bikes even if they are often sold using that tag line, nor are they for girls.  The Sportster has a long, well documented history of being a purpose built race bike.  I guess you could say the Sportsters are the great granddaddy of all modern sportbikes.  They posses a rich heritage born on the side of a dirt racetrack and buying one of these today is as close as you can come to walking into a showroom and buying something like a ’57 Chevy brand new off the floor.

If you own or are considering owning a Sportster, let me share some of what I learned.

1.) Get an 883 if you can.  Seriously, now hear me out.  Even if you ride it straight to the shop and have it “upgraded” to a 1200 the 883 has several factors working in its favor.  First is that all things being equal, an 883 punched out to a 1200 will smoke a 1200 off the line because of the way the bike is geared.  Second is that you don’t have to settle for 1200ccs when punching one of these out, several manufacturers make 1200, 12010, 1250 or even 1340cc kits for these.  I don’t mind telling you a 1250 kit with Buell Lightening headers installed on a Sportster running drag pipes is a thing to behold on the drag strip.  That thing will have enough low end torque and speed to peel the grin right off the face of the guy in the lane next to you.

2.) If you buy a Sportster learn to maintain it yourself.  There is no easier Harley Davidson made to work on than a Sporty.  They are a simple, reliable and effective design.  It is a great way to discovering a whole new dimension to your ride.

3.) I you buy a Sportster, for God’s sake change out that stock seat.  Here’s a hint, if you’re wondering if a seat is comfy or not for riding and it has an HD logo on it, pass.  Although I’m sure HD hires a subcontractor to make comfortable seats, manufacturers like Mustang or Corbin do this as their core business.  They have it down to a science and for the money you’d be very hard pressed to do better.  A new seat will change everything about your bike, the ride, the feel even perceive the bike’s handling. 

4.) Buy a shop service manual.  Yeah I know, it’s like $70 for a book but it’s worth it, trust me.  If nothing else the videos for sale on www.fixmyhog.com are well worth the time and effort and about the same price as the manual. 

5.) Last but not least, don’t use cheap gas.  93 Octane or better, always.  A lot of guys think of a Sportster as a “cheap” bike or otherwise some kind of entry level animal and do not give it the respect it deserves.  If you buy a used one, be prepared to rebuild the carburetor (which isn’t hard so don’t freak out).  If nothing else run a can of B12 Chemtool Carburetor Cleaner through it doing the following.  Pour a half can of B12 into the gas tank for a Custom 4 gallon tank or 1/3 of a can into a peanut or 3.3 gallon tank, fill the rest with 93 octane gas.  Ride the bike all day until the tank is empty and you have to fill up again.  Repeat this process every week or so until the contents of the can are dry.  Do not, I repeat, DO NOT allow the B12 to sit in your tank overnight, you need to ride it through your system the same day you add it.  This shouldn’t be hard since Sportsters generally do not hold a lot of gas and are fun to ride anyway.

Note: there are differences between model of year Sportsters and “newer” isn’t always necessarily better.

1.) The Sportsters 1986 to 2003 are Evolution engines mounted directly to the frame of the bike.  This is good for bobbing and this particular frame lends itself to all types of aftermarket goodies like springer front ends, etc.  The bad is that the engine mounted to the frame can cause irritating vibration.

2.) 2004-2006 are Evolution engines, rubber mounted to the frame.  This got rid of the nasty vibration but for some reason the forward controls are ever so slightly shorter in reach and there are not as many after market goodies.  Sure you could add a Nightster rear fender and a Paughco Springer front end, but add about $2,000 to the price tag to do it…ouch!  Anyhow 2006 is the last year of the Sporsters using CV carburetors.  That means you cannot buy one later than 2006 that you can tune without the use of a computer which in my book, is something of a big deal since I like engines that I upgrade with sockets, not keyboards.  Even still there are plenty of goodies out there for this bike to become a bad assed bobber or even a mean, lean street fighting café racer.

3.) 2006 to date is fuel injected. There are a few things to be aware of here.  First is that the fuel pump is in the gas tank, so switching out tins is tough.  Second is that your rear fender will have a giant hole cut in it under the seat for the computer housing, so switching the tins is tough.  Third is that remapping a bike for drag pipes and high flow air cleaners is a heck of a lot more expensive than rejetting a carburetor.  As for springer front ends and aftermarket goodies, kind of like the 2004-2006 models but with less availability.