I am familiar with something known as SDF or sidecar delay factor. This is additional time you need to figure in at ANY stop for the inevitable contact and conversations that will occur. Folks will come over and ask questions or perhaps even tell tales of old motorcycles/sidecars that they remember. Well, I believe there is a HDF (Husky delay factor). I decided to do the “The Last Ride of the Year” to Stockton Alabama on my Terra this year. http://www.thelastrideoftheyear.com/ For me this is a 400+ mile/8 hour round trip for “lunch” I had planned to meet an old riding buddy there, so I wanted to hold a fairly tight arrival schedule (+/- 15 mins) I was also held to a tight schedule overall as I DO NOT like to ride during the Deer O’clock hours (Dawn or Dusk). Well, EVERY stop I made (Fuel/Drink/Stretch/Pee) I had someone wander over and want to talk about the bike. The common thread was “Is that a Husqvarna? I didn’t know Husqvarna made/still made motorcycles” Most were familiar with the brand and had tales of old Husky dirt bikes that they had. Normally I don’t mind this kind of thing, but on this run I really did not have the time to “chat” so it was very noticeable. Thinking back on other trips I have made I have to say I do get approached more on this bike than on any other non-sidecar bikes I have had. Has anyone else experenced HDF?
I had a guy who was a "self proclaimed" motorcycle genius at a coffee shop who tried to start an argument that Husqvarna never made motorcycles which were street legal...He said my Terra was a dealer modified dirt bike, no bike came street legal from husky.....what a douche. So I told him Just because Husqvarna is a mix mash of 2-3 parts catalogs, and basically the "AMC" of the motorcycle world...please don't tell me my bike is imaginary. Do you see me running around making bike noises, kinda like King Author in Monty Pytons Holy Grail, making horse noises with coconuts. He was mad at me lol.
HDF - definitely! Even had to make to trip out to the carpark several time at work when I first got the bike so that I could show then the Husk (even the Boss made me show him). That sort of delay is fine most work days, particularly when you'd rather be out on the bike.
A lot of folks like the Husky when parked up but I took it to the Sammy Millers Italian open day and only had one chap come across and spoke about the bike, plus his bike was next to mine . He wasn't even aware that it was Italian.
"Whipped out" reminded me of Blazing Saddles...and "Lemme just whip this out" haha...sorry, couldn't help myself.
Good movie...farting around campfire, Alex Karras punching out a horse...what more do you need for good cinema?
Somehow, I tend to gravitate towards bikes that cause a delay factor of some sort. I used to think it was just all motorcycles. But I started to notice that when I was out riding with friends, people would come up and talk about my bike as if the others parked around it didn't exist. Prior to buying the Husky, I had a '67 Bonneville, '68 Tiger, '73 CB750 cafe, '07 Bonneville/cargo hack, and a '11 Ural Gear-Up. I thought "Finally, I'll own a normal motorcycle that I can ride incognito." Boy was I wrong. I'm genuinely surprised at how much HDF I experience. What shocks me even more is how many people know what the TR650 actually is. I was at my local skydiving center a few weeks ago, and was suiting up to leave. Right about the time I start up the bike, a guy comes running out of the bar screaming "IS THAT THE HUSKY TERRA?" I had earplugs in, and helmet on, and still heard him. After 15 minutes of conversation, I was finally on the road. Turns out he had been off a motorcycle for about 15 years and was looking for a thumper to get back into things.
