riding a harley road king my experience

[fernando]

last month while in florida and riding with some friends ,(i was in my bmw 1982 r100rs ) a harley belonging to one in my group broke down.

he telephoned HOG road assistance and in 45 minutes we were all ,his bike on a tow truck ,on the way to harley of palm beach.

 

while there we were told that the bike needed a part not in stock ,a spline that connects the engine to the tranny, and would take 2 days.

 

so, , he rented a road king custom for the 75 mile trip back home .and to return for the pick up of his bike.

while in miami he gave me the bike for one day .

 

it was not what i was expecting .

the bike is as smooth as silk . good power .and for what it is ,and for florida ,good handling . ( i do not know if i would like it as much in connecticut and vermont with all the curves ,etc....)

 

and, excellent dealer support. i think that you are never more than 100 miles away from a dealer in the east coast .

and in south florida ,there are , i think ,over 10 dealers within a 100 mile radius .

and if you break down on the road , they will pick you up and give you priority in the service area so that you will continue on your trip. very impressive this harley experience.

 

in the context of florida riding it was just great.

 

in the afternnon i took the fairing off ,20 seconds to do so , and went out to really try it .

 

it was great up to 80 mph and also great holding 80 mph without a fairing on the turnpike . took it to 90 mph and it was the same . but to get it to 100 mph was impossible due to the wind pushing me back . it tried to do so more than 5 times but could not . and it took a while to go from 80 to 90.

 

later on i took the road from mainland to the keys ,and again held 80 mph for a long time and the bike was great.andin the few curves that i took it handled good. not a guzzi ,but good.

 

that nite took a ride and just great around town.made for this type of riding.

 

in the early a.m. i went to south beach in miami beach for breakfast and the bike was again a lot of fun,and very smooth ,more so than a guzzi or even a bmw twin or k bike.

 

great riding around south beach.

 

the drawbacks--------the bike wants you to travel at a 65 to 70 mph pace, anything above this is ok but it just feels good at 65-70.

 

the problem here is the number of drivers that come up fast on you and then pass too close to the bike almost sidesweeping you. it happened more than 7 or more times on the turnpike and on i 95 .

 

whereas in the guzzi or other sports bike i usually ride in front of the car pack and keep them way behind me with 90 to 100 mph being no problem and feeling also very relaxed.not so with the harley.

 

the harley is designed to --smell the roses ---and for this function i just loved this bike and i am thinking of getting one for florida. i will sell my 82 bmw because it is too hot with the faring ( the best fairing ever made ),i have owned it since new in may 1982 , and will miss it. but it is either one bike only or wife headaches . so the beemer may have to go .

 

the guzzii is too good for florida ( roads are too flat ) and my trip there convinced me to bring it back to connecticut where the roads are right for this type of bike.and ,planning a trip tomorrow am ,400 miles with the temperature at about 45 f.with 3 other guys on sports bikes .

 

with the harley i would have to pass on this type of ride . could not keep up.

[Bill Hagan]

it was not what i was expecting .

the bike is as smooth as silk . good power .and for what it is ,and for florida ,good handling . ( i do not know if i would like it as much in connecticut and vermont with all the curves ,etc....)

 

and, excellent dealer support.

69146[/snapback]

 

That may strike some here as heresy, but I agree completely.

 

I am no fan of many HD riders for reasons long debated here and elsewhere, but, darn, if HD's aren't fine mounts when ridden as they are probably designed to be.

 

I ride frequently over lunch hour (OK, + some ) with a friend who owns a HD RK. We swap bikes now and then. He's a polite and an affable lemming, so he has difficulty understanding a Guzzi's charm, e.g., I cannot get him to shift at rev-limiter, etc.

 

But I do like lots about his RK. I'll buy a Norge when (if!) it gets here, especially for LD 2-up riding, but the RK is a sweet ride for rides short and long within its easily found and quite pleasant limits. And, fit & finish? Flawless. He has yet to have a hiccup needing service, and dealers are, as you note, seemingly everywhere.

 

Actually, if the Norge fails to appear and the Breva 1100 doesn't come with ABS, I could see a RK in my garage. Nah. Kathi wouldn't ride on it; she loathes the HD schtick more than I do.

 

Seriously, they are nice; I understand the appeal besides the iconic.

[DeBenGuzzi]

I love, I mean love the look and finish of the HD's I don't think they can be topped unless you talk custom or extreme. But I can't handle the folks that ride them. Maybe its better from the inside looking out but I have never met so many pompus jerks(only in this area maybe different in your neck of the woods) but they don't wave to you, don't barely acknowledge other riders they have thier mount and are in thier own world possibly thinking thier pipes will save thier lives and often are hardly paying attention to anything but the roses. I plan to rent one for a day and tak ea few for a test ride but I will need to be older wiser and possibly meaner (in this area much richer too they all sell for around 3-5K over sticker I don't know why) IMHO I just wish Victory was on the same level then my choices would be so much easier. I suppose my dream bike from them would be 30K a Streetbob or RK with the Full screaming eagle package and the 103 stroker, paint it a deep metalic blue and lots of crome. I should start one of those auto clubs for motorcycles so I can ride all those sweet rods I want to. have a Guz griso, Aprilla RSV-R, HD RK, MV F4 1000, Ducati 999, Buell XB12, BMW1200r, Benelli TNT, KTM super duke, Victory Jackpot, Suzuki Hayabusa, R1 well if I'm dreamin an R7, Triumph Speed Triple(new one), Norton 961 Commando. I think that about covers it. Now just sign up about a gagillion ppl to make it affordable and then never get to put any miles on'em But I win the lottery and thats what my garage will look like. And we'll live in a warmer state.

[Guest ckamin]

I own 2 bikes (both bought new).... a 1999 Road King and a 2003 V11 Naked. 'Nuff said.

 

-Carl

[Steve G.]

I've ridden many HD, from little Sporty, to XLCR100, XR1000, FXRS Sport, nd Electra Glide.

Sorry, their all fuc#^&$ trucks!

And don't get me started on the penis heads that seem to find themselves on them. Getting stuck behind these guys is worse than getting stuck behind a motorhome. Smell the roses? Geez, get a car and roll the windows down!

Ciao, Steve G.

[mdude]

Dangerous subject....Let me lay my head on the track here, not wanting to offend, just giving an opinion from another continent.

 

IMHO, speaking from Norway where Harleys are plenty but has a very strange public image, here buying a Harley has more to do with buying into the "look at me, I'm so bad" macho cowboy fraternity than to be a bike rider. If you want a cruiser theres plenty of stronger, more reliable, more advanced, better riding, much cheaper bikes coming from Japan. The price difference between any Harley and a japanese counterpart is nearly 30% (in Norway) I dont know any bike, except perhaps the Ducce Monstre, which is so strongly a fashion statement. Fashion, or brand identification is the sole motivation for buying one, isnt it? It may be that HD as a brand has a different meaning over there though I doubt that, the machism and "outlaw image" is really the core of the brand, innit?

 

I can see that such a comfortable chair is the correct alternative in a country without turns, over here it is dynamically speaking completely out of its element. Taking 360 degrees hairpins at walking pace and frequent brake fading does not seem to me as fun. 73 hps out of 1450 ccms? Did anyone see the ghastly pics laid out in a another thread here with the hog rider tipping over? Poor bloke, in the bikes defence he locks the front brake, but everything is scraping the tarmac before he do.

 

When you have dealers on every streetcorner its easy to overlook the shortcomings, but in recent bike magazine tests here in Scandi of the latest models, the HDs (especially the faired ones) get stick for being close to dangerous (yes really) and unstable at speed on less than smooth roads with poor brakes and a bit of unreliability to booth. To get stuck on a freezing norwegian mountain pass with 250 miles to the nearest petrol station isnt fun. And it happens. You dont see many HDs or Buells touring around here. (in all honesty, you dont see many Guzzis either...)

 

The V-rod and in particular the Street Rod escapes the stigma. Engine codeveloped by Porsche, nice modern retroinspired design and real handling to go. Its finally a modern HD. Different kind of people buy into those models, which is nice. The Street Rod is the first HD I came close to wanting. Up until I met one coming towards me one of the last days of driving. I waved as I always do, the HD rider flipped me the finger. Nice.... Why??? I dont get that kind of thing, I really dont.

 

So... now that I have probably made some more enemies over there, I must get more coffee

[Guzzirider]

All these things are a matter of taste after all it would be boring if we all rode the same sort of bikes.

 

Things are probabaly a bit different over here than across the pond- I am probably the only Fatboy owner in town and I assure you nobody gets stuck behind me on it- its actually quite nippy after I had it tuned.

 

Even though HD have fitted 4 pot calipers the brakes are still crap so I have ordered a Harrison Billiet 6 pot for the front which should make it stop quicker.

 

Its actually great fun to ride- and the reason I bought it is to slow down a bit on the road- I have little self control and often get tempted to ride like a nutcase and I don't want to end up like the friends I have known who are now 6 feet under.

 

V11 is still number 1 wife though!

 

Guy

[v50man]

I told myself I'd stop bashing Harleys when I got the Buell -- BUT I CAN"T!!!!!

 

I even poke fun at them when I'm at the dealer getting parts. They were actually selling "HOG' rings in the parts department. I pointed at the poster advertising this -- laughed my ass off -- and had to walk away.

 

And the PEOPLE -- ugh. They think they're being REBELS but they're actually the biggest bunch if conformers ever assembled. THeir cheesy Harley clothing screams, "I want to be part of a cool group -- I want to belong..."

 

Buells are sweet machines. It's a shame they have to be sold in Harley dealerships.

 

Harley's products are not bad -- and as Bill Hagan says, are wonderful when ridden as they were intended -- but the whole Harley "tough guy" thing is just too much for me to stomach.

 

Expensive driveway jewelry that putts from bar to bar. No thank you.

 

My

[Guzzirider]

I completely agree- the whole image thing makes me laugh- there are guys who wear patches on their leather waistcoats with Road Captain wtitten on- do we have to salute?

 

Guzzi have tried to copy the "HOG" thing (after all it makes HD shitloads of cash) with the World Guzzi Club (anyone in that?) and selling Guzzi watches etc but they have failed miserably.

 

I, as usual, will do my own thing and not get involved with the image business.

 

Guy

[mdude]

Its actually great fun to ride- and the reason I bought it is to slow down a bit on the road- I have little self control and often get tempted to ride like a nutcase and I don't want to end up like the friends I have known who are now 6 feet under.

 

Guy 

69192[/snapback]

 

see your point: fun without detroying oneself is a good thing. Thats one reason why I bought the V11 instead of a Duke or a Fireblade....

 

But why can HD get away with selling such underdeveloped machinery?

[g.forrest]

i'll drink to that

Dangerous subject....Let me lay my head on the track here, not wanting to offend, just giving an opinion from another continent.

 

IMHO, speaking from Norway where Harleys are plenty but has a very strange public image, here buying a Harley has more to do with buying into the "look at me, I'm so bad" macho cowboy fraternity than to be a bike rider. If you want a cruiser theres plenty of stronger, more reliable, more advanced, better riding, much cheaper bikes coming from Japan. The price difference between any Harley and a japanese counterpart is nearly 30% (in Norway) I dont know any bike, except perhaps the Ducce Monstre, which is so strongly a fashion statement. Fashion, or brand identification is the sole motivation for buying one, isnt it? It may be that HD as a brand has a different meaning over there though I doubt that, the machism and "outlaw image" is really the core of the brand, innit?

 

I can see that such a comfortable chair is the correct alternative in a country without turns, over here it is dynamically speaking completely out of its element. Taking 360 degrees hairpins at walking pace and frequent brake fading does not seem to me as fun. 73 hps out of 1450 ccms? Did anyone see the ghastly pics laid out in a another thread here with the hog rider tipping over? Poor bloke, in the bikes defence he locks the front brake, but everything is scraping the tarmac before he do.

 

When you have dealers on every streetcorner its easy to overlook the shortcomings, but in recent bike magazine tests here in Scandi of the latest models, the HDs (especially the faired ones) get stick for being close to dangerous (yes really) and unstable at speed on less than smooth roads with poor brakes and a bit of unreliability to booth. To get stuck on a freezing norwegian mountain pass with 250 miles to the nearest petrol station isnt fun. And it happens. You dont see many HDs or Buells touring around here. (in all honesty, you dont see many Guzzis either...)

 

The V-rod and in particular the Street Rod escapes the stigma. Engine codeveloped by Porsche, nice modern retroinspired design and real handling to go. Its finally a modern HD. Different kind of people buy into those models, which is nice. The Street Rod is the first HD I came close to wanting. Up until I met one coming towards me one of the last days of driving. I waved as I always do, the HD rider flipped me the finger. Nice.... Why??? I dont get that kind of thing, I really dont.

 

So... now that I have probably made some more enemies over there, I must get more coffee

69184[/snapback]

[Guest SantaFeRider]

I have heard from other Harley riders of experiences like Fernando's.

 

Quite different from BMW Motorrad's attitude. If you are riding one of their brand-new motorcycles and have a problem, they will pay for the first $ 100 of the towing bill. It doesn't matter if you are in the West, where dealers are sometimes more than 500 miles apart, because if you have a problem with your new motorcycle, "it vill bee your ffoult" because you have not properly broken-in your piece of German Engineering, and you have not daily genuflected to it kneeled on a rug facing Berlin.

[andyb]

i am another of the people that own a guzzi 2003 v11 sport and a harley 2003 superglide sport. they are both very fine and very different machines. i had my harley motor built for more performance, 95 inch 110ft lbs and 106 hp at the wheel. it is nice to have a choice, for the twisties guzzi and for long distance the harley express cruser. happy to have two bikes and i wave to everyone andy b.

[jihem]

....and 106 hp at the wheel.

 

 

106 ???? At the wheel ?!

Naaaaaah...Really ?

[badmotogoozer]

a harley belonging to one in my group broke down.

69146[/snapback]

 

What?? Only one?? Either there was only one in your group or there's something fishy about your story...

 

 

But why can HD get away with selling such underdeveloped machinery?

69207[/snapback]

 

Because there are a huge number of mouth breathers (perhaps mouthing their words as they read this) who believe whatever the mass media drives down their throats. ie - if my TV says its cool, it must be cool!! The only question I have is where these lemmings get the bloody ridiculous amount of money they need to spend in order to aquire one of these rolling artwork finely crafted pieces of shite.

 

For what you need to spend to get a HD plus the crippling amount of money you need to spend to get anything that resembles performance out of the turd, you can buy several really nice functional motorcycles, one of which will greatly outperform the crapcycle in its own useage mode.

 

Faking Hell's Accountants.

 

Rj

 

oops... did I offend somebody? the Italian Harley