Harley-Davidson

[Coach13]

Anyone have one? And which one do I want?

Ok-I haven't ridden in a while although I grew up riding. I call it my mid-life crisis, the wife says I have a death wish! Lol

 

[crgildart]

Get the LOUD one!

I went with this one..

 

[Snowfan]

Mine is a 2000 Electra Glide Ultra Classic. Very well cared for and upgraded by previous owners. This is my 6th or 7th bike but first in 36 years. If you live in town and most of your riding is city, I'd suggest not getting a touring example like mine. A Sportster or Fatboy will be easier to handle and develop skills on. I ride ATGATT...All the gear all the time. Dress for the slide, not the ride. Armor, boots and gloves. Always. Jerry Paladino, MCrider and DanDanTheFireman are Youtubers worth watching. Jerry P specifically schools new Harley riders. Go for it. Loads of fun and a great brotherhood of fellow riders.

 

[crgildart]

I ride ATGATT...All the gear all the time. Dress for the slide, not the ride. Armor, boots and gloves. Always.

^^^This^^^
If it's REALLY hot out, I'll go with skateboard pads instead of a jacket and long pants. Gloves, 3/4 at least and brain bucket all the time. Knees and elbows covered all the time.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I'd kinda love to have a V-Rod.

 

[pais alto]

Curious why a Harley?

 

[scott43]

Really depends what you want to do. I'd only ride a Sportster personally but I'm coming from a sport bike background. Iron 883 or 1200 maybe. But if you want to do long tours probably not the best. You set on a Harley?

 

[cantunamunch]

338R

 

[Rod MacDonald]

Get a proper bike, not a ditch pump with wheels.

 

[scott43]

Get a proper bike, not a ditch pump with wheels.

Yeah that's a fruitless argument... If you haven't ridden one..

 

[scott43]

338R

I won't launch into the fatality statistics for age groups in motorcycling... But maybe not as bad an idea as it may appear to some! Besides, Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki are selling 300/400s by the truckload..

 

[crgildart]

Get a proper bike, not a ditch pump with wheels.

Yeah that's a fruitless argument... If you haven't ridden one..

I bet it's addictive and quiver friendly. I always wanted a dirt bike as a kid. Rode friends' crotch rockets in college (mom never found out hahah), but also like the rumble stoke of rolling a Harley. Ten years ago I still wanted one of each. Now I'm happy with my little grocery getter since I never really got good at riding a bigger, heavier bike and not interested in adding that skill at present. All the different types of machines have their appeal though.

 

[scott43]

All the different types of machines have their appeal though.

The majority of people buying bikes are more interested in image than function. All bikes..not just Harleys.. Adventure bikes boomed after Long Way Round was released. Not many of those people took those bikes off-road...but hey, whatever floats your boat. As long as people are happy, who cares? Your grocery getter is arguably the most useful of the lot!

 

[François Pugh]

No experience with Harleys here, and it's too bad you're late; my brother recently sold his Harley.
Some things I learned from my brother's experience:

1) If buying new, (should be a few used Harleys on estate sale from that Sturges ralley ) it's usually cheaper to just get the standard FXwhatever model and add the pieces you really want than go with a special model. That may have changed;

2) Harleys are called hogs, but they are dogs, so don't forget to budget a few grand for engine and parts upgrades so you can get out of your own way. My brother spent about 4 or 5 grand on his bike (Screaming Eagle intake, Racing Exhaust, Increased displacement, mostly by increasing stroke and not so much on increasing the bore IIRC);

3) If you get the racing only exhaust, be sure and get the one that opens up the exhaust in multiple stages (based on rpm so it's quiet enough to sneak through town and past the cop cars at low rpm, and pass folk without giving them a heart attack on the highway, and still be able to pull hard when you want to - the damn thing sounds like your standing beside a 50 cal machine gun when it opens up.

EDIT: Don't forget to wear ear plugs when you ride.

 

[Dakine]

Bikes are like skis.
You can end up with a quiver.
But I will tell you this.
Motorcycles are the most counter intuitive machine there is when it comes to riding through a hairy situation.
My recommendation for new riders is to get a small dirt bike and don't even think about a street bike until you have crashed in the dirt 100 times.
The street is a deadly environment with fools everywhere that will try to kill you.
One day you will need instinctive control of the bike to avoid something really bad.
The only safe way to develop that proficiency is by ripping around in the dirt.
A very thorough motorcycle safety course isn't even close when it comes to developing skillz for panic situations.
Full gear is mandatory!
Leather is the only skin you want to leave on the pavement.
Enjoy!

 

[Andy Mink]

Even if you've ridden before, take a rider safety class. Learn what you didn't know before and unlearn what you thought you knew.

I never had a Harley but put some miles on a '92 Goldwing 1500. With practice it was surprisingly agile. The opposed 6 was a fabulous engine.

 

[Snowfan]

There is something immensely enjoyable about the low tech, retro feel of a Harley. I find it to be one of its greatest qualities...When I ride I feel almost like being back in the 50's. Many feel that is a negative attribute. Many don't. Other bikes do most things "better" but that's not the the usual goal with these things. They are a hoot just as they are.

 

[scott43]

Is that a Kawi Z1 on the left?? That'd be nice to toot around on..

 

[scott43]

IMHO, to be as safe as possible on a bike you need to have equal parts of speed, caution and alertness. There are times when you need to go fast to get out of bad situations..like being boxed in on the highway with no escape route. There are times when you need to slow down..to get away from clumps of traffic in front of you who are doing stupid things. And you need to be alert..red light runners, centre-line crossers, people swerving at the last minute to exit... And most of all, the biggest danger to you is yourself....

 

[François Pugh]

IMHO, to be as safe as possible on a bike you need to have equal parts of speed, caution and alertness. There are times when you need to go fast to get out of bad situations..like being boxed in on the highway with no escape route. There are times when you need to slow down..to get away from clumps of traffic in front of you who are doing stupid things. And you need to be alert..red light runners, centre-line crossers, people swerving at the last minute to exit... And most of all, the biggest danger to you is yourself....

Quoted for truth. And to add that starting on a small displacement low horsepower motorcycle will help you learn to be safe, and you might learn that too if your first bike has tons of power and torque to go fast and get out of bad situations, but - Danger Will Robinson - you might develop that go fast and get out of the way response (appropriate in some circumstances) into a standard response at the expense of devaluing other responses - not so safe (says the guy who couldn't afford a first bike and used a borrowed souped-up race bike with lights as a learner cycle).