and you possess one of these
with this on it
you can spend and entire day on these:
My first ride of the morning, not counting the 80 mile trek south to this event. The FXS Blackline Slim. This was probably my least favorite ride of the day. The drag bars combined with the forward controls made me feel like I was being folded in half. Not very comfortable for me for the long haul. I'd have to pass on this one in favor of a more up-right seating position.
My second ride of the morning, the 100th Anniversary Heritage Softail Classic. What can I say, this one's a beauty. From the stunning black and brown paint and 110th badging to the studded leather saddlebags, this one was a very nice ride. Cushy seating position. Very nice ride, and I'm glad I got on this one early, cause one of the other road captains jumped on this one whenever it was open most of the day!!
Third ride of the morning, the Road Glide Custom. Another nice comfortable bike, and one of the first with a radio, though I did not use it. There are two nice pockets in the fairing for storage that would come in handy for some things on the road. Combined with the hard bags, this would make a nice bike for cruising. It was a little weird to ride at first, with the fixed fairing, turning the bars gives a little oddity as the radio and main windscreen are stationary while the speedo and tach turn with the bars.
Fourth ride of the morning, probably the most fun bike to try during the day. This one wants to run! The 35 mph speed limit on the beach road, hell, even the 50 mph on the main highway just make this bike sigh. It would be really nice to get this one on a race track and see what she'd do. I've been told that she'll do triple digits in third gear. After the short ride, combined with the sluggishness of the bike at RPMs under 2000-2500, I'd believe it! Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the motor, it was just warming up at lower RPMs, I can see why people love to ride this one.
Fifth ride of the morning, and probably the nicest highway cruiser! The Ultra Classic Electra Glide, I could spend all day in the saddle of this beauty. Made for cruising the highways and bi-ways of America. It longs for the open road. Pack the ample saddlebags, fill the tank, pick a direction, and GO! My Sportster may be a lot of fun around town, but this one is great for the open road!!
Sixth ride of the day. The Dyna Fat Bob. 103 engine gives this one gobs of power. The laid back handlebars and forward controls give a decent riding position. Nice bike overall.
Ride number seven. The Dyna Switchback. This one was a hoot to ride. The detachable windscreen and saddlebags give this bike a totally different look and feel for short rides around town without sacrificing the utility of the attachments for open-road cruising. And I just love the blue! A nice clean looking cruiser.
Ride number eight. The Dyna Fat Boy Lo. A nice comfortable riding position, combined with a little extra weight difference makes this one a very nice ride. I can see why my wife likes this one and can hardly wait to get her reaction the first time she rides one.
Ride number nine. The Dyna Wide Glide. Old school chopper looks, combined with the 103 engine make this one a blast to ride. A friend of mine has this one and he loves it. I'd probably look at the Switchback if I was going with a dyna model.
Ride number ten. The good old Dyna Fat Boy. Not much difference between this one and the Lo, other than the seat height. This would be the model I'd get if I were to look at the Fat Boy. Makes a little difference with my slightly longer leg length.
Ride number eleven. The Dyna FXDB Street Bob. This one was nice, it has the 103 engine which gives it gobs of power over mine. The mini-ape hangers give it a more laid back seating position. The drawback was a weird vibration at certain highway speeds which would drive you crazy over a long haul. Recommend riding this one first before making any decision toward purchase. I don't feel this one is appropriate for beginning riders as it is a bit heavy and that affects the steering/handling quite a lot.
Ride number 12. Sportster 1200 Seventy-Two. This is the model I would have bought if it had been available when I bought my Nighster. It is the same model line/engine size as mine, but with the mini-ape hanger handlebars and the other subtle changes, it has more of the '70s vibe to it. The only drawbacks I could find is the seat arrangement (felt like I was sliding around a bit more on it) and the tank size is a bit small for the open road. Mine has a 3.3 gallon tank on it and has a comfortable cruising range of about 120 miles. The '72 has a 2.2 gallon tank which means more gas stops, but it still is a blast to ride.
Ride number thriteen. Manage to ride this one twice, re-affirming my dis-comfort with it's ergonomics.
Ride number fourteen. Second time around for this one as well... Still wants to RUN!!!
Ride number fifteen. The Street Glide. Not much different than the Road Glide except for the non-fixed fairing. And still a very nice, capable cruiser. My boss swears by his.
Ride number sixteen, The Iron 883 Sportster, same model line as my Green/Black Nighster but more chrome and less engine. Recommend riding the different Sportster models before settling on this one, the 1200 has more power for not a lot more money. I really feel like I would have outgrown this one quickly whereas I am still happy with my Nightster.
Final ride for me before the 80 mile scoot back to home. The Tri Glide Ultra Classic! Yep. just had to try this puppy out! And well worth the time. Handles way different than any motorcycle, but, if it's the only way you can ride, RIDE ON brother, RIDE ON!! very comfortable seating with easy to reach controls, and an actual trunk! This was a very nice way to end the rides for OBX Demo days.
or at least that's the way I spent last Saturday, the 27th. My local HOG chapter was asked to travel south to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and help escort the rides for the factory demo truck. What better way to spend the day than riding. Oh, I know, riding someone else's motorcycles, without having to put gas in them, or 5 years worth of payments!
Thanks for the opportunity to try out a lot of motorcycles I'll never own, and in some cases, never want to own! All in all, Harley puts out some very nice motorcycles and I was very happy to spend a Saturday trying them all out. In closing, remember, if you have your class M endorsement, look for the demo truck coming to a dealer near you, and go spend the day on a Harley or three!
And on a side note, if you don't have your motorcycle license, they do have the jump-start set-up as well.
This will give you the opportunity to ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle without leaving the parking lot. It's a stationary machine with a bike strapped to rollers which allows you to shift gears and run through the mechanics of riding without the bike actually moving at all!
Thanks for reading,
Have a GReat weekend!
Dawgbones
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