Just had my 1st ride on a Harley

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Speedy

Saying that though, my Dad has ridden his all over europe and the UK, it's been as good as gold for him.

The only reason he has one, well two and this is his excuse, is that he needs a hip replacement and they're the only thing he can ride in relative comfort!!!

!!

My other half rode for ten years with a foobarred hip, all sorts of bikes from RD500 to Raptor 1000. He now has a nice new hip which is far more comfortable than it ever has been in the ten years of painful riding.......

...I say in his defence whilst he toils at work, he'd never ride a Hardly, he'd suffer the pain first

I'm in no means insulting your dad, as I know how he probably suffers like hell, I'd rather he be comfy on a Harley and still be riding, than suffer how my other half did with stubborness

[TheRamJam]

looks cheap

is that the entry level Harley?

[Stingo]

I don't think I could ride one for laughing.

1200 cc and a single brake disk up front My mountain bike has more braking. Looks really cheap and nasty. I was phoned by a harley dealer offered me bike to try for the weekend. I was a little bit interested why anybody would want to ride one instead of a proper motorbike but said no thanks

i sold my h-d 883 sportster not long ago....the scene is a good crack'...but the bikes take some getting used to...**** forks/shocks..brakes aint good...and very expensive to run..dealers want £500 for a pair of tyres!!..as for cornering..i could throw it about real easy on bends and know a few harley lads that can give plenty of powerrangers a runh for there money!..glad i sold it tho lol

[ophic]

Japanese cruisers are cheaper, faster, lighter, smoother, better. But still cruisers Still if its sunny next week, I might take Miss Ophic's Shadow to work one day, just for a change.

My review of a Harley Sportster...

Originally Posted by Baph

#!?& me it was shockingly bad! Not the throttle, just the whole experience. I think I've learned a few things about Harley riders though today. So i suppose that's a plus (not talking ill of something before experiencing it etc).

The whole geometry of the bike felt completely wrong. Anything more than what felt like 10degrees lean & it looked like the engine bars were going to come home far less shiny than they started out. The gears are about 4 miles apart, and the lever is about 10miles ahead of the bike! Get it up to 70mph (officer) and you back off the throttle because you're scared of three things. Either you're going to find a corner & have to lean the thing over, your teeth are going to fall out because of the vibrations, or your hands will drop off for the same reason.

The clutch was heavy (supprisingly so for a smaller model like the Sportster), and the whole thing about the engine trying to trick you by pretending to stall every time you slow down - can someone explain that to me?

Once I got my head around the fact that you ride it in a rediculously high gear permenantly, and use gentle acelleration, the vibrations went and it actually felt a little bit comfortable.

I was going to head out to a road that's very straight, and very long (I was riding a Harley afterall) to test rolling on/off the throttle for him. But about half way out I figured "sod this, this aint a fun ride, I'm heading home."

Once I'd pulled up back where I'd left, the neighbour asked me what I thought. Simple answer. "I think you're f&!£ing insane! You swapped your V-Max for this pile of vibrating $&!£, what were you thinking?!?"

Suffice to say, I won't be buying a Harley on the basis of that ride - not until the men in white coats take my licence away anyhow! I may ride a girls bike, but it's definately better than his Harley!

The owner of the Harley now has a Yamaha instead.

[Speedy]

[quote=dizzyblonde;

I'm in no means insulting your dad, as I know how he probably suffers like hell, I'd rather he be comfy on a Harley and still be riding, than suffer how my other half did with stubborness[/quote]

Yeah you're right.

I mean he used to have a CX500 Turbo, after that two CBR1100XX's, suffice to say, age is getting him.....plus the couple of offs he had when he was younger.

He's just happy he can still ride a motorbike, even if its a hardly.

A buddy from work has a pretty old 4 speed 1200, I had a quick go on it and it was lets just say... it had a character. The brakes were not good (well it is 20 years or so old) and I've never ridden anything that needed so much input to the bars to get it around corners, but it did corner. I can see why some peeps like em although its not for me.

Different people like different things, just respect that.

Some things in life are essential, so life affirming that - if you possibly can - you should reach out and grab them, The experience of owning a Harley is one of those things.

Open up a whole new world, one of endless adventure and limitless fun, just you and the wind and the sky.

I love speaking Harley! Got a brochure when I took this XR1200 for a demo and a bloody good laugh it was, the bike and the brochure. It wasn't for me but it looked great, sounded fantastic and was plenty fast.

Your mate's Night Train was a bag of sh*te doesn't mean all Harleys are. Try an XR and a V-Rod Muscle and a Street Glide and a Fat Boy and then you can comment with Authority on their 'character'.



And remember, they're born from an unconquerable spirit of freedom.