Well the re-registration documents finally came through on Friday, so I was OK to pick the bike up from the dealership on Saturday! The weather in the UK has been very cold recently, with some snow and deep frosts, and of course gritting trucks out spreading rock salt on the roads, not a good thing with Harley chrome!
Saturday dawned a beautiful clear and sunny day, perfect flying weather, but man was it cold! Classic UK winter high pressure type weather. I finally got to the dealership around 11:00 and spoke to my Salesman, Steve. The bike was all now properly registered and road taxed. There was a mix up on the licence plate number which Steve corrected with the insurance company for me. A quick walk around the bike and a demo of the various controls (which I know anyway), the ceremonial handover of the ‘goody bag’ with all the documents, manuals, keys etc. and the bike was wheeled from the showroom to the forecourt as I got kitted up. As it was so cold, I wore my cheap Sheltex gear with the winter linings in which I got from Heine Gericke when I was learning to ride. It isn’t fabulously stylish, but it was warm and practical on a day like this I can tell you!
As I was gearing up, Dee was taking some photos to mark the occasion. A customer heading into the showroom stopped and admired the bike. We had a quick chat and he said how he really liked the Heritage Classics and was particularly taken with the paint job on my bike. I thanked him and explained that I was literally collecting it now and about to ride off for the first time. Steve was waiting to see me off, so no pressure then. I made the schoolboy error of putting my gloves on before my helmet, so couldn’t easily fasten the catch, so Steve helped. I got on the bike and carefully went through all the controls again in my head before slowly and deliberately going through the start up sequence.
Electronic tag in my pocket (a brilliant gizmo that automatically arms and disarms the alarm simply by having it on you), Side stand up, Run switch to ‘Run’, Ignition switch to ‘IGN’, Thumb the Start switch and the 1600cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine rumbles into life immediately. A few blips of the throttle and a roar of the engine and she settles into the familiar and evocative Harley potato-potato-potato-potato sub-sonic rumble. Click it into first gear, a look around me, a quick wave and I slowly and carefully pull away through the Audi dealership and onto the Tewkesbury Road to do the short run to my Mother’s house in Bishops Cleeve where it will live in the garage for now.
The ride, short though it was, was still fun. I was instantly comfortable from my recent ride on the same type of bike in Florida over Christmas. It was very cold and it was a good decision not to go for a joyride in sub-zero temperatures without heated gear.
My Mum’s neighbour came out and admired the bike, as did my Mother and cousin. I think I will have to get used to this when riding the bike! After a few photos and a bit more familiarisation by myself, I wheeled her into the garage and plugged her into the battery trickle charger and covered her with a dust sheet.
Unfortunately, I won’t be riding her for at least two weeks now as I am in Cirencester most weekday evenings and next weekend I am in France for a long weekend. But I knew this. I need to get Dee kitted up so she can ride pillion and I must get an intercom so we can chat while riding.
Let the good times roll!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Gotta get some gear!
Well, the bike is ‘fully loaded’ so no need (or want) to accessorise there at all. But of course there is the ‘essential’ motorbike gear! Now I have every intention of being a fair weather rider only, so I am not looking for heavyweight monsoon tested rain gear (although some sort of shower protection is on the cards). I already have a set of warm and waterproof sheltex textile top and trousers from Heine Gericke that I bought for learning, well it will do as my cold / wet weather gear going forward, but it doesn’t cut the ice for warm weather gear. The Heine Gericke leather gloves I bought are fine for warm weather, but as I know from my recent test ride, they are useless in cold weather. The cheap Heine Gericke half boots that I bought will do fine for everything, so no intention of buying new boots at all. The cheap helmet I bought was fine for learning in, but is not what I want at all for touring on the Harley.
So what is left to buy. Well a decent helmet for one. So I did a trip to Heine Gericke and asked around. I was after a full face helmet that could easily convert to an open faced helmet with an integral visor and ready for an intercom set. I found it in the Nolan! The helmet was instantly comfortable, it fitted everywhere without undue pressure, but snug enough not to wobble around. It is a simple black gloss without garish artwork. It has excellent ventilation and looks like an ideal all rounder for both winter trips in the UK and summer touring in the USA.
The jacket? Well it had to be a Harley Davidson leather jacket. I spoke to Sue in the local HD dealer in Cheltenham and tried a few on. I seem to be ‘trapped’ between a L and an XL in size, it all depends on the style and cut. I was also looking for one that wasn’t too garish, some HD adornment was fine though. After trying five or so on, we finally hit on one that fitted perfectly, snug enough not to slop around, but loose enough to be practical to wear and to allow for the fitting of the optional soft armour. It has some thin fluorescent piping on the front and a large fluorescent skull in similar piping on the back, but it doesn’t look too bad in the daylight – and man is it heavy! Zipped cooling vents pretty much everywhere and a detachable fleece lining – perfect. So I took that, at about £370 with a discount!
Then just yesterday I popped out at lunchtime back to HD in Cheltenham to get an insurance form signed by them, so of course back upstairs to see the lovely Sue and ask about gloves and the Draggin’ Jeans I have heard so much about. Well, they had a decent pair of HD winter gloves in material with separate fleece inner gloves. They fitted properly (not too loose and not too tight, so I took those. In warmer weather, I will wear my existing leather gloves, but these will be great for those cold but clear winter days.
I thought I would try the Draggin’ Jeans. I have heard and read a lot about them. The point is that they are decent jeans with Kevlar lining all along the butt, thighs and knees, so that if you are sliding along the road having parted company from your bike, your normal jeans would wear through in one second, whereas these jeans will last for five seconds or more, so saving you losing your skin on the road. I had concerns that they would be very heavy and badly cut and baggy, such that I would need to get changed immediately I got off the bike. Sue found a 36” waist (yes, I am a 36 now having come down from a 38) and I tried them on. What a revelation! They are without doubt the best fitting pair of jeans that I have ever worn! If I could have specified a custom fit, I simply could not have done better! They were fine in the waist and snug in the butt and along the legs. The length was perfect. Nothing needs altering – nothing! I was told that they made them extra long in the legs and that you would need to have them taken up – well not for me (I am long in the legs anyway). Well another sale for Sue!
So that is pretty much it. I say pretty much, well I still need a snood (collar fleece) to close the gap between the jacket and helmet, probably a Harley one. But the most expensive is that I also need a decent intercom set. I will probably go for a Bluetooth one that is designed to fit perfectly into the Nolan helmet, which itself is pre-configured to accept the kit, it all just clicks into place.
So gear in place – check, insurance in place – check, garage lined up – check, bike in place – well, picking it up on the 4th!
So what is left to buy. Well a decent helmet for one. So I did a trip to Heine Gericke and asked around. I was after a full face helmet that could easily convert to an open faced helmet with an integral visor and ready for an intercom set. I found it in the Nolan! The helmet was instantly comfortable, it fitted everywhere without undue pressure, but snug enough not to wobble around. It is a simple black gloss without garish artwork. It has excellent ventilation and looks like an ideal all rounder for both winter trips in the UK and summer touring in the USA.
The jacket? Well it had to be a Harley Davidson leather jacket. I spoke to Sue in the local HD dealer in Cheltenham and tried a few on. I seem to be ‘trapped’ between a L and an XL in size, it all depends on the style and cut. I was also looking for one that wasn’t too garish, some HD adornment was fine though. After trying five or so on, we finally hit on one that fitted perfectly, snug enough not to slop around, but loose enough to be practical to wear and to allow for the fitting of the optional soft armour. It has some thin fluorescent piping on the front and a large fluorescent skull in similar piping on the back, but it doesn’t look too bad in the daylight – and man is it heavy! Zipped cooling vents pretty much everywhere and a detachable fleece lining – perfect. So I took that, at about £370 with a discount!
Then just yesterday I popped out at lunchtime back to HD in Cheltenham to get an insurance form signed by them, so of course back upstairs to see the lovely Sue and ask about gloves and the Draggin’ Jeans I have heard so much about. Well, they had a decent pair of HD winter gloves in material with separate fleece inner gloves. They fitted properly (not too loose and not too tight, so I took those. In warmer weather, I will wear my existing leather gloves, but these will be great for those cold but clear winter days.
I thought I would try the Draggin’ Jeans. I have heard and read a lot about them. The point is that they are decent jeans with Kevlar lining all along the butt, thighs and knees, so that if you are sliding along the road having parted company from your bike, your normal jeans would wear through in one second, whereas these jeans will last for five seconds or more, so saving you losing your skin on the road. I had concerns that they would be very heavy and badly cut and baggy, such that I would need to get changed immediately I got off the bike. Sue found a 36” waist (yes, I am a 36 now having come down from a 38) and I tried them on. What a revelation! They are without doubt the best fitting pair of jeans that I have ever worn! If I could have specified a custom fit, I simply could not have done better! They were fine in the waist and snug in the butt and along the legs. The length was perfect. Nothing needs altering – nothing! I was told that they made them extra long in the legs and that you would need to have them taken up – well not for me (I am long in the legs anyway). Well another sale for Sue!
So that is pretty much it. I say pretty much, well I still need a snood (collar fleece) to close the gap between the jacket and helmet, probably a Harley one. But the most expensive is that I also need a decent intercom set. I will probably go for a Bluetooth one that is designed to fit perfectly into the Nolan helmet, which itself is pre-configured to accept the kit, it all just clicks into place.
So gear in place – check, insurance in place – check, garage lined up – check, bike in place – well, picking it up on the 4th!
Oh God! Insurance!
…..and then there was bike insurance!
Of course I want ‘fully comprehensive’ and not bothered by a high excess. Although I have been a driver for nearly 30 years and have 10 years no claims record on cars, the same cannot be said for my motorbike riding experience. Basically, I can claim to have ridden a motorbike every day for commuting in and out of West London for two years, but that was a 125cc commuter bike and it was nearly 30 years ago, so I don’t guess that cuts much ice. So my motorbiking experience looked pretty pathetic on the insurance forms! Held a full licence for five months, passed my CBT in June 2011 and have zero years no claims on motorbikes!
As recommended by the sales guy at Harley Davidson in Cheltenham, I tried Harley Davidson Insurance. I went to the internet site and punched the details in. The first quote I got was for £524! Aaargh! So I tried the now well known ‘Compare the Market’, but got stuck as their internet form insisted on the precise make of the immobiliser and had no option for merely stating that yes, there was one and that it was a factory fitted model by Harley Davidson, so I gave up with them.
My girlfriend recommended Carole Nash, so I tried them by completing their form on the internet. That came in at a whopping £737 per annum. When I added in a much higher excess, this reduced but only to £687! So it was back to Harley Davidson Insurance.
I accessed my original quote and increased the excess. This reduced the cost to £515. Then I went back in again and checked the details and added the licence plate number (which I now have) and pressed ‘requote’ and to my astonishment, the price was £390! Huh? I really hadn’t changed anything much at all! But I carefully checked the information that it had for the quote and it was 100% correct. So I bought the cover immediately for the full annual price on my credit card. The policy documents and cover note etc. came through within minutes and I am now fully covered on insurance from 4th February when I pick the bike up.
So ‘touch wood’ that I have a claim free year and I look forward to a significant reduction in the premium next year with that much more experience and a no claims history to start speaking about.
Of course I want ‘fully comprehensive’ and not bothered by a high excess. Although I have been a driver for nearly 30 years and have 10 years no claims record on cars, the same cannot be said for my motorbike riding experience. Basically, I can claim to have ridden a motorbike every day for commuting in and out of West London for two years, but that was a 125cc commuter bike and it was nearly 30 years ago, so I don’t guess that cuts much ice. So my motorbiking experience looked pretty pathetic on the insurance forms! Held a full licence for five months, passed my CBT in June 2011 and have zero years no claims on motorbikes!
As recommended by the sales guy at Harley Davidson in Cheltenham, I tried Harley Davidson Insurance. I went to the internet site and punched the details in. The first quote I got was for £524! Aaargh! So I tried the now well known ‘Compare the Market’, but got stuck as their internet form insisted on the precise make of the immobiliser and had no option for merely stating that yes, there was one and that it was a factory fitted model by Harley Davidson, so I gave up with them.
My girlfriend recommended Carole Nash, so I tried them by completing their form on the internet. That came in at a whopping £737 per annum. When I added in a much higher excess, this reduced but only to £687! So it was back to Harley Davidson Insurance.
I accessed my original quote and increased the excess. This reduced the cost to £515. Then I went back in again and checked the details and added the licence plate number (which I now have) and pressed ‘requote’ and to my astonishment, the price was £390! Huh? I really hadn’t changed anything much at all! But I carefully checked the information that it had for the quote and it was 100% correct. So I bought the cover immediately for the full annual price on my credit card. The policy documents and cover note etc. came through within minutes and I am now fully covered on insurance from 4th February when I pick the bike up.
So ‘touch wood’ that I have a claim free year and I look forward to a significant reduction in the premium next year with that much more experience and a no claims history to start speaking about.
Bought the bike!!!!
Well, after last weekends ‘test rides’ of the new HD Switchback and the Road King, I just knew that the bike for me was definitely the HD Softail Heritage Classic, which I rode for a day in Florida over Christmas.
So as discussed with Steve at HD Cheltenham, I went back in on Saturday to talk buying bikes. He said that I was in luck, as they now had four secondhand Heritage Classics. We discussed budgets and he showed me how much a small loan to top up from my maximum price would be to buy a new one – hmmm…food for thought…..
I looked around the secondhand ones. One was a 2003 model, right price, nice paint, but no – too old, so discount that one immediately.
Then the two frontrunners, a silver 2011 ex-demonstrator with the old engine and a metallic white 2012 spec ex-demonstrator. Both at the very top end of my budget, and the 2012 one above the top end. Both were standard fit (i.e. no extras). I was really excited by the bikes themselves, but not the colours, neither of which I particularly liked nor did I think they did the bikes justice. The black or maroon colour schemes were much more in keeping with the retro styling of the bike.
Then there was the fourth bike. A secondhand 2009 model with only 1800 miles on the clock (genuine mileage). I was a bit put off by the ‘2009’ thing but had a look anyway. Well the price was still steep, but £1000 under my maximum. The bike itself was beautiful! It had a great custom paint job, a mix of off white and blue done up in a style similar to a US ‘police cruiser’ bike, all it needed as a shiny gold badge and blue lights!
My Harley Softail Heritage Classic - a beauty!
It was beautifully and tastefully accessorised with authentic HD accessories. So a great MP3 sound system, replacement foot boards and passenger pegs, rear luggage rack, leg bars, HD badge chrome engine cover, flush fitting tank caps etc.
As for condition? It was in pristine condition, you would hardly know it wasn’t new, it had been well loved!
My Harley
As I was looking at it, a regular HD customer came over and said he knew the owner, the bike had only come in yesterday as the owner had to move to Dubai for five years and it was a very reluctant sale. He said he was certain the bike would last the weekend without being sold. I had already made my mind up anyway and told Steve I wanted the bike and wasn’t going to try to haggle.
I paid for it there and then. The drawback is that it had a custom licence plate which to owner wanted to keep. So the logbooks had already gone off to the DVLC to have a normal licence plate put back on. Bottom line is that it would not be available for collection for two weeks. But this wasn’t really an issue. So that’s it, I now have the bike of my dreams!
So if you see a ‘police cruiser’ colour scheme Harley doing the rounds in the Cheltenham area, give me a wave!
So as discussed with Steve at HD Cheltenham, I went back in on Saturday to talk buying bikes. He said that I was in luck, as they now had four secondhand Heritage Classics. We discussed budgets and he showed me how much a small loan to top up from my maximum price would be to buy a new one – hmmm…food for thought…..
I looked around the secondhand ones. One was a 2003 model, right price, nice paint, but no – too old, so discount that one immediately.
Then the two frontrunners, a silver 2011 ex-demonstrator with the old engine and a metallic white 2012 spec ex-demonstrator. Both at the very top end of my budget, and the 2012 one above the top end. Both were standard fit (i.e. no extras). I was really excited by the bikes themselves, but not the colours, neither of which I particularly liked nor did I think they did the bikes justice. The black or maroon colour schemes were much more in keeping with the retro styling of the bike.
Then there was the fourth bike. A secondhand 2009 model with only 1800 miles on the clock (genuine mileage). I was a bit put off by the ‘2009’ thing but had a look anyway. Well the price was still steep, but £1000 under my maximum. The bike itself was beautiful! It had a great custom paint job, a mix of off white and blue done up in a style similar to a US ‘police cruiser’ bike, all it needed as a shiny gold badge and blue lights!
My Harley Softail Heritage Classic - a beauty!
It was beautifully and tastefully accessorised with authentic HD accessories. So a great MP3 sound system, replacement foot boards and passenger pegs, rear luggage rack, leg bars, HD badge chrome engine cover, flush fitting tank caps etc.
As for condition? It was in pristine condition, you would hardly know it wasn’t new, it had been well loved!
My Harley
As I was looking at it, a regular HD customer came over and said he knew the owner, the bike had only come in yesterday as the owner had to move to Dubai for five years and it was a very reluctant sale. He said he was certain the bike would last the weekend without being sold. I had already made my mind up anyway and told Steve I wanted the bike and wasn’t going to try to haggle.
I paid for it there and then. The drawback is that it had a custom licence plate which to owner wanted to keep. So the logbooks had already gone off to the DVLC to have a normal licence plate put back on. Bottom line is that it would not be available for collection for two weeks. But this wasn’t really an issue. So that’s it, I now have the bike of my dreams!
So if you see a ‘police cruiser’ colour scheme Harley doing the rounds in the Cheltenham area, give me a wave!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Daytona Beach!!!
I am still working up financially to buying my Harley, which I expect to do by the end of January. I now have test rides booked at the local dealer for next weekend for two bikes I am interested in.
I went on holiday over Christmas and the New Year with my Canadian friend and his family who kindly invited me over to share their hired villa after my recent separation. The thought of a traditional ‘family Christmas’ didn’t appeal to me this year, so Florida was an easy decision to make.
Well my buddy is an avid biker and owns a very large Kawasaki Vulcan touring bike (you know, one of the Harley clones!). So we decided that while in Florida, we would both hire Harleys for a day and go for a ride somewhere. It was all arranged with Harley Davidson Orlando. We turned up a couple of days beforehand to formally make the booking and have a nose around. Despite the time of year, they were surprisingly busy, both for rentals and sales. He sat on a few bikes, but in the end went for renting a Street Glide. I decided to rent the Softail Heritage Classic as this is the bike I really like the look and price of and am seriously considering buying, so what better way to check it out than to ride it for a day.
The Heritage Classic I rented was the 2012 version, with the new 103 engine (as opposed to the old 98 engine). I don’t know what difference the engine makes, of course Harley say it is huge, but then they want you to buy a new bike, not a secondhand one.
We turned up on the 30th December as booked at 10:00. They were very busy booking bikes out and we took our place in the queue. It was a pretty slick process and the guy carried out a careful pre-rental inspection as we both pointed out imperfection in the bike to be sure we didn’t wind up paying for ‘damage’ that we didn’t make. He was very fair. I quick run through of the controls and differences on a Harley and we had the keys and were ready to go by 11:00. The rental period was for 24 hours from the time we took the bikes, but he said as long as they were back by midday tomorrow, it would b fine.
Checking the bikes out of the dealership
We got ourselves sorted out, with stuff stowed in the saddlebags as required. Me, well although the weather was perfect (20-25 degrees, sunny and no wind), I was going to ride in my leather A2 flying jacket, with leather biking gloves, jeans and a half-helmet. My buddy? Well, jeans, a T-shirt and wrap around shades of course (he wore his helmet until out of sight of the dealership, then off it came as they are not legally required in Florida).
As this would be my first ride of more than 30 minutes since passing my test in September, and I was riding on the ‘wrong side of the road’ etc. I asked my buddy if he would always lead and do the navigation and I would follow. This relieved me of the mental capacity required for those functions and left me free to concentrate on riding the bike and the traffic around me. This worked out very well and after an hour or so, I was wondering what I was worried about.
The terrible twosome!
First we went to my see a friend of my buddy who was also in Orlando at the same time, so a modest 25 minute ride while we found the condo / development they were staying at. This gave me time to get a feel for the bike and start to settle in. I really took no time at all. Yes, it is of course bigger and heavier than the Suzuki GS500 that I trained on for my test, and I would certainly need more time and practice to really nail the slow speed u-turns and slalom ‘tricks’, but I felt really good on it. The acceleration at all speeds was crisp (OK, not sports bike, bike plenty lively enough to outpace cars). Everyone says the brakes on a Harley are ponderous, but I found them fine, OK again, compare it to a light performance sports bike and they will of course feel that way, but is it fair to compare a Lotus Elise to a Chrysler 300? Of course not.
After our first stop, we checked the route and decided to head out to Daytona Beach, where else? Off went trying to get onto the I4 public highway, but we sat in traffic for so long that we gave up, headed for a garage for lunch and a plan B session. Plan B was still Daytona Beach, but lets avoid the boring and crowded highway and try the I417 toll road then turn off onto the 415 heading north east, then left onto the 44 heading east to New Smyma Beach, then pick up the Hwy 1 coast road north to Daytona Beach. That was the plan and that is how it turned out.
My buddy on his Street Glide
The toll road was as expected much quieter, although we had to stop at the various toll plazas for annoying $1.00 tolls every few miles, but we were moving freely in minimal traffic. We pootled along at 65mph in general, which is very comfortable on a Harley, just about enough to get into the 6th overdrive gear.
The 415 was a lovely road. Very quiet with very little traffic, quite a few other bikes (mandatory low show of the left hand as you pass each other). It was a normal two way road with speed limits varying from 45 to 55 mph, but there was no hurry and it was great to get a look at ‘normal’ Florida countryside and residential houses and ranches away from the endless resorts and developments of Orlando. We stopped at a garage to gas up and to check where we were. Coincidentally, we were at the precise junction of the 415 with the 44, which is where we wanted to turn off anyway. So onto the 44 headed to the Atlantic coast.
My buddy took a bit of a wrong turning and crossed over the intra-coastal waterway at Smyma and started heading south on the 1A. Well we both knew from the sun that this was the wrong direction, so after a couple of miles he pulled onto a car park by the beach to check the map. We had no GPS and no bike-to-bike comms (I think comms will be essential for future trips, but happy to wing it without a GPS and see what happens). I had no problem with the ‘detour’ as I was enjoying the ride so much. A quick check of the map and we decided to backtrack and pick up Hwy 1 running the other side of the intra-coastal. We found this easy enough, then along this busier coast road to Daytona.
We chugged along Hwy 1 heading to Daytona in normal traffic. Loads of bikes and loads of the obligatory ‘salutes’. The vast majority of bikes we saw were other Harleys, but some were ‘rice burners’ (US name for Japanese bikes), who noticeably didn’t give as many ‘salutes’ – hey, they were probably abused children!
The Harley makes the most amazingly gorgeous noise. Non-Harley riders joke that you have hearing loss after two hours on a Harley, sorry guys, not so, it is a wonderful noise. Neither of us could avoid the childish and completely unnecessary ‘blipping’ of the throttle from idle when sat at traffic lights and it’s funny how the throttle is directly connected to the muscles in the face that make you grin like an idiot – the higher the RPM, the bigger the grin!!!
Made it!!!!
We passed a sign saying ‘South Daytona’ and chugged along. We knew the beach must be over to our left, and eventually we came to a sign saying ‘beaches’ and turned left immediately. Within a couple of blocks, we had clearly arrived!!! There was a huge arch saying ‘Welcome to the famous Daytona Beach’. We could see the beach and sea ahead and just slowed right down and carried on riding, the asphalt gave was to sandy asphalt (not good), then to simply compacted sand – we were there, we were riding on the world famous Daytona Beach, right there on the hallowed sand! The sand was very fine and white and quite firm and compacted. We turned carefully onto the semi-marked sand ‘road’ and chugged along in first at 5 – 10 mph following the guide signs and avoiding other beach users wandering across – no rules here, it’s live and let live.
I hit a short and looser bit of sand and just kept off the throttle and brakes as I could feel the wheels slipping under me, it would be awful to drop the bike in front of everyone, especially as my buddy is looking so stable and serene! I made it well enough and was wondering how the hell we could ever park the bikes up, as we had no blocks of wood to spread the load on the foot of the side stand, and the side stands alone would instantly dig in and drop the bike. We pulled in off the ‘sand road’ to park and sat there. Tried the side stands and of course they were useless. But hey, my buddy to the rescue. He rolled up his spare shorts and other bits of clothing he had in the panniers and put these under the sidestand foot and hey presto, a load spreader! Bikes safely parked up we switched off, dismounted and took it all in. Amazing!
My prize winning entry to Gay Times !!!
Of course, I had to get some of that lovely warm sun on my body, so out came the ‘Gay Times’ photo of the year opportunity!! Meanwhile, my buddy just had to have a paddle in the Atlantic! We took in the sights and posed for the ‘I was there’ photos with the bikes. Every year they have the famous / infamous ‘Bike Week’ in March, with bikes descending on the place from all over the world and parading up and down the beach. Along with the usual ‘biker’ attractions like scantily clad and impossibly nubile young ladies, tattoos, bike parades, leather apparel and of course the famous ‘smack my ass for $2’ ladies in thongs and chaps. It must be the most amazing experience and one to put on the bucket list for a future date for sure!
We stopped at a tourist shop and my buddy had to buy some ‘Daytona Bike Week’ baseball hats – been there, got the hat!
It was getting toward late afternoon now, so we decided to head off for somewhere to eat, then head back to Orlando. We cruised around Hwy 1 and eventually settled on a pretty honest bar which had both an outside and inside bar. The locals all seemed to be pretty old and there was an amazing Karaoke going on inside, average age 92 it looked like. So we opted for the outside bar and a couple of lite beers and a burger meal. All for a trifling $20 – gotta love America!
By now, it was properly dark as we headed back. This time we took the easiest route to the I4 and rode on the interstate. It was busy-ish but not too bad. We chugged along at 65 – 75 mph and I was mainly in the sixth / overdrive gear, but even then, the pickup was good when needed. The traffic thickened up noticeably as we approached Orlando and on occasions I got separated from my buddy, but always managed to find him again.
We pulled in again to gas up and I managed to miss the hole and splash gas over the bike and some of the hot bits, pray that it doesn’t catch!!! The I4 wasn’t much fun so we looked at an alternate route back. We figured if we headed west we would do better to pick up the 429 toll road that went alongside Lake Apopka and around the west of Disney World and brought us precisely into ‘our’ junction at Indian Ridge south of Disney World. As expected, the 429 wasn’t busy, in fact it was damned near deserted and was pristine tarmac! We cruised along, having to stop regularly for the various toll booths, annoying, but it gave us a break and was far better than the alternative. Besides, it was a great way of giving it some real acceleration in pulling away from the booths!
We got back to the villa at about 20:30 after what my buddy clocked as a 225 mile ride. We parked the bikes in the garage for the night and had some well earned beer and bragging rights.
Next day (new years eve) we had time for a few ‘PR photos’ of us riding the bikes up and down the neighbourhood road, probably much to the annoyance of the residents! Then for a local ride with my buddy taking his wife pillion on the back of his bike. We dropped the bikes back at the Harley dealership while I bought the obligatory T-shirt.
PR photos!
Well that was a really great day and my first really decent ride on a Harley – and I loved it! I was very pleased with the Softail Heritage Classic and I really think that this could be the bike for me. A lot of ‘firsts’ for me on a bike (well, first time since I was riding a small 125cc commuter bike nearly 30 years ago that is). First time on a Harley Softail Heritage Classic, first time to Daytona, first time riding on sand, first time riding over 70mph, first time riding in the USA, first time riding at night, first time pulling tight U-turns with such a big bike, longest distance ridden in a day etc.
Well, I loved it and I’m hooked, but then I knew that I would be!
I went on holiday over Christmas and the New Year with my Canadian friend and his family who kindly invited me over to share their hired villa after my recent separation. The thought of a traditional ‘family Christmas’ didn’t appeal to me this year, so Florida was an easy decision to make.
Well my buddy is an avid biker and owns a very large Kawasaki Vulcan touring bike (you know, one of the Harley clones!). So we decided that while in Florida, we would both hire Harleys for a day and go for a ride somewhere. It was all arranged with Harley Davidson Orlando. We turned up a couple of days beforehand to formally make the booking and have a nose around. Despite the time of year, they were surprisingly busy, both for rentals and sales. He sat on a few bikes, but in the end went for renting a Street Glide. I decided to rent the Softail Heritage Classic as this is the bike I really like the look and price of and am seriously considering buying, so what better way to check it out than to ride it for a day.
The Heritage Classic I rented was the 2012 version, with the new 103 engine (as opposed to the old 98 engine). I don’t know what difference the engine makes, of course Harley say it is huge, but then they want you to buy a new bike, not a secondhand one.
We turned up on the 30th December as booked at 10:00. They were very busy booking bikes out and we took our place in the queue. It was a pretty slick process and the guy carried out a careful pre-rental inspection as we both pointed out imperfection in the bike to be sure we didn’t wind up paying for ‘damage’ that we didn’t make. He was very fair. I quick run through of the controls and differences on a Harley and we had the keys and were ready to go by 11:00. The rental period was for 24 hours from the time we took the bikes, but he said as long as they were back by midday tomorrow, it would b fine.
Checking the bikes out of the dealership
We got ourselves sorted out, with stuff stowed in the saddlebags as required. Me, well although the weather was perfect (20-25 degrees, sunny and no wind), I was going to ride in my leather A2 flying jacket, with leather biking gloves, jeans and a half-helmet. My buddy? Well, jeans, a T-shirt and wrap around shades of course (he wore his helmet until out of sight of the dealership, then off it came as they are not legally required in Florida).
As this would be my first ride of more than 30 minutes since passing my test in September, and I was riding on the ‘wrong side of the road’ etc. I asked my buddy if he would always lead and do the navigation and I would follow. This relieved me of the mental capacity required for those functions and left me free to concentrate on riding the bike and the traffic around me. This worked out very well and after an hour or so, I was wondering what I was worried about.
The terrible twosome!
First we went to my see a friend of my buddy who was also in Orlando at the same time, so a modest 25 minute ride while we found the condo / development they were staying at. This gave me time to get a feel for the bike and start to settle in. I really took no time at all. Yes, it is of course bigger and heavier than the Suzuki GS500 that I trained on for my test, and I would certainly need more time and practice to really nail the slow speed u-turns and slalom ‘tricks’, but I felt really good on it. The acceleration at all speeds was crisp (OK, not sports bike, bike plenty lively enough to outpace cars). Everyone says the brakes on a Harley are ponderous, but I found them fine, OK again, compare it to a light performance sports bike and they will of course feel that way, but is it fair to compare a Lotus Elise to a Chrysler 300? Of course not.
After our first stop, we checked the route and decided to head out to Daytona Beach, where else? Off went trying to get onto the I4 public highway, but we sat in traffic for so long that we gave up, headed for a garage for lunch and a plan B session. Plan B was still Daytona Beach, but lets avoid the boring and crowded highway and try the I417 toll road then turn off onto the 415 heading north east, then left onto the 44 heading east to New Smyma Beach, then pick up the Hwy 1 coast road north to Daytona Beach. That was the plan and that is how it turned out.
My buddy on his Street Glide
The toll road was as expected much quieter, although we had to stop at the various toll plazas for annoying $1.00 tolls every few miles, but we were moving freely in minimal traffic. We pootled along at 65mph in general, which is very comfortable on a Harley, just about enough to get into the 6th overdrive gear.
The 415 was a lovely road. Very quiet with very little traffic, quite a few other bikes (mandatory low show of the left hand as you pass each other). It was a normal two way road with speed limits varying from 45 to 55 mph, but there was no hurry and it was great to get a look at ‘normal’ Florida countryside and residential houses and ranches away from the endless resorts and developments of Orlando. We stopped at a garage to gas up and to check where we were. Coincidentally, we were at the precise junction of the 415 with the 44, which is where we wanted to turn off anyway. So onto the 44 headed to the Atlantic coast.
My buddy took a bit of a wrong turning and crossed over the intra-coastal waterway at Smyma and started heading south on the 1A. Well we both knew from the sun that this was the wrong direction, so after a couple of miles he pulled onto a car park by the beach to check the map. We had no GPS and no bike-to-bike comms (I think comms will be essential for future trips, but happy to wing it without a GPS and see what happens). I had no problem with the ‘detour’ as I was enjoying the ride so much. A quick check of the map and we decided to backtrack and pick up Hwy 1 running the other side of the intra-coastal. We found this easy enough, then along this busier coast road to Daytona.
We chugged along Hwy 1 heading to Daytona in normal traffic. Loads of bikes and loads of the obligatory ‘salutes’. The vast majority of bikes we saw were other Harleys, but some were ‘rice burners’ (US name for Japanese bikes), who noticeably didn’t give as many ‘salutes’ – hey, they were probably abused children!
The Harley makes the most amazingly gorgeous noise. Non-Harley riders joke that you have hearing loss after two hours on a Harley, sorry guys, not so, it is a wonderful noise. Neither of us could avoid the childish and completely unnecessary ‘blipping’ of the throttle from idle when sat at traffic lights and it’s funny how the throttle is directly connected to the muscles in the face that make you grin like an idiot – the higher the RPM, the bigger the grin!!!
Made it!!!!
We passed a sign saying ‘South Daytona’ and chugged along. We knew the beach must be over to our left, and eventually we came to a sign saying ‘beaches’ and turned left immediately. Within a couple of blocks, we had clearly arrived!!! There was a huge arch saying ‘Welcome to the famous Daytona Beach’. We could see the beach and sea ahead and just slowed right down and carried on riding, the asphalt gave was to sandy asphalt (not good), then to simply compacted sand – we were there, we were riding on the world famous Daytona Beach, right there on the hallowed sand! The sand was very fine and white and quite firm and compacted. We turned carefully onto the semi-marked sand ‘road’ and chugged along in first at 5 – 10 mph following the guide signs and avoiding other beach users wandering across – no rules here, it’s live and let live.
I hit a short and looser bit of sand and just kept off the throttle and brakes as I could feel the wheels slipping under me, it would be awful to drop the bike in front of everyone, especially as my buddy is looking so stable and serene! I made it well enough and was wondering how the hell we could ever park the bikes up, as we had no blocks of wood to spread the load on the foot of the side stand, and the side stands alone would instantly dig in and drop the bike. We pulled in off the ‘sand road’ to park and sat there. Tried the side stands and of course they were useless. But hey, my buddy to the rescue. He rolled up his spare shorts and other bits of clothing he had in the panniers and put these under the sidestand foot and hey presto, a load spreader! Bikes safely parked up we switched off, dismounted and took it all in. Amazing!
My prize winning entry to Gay Times !!!
Of course, I had to get some of that lovely warm sun on my body, so out came the ‘Gay Times’ photo of the year opportunity!! Meanwhile, my buddy just had to have a paddle in the Atlantic! We took in the sights and posed for the ‘I was there’ photos with the bikes. Every year they have the famous / infamous ‘Bike Week’ in March, with bikes descending on the place from all over the world and parading up and down the beach. Along with the usual ‘biker’ attractions like scantily clad and impossibly nubile young ladies, tattoos, bike parades, leather apparel and of course the famous ‘smack my ass for $2’ ladies in thongs and chaps. It must be the most amazing experience and one to put on the bucket list for a future date for sure!
We stopped at a tourist shop and my buddy had to buy some ‘Daytona Bike Week’ baseball hats – been there, got the hat!
It was getting toward late afternoon now, so we decided to head off for somewhere to eat, then head back to Orlando. We cruised around Hwy 1 and eventually settled on a pretty honest bar which had both an outside and inside bar. The locals all seemed to be pretty old and there was an amazing Karaoke going on inside, average age 92 it looked like. So we opted for the outside bar and a couple of lite beers and a burger meal. All for a trifling $20 – gotta love America!
By now, it was properly dark as we headed back. This time we took the easiest route to the I4 and rode on the interstate. It was busy-ish but not too bad. We chugged along at 65 – 75 mph and I was mainly in the sixth / overdrive gear, but even then, the pickup was good when needed. The traffic thickened up noticeably as we approached Orlando and on occasions I got separated from my buddy, but always managed to find him again.
We pulled in again to gas up and I managed to miss the hole and splash gas over the bike and some of the hot bits, pray that it doesn’t catch!!! The I4 wasn’t much fun so we looked at an alternate route back. We figured if we headed west we would do better to pick up the 429 toll road that went alongside Lake Apopka and around the west of Disney World and brought us precisely into ‘our’ junction at Indian Ridge south of Disney World. As expected, the 429 wasn’t busy, in fact it was damned near deserted and was pristine tarmac! We cruised along, having to stop regularly for the various toll booths, annoying, but it gave us a break and was far better than the alternative. Besides, it was a great way of giving it some real acceleration in pulling away from the booths!
We got back to the villa at about 20:30 after what my buddy clocked as a 225 mile ride. We parked the bikes in the garage for the night and had some well earned beer and bragging rights.
Next day (new years eve) we had time for a few ‘PR photos’ of us riding the bikes up and down the neighbourhood road, probably much to the annoyance of the residents! Then for a local ride with my buddy taking his wife pillion on the back of his bike. We dropped the bikes back at the Harley dealership while I bought the obligatory T-shirt.
PR photos!
Well that was a really great day and my first really decent ride on a Harley – and I loved it! I was very pleased with the Softail Heritage Classic and I really think that this could be the bike for me. A lot of ‘firsts’ for me on a bike (well, first time since I was riding a small 125cc commuter bike nearly 30 years ago that is). First time on a Harley Softail Heritage Classic, first time to Daytona, first time riding on sand, first time riding over 70mph, first time riding in the USA, first time riding at night, first time pulling tight U-turns with such a big bike, longest distance ridden in a day etc.
Well, I loved it and I’m hooked, but then I knew that I would be!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
What do you buy a guy for his birthday?
Of course the minute I announced that I really wanted a motorbike, but not just that, a Harley Davidson touring / cruiser motorbike, I created a new and untapped market in presents that people could buy me for my birthday!
My sister (who lives in the US) bought me some ‘anti-monkey butt’ powder and a matching T-shirt. It is a miracle powder that athletes and biker rub, well, err,,,, one their butts and other sweaty part to stop rashes from long hours in the saddle. No doubt it will come in very handy for my planned South West US biking trip in autumn 2012 with my ‘bestest buddy in the whole world’!
MY kids both chipped in and raided the local Harley Davidson store in Cheltenham and bought me Harley Davidson T-shirts and a sweatshirt. In the usual large and garish HD logos and imaginative (and usually physically impossible) accompanying human artwork and straplines!
Now all of this clothing will definitely NOT be worn to the office on dress down day (or any other day come to that). But it will come in handy for wearing on hot days while biking and under my armoured leather biking jacket (yet to be bought) as a sweat layer. And I really don’t mind wearing it in a biking environment, although it would look more appropriate on a grizzled 35-ish something year old unshaven ‘biker to the bone’ type than my own somewhat older and more genteel ‘gentleman motorcyclist’ persona – but hey, I have never been particularly concerned with what others think – I like it and I think it’s funny!
I also got a rather nice large porcelain mug decorated with bikes that exactly matches the mug I got last year decorated with warplanes.
I am still working up to actually buying a Harley and will go out on the serious trial ride / negotiate a deal process from the end of November onwards (once my toe has fully healed). So I feel a bit of a fraud at the moment with all this motorbike gear and paraphernalia but no bike in the driveway.
So you could say, instead of:
‘Been there got the T-shirt’
It really should be:
‘Got the T-shirts, better get the bike now!’
Retail therapy and mid-life crisis – gotta love em!
My sister (who lives in the US) bought me some ‘anti-monkey butt’ powder and a matching T-shirt. It is a miracle powder that athletes and biker rub, well, err,,,, one their butts and other sweaty part to stop rashes from long hours in the saddle. No doubt it will come in very handy for my planned South West US biking trip in autumn 2012 with my ‘bestest buddy in the whole world’!
MY kids both chipped in and raided the local Harley Davidson store in Cheltenham and bought me Harley Davidson T-shirts and a sweatshirt. In the usual large and garish HD logos and imaginative (and usually physically impossible) accompanying human artwork and straplines!
Now all of this clothing will definitely NOT be worn to the office on dress down day (or any other day come to that). But it will come in handy for wearing on hot days while biking and under my armoured leather biking jacket (yet to be bought) as a sweat layer. And I really don’t mind wearing it in a biking environment, although it would look more appropriate on a grizzled 35-ish something year old unshaven ‘biker to the bone’ type than my own somewhat older and more genteel ‘gentleman motorcyclist’ persona – but hey, I have never been particularly concerned with what others think – I like it and I think it’s funny!
I also got a rather nice large porcelain mug decorated with bikes that exactly matches the mug I got last year decorated with warplanes.
I am still working up to actually buying a Harley and will go out on the serious trial ride / negotiate a deal process from the end of November onwards (once my toe has fully healed). So I feel a bit of a fraud at the moment with all this motorbike gear and paraphernalia but no bike in the driveway.
So you could say, instead of:
‘Been there got the T-shirt’
It really should be:
‘Got the T-shirts, better get the bike now!’
Retail therapy and mid-life crisis – gotta love em!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
These are my front runners at the moment
Well, these are my two front runners. I will decide by which I can get the best deal / price on, so either a new HD Dyna Switchback, with a king and queen saddle and sissy bar, or a secondhand HD Softail Heritage Classic, ideally about one or two years old max with a couple of thousand miles on it.
Harley Davidson Switchback - latest engine, but would need to change the stock saddle and add a sissy bar
Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic - This is exactly what I want, with everything 'as is' - king and queen saddle, sissy bar, leather saddle bags, I just can't afford a new one.
Harley Davidson Switchback - latest engine, but would need to change the stock saddle and add a sissy bar
Harley Davidson Softail Heritage Classic - This is exactly what I want, with everything 'as is' - king and queen saddle, sissy bar, leather saddle bags, I just can't afford a new one.
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