After 36 years, first Harley ride

Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
356
Location
Norman, OK
Bike
ST1300 '08
I know there are other threads on this, and as I thought, "who cares what I think," it dawned on me that there are others in my situation who might find an objective report useful. if not, that's OK too.

I've been riding since 1973, never rode a cruiser of any kind, much less an HD. After a few years of not riding, when I got back into it, I was sure I'd get a Harley, made in America, they're cool, etc.. went shopping - too much $$, all the old worries about reliability (they DID have probs in the 80's for sure - I remember seeing them broken down by the side of the road all the time). The kicker was, the salesman told me how life-changing it would be to own a Harley, that it would give me my identity. I thought, wow, if that were the case, I really must have more serious issues.. and walked out, bought a Suzuki DL650, then my ST.

OK, enough of that.

Nonetheless, the intrigue and curiosity remained. I figured renting one would answer a lot of questions, and it did. Where I live, no rentals. Went to CA to visit one of our daughters, and had the chance to rent a bike instead of a car for the weekend, so we rented from Vacaville (CA) HD, which treated us great, and the woman there (Terri Biron) is gorgeous btw and a real pro - so kudos to a good dealer.

My take on the Harley, again FWIW:

fit and finish: really nice. good paint, chrome obviously

luggage: excellent, easy to use and good latches, etc.

seating position: THIS took getting used to. my back was bowed for two reasons, the feet-forward thing, and the windshield edge went right across my vision, so I either had to slouch or sit too tall like a prairie dog. (of course the windshield could be modified). The feet forward thing started to feel less weird, but I still felt less secure w/o me feet under me on the pegs. It would take time for me to really feel integrated with the bike. again, I guess if I had grown up riding cruisers, no prob. It was interesting at the shop watching their guys ride bikes to test or move to the garage area. Pinpoint U-turns, etc., no sweat. Practice makes perfect.

handling: it would take more time for me to trust how the weight falls into turns. I felt that over time I'd like it more and more, and esp at low speeds. high speed sweepers felt less secure, the rear end was squirrely.

suspension: this was a really weak area. anyone who doesn't like the ST's suspension should ride an Electraglide. mushy and clunky. literally clunky over minimal obstacles. and they pumped up the air shock for two-up first. still not good.

vibration: even tho I knew they vibrate at idle, wow, do they vibrate at idle. and NO they do not smooth out at speed. They smooth out quite a bit but never really smooth out. once rolling it was livable tho.

noise: even with stock pipes, too loud. I like that my ST is basically silent at speed (with ear plugs, yes...I hear some wind noise but not muffler noise).

the rental experience was very good. nice dealership. and overall yes, I dug the bike a lot, and probably would have liked it more and more. my bottom line, curiosity has been answered, no way would I swap it for my ST.. makes me now want to see how a Wing stacks up. and my SO was so-so on the Harley - she liked the comfort, not the noise, etc..

thanks for listening -
 

John Anthony

Moderator
Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Messages
2,141
Location
Seattle
Bike
'03 ST1300A
STOC #
5107
Interesting write up. Always good to hear others' perceptions of different bikes.

John
 
OP
OP
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
356
Location
Norman, OK
Bike
ST1300 '08
absolutely Keith. the bike just fits me. I don't have to think about what I'm doing (much) when riding. Of course part of that is from putting a lot of miles on it, but it felt that way from the get-go. On the other hand, the HD was great. If I was rich I'd have both probably... but the HD would take some saddle time to really get the hang of, and those other (negative) traits would still be there. BUT it is a good bike, and I can see how people come to really like them.

hopefully we can catch up at one of these OK events..

best -
 
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
388
Age
81
Location
Linden CA.
Bike
91-ST1100 & PC800
STOC #
1890
Hi Guys :bk11:
Yea I'm an ole guy been riding since 1956 on almost everything with 2 wheels, I have owned 5 GoldWings, 3 Harleys
a few BSA's among others, every Harley I have had was a maintenance mess, I was most times not sure if I would get home
because of the mechanical falures ( my last Harley was a 1988 FXRD) some British bikes of the past were just as unreliable
they all leaked oil. Having said that.... My Norton 850 Commando was with out doubt one of my favorite bikes. The FXRD
was fun as well but for out right fun handling power you have to go a long way to match the ST1100 or the ST1300... I prefer
the ST1100. For long distance reliably comfort the Gold Wing wins hands down.
The Harley's were the most expensive for service at the dealer and parts were more costly as well.
I don't now have one but after riding one many times, I would love to find a good used Buell... one with a Harley engine, and when it died
I would put a new S&S in it and ride like I stole it.
Dave
 
OP
OP
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
356
Location
Norman, OK
Bike
ST1300 '08
I am sure testing a "Wing" will be my next experiment. I am curious to compare it to the Electraglide.. I'm expecting, "more refined everything" but who knows. again, I DID like the HD. Would like to ride it more. interesting to have so many good choices....
 
Top Bottom