Rode a Harley

Joined
Feb 25, 2005
Messages
5
Location
Gaithersburg, MD
Bike
2004 ST1300
STOC #
4816
This past weekend I had the opprtunity to pose as a Harley Guy. My original intent was to rent a Gold Wing, but when I showed up, there were none available. I was offered an Electra Glide Classic - the touring model. I took the bike through rural Virginia and then rode the length of Skyline Drive with my wife on the back.

To say that it was a different ride than the ST is an understatement. My quick and albeit biased review is as follows:

Fun factor - 9. There is no denying this bike has soul. It is kind of fun setting off car alarms.
Handling - 6. For the first hour, it was like riding a camel. Got used to it and was able to scrape floorboards at will. Brakes are vague and unlinked.
Acceleration - 6. Not neck-snapping, but respectable. The sound definitely let's you know what's going on.
Windshield - 4. First, it's fixed. Second, in right hand sweepers, your vision is split between looking through it and over it.
Side bags - 2. OMG. They're more like pockets than bags. They'll fit a Harley Helmet in them, but you'll never get a full face in there. I actually had to repack my belongings in order for them to fit.
Trunk - 8. A ton of room and easily accessible. Needs to be made out of a studrier material.
CD Player - 10. Tunes while riding!! Thumbs way up.

Once I got onto some slab, the bike came into its own. The sixth gear really helped. At 80, I was barely pulling 2700 rpm. If I lived in a place with little or no twisties and sweepers, this would be the bike. YMMV.
 

pretbek

Ŵΐļļ ŗĭδέ ∫ỗґ Ŧщịştịέş
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
622
Location
West Chester, PA
Bike
Super Tenere
STOC #
6610
Thanks for posting this. It is fun to get a HD ride review from a Sport Touring guy's perspective.

At 80, I was barely pulling 2700 rpm. If I lived in a place with little or no twisties and sweepers, this would be the bike. YMMV.
So which HD models "top out at 75 mph" and "feel scary at anything above 70 mph, vibrating and shuddering you off the bike", to paraphrase some comments I've read about HDs on this forum?
Should I call shenanigans on those comments, or is there a huge difference between models, like a Honda CB450 and a Honda ST1300 -both Hondas but extremely different capabilities?
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
62
Age
67
Location
Moore, OK
Bike
2008 Goldwing
So which HD models "top out at 75 mph" and "feel scary at anything above 70 mph, vibrating and shuddering you off the bike", to paraphrase some comments I've read about HDs on this forum?
Should I call shenanigans on those comments, or is there a huge difference between models, like a Honda CB450 and a Honda ST1300 -both Hondas but extremely different capabilities?
All my real HD time is on Electra Glides like this one. He luckily rode a new one with the 6 speed and 96 inch engine - much better urge. I also rode an 04 model and it was lacking in urge. There was lots of torque between 2000 and 3000, but everywhere else was just noise. With a passenger on the back I passed a line of cars and stayed on the gas for a good mile - it topped out at 93 indicated.

Electra Glides have a wierd looking reverse Triple tree on them. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be better, but it works very well on the glide. Other Harleys have all manner of wacky fork and suspension setups, so there may be handling issues there - I don't know. My brother had a Deuce with the 19inch front wheel and raked out front end - that might have been one of the scarier bikes on a twisty road in my memory.
 
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
Messages
5
Location
Ft Lauderdale, FL
STOC #
6978
In addition to my ST1100 I also have a 2002 Softail Deuce. The guy I bought this bike from spent a fortune on engine and appearance up grades. Its very fast and a fun bike to ride, handles reasonably well and is not scary at all. For the samer 30K the previous owner spent on this bike you can buy a new ST1300 with ABS and still have over 15K left over. I recently rode an 05 Lectra-Glide and the previous poster was about spot on except I found that Harley to be underpowered.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
62
Age
67
Location
Moore, OK
Bike
2008 Goldwing
... I recently rode an 05 Lectra-Glide and the previous poster was about spot on except I found that Harley to be underpowered.
The 05 still had the 88 pulling all that weight and was pretty slow. The 07s have the new 96 - a much pepier engine right out of the box. The new pipes also sound excellent. The 07 really was fun to ride.

The scary part I mentioned on the Deuce was in hard cornering where that small front tire has limited grip. I rode it through the black Hills and you could feel it starting to give on some of the aggresive turms.
 
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