I have zero complaints with the Harley-Davidson product. In fact I am grateful to the fact that they have produced something that has personally given me a lifetime of enjoyment. Not sure what else would interest me and has gave me so many memories.

Sounds like the Gold Wing might have something more to your expectations. However let me caution you..no other bike has the heart and soul or grab you by the seat of your pants for an over all experience. Sure they have the wing ding and the Americade at Lake George. But you think the HD poser crowd is nauseaous wait till yuo mix and mingle with the wing dingers..geez. I heard the Yamaha FJR is popular too.

I couldn't agree with you more!!


I've been to Americade used to live in Albany, I had a blast but I think it was more the people I went with than the crowd I met there...
I also test rode the Yamaha and I'd buy one if they could make it comfortable, but the seating position is either for someone much smaller than me or someone that only rides for 15 minutes at a time and then gets off and stretches the legs...

I love my bike, I've owned it since new in '94 and plan/hope to never sell it.

One of the things that HRF members have to keep in mind is that we ride ten times more than your average RUB. A stock pair of shocks or a limp-biscuit Sportster front end on a Super Glide is just fine for a guy who buys car wax by the case. Not for us.

As for your bike, you don't need to ask me anything. If it breaks you'll do your own research and buy the best replacement part. I do the same with Betty and Spinner--and I'm not shy about unbolting substandard OEM parts.

In this thread, I'm speaking more to the average "I bought a Harley because I'm so badass" crowd. The kind of a guy who buys the biggest, cammiest, 150 cubic inch S&S thumper motor and doesn't do a thing about his suspension or brakes.

There is no doubt in my mind that if you would have taken Spinner around the block last season you would have said, "Good simple Sportster modifications--but why is this thing running so hot?"

Spinner might not be 'your thing,' but you'd know a problematic engine when you rode one. Same thing with Betty. The back end is properly dampened without being mushy, and the front forks don't pogo. You might not want to drive her to Sturgis, but there are thousands of guys who would consider her a decided upgrade for the same trip.

On my side of the fence, if I drove your dresser, the radio and the GPS would drive me batty. (Well, battier, I was an English minor) I feel the most comfortable on simple, cleaner designs. But I'd probably find your ride a "nicer bagger."

The stock shocks on Spinner were completely destroyed and non-functional after about 6K miles. For a price of a Harley, that's not the way to treat a client.

Tourist..The on board AM/FM/Weather channel/CB and cassette for me and most who are on the open road, that black and endless ribbon of highway day after day is the shit. I added the XM radio because I got tired of switching channels or changing cassettes every couple hundered miles. This way I can listen to Howard Stern and laugh my arse off all the way across country without interuption. Or check in on ESPN updates. I once was lucky enough to have litstened to a Patriots game as I was riding thru the Mojave desert. And the weather channel is excellent as an added intel tool for whichever new area one happens to find oneself. I can see for you riding near and around the congestion of Madison and in fairly urban compact conditions, all those amenities could be a liability of distraction.

The background noise soothes my nerves and mental disposition. And for me, every now and then, when a favorite song comes on in a particular scenic area...well the experience comes full circle. Its a moment. I remember being all up in the Great Smokey mountains last May 2011 and "Chicken Fried" by the Zach Brown band came on it was an awsome moment for me.

If my family dynamics were a little different I'd have a Sportster '48 for work and back instead of the purple beast. I have 3 bikes. I keep the 1998 Ultra w/sidecar at my 2nd home in NC so I can toodle around with my grand boys. If they lived up here I wouldn't have bought the purple 2001 Ultra. I'd have the Sidecar bike, my 1983 FL and the afore mentioned '48.

roadking...I know you bought new and grew old together but to me the trick of harley ownership...research bikes and dial in which year had which desired feature and then go fishing. New isn't always better. For example the more I hear about issues with fly by wire throttle the more I prefer throttle cables. I prefer Carb to EFI because a carb rarely if ever will let you down short of a simple rejeting at higher elevations. However Godbless EFI for self adjusting at higher elevations helped me more than a time or 2. And simple warmups..no choke necessary. But with relays,sensors,pressure tank blah blah blah never mind some of the stuff being in your gas tank.

Long story short don't be afraid to buy used. To me the EVO carb years being the best. 80 cid,5 speed,carbed,5 gallon, and 16" wheels front and back. And they are out there..inexpensive and low miliage every where. Not saying its a bad thing but I'm not sold on 88/96/103 CID,6 speed,6 gallon, twin cam fly by wire,EFI. And why break from the tradition of 16" front and back wheel on the Glides? That just complicates things.

I bought my 2001 Ultra in 2008 with 10,000 miles for 10,000$. 1/2 the price of new. I bought my1998 Ultra w/ sidecar with 2172 miles on it for 20,000$ in 2007 they go over 30,000$ new. I doubt I'll be buying another bike but if I did it would be used and an EVO. I guess thats the cool thing about posers..once the novelty wears off they bale and seel cheap,lol.

I guess I must be a lucky bastard, cause the bike I got is the only one I ever wanted... I grew up with a gearhead for an older brother and a father that loved to tinker. I love the open road and the sound of that v-twin, that is the music for me.
I reasearched that bike and waited patiently for it to become a reality, '94 was the first year MoCo made them. It has everything I ever wanted/needed... I love the simplicity of it and how I fit on it. When it wears out I replace with OEM or better parts and keep it running. I've never had any issues with it. It has always, to date, gotten me where I was going no matter how far from home I roamed. I've never had to upgrade anything, but when parts wear out and they always do, I do my diligence and research any new improvements before I replace. She's getting old but still full of life. Back in '94 some might have called her a "parts bin bike" but I call her my little black jelly bean. The places and people that she's brought me in touch with have changed my life and I can't imagine how I'd be if I hadn't made the purchase. So when/if we ever share the road I'll make sure you can listen to the weather channel and I'll be hearing the music of v-twins just as happily...

Roadking...not the weather channel..Howard Stern or ESPN. I only press the weather channel into service when I want to know whats the weather gonna be like up the road. In a days time I can start in upper New Hampshire and be in Bloomsburg,PA near days end and the weather can be significantly different. Its nice to be in rain gear ahead of time if possible rather than have to scramble,duck and cover,lol, for me anyways.

FYI..you'd love an Ultra you just don't know it yet.

I've tried an Ultra, I don't fit on it. The saddle is in a wrong position for my long legs.
I also have to have the removable windshield, once I get to where I'm going I take it off and just cruise the locale, my way of being a part of it. To each his own, just as long as you give me the heads up so I can get my rain gear on also

Roadking...really?.... first I ever heard of that being an issue, wish I had that problem...of course there are various seats to accomadate that obstacle. I imagine the road zepplin would erase that issue. I'm 5'7 and the Ultra is just a tad more bike than I am man. I had to go with the reach seat..drops you down and forward 1.5 inchs by taking out that much foam..I have an airhawk seat cushion for long multi day/week trips.

I have the 6 inch windshield instead of the stock 14" which gave me claustraphobia and couldn't see thru it at nite in the rain.

You mention two things, and these are two very important things for our debate.

I understand riding to soothe nerves, it's the main reason I ride and why I'm not serving time for murder. Even taking Spinner out for a short 30 mile jaunt after supper calms me down for night-time sleep.

But I do not find music or artificial white noise helpful. I'm more the kind of rider who rolls thoughts and troubling ruminations over in my mind until I snuff them out. I don't whitewash negative mind-chatter, I burn it out. The electronic crap and worthless RUB googahs on a bike destroy my focus. Even a tachometer irks me. Heck, if you don't know how tight to wind a Harley by sound alone after 40 years you need to take up knitting.

Another thing you mention is your style of riding. If you lived near me you probably would have a touring bike and some form of Sportster. Since we are on Dane County's Insterstate 'split' spiderwebbing out in all direction, chances are that you would have a 1200 Custom.

The locale and road options also dictate the bike you ride. For example, Madison has lots of same bizarre city streets that San Francisco has. I don't ride a tradition Easy Rider chopper with a long front end. I ride a San Francisco custom. Good suspension, forks that actually go around tight corners and navigate through a maze of one-way streets.

In the long open straight expanses of Wyoming, the Dakotas or Nevada, I can see a bike that lends itself more to open country. I don't live there, however. BTW, I hate driving through downtown Madison so much that I hardly go there anymore on a bike, and never near the place during rush hour. I'm even careful on just what time of day I use the Beltline.

But wouldn't it be fun to run errands together on a weekend, on Sportsters, racking up miles in the necessary short spurts and doing coffee? It's a fun aspect of being on the road on lazy summer days, and I want to experience every bit of it.