Dragonrider
12-27-2014, 11:08 AM
I am fortunate to have full spectrum Asian bike and Harley dealer close by, since I actually had a day off yesterday, and since I buy all my road gear from Harley, I went to see what my local dealer had in the after Christmas sale.
Like most of us, I like to wander through the showroom(s) to see the latest offerings – being much taller that average, I have never liked either the sport or sport touring bikes, so I focused on the touring and cruisers.
Having owned several 1.5L Valkyries, I had to see the new iteration – a very nice bike, with nice feel and rider position for a tall rider, but at 750+ pounds and $18K for a base model, I was able to tear myself away. My favorite was the F6 – I’m hooked on a bike having a windshield and bags, but now you’re in the mid-$20K range.
Since the all-terrain bikes don’t ring my bell either, I didn’t see anything from the Y or K line that drew me in, other than you can still get a decent touring machine for under $18K – or around the price of our RS models.
Personally, I’ve never liked the GL1800 – buying one would require an immediate replacement of the seat and handlebars, to give driver room back, and provide an acceptable seating position. I prefer the K bikes from BMW, being taller, more comfortable, and a hoot to ride (now you’re in the mid to upper $20s). However, this dealer didn’t have any BMWs….
So it was off to Harley for some gear shopping and tire kicking.
My favorite Harley has been the V-rod, since it was released. Now that the motor company has embraced water cooling (out of necessity), I wanted to re-visit the Soft tails.
First of all, after riding my RTs for 5 years, these bikes all seemed small – not light, just small. The new Road Glide reminded me of our F3 – but it had a faring, audio, and other farkles, that the F3 doesn’t – with both dressed out, you’re about the same $24K – OTD. Having ridden both, I can say that the new Glide is a vast improvement over the old one, but I think the F3 has the edge here, if for no other reason than safety and comfort – again, I’m a tall rider. Since no manufacturer can come close to Harley’s huge farkle book, you could probably rectify the comfort issues, if you wanted to spend the cash.
Wandering down the aisle to Harley’s RT competitors the Ultras – two & three wheelers, our RTs become a relative bargain. My base RT was $11K cheaper than the two wheeled Ultra, and $19K cheaper than the trike. While the audio on the Harley is decidedly better, mine is just fine. The trike was just added a third wheel, and you would buy one only because you wanted a trike that said HD on the tank. Even at full 2015 retail, you can ride off on a RT Limited for about the same price as the two wheeled Ultra - really, the RTs are competitively placed in their market.
Finishing a pleasant morning of man-shopping, I took my new vest and gloves (half off!), dropped them in my frunk, happily threw my leg over my RT, spent 10 minutes answering Spyder questions from the other “shoppers”, and QUIETLY zoomed away on my RT, re-affirming my happy choice.
Hope you all have a great New Year!
Like most of us, I like to wander through the showroom(s) to see the latest offerings – being much taller that average, I have never liked either the sport or sport touring bikes, so I focused on the touring and cruisers.
Having owned several 1.5L Valkyries, I had to see the new iteration – a very nice bike, with nice feel and rider position for a tall rider, but at 750+ pounds and $18K for a base model, I was able to tear myself away. My favorite was the F6 – I’m hooked on a bike having a windshield and bags, but now you’re in the mid-$20K range.
Since the all-terrain bikes don’t ring my bell either, I didn’t see anything from the Y or K line that drew me in, other than you can still get a decent touring machine for under $18K – or around the price of our RS models.
Personally, I’ve never liked the GL1800 – buying one would require an immediate replacement of the seat and handlebars, to give driver room back, and provide an acceptable seating position. I prefer the K bikes from BMW, being taller, more comfortable, and a hoot to ride (now you’re in the mid to upper $20s). However, this dealer didn’t have any BMWs….
So it was off to Harley for some gear shopping and tire kicking.
My favorite Harley has been the V-rod, since it was released. Now that the motor company has embraced water cooling (out of necessity), I wanted to re-visit the Soft tails.
First of all, after riding my RTs for 5 years, these bikes all seemed small – not light, just small. The new Road Glide reminded me of our F3 – but it had a faring, audio, and other farkles, that the F3 doesn’t – with both dressed out, you’re about the same $24K – OTD. Having ridden both, I can say that the new Glide is a vast improvement over the old one, but I think the F3 has the edge here, if for no other reason than safety and comfort – again, I’m a tall rider. Since no manufacturer can come close to Harley’s huge farkle book, you could probably rectify the comfort issues, if you wanted to spend the cash.
Wandering down the aisle to Harley’s RT competitors the Ultras – two & three wheelers, our RTs become a relative bargain. My base RT was $11K cheaper than the two wheeled Ultra, and $19K cheaper than the trike. While the audio on the Harley is decidedly better, mine is just fine. The trike was just added a third wheel, and you would buy one only because you wanted a trike that said HD on the tank. Even at full 2015 retail, you can ride off on a RT Limited for about the same price as the two wheeled Ultra - really, the RTs are competitively placed in their market.
Finishing a pleasant morning of man-shopping, I took my new vest and gloves (half off!), dropped them in my frunk, happily threw my leg over my RT, spent 10 minutes answering Spyder questions from the other “shoppers”, and QUIETLY zoomed away on my RT, re-affirming my happy choice.
Hope you all have a great New Year!