A short trip and ramblings

Nearly did not happen because the indicators decided to take on a life of their own and randomly flash for no clear reason. Fortunately this stopped and they behaved themselves for most of the trip. Every now and then they played up again. I get a sense this may be one of those really annoying faults that will be hard to trace the exact cause of. Anyway, dodgy electronics aside….

We took a short trip to Bodrum for a couple of days. It was a pretty spectacular road with some wonderful scenery, although in places the road surface left a lot to be desired. I am not a fan of asphalt being changed into dirt tracks with lots of loose gravel, but this is what we encountered at times. Still, the scenery was worth it, and the vast bulk of the ride was on good surfaces.

Bodrum is a pretty coastal resort town, with a fabulous castle and museum, and plenty of nice (but slightly expensive) bars and restaurants.

We ended up coming back the on the same route, not the original plan. A cycle race was routed along a potentially interesting coast road so this was closed to other vehicles.

We have some longer trips planned hopefully with more and better photos. I need to collect and fit the quick detach saddlebags which are currently in London UK. Parts here in Turkey are outrageously expensive so I have made use of a planned trip to the UK to collect some stuff.

Ashley,on my 05 fxst I had the H-D vynil bags. they worked and looked great,plenty of room and came off with only 2 nuts each.

Thanks for the pics & story, Ashley. How many miles did you log? Gravel & steel grated bridges are my least favorite surfaces. There are still a few of those type bridges here in the US of A.

Probably about 250 miles given how much gas we used. So no great distance, but it was good to get out on the road. The only times I have been on steel surfaces is on and off ferries, horrible surface, usually made worse by being wet in places and traces of oil for added fun....

I considered those. Opted for the quick release ones. My current secure off street parking is up a steep ramp with just under 41 inches width between a wall and concrete posts. It is a tight fit without attached bags.

Ashley, if you have parts shipped to you, do you have to pay customs tax or import duties?

Got a good lock for the bike. Some longer trips being planned for May and June.

Import duty and tax. Tax is really high on stuff defined as luxury items, which includes Harley parts. But if I go to the UK, pick stuff up, stuff that is not new, not in original packaging, this can be got around. We were going to the UK anyway, to see family, so getting bits became part of the plan.

Similarly were I in the future to take the bike to Greece or Bulgaria (both in EU) I could get bits at similar prices to the UK, have them fitted and return to Turkey without any issue at all.

Thanks Ashley. Was just wondering how anyone with a Harley living overseas can afford to have parts and access. shipped to them. Does the same go for metric bikes?

Lucifer and Sleepy: do you have to go through this routine in Canada?

Much the same here in Turkey for BMW parts, possibly a little less but not significantly so. Parts for large Yamaha's or Honda's are almost as expensive. All of which are vastly more than I'd pay in the EU or the UK.

On a positive note the saddlebags, iso grips and some other bits are now safely back here with me. Now to get them fitted.

Got the new bits fitted. Iso grips to replace the old grips which were chromed, solid metal - horrible to use. Quick released saddlebags. These go really well with the quick release screen, stripped down for local riding and ready for touring whenever we want.

Nice looking Softail Ashley. I have those same grips, except all black.