Harley demos

I've been asked to help lead demo rides at the local dealership next week. Seems like a great chance to ride a bunch of different new Harleys (or that's how they sold me on it anyway). Anyone have anything in particular they'd like a report on?

My report after day 1

The bikes I rode today:

Sportster 1200 Low
Sportster Nightster
V-Rod Streetrod
V-Rod Nightrod
Lowrider
Screaming Eagle Softail Springer
Softail Deluxe
Softail Custom

I'll start with the Sportsters and get that out of the way quickly. I apologize if you own a Sportster, but if I had bought one without riding it first (which is the ONLY way I'd have ended up with one), I'd have taken it back after 5 miles. I know there are people here who have them and love them, but it is just not for me. The vibration is unbelievable. Very jerky in the throttle and a lot of vibration in the handlebars, which evens out when you get your speed up, but then transfers to your feet. Then there's the fact that at 5'6", I had to yank my knees out of my ears when I was done. I just don't know how people ride those things.

V-Rods - Loved the Streetrod. Just loved it. I hate V-Rods as Harleys, but what a fun bike to ride. Effortless acceleration, awesome in the few curves available during the ride, and you can just about sit on it stopped with your feet up and not fall over. I would have this as a second or third bike if I had all the money in the world. Only drawback is the same old hot exhaust. Happy I was wearing my new cowboy boots.

Not so crazy about the Nightrod. Very awkward positioning and quite wobbly at slow speeds, especially when braking. The specs aren't very different from the Streetrod, but it's set up in a way that makes it a different bike.

Lowrider - A comfortable ride when using the highway pegs. I don't care for the foot controls being underneath me like that. The motor and tranny felt good, as did the fuel injection (which hurts me to say, since I love my carburetor - kind of). Very smooth. Biggest drawback besides the foot controls was the rear exhaust pipe totally cooks your leg. One of the salespeople told me he has a customer that won't ride hers because of that. Not sure if you can put aftermarket exhaust on there that will reroute it.

Screaming Eagle Softail Springer - big disappointment. I didn't get to really twist on the throttle and put it through its paces as much as I would have liked, but I don't know that I would have even bothered given the choice. When you spend $30K on a bike, who wants to have to modify it to make it comfortable enough to ride farther than the ice cream shop?

Softail Deluxe - I put this on my list in case some rich guy shows up and wants to buy me a motorcycle. I wouldn't trade my baby for it, but I'd have it. Very smooth ride, very comfortable, really enjoyed the new motor and trans on this one. Something about that seat was just amazing. Loved it.

Softail Custom - My favorite, except it was in that hideous copper color, which doesn't look better in sunlight despite what the salespeople will tell you. It also has these buttons on the seat for the 105th Anniversary edition and I can't help but think that at some point in a 500 mile ride, you're going to feel like the Princess and the Pea. The only reason I wouldn't put this on my list is that it feels so much like my current bike that I'd rather just do some work on mine to bring it up to speed (so to speak) and not have to replace the fugly accessories all over again.

Tomorrow I plan on riding the Screaming Eagle Road King, the Street Bob, the Road Glide, and the Screaming Eagle Ultra.

I forgot to mention the ABS brakes

I have mixed feelings about the ABS brakes, which I noticed only on the V-Rod. I'm not sure which models have them. My experience was that when you are using the rear brake alone, you aren't slowing or stopping. I'm not sure if it just felt that way or that's the way it is. I tested it out towards the end of the ride. I had slowed most of the way for a stop and then eased off the front brake. As hard as I was pressing on the rear, it didn't seem to be stopping. I finally squeezed the front brake, which then felt jerky.

I think what happened is that I am used to twisting the throttle a bit with the clutch squeezed before downshifting. It makes my bike go into gear smoother. Of course to do that I let go of my front brake and am only using my rear brake. This is when I noticed the lack of slowing with only the rear brake applied.

The bike downshifts just fine without all the rpms, so there's no reason why you need to let go of the front brake. As long as both brakes were being applied, it was wonderful. One or the other alone and it sucked - plain and simple.

And on to Day 2

Road King Screaming Eagle
Dyna Screaming Eagle
Street Bob

Road King - Nice. Electronic throttle is nice, but it seems so fake. It's a virtual throttle really. It could be a button like a snowmobile. It's supposed to make cruise control work better. Never had a chance to try it. It was a comfy ride too, but made for some with longer arms than me.

Dyna SE - Fun, fun, fun... for probably about the first 200 miles in a day. It would get old, old, old after that. The forward controls fit my legs well, but another guy who rode it, probably about 6' tall, felt they'd have to move forward more. A little hard to get to the shifter, but I'm sure you'd get used to it after a while.

Street Bob - eh, better than a Sportster. Definitely not something I'd want as my only bike, but if you put some real ape-hangers on there and lowered the suspension a little, you could have some around town fun with it. More vibration than any of the other big-twins I rode.

General observations: All of the models I rode were hot on the legs; both engine and exhaust heat. Is it the new engine? Maybe the '07s are like that too. I wouldn't be happy if I dropped all that money on a new bike, was that uncomfortable, and then when I tried to change the exhaust I was told I couldn't (but I guess that law hasn't passed yet).

Kick stands were really freaking hard to find and operate on most models. One person even dropped a bike in the parking lot because of it. On many of the models, you have to reach blindly behind the primary cover with your foot and just hope that was it.

Ignition switches on the Lowrider and the Street Bob are poorly designed. The switch is up in the neck of the frame, but it isn't a simple key to turn. It's the cylindrical key that you have to push in and turn. It's awkward and really hard to get in the position you want it to be in.

The people - I wasn't thrilled with either the guy from Harley who was running the show or the dealer. The guy from Harley was a flat out ^%$hole. I mentioned the issue I had with the ABS brakes and he told me I didn't know how to brake. That simple. Didn't explain what would feel different and why. When having trouble finding kickstands or figuring out ignition switches, it was his job to make the rider feel like the biggest idiot possible. Then there was the preaching about how people who wreck and aren't wearing helmets should be left out there to die. I wonder how people who don't ride feel about all bikers. Shouldn't they all be left out there to die? They chose to ride a motorcycle in the first place. Tell us we are required to wear helmets to ride a demo. That's your obligation. If you want to play God, do it somewhere else.

The dealer had promised lunch for the people volunteering to lead the rides. No water, no drinks, finally some pizza for lunch when we mentioned it a few times - on Saturday. Nothing on Sunday. People who weren't there donating their time were able to ride as much as they wanted and they got the choice bikes. We were able to slide in and get the good ones here and there, but we typically ended up with what was left over. So, no water or cold drinks, no lunch on Sunday and last choice of bikes. Hmmm, think next year I'll just show up to ride. Who needs the stress of leading the group when there are no benefits?

Sounds like a real bunch of a**holes over there Hot01. I guess they are really just there for the money or something. Interesting though that we should be left out there to die, huh. So.....I guess if I see a cager crash because he or she is text messaging on their blackberry or PDA, I should drive by and laugh??!! Maybe I'll have to try that. People are idiots, I swear......

Thanks for your reporting however, I'm sure everybody found it interesting. I guess we can all be happy with the bikes we have, and a new one wouldn't necessarily make riding better.

Yeah, it was fun, and it was cool to have the opportunity to see what they are like, but there isn't a one that I would trade mine for. I can do the work to mine that will make it just as fast as those - and still sound a lot better.

Did I mention the sound of the motors? Very thrashy. I even thought I heard valves rattling at one point, but I didn't bother mentioning it because if I don't know how to brake, I certainly wouldn't know jack about rattling valves. After all, I'm just a girl. Of course maybe the whole thing is electronic in the shape of an overhead valve V-twin. Hmmmm.

Nice intelligence report, Abby. I think bdfin nailed it - I'm happier with my ride now than before your reviews.

I just saw a new Fat Bob. Didn't get to ride it, but they'd just taken it out of the crate. Definitely a nice looking bike. Not sure if I like the dual headlights, but it does give it a custom look. I think they tried to give the air cleaner cover the S&S look but didn't do a great job there.