So I am 100% new to the whole bike thing, in the process of getting a biker license, and am likely getting a 2014 Breakout. I know, nuts as a first bike as many may think, but figured i might as well get a bike i like from the start.

2 Questions i had for you all:

What do you all think of the hard candy colors, more specifically the chrome flake on the breakout? Over the top and will likely get sick of it, or not? Saw it at at the shop and didnt look bad... But i have no idea what more weathered bikers think, or if this color will limit later resale chances or value...

I keep reading that the bike is too 'quiet' for many. Is this true? Should i get other pipes? I was looking at the Vance and Hines Big Shots (staggered in black). Any thoughts? I live in a quiet area in the suburbs and dont want the neighborhood to hate me, but also want a nice sound....

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

Color choice is all you.... vivid black is what many like as the standard. I went with ember red ( 2013 Breakout ).



I have seen the hard candy silver in person.. and I didn't like it at all. Looks like a large glitter sprinkled all over the tins. Certain hard candy colors look good... not the silver IMHO.

As far as exhaust goes.... you have a few choices for the Breakout. I have the V/H Big Radius 2into2 and love it.... loud and throaty... there here me comin before they see me... thats a plus in my book.

Bassani makes a mean lookin exhaust as well.... it would definitely make a hard choice for me if I didn't have my V/H already.

There are a few more brands out there... I'm sure others will chime in for you.

If you plan on exhaust mods.... get them from the start and don't wait for your 1000 mile service... why? HD stock tunes are lean... when you jump into an exhaust system and heavy breather, it will require a download (baseline remap of computer ) to richen up the mixture to compensate for the mods, among other tweaks. This will give you a better break-in. Then after the 1000 mile service, have them throw it on a dyno with a tuner you will purchase that will allow them to dial all the mods in to give you the best performance. Well worth the money.. it really comes to life.

Plan on about $1500- $2000~ for parts and labor for Exhaust, Heavy Breather, stage 1 download and tuner. You should get 10% off if you buy it all at the time of bike purchase.... which is the standard.

 

That is a big bike for someone who is "100% new to the whole bike thing." I recommend you take some rider safety courses. Usually people start on something alittle smaller like a sportster and trade up after couple years and experience. Not that you can't handle the bike you may be just fine but definitely your first purchase should be riders courses.

As far as color only you can decide find out what is you not what is trendy. The metal flake colors are trending right now an old school throwback if you will but if you plan to keep it along time get what you like. Vance and Hines make great exhaust options that arent too loud but have great sound and can be heard there are alot of options again find out what you like.

 

I couldnt agree more that you should attend a riders course. Being NEW... it will teach you the basics of riding and good habits to learn... no bad habits to unlearn.

Well worth$100

 

+1 on the Rider safety course. Oh and if you do get a Harley congrats. I was in your same boat back in'08. I had ridden dirt bikes when I was kid, but never owned or operated a street bike. I went through a local safety course and they taught me everything I needed to know to ride a street bike. I then bought a (then new) '08 Cross Bones. Now I just traded it in this year on a '13 CVO Breakout. I love the Breakout, but you will want to change the exhaust. The stock exhaust (like all Harley's) is way to quiet. You can go a lot of ways here as well. Slip ons....Not expensive and can get you some of that true Harley sound you are looking for with out breaking your budget. If you go full exhaust and air cleaner you will need a tuner as well. If you go on you tube you can hear some sound bites of different exhausts. Also if you read up on reviews they can be helpful as well. I have seen the Hard Candy Chrome flake in person and like it. You may want to also look at the Amber Whiskey color. The paint has a pearl and flake sparkle in it as well. I would see if you can find one in different colors at a local dealer before picking because pictures don't do the colors justice. Far better in person. Color is up to your preference as well as exhausts. Its not only how the exhaust sounds and performs, but also how it flows with the bike. Good luck in whatever you chose and don't be intimidated on being new to motorcycles and getting one. Remember the motorcycle only goes as fast as you want it to.

 

What they said ....lmao

 

In a way I like the hard candy chrome flake online, but have not seen it in person. Still, it seems like a fad color and not something I think I would want to live with long term.

In person, I have seen the other three colors. To me, the Morocco Gold Pearl looked very classy and in a way looked like a color that was specifically made for the bike.

Second place, the amber whiskey. It stands out as flashy and somewhat of an attention getter. I tend to not like loud flashy colors on bikes, but this one looked good.

Black. The old standard. If you think you might want a custom paint job later on, save some money and get the basic black. No sense in paying for fancy paint that will be replaced. I usually really like black on a bike, but for some reason, it just didn't do anything for me on the breakout. I am not against black. My 95 Heritage is black and I think it is a great color for my bike. Maybe it's because the breakout already has so much other black on it that it doesn't give a good contrast, which is what would explain why the morocco gold pearl looks so good on it.

Choosing exhausts is like choosing colors. Keep the stockers for a while and when you go riding with people or go to different events or whatever, listen to what other bikes sound like and ask them about their setup. It's easy to spend a lot of money on exhaust and end up with something you don't like. In the 90's, everybody was running Python. Now, Vance & Hines seems very popular. I like the sound of rhinehart as well as rush, but some models of those are obnoxiously loud. You can't just go by the brand new. You have to go by the specific model. It's like if somebody says Ford is great. Well, maybe a mustang is great or a superduty Ford truck is great, by a fusion or a focus is a piece of crap.

My exhaust was obnoxious when I bought my 95 Heritage five years ago. Turns out it was the stock exhaust but the previous owner busted all the baffles out. As a result, not only was it loud, the low to mid range torque was lacking big time. I installed big city thunder baffles for cheap in it and it took care of both problems. My point is, don't go knocking out your baffles thinking you are going to make all kinds of power because it is loud. Quite the opposite will happen. Oh, and I know I am in the minority here, but stay away from open straight pipes. Again, lots and lots of noise with no bite to back up that bark.

 

Mine is not as better as the others but one thing I would share. The time I purchased the bike I also bought the VH pipes, SE air breather(not the "extreme") and SE street tuner. And these are the RO list on my receipt.

20 days after, I recieved the call from the service department telling me that my Orders has arrived and bring my BO in for installation. I was excited and did drop the BO off the service dept. 2 days after they called back to inform me that It's done. So I picked up my BO and so happy to get the VH pipes and surprisingly have the SE Extreme AC(which you can see on the picture) installed instead of the regular SE A/C. Now I looked at the receipt then I realized that instead of them installing the SE street tuner that I ordered, they just download the Stage 1, Big Bore download. It ended up that the SE Street tuner is not compatible to the BO per the service department.

I am then happy with the looks of the "Extreme" ventilator A/C.

To the OP. Be careful of what deals that you will make and please be wary of what's going on and do your assignment.

Enjoy

 

Thanks everyone!

I did see the chrome flake on the real bike, in the shop, and did like it. However, I didnt see it outside in the daylight, and in pics I've seen it almost looks blinding. Something was telling me it was a little too flashy and over the top, and that I might get sick of it... I am planning on keeping the bike for a few years at least after all.... But the Morocco pearl (which I also saw in the shop in real life) and Amber dont really appeal to me, and I figured Vivid Black (which I also saw in the shop in real life) is, well, just black... I as also told that getting a custom paint job on a BO was a shame- I am really liking the Denim Black... I also liked the 2013 blue...

For the exhaust- anyone ever had/seen/heard the VH Big Shots staggered pipes on a BO? Personally not a fan of the 2-in-1 pipes....

Just to clarify and to set some people's mind at rest- living in Belgium and getting a license for a bike requires a written test, at least 12 hours one-on-one riding classes from an instructor, a practical exam on a course with 10 different manouevres, and a practical exam out on the open road of at least 30 minutes (whereby they follow you on a bike and observe you while telling you which direction to go). Will likely get some extra courses on top of that, maybe from HD.

 

IMHO one of the true beauties of owning a HD is the superior ability one has to tailor it as you like. This is one of the many great things that attracted me to the brand.

As a rider, I'm in your shoes. I had a small Honda when I was young but that was a long time ago. I took the rider safety course, purchased my Breakout and I'm now getting used to it picking my times and short routes carefully. In all honesty, at this point the experience is still somewhat intimidating. I am very glad I took that course !