Long time lurker. My bike. My story.
#1
04-01-2009, 06:52 PM
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Paddock Lake, WI
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Long time lurker. My bike. My story.
I've been "lurking" on these pages for the past 11 months - ever since my wife gave me the "thumbs-up" to buy a motorcycle. I haven't posted anything before because all my questions were answered searching these forum pages.
Now that I finally have my bike, I thought I would share my story to let you know how much I appreciate the knowledge I've received from this forum. I've used this information to make all my riding decisions.
This is REALLY long so please bear with me.
IN THE BEGINNING:
Since my wife and I first met, she has known I wanted a motorcycle. As a kid, I had a blast riding my friend’s dirt bikes and I hoped one day to have my own.
Well, the next thing you know life starts moving fast: We have two kids, my wife quits her job to stay at home with the kids, I've got to put food on the table, blah, blah, blah. In addition to this, my wife and I agree I shouldn't get a motorcycle because I was the only one bringing in a paycheck. We couldn't risk me getting hurt and not being able to provide for the family. No big deal to me. I was more than busy with life at the time.
FAST FORWARD 24 YEARS:
My wife is a couple years back into the workforce; our kids have one foot out the door (college and/or jobs); we're on the verge of being "empty-nesters" and looking for stuff to do together; I'm getting restless (can anyone say "mid-life" crisis?).
With all this going on it seems like the perfect time to bring up the idea of getting a motorcycle again. What does does my wife say? "No, it's too dangerous".
My response: "...but, but, you're working again! The kids are almost out the door, what's the problem???" (BTW: If it sounds like I was whining during this exchange, you would be correct. I was).
I did not understand her logic. In addition to not being the "sole provider" of the family anymore, she comes from a family of motorcycle riders. Her brother used to be the president of a local 1% club. Our sister-in-law is a member of that big California-based 1% club. As a kid, my wife used to ride on the back of motorcycles all the time. Hmmm....come to think of it, I kind of understand why she wouldn't want me to ride - But that's beside the point!! (BTW: If it sounds like I'm whining, you would be correct. I am).
Anyway, to make a long story even longer, she relented after careful negotiations on the proper safety gear I was required to wear - namely a helmet. This is a small price to pay since I was going to wear one anyway - but don't tell her that
So I've got the "green light" to look into getting a motorcycle! As you'll discover below, I am kind of obsessive/compulsive. I will read, study and research things until my head explodes. It's not a burden, I enjoy doing it and it gives me something to do until I get a motorcycle of my own.
MY RESEARCH BEGINS
I started my research 11 months ago. This is when I found the HRForum. Every time I had a question I searched HDForum and found answers. I officially joined one month later in July, 2008.
Through the HDForum advice, I picked up and read the following books:
"Proficient Motorcycling" - David Hough
"Everything You Need To Know - Harley Davidson Motorcycles" - Bill Stermer
"The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel" - Dale Coyner
"Motorcycle Owners Manual (General Maintenance Tips/Tricks)" - Hugo Wilson
"How To Change The Oil On Your Twin Cam Motorcycle" - Jason Russell
"Biker's Handbook" - Jay Barbieri
These books provided me with the information to decide on a bike that met my riding requirements. These requirements were a combination of the following:
- I wanted a bike for potentially long rides with my wife.
- Comfort was important.
- Speed and high-performance are not a priority (for my first bike).
- Long, lazy rides going nowhere in particular appeal to me. However, if I want to "open it up" I wanted a bike that has the potential to do it.
- Style preferences: Classic with minimal clutter on the bike.
- ABS brakes.
- Cruise control.
You've probably guessed what bike I decided to get. However, I wanted to make sure I did my homework before making a final decision.
TIME TO RIDE SOME BIKES
Oh, did I mention I don't have my motorcycle license yet? With the advice from this forum I signed up for the Riders Edge course at my local HD dealership in August 08. I highly recommend this course for anyone - regardless of experience. There were a couple guys in my class that had been riding for 30 years that learned better riding techniques. I rode on a Buell Blast - fun bike! One week later I got my license.
9 days after this, my wife and I went to the Harley 105th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee (we only live two counties away in Kenosha, WI). On Saturday, August 30th at State Fair Park, Harley had their 09 demo rides. I got to ride on the following bikes:
- 09 Heritage Classic
- 09 Road King Classic
- 09 Softail Custom
3 weeks later (In Sept), I rented an 08 Softail Custom. I really liked this bike. It was a lot of fun to ride and I liked the "chopper-style" look. My wife wasn't so comfortable on it - especially on the highway. It seemed a bit "unstable" at higher speeds, especially compared to the touring bikes.
In October I went to demo rides at two local Harley dealerships and rode on the following bikes:
- 09 Dyna Fat Bob
- 09 Road King Classic
- 09 CVO "Screamin Eagle" Fat Bob
- 09 Street Glide
- 09 Cross Bones
- 09 Rocker C
- 09 Spyder (Trike)
I loved every single bike - each one for different reasons. However, for my riding requirements I decided on a Road King Classic. The only thing I didn't care for with the RKC was the handlebars. Like a lot of other people on the forum, I didn't like how I was positioned holding the bars - too low and too far forward. Through advice here, I went with the Heritage bars.
During the past 10 months, I started to accumulate riding apparel/accessories. Again, advice from this forum steered me in the right direction:
1) I was in Florida on vacation at the end of August so I took the opportunity to visit ACC Carbon Fiber Helmets in Orlando to pickup a DOT half helmet.
2) During one of the Harley demo rides at the local dealership, I picked up an FXRG leather jacket. They were offering 30% off to "demo riders" that day only.
3) I picked up the rest of my riding gear (as well as my wife's) from leatherup.com. Cold-weather gear, gloves, helmet for my wife, etc.
4) I purchased the FIX MY HOG DVD.
5) I purchased the RIDE LIKE A PRO DVD.
6) I picked up the Windzone Essential Toolkit
7) Through links that HRForum members provided, I picked up great deals on Wiley-X riding goggles/sunglasses.
Last month I went to the local HD dealership and attended their free half-day Service Clinic. I'm confident now in changing all my oils as well as lubing/greasing. I also bought an 09 Touring Service Manual at a 10% discount (For attending the Service Clinic that day).
During my time on HDForums, I have come to learn a few things (Tongue firmly in cheek):
- Don't purchase fingerless gloves or assless chaps.
- Don't ask questions about what oil to use.
- Don't ask if you should wait to purchase next year’s model.
- Learn to search the forum before asking a common question.
- Don't ask too dumb of a question or you will get flamed mercilessly. What's a dumb question? If you don't know, you'll find out REAL quick.
- Never leave a rider stranded - regardless of what motorcycle they ride. (I knew this already because I had a biker pull over and help me back when I was a teenager and stranded on the side of the road).
- Give the "motorcycle solidarity" wave to ALL bike riders (including scooters and mopeds) or wave to no one.
- Forget asking for advice on what bike you should get because most people will respond by saying "it's up to you".
- Black is the only bike color there is - no exceptions.
- Everyone is looking for the DOT-approved helmet that doesn't make them look like a "mushroom-head".
- Don't argue for or against wearing a helmet - either way, you lose.
- Don't wear too much "Harley" apparel or you'll be accused of being a "poser".
- Don't worry too much about security (when traveling), that's what insurance is for.
- Don't write long boring posts like this one.
I'M READY- LET'S HEAD TO THE DEALERSHIP
Saturday, February 7th 2009. I'm finally heading to the dealership knowing exactly what bike I want and what add-on's I want installed. I know (roughly) what price I should pay regarding MSRP, freight/setup, taxes/title/license fees. I know where they can provide "wiggle-room" on prices. I am prepared to walk if I'm not satisfied.
The sales guy writes all my requirements down and proceeds to tell me the best he can do is give me 10% off on all add-on's and related-labor charges. That's it. I give him my best poker face and tell him to give me a copy of his estimate and I'll get back to him - I'm going to shop around. He said, "Hey, I'll throw in a nice Harley T-shirt and tire gauge too". After I stared at him without saying anything he said, "Seriously, What can I do to prevent you from walking out? What price are you looking for?" I told him I wanted $2000 off the price he gave me. After a little grumbling he relented and we had a deal.
Here is what I ordered:
- 09 Road King Classic
- Custom Color: Light Candy/Dark Candy Root Beer (I know, people on this forum either love this color or hate it. It looks awesome in person!).
- ABS brakes
- Heritage Style Handle Bars
- Road King Classic Tour-Pak
- Detachable Two-up Tour-Pak Rack
- 4-Point Docking Hardware Kit
- Saddlebag Hinge Stop Kit
- Rush Slip-On Pipes (1.75" baffle)
After taxes, title and license fee's the total out the door price is: $21,285.55 (This includes "add-on" labor charges).
Since they didn't have the bike in stock, it had to be ordered.....thus began the longest six weeks of my life....
HERE IT IS!
So, 24 years and 11 months later, I finally have it! The past 11 months of extensive reading, research and dreaming seemed like a lifetime but it was worth it and a lot of fun too.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and thank you again HDForums for all your help!
It's now time to stop all this writing and start riding!
Ride safe everyone!
Now that I finally have my bike, I thought I would share my story to let you know how much I appreciate the knowledge I've received from this forum. I've used this information to make all my riding decisions.
This is REALLY long so please bear with me.
IN THE BEGINNING:
Since my wife and I first met, she has known I wanted a motorcycle. As a kid, I had a blast riding my friend’s dirt bikes and I hoped one day to have my own.
Well, the next thing you know life starts moving fast: We have two kids, my wife quits her job to stay at home with the kids, I've got to put food on the table, blah, blah, blah. In addition to this, my wife and I agree I shouldn't get a motorcycle because I was the only one bringing in a paycheck. We couldn't risk me getting hurt and not being able to provide for the family. No big deal to me. I was more than busy with life at the time.
FAST FORWARD 24 YEARS:
My wife is a couple years back into the workforce; our kids have one foot out the door (college and/or jobs); we're on the verge of being "empty-nesters" and looking for stuff to do together; I'm getting restless (can anyone say "mid-life" crisis?).
With all this going on it seems like the perfect time to bring up the idea of getting a motorcycle again. What does does my wife say? "No, it's too dangerous".
My response: "...but, but, you're working again! The kids are almost out the door, what's the problem???" (BTW: If it sounds like I was whining during this exchange, you would be correct. I was).
I did not understand her logic. In addition to not being the "sole provider" of the family anymore, she comes from a family of motorcycle riders. Her brother used to be the president of a local 1% club. Our sister-in-law is a member of that big California-based 1% club. As a kid, my wife used to ride on the back of motorcycles all the time. Hmmm....come to think of it, I kind of understand why she wouldn't want me to ride - But that's beside the point!! (BTW: If it sounds like I'm whining, you would be correct. I am).
Anyway, to make a long story even longer, she relented after careful negotiations on the proper safety gear I was required to wear - namely a helmet. This is a small price to pay since I was going to wear one anyway - but don't tell her that
So I've got the "green light" to look into getting a motorcycle! As you'll discover below, I am kind of obsessive/compulsive. I will read, study and research things until my head explodes. It's not a burden, I enjoy doing it and it gives me something to do until I get a motorcycle of my own.
MY RESEARCH BEGINS
I started my research 11 months ago. This is when I found the HRForum. Every time I had a question I searched HDForum and found answers. I officially joined one month later in July, 2008.
Through the HDForum advice, I picked up and read the following books:
"Proficient Motorcycling" - David Hough
"Everything You Need To Know - Harley Davidson Motorcycles" - Bill Stermer
"The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel" - Dale Coyner
"Motorcycle Owners Manual (General Maintenance Tips/Tricks)" - Hugo Wilson
"How To Change The Oil On Your Twin Cam Motorcycle" - Jason Russell
"Biker's Handbook" - Jay Barbieri
These books provided me with the information to decide on a bike that met my riding requirements. These requirements were a combination of the following:
- I wanted a bike for potentially long rides with my wife.
- Comfort was important.
- Speed and high-performance are not a priority (for my first bike).
- Long, lazy rides going nowhere in particular appeal to me. However, if I want to "open it up" I wanted a bike that has the potential to do it.
- Style preferences: Classic with minimal clutter on the bike.
- ABS brakes.
- Cruise control.
You've probably guessed what bike I decided to get. However, I wanted to make sure I did my homework before making a final decision.
TIME TO RIDE SOME BIKES
Oh, did I mention I don't have my motorcycle license yet? With the advice from this forum I signed up for the Riders Edge course at my local HD dealership in August 08. I highly recommend this course for anyone - regardless of experience. There were a couple guys in my class that had been riding for 30 years that learned better riding techniques. I rode on a Buell Blast - fun bike! One week later I got my license.
9 days after this, my wife and I went to the Harley 105th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee (we only live two counties away in Kenosha, WI). On Saturday, August 30th at State Fair Park, Harley had their 09 demo rides. I got to ride on the following bikes:
- 09 Heritage Classic
- 09 Road King Classic
- 09 Softail Custom
3 weeks later (In Sept), I rented an 08 Softail Custom. I really liked this bike. It was a lot of fun to ride and I liked the "chopper-style" look. My wife wasn't so comfortable on it - especially on the highway. It seemed a bit "unstable" at higher speeds, especially compared to the touring bikes.
In October I went to demo rides at two local Harley dealerships and rode on the following bikes:
- 09 Dyna Fat Bob
- 09 Road King Classic
- 09 CVO "Screamin Eagle" Fat Bob
- 09 Street Glide
- 09 Cross Bones
- 09 Rocker C
- 09 Spyder (Trike)
I loved every single bike - each one for different reasons. However, for my riding requirements I decided on a Road King Classic. The only thing I didn't care for with the RKC was the handlebars. Like a lot of other people on the forum, I didn't like how I was positioned holding the bars - too low and too far forward. Through advice here, I went with the Heritage bars.
During the past 10 months, I started to accumulate riding apparel/accessories. Again, advice from this forum steered me in the right direction:
1) I was in Florida on vacation at the end of August so I took the opportunity to visit ACC Carbon Fiber Helmets in Orlando to pickup a DOT half helmet.
2) During one of the Harley demo rides at the local dealership, I picked up an FXRG leather jacket. They were offering 30% off to "demo riders" that day only.
3) I picked up the rest of my riding gear (as well as my wife's) from leatherup.com. Cold-weather gear, gloves, helmet for my wife, etc.
4) I purchased the FIX MY HOG DVD.
5) I purchased the RIDE LIKE A PRO DVD.
6) I picked up the Windzone Essential Toolkit
7) Through links that HRForum members provided, I picked up great deals on Wiley-X riding goggles/sunglasses.
Last month I went to the local HD dealership and attended their free half-day Service Clinic. I'm confident now in changing all my oils as well as lubing/greasing. I also bought an 09 Touring Service Manual at a 10% discount (For attending the Service Clinic that day).
During my time on HDForums, I have come to learn a few things (Tongue firmly in cheek):
- Don't purchase fingerless gloves or assless chaps.
- Don't ask questions about what oil to use.
- Don't ask if you should wait to purchase next year’s model.
- Learn to search the forum before asking a common question.
- Don't ask too dumb of a question or you will get flamed mercilessly. What's a dumb question? If you don't know, you'll find out REAL quick.
- Never leave a rider stranded - regardless of what motorcycle they ride. (I knew this already because I had a biker pull over and help me back when I was a teenager and stranded on the side of the road).
- Give the "motorcycle solidarity" wave to ALL bike riders (including scooters and mopeds) or wave to no one.
- Forget asking for advice on what bike you should get because most people will respond by saying "it's up to you".
- Black is the only bike color there is - no exceptions.
- Everyone is looking for the DOT-approved helmet that doesn't make them look like a "mushroom-head".
- Don't argue for or against wearing a helmet - either way, you lose.
- Don't wear too much "Harley" apparel or you'll be accused of being a "poser".
- Don't worry too much about security (when traveling), that's what insurance is for.
- Don't write long boring posts like this one.
I'M READY- LET'S HEAD TO THE DEALERSHIP
Saturday, February 7th 2009. I'm finally heading to the dealership knowing exactly what bike I want and what add-on's I want installed. I know (roughly) what price I should pay regarding MSRP, freight/setup, taxes/title/license fees. I know where they can provide "wiggle-room" on prices. I am prepared to walk if I'm not satisfied.
The sales guy writes all my requirements down and proceeds to tell me the best he can do is give me 10% off on all add-on's and related-labor charges. That's it. I give him my best poker face and tell him to give me a copy of his estimate and I'll get back to him - I'm going to shop around. He said, "Hey, I'll throw in a nice Harley T-shirt and tire gauge too". After I stared at him without saying anything he said, "Seriously, What can I do to prevent you from walking out? What price are you looking for?" I told him I wanted $2000 off the price he gave me. After a little grumbling he relented and we had a deal.
Here is what I ordered:
- 09 Road King Classic
- Custom Color: Light Candy/Dark Candy Root Beer (I know, people on this forum either love this color or hate it. It looks awesome in person!).
- ABS brakes
- Heritage Style Handle Bars
- Road King Classic Tour-Pak
- Detachable Two-up Tour-Pak Rack
- 4-Point Docking Hardware Kit
- Saddlebag Hinge Stop Kit
- Rush Slip-On Pipes (1.75" baffle)
After taxes, title and license fee's the total out the door price is: $21,285.55 (This includes "add-on" labor charges).
Since they didn't have the bike in stock, it had to be ordered.....thus began the longest six weeks of my life....
HERE IT IS!
So, 24 years and 11 months later, I finally have it! The past 11 months of extensive reading, research and dreaming seemed like a lifetime but it was worth it and a lot of fun too.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and thank you again HDForums for all your help!
It's now time to stop all this writing and start riding!
Ride safe everyone!
#3
04-01-2009, 07:02 PM
#5
04-01-2009, 07:03 PM
Road Captain
#6
04-01-2009, 07:04 PM
Tourer
#7
04-01-2009, 07:06 PM
Tourer
Join Date: Jun 2008
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#8
04-01-2009, 07:09 PM
Well, it's a beauty and that's quite a store.
Myself; my wife and I where in the dealer one day and they had 3 FLHR RK's sitting side by side 1blk, 1 blkcherry, and 1 white and my wife know I'd been wanting a RK forever and told me to pick one completely by suprise, she paid for it and we took it home.
Enjoy that new bike and get to know the folks in your local HOG chapter they give the first year for free and it can be entertaining.
Myself; my wife and I where in the dealer one day and they had 3 FLHR RK's sitting side by side 1blk, 1 blkcherry, and 1 white and my wife know I'd been wanting a RK forever and told me to pick one completely by suprise, she paid for it and we took it home.
Enjoy that new bike and get to know the folks in your local HOG chapter they give the first year for free and it can be entertaining.
