What’s Up in the Forums: Road Trippin’ from Canada to Cali
Forum member racks up miles of memories after purchasing his very first Electra Glide. And he shares some incredible shots from the road, too.
Unlike a lot of folks in the automotive world, Harley folks tend to enjoy racking up miles rather than trailering their precious rides around. After all, what fun is it to own a sweet ride if you don’t actually ride it? Forum member CanadianRocky2 — aka “Rocky” — certainly subscribes to that idea. And he’s racked up countless miles and memories on his 2009 Electra Glide since purchasing it back in 2016. But as he reveals, this wasn’t just some spontaneous purchase.
“Now, I have wanted an Electra Glide, since I was 16, and that is over 45 years ago. I found “Darla” in the local HD shop, and she was kept in immaculate condition, so after some consideration I bought her. She came pretty well equipped, stage one, lights, mirrors and other Sparkle.”
‘Hwy 1 is a marvelous piece of Motorcycle road. The last bit from Bodega Bay into Mill Valley is a superior twisty section, not to be missed.’
The best part? Rocky wasn’t content with storing away his dream ride after finally purchasing it. Instead, he’s documented all of his journeys in this thread for the rest of us to admire. It all started out simple enough, with some local cruising and a few big plans.
“This last weekend was her first real run. I picked Norah up in Nelson BC after I ran up the Kootenay Lake road, and we did two loops in the West Kootenays. This weekend we will be heading over to Kelowna. Other plans for the summer include Sturgis, and Desert Trip in Indio California in October. Plus lots of other shorter trips around the Pacific Northwest and further. It will be a great summer. I will be running this thread as a continuous thread for all this year. So check back and view the fun.”
After many hours spent tooling around the Canadian mountains, Rocky learned a few things about his bike. And the art of cell phone photography.
“This was the first time I have gone on a decent road trip and taken a bunch of pictures with my iPhone 6. Except for the one poor shot, the bike was in the shade and the mountains where in the sun, it worked out pretty good…
“It was a good ride. I put on about 1,500 kilometers and Darla ran like a dream. Lovely riding motorcycle. Clearly the best pure touring bike I have ever owned. The few shortcomings on the bike are … that stupid gear indicator. It is pretty easy to tell if you are in top gear, just pull in the clutch and shift up. I would much rather know when I am in 3rd and 4th. …[Also,] for my frame, it would be nice if the handle grips where one inch higher, and one inch back.”
A few more short trips, some new parts, and a few new friends later, it was time for an epic journey. Darla and owner headed west to the ocean, then through the Redwoods and into California.
“I ran from Fort Bragg today to San Francisco. I did hwy 1, all the way in right to Mill Valley, which is where I got a motel. A little Mom and Pop that is rough around the edges, but clean. Twice as much as anywhere else I have stayed. I picked it because they have parking right in front of the room door. I still took everything off of her that could be picked clean.
‘It was a good ride. I put on about 1,500 kilometers, and Darla ran like a dream. Lovely riding motorcycle. Clearly the best pure touring bike I have ever owned.’
Hwy 1 is a marvelous piece of Motorcycle road. Lots and lots of twisties and a bit of straight to give your arms and back a rest. And beautiful ocean views. The last bit from Bodega Bay into Mill Valley is a superior twisty section, not to be missed. I left at 8:30 and got in around 4:30, but again, lots of stops.
But the pics tell a better story than me.”
It was an epic journey, and the first of many yet to come. Be sure and follow along with “The Journeys of Darla, the Electra Glide” in the forums. And better yet, be sure and share your own epic road trips as well!
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