I am an almost (in two weeks) 65 year old relic who is lucky enough to be retired and spend my winters in Palm Desert CA and my summers in Vancouver BC.

I didn't ride for many years but after getting a desert home and seeing the great rides in the area was persuaded to get back into it. I started again with smaller bikes but now have a 2013 Victory Cross Roads Classic for the winter riding and up till today a Honda VTX100R (Wanda the Honda) for my summer rides. I have never owned an HD but have ridden several rentals over the years. I was intrigued by the Rushmore improvements and decided to give one a test drive - result I am now the owner of a 2014 Road King in Mysterious Red :-) The bike is a demo with 2700 kms. on it. Just brought it home about an hour ago

The dealer experience could have been great as presentation etc was very slick but unfortunately I got the old "well we have spotted a couple of things on your trade during the inspection so we can't do the number we quoted you" BS was floated and I had to threaten to walk on two occasions to get the deal back on track. I hate it when this happens and the sales manager gets all affronted and PO ed At the end of the day if you can't do the number you originally gave me (my absolute maximum) I will walk and try somewhere else .. no drama or hard feelings it's simply business. Anyway he calmed down and apologized and it all worked out OK …pity though it kinda spoilt what should have been a fun experience……..

Anyway back to the bike - I really enjoyed the pep and grunt and was very surprised how light the handling felt on the test ride. Easy to manage and manoeuvre in parking lots and traffic. Finding neutral at a stop can be a challenge but I think i have the hang of it now. It still shakes like a paint shaker - part of the Harley charm I guess. Fit and finish is excellent and the new Rushmore features are great. I have never ridden with linked brakes before but I suspect I will brake the way I always have - applying both brakes about 75% front and 25% rear I think that's how I was taught many years ago.

The ergonomics of the bike are not right for me yet and will take some time and money to figure out. The bike is substantially more compact than the Victory and I would like a seat that moves me back and up as I have 34 inch inseams, I have absolutely loved the Ultimate Seats that I have had on the Honda and Victory and am going to try their solo Tall Boy which moves you back about 2 inches and up a bit. I will also use my backrest from the Victory as I have got used to riding with a backrest. The Ultimate seats look a bit like Road Sofas but they are the most comfortable long haul seat I have had and that includes Mustang, Saddleman and Corbin. The 20" windshield is too high as I like to look over the top so I have ordered the 18" and hope that with the slightly higher seat it will be just right. I love the current bar position and the new setup will have me a bit more stretched out but I can live with that.

I added the bag lining which is great, a clock and thermometer and changed out the orange lollipop turn signals for clear lenses.

I am going to Stage One the bike as I have on all other bikes I have owned. After reading the forums and chatting to two different tuners I have decided to go with the Vance and Hines dual round slip ons, a SE air filter, a Power Commander V and a Dyno tune. I have had V&H on Wanda and loved them - I like the option of being able to add quiet baffles if they get too rowdy and i thought there was value in getting a fuel controller and getting the bike tuned properly. I don't expect much of a gain in grunt maybe a couple of ponies and torque numbers but I should have a well running, peppy bike that sounds good.

I am looking at some highway pegs and the combined speedo/tach but I have probably spent enough money and should give it a rest for a while

I have learned a lot from the forum in the last week or two when I was lurking but I am sure I will have a lot of dumb questions so please bear with me …..

 

Congrats, now post some pics of that baby

 

awesome bike saw one at the dealer yesterday. post some pics of yours

 

Congrats on the new bike... as for the stage one, its a good choice of parts, but have you checked out the FuelMoto package... their 4" tuned slip-on's, Cat-less header, A/C and a PowerVision2 is a complete stage 1 package... I'm getting ready to install it on my 2014 FLHTK, the nice thing about the powervision over the powercomader, it dosen't have to stay on the bike, FuelMoto has maps pre-tested maps for the PV2.

 

Congratulations Herbkell, enjoy the new ride! It sounds like your negotiation skills paid off with the sales dick

 

Thank you for posting your experience and congratulations on the new ride.

 

Congratulations!!! hope you enjoy!!!

 

Congrats... and :

 

...yes send us pictures
... not of you but the bike ...hehe bravo!

 

Congratulations and welcome to the family.