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I ride as much as I can. My Softail I've had since 2010. It's been washed 3 times. Once at a bikini bike wash in Daytona. Once when we got back from Daytona to get the salt off. And... Ok maybe twice. I might wipe it down with detail wax. My Electra gets washed or detail waxed more. Mainly because there's more painted body work, obviously. I remember when my brother was selling his ultra years ago. He asked if I'd wash and detail it. He had chrome everywhere, even the wheels. After I washed it and even blow dried it, the chrome was all spotted. I spent hours wiping it all off. I swore then, I'd never have chrome on any of my bikes. I strip as much chrome off as possible when I get a bike.
I don't understand how a bike can never get wet. Every road trip I've ever taken, I caught rain. Just two weekends ago, the girlfriend and I went for a ride, just local, and played a game I invented called "dodge the rain clouds". We didn't win...... didn't lose either, because we were riding. That's all that matters.... riding.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.