Riding help
No matter what bike, you are better off using the rear brake, the clutch and the throttle in slow speed maneuvering. Do a youtube search, with a little practice you can flip an Ultra around like a mini-bike.
Before popping for an Ultra, may I suggest you test ride the Heritage Softail? You may be pleasantly surprised.
Before popping for an Ultra, may I suggest you test ride the Heritage Softail? You may be pleasantly surprised.
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 188
Likes: 1
From: Hattiesburg, MS
Yep, find an empty parking lot and practice for 20-30 minutes just doing figure 8s, and different maneuvers. You will get the hang of it for sure. Once you figure it out, these bikes will do more than you would've ever thought
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 338
Likes: 2
From: North Central CT
Ozzy...I went from a Vstar 650 to a Road King. Piece of cake, man....as others have said, practice is the key. Low speed maneuvering on the Harley tourers is a dream. BafflingBS, FX, MKguitar and the others all said some good stuff.
You SHOULD NOT be walking the bike from a stop. Don't do that. Get your feet off the ground and out of the way of the pegs, etc. Gipper can drag his if he wants (I doubt he duck walks forward, though), but most of us will get them up on the boards ASAP so there is no way for those feet to get caught, pinched, or trapped anywhere. Riding with your legs down is, no matter what someone may say, intrinsically less safe than getting them up on the boards.
You should be practicing a bit on your own before getting the passenger on and then practicing starts and stops in a parking lot with the passenger to get yourself best acquainted with low speed work.
lot of other differences in feel between a VStar and an Ultra, too...the weight, the seat height, higher perceived CG, the feeling of riding ON the bike not IN it. The closest feeling in a Harley to your Vstar is the Heritage Classic or Fat Boy, I think. Don't sweat it, you will easily get the hang of the Ultra with practice.
You SHOULD NOT be walking the bike from a stop. Don't do that. Get your feet off the ground and out of the way of the pegs, etc. Gipper can drag his if he wants (I doubt he duck walks forward, though), but most of us will get them up on the boards ASAP so there is no way for those feet to get caught, pinched, or trapped anywhere. Riding with your legs down is, no matter what someone may say, intrinsically less safe than getting them up on the boards.
You should be practicing a bit on your own before getting the passenger on and then practicing starts and stops in a parking lot with the passenger to get yourself best acquainted with low speed work.
lot of other differences in feel between a VStar and an Ultra, too...the weight, the seat height, higher perceived CG, the feeling of riding ON the bike not IN it. The closest feeling in a Harley to your Vstar is the Heritage Classic or Fat Boy, I think. Don't sweat it, you will easily get the hang of the Ultra with practice.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,042
Likes: 86
From: Centeral Coast, California
Ozzy...I went from a Vstar 650 to a Road King. Piece of cake, man....as others have said, practice is the key. Low speed maneuvering on the Harley tourers is a dream. BafflingBS, FX, MKguitar and the others all said some good stuff.
You SHOULD NOT be walking the bike from a stop. Don't do that. Get your feet off the ground and out of the way of the pegs, etc. Gipper can drag his if he wants (I doubt he duck walks forward, though), but most of us will get them up on the boards ASAP so there is no way for those feet to get caught, pinched, or trapped anywhere. Riding with your legs down is, no matter what someone may say, intrinsically less safe than getting them up on the boards.
You should be practicing a bit on your own before getting the passenger on and then practicing starts and stops in a parking lot with the passenger to get yourself best acquainted with low speed work.
lot of other differences in feel between a VStar and an Ultra, too...the weight, the seat height, higher perceived CG, the feeling of riding ON the bike not IN it. The closest feeling in a Harley to your Vstar is the Heritage Classic or Fat Boy, I think. Don't sweat it, you will easily get the hang of the Ultra with practice.
You SHOULD NOT be walking the bike from a stop. Don't do that. Get your feet off the ground and out of the way of the pegs, etc. Gipper can drag his if he wants (I doubt he duck walks forward, though), but most of us will get them up on the boards ASAP so there is no way for those feet to get caught, pinched, or trapped anywhere. Riding with your legs down is, no matter what someone may say, intrinsically less safe than getting them up on the boards.
You should be practicing a bit on your own before getting the passenger on and then practicing starts and stops in a parking lot with the passenger to get yourself best acquainted with low speed work.
lot of other differences in feel between a VStar and an Ultra, too...the weight, the seat height, higher perceived CG, the feeling of riding ON the bike not IN it. The closest feeling in a Harley to your Vstar is the Heritage Classic or Fat Boy, I think. Don't sweat it, you will easily get the hang of the Ultra with practice.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 239
Likes: 2
From: Leesburg
I would also add that once you are relatively comfortable riding two-up, it would pay to start adding weight to the tourpack to understand how the bike feels fully loaded.
I just returned from a nine-day trip to Maine, two-up, and I will tell you that I struggled a bit at certain times with the instability of a heavily top-loaded Electra Glide. I was happy when we got to the hotel and could unload the bike and do our exploring...
Practice is the key. Take your time and don't rush. When you ride two-up you have a tremendous amount of responsibility. I am very, very cautious with my wife on the back of my bike...and when we are fully loaded, I am even more so.
Good luck!
I just returned from a nine-day trip to Maine, two-up, and I will tell you that I struggled a bit at certain times with the instability of a heavily top-loaded Electra Glide. I was happy when we got to the hotel and could unload the bike and do our exploring...
Practice is the key. Take your time and don't rush. When you ride two-up you have a tremendous amount of responsibility. I am very, very cautious with my wife on the back of my bike...and when we are fully loaded, I am even more so.
Good luck!
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 181
Likes: 24
From: Eau Claire, Wis
I have both the VStar 1100 and a 2013 Road King. The bigger bike felt overwhelming at first but after putting 50 miles on it or so ... it was so much easer to maneuver than the Star. I was amazed on how the King handles in parking lots ... like night and day for me. The tour pack might be adding into the mix that you were not used to on the Star.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 14,744
Likes: 402
From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
i use a scale and weigh each saddlebag, shifting stuff back and forth until it;s right.
weight down by the axle ( like a tool roll in the bottom of the saddlebag) has little effect...that same 5 or 6 pounds in the tourpak can really be felt.
the "load limit" stickers on the tourpak are a good reminder not to make things harder than they need to be.
on a long trip, mine will have my computer, maybe camera, day snacks and jacket ( or space for if I am wearing), the rack will carry a sleeping bag and maybe maps
mike
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,808
Likes: 285
From: Green Country Oklahoma
Need lots confidence in your self and bike how do we get that just practice and tell your brain to relax, strength is really not as important as skill once you get over the fear of dropping the bike you can throw this bike around in the corners beyond belief. All I ever ridden back home was a 350 Royal Enfield and then no bike for 2 decades until my first Harley a full dresser sure it was hand full but 28K miles in first year bike felt small,light easy to manage. For me now I've hard time riding those Softails and Roadkings in the parking lots to help our female riders to move or park their bikes.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,832
Likes: 37
From: Rockland County, NY
All good advice here. Especially buying the Ride Like a Pro video.
You'll see that the bike is not the limiting factor. It's capable of things you wouldn't believe. Practice and you'll feel better about it. I know how you feel. Most of us passed through that stage. Last year I took a week-long ride with a full load and my wife on the back. Even blew a tire at 70 mph and didn't lose my composure. You'll get it. It just takes time.
You'll see that the bike is not the limiting factor. It's capable of things you wouldn't believe. Practice and you'll feel better about it. I know how you feel. Most of us passed through that stage. Last year I took a week-long ride with a full load and my wife on the back. Even blew a tire at 70 mph and didn't lose my composure. You'll get it. It just takes time.
