Welcome Area Only New Member Welcome Area Only. Be sure to pop in here and introduce yourself & let us know what Harley Davidson you own. Save your bike related questions for the proper area.

My 1st Harley...One Ride and I Was Hooked

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 08:18 PM
  #1  
JungleJr's Avatar
JungleJr
Thread Starter
|
Stage I
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Pennsylvania
Thumbs up My 1st Harley...One Ride and I Was Hooked

I bought my first motorcycle in 1978. A 360cc Yamaha street bike that was way too small to go very far. Got married soon after and the wife said maybe you should give that hobby up while raising our children. Considering my maturity level at the time she was probably right I am a contractor my entire life and have done much work over the years for fairly large Harley-Davidson dealer. I was around in the AMF days and held on to the stereotype of what I thought a Harley was long after the company came back strong from the brink of disaster. So in 2011 I buy a 2007 Honda VTX1300c. Then in 2013 I buy a 2008 GoldWing but can't stop thinking about owning Harley-Davidson. After all it's on my bucket list. First thing I find out as I start to research them is how well they hold their value. I don't want to spend any more than $9,000 to get Harley experience and I figure I can get something no more than six or seven years old for that much money in a Heritage. I was wrong. After all I've already bought two big motorcycles in the last three years. I finally take the test ride and I am hooked. I couldn't believe the comfortable riding position, the way it felt, the way it sounded, everything about it was what a classic motorcycle should be. It's a 2002 Heritage Softail with EFI, low miles and plenty of extra chrome. I'll keep the Goldwing. They are two completely different machines and riding experiences. I think there's a another newer Harley-Davidson in my future
 
Attached Thumbnails My 1st Harley...One Ride and I Was Hooked-image.jpg  
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 08:57 PM
  #2  
the wild hog's Avatar
the wild hog
Seasoned HDF Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 36,320
Likes: 3,161
From: Jacksonville
Default

Welcome
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 08:59 PM
  #3  
porschedog's Avatar
porschedog
Road Captain
10 Year Member
Liked
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 550
Likes: 11
From: Hollywood Florida
Default

Enjoy the new-to-you bike
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 09:01 PM
  #4  
ChickinOnaChain's Avatar
ChickinOnaChain
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 322,622
Likes: 3,077
From: .....
Default

Welcome to the HD Forums from Texas.
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 09:10 PM
  #5  
hvacgaspiping's Avatar
hvacgaspiping
Seasoned HDF Member
Veteran: Navy
10 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 32,851
Likes: 17,886
From: Newcastle, OK
Default

Welcome from Oklahoma.
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 10:30 PM
  #6  
VTwin-Goodies's Avatar
VTwin-Goodies
Former Sponsor
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 47,839
Likes: 1,956
From: SoCal
Default

Congratulations on your new bike and welcome to the forum.
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 10:39 PM
  #7  
KW HD's Avatar
KW HD
Grand HDF Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 4,063
Likes: 855
From: SoCal...
Default

Welcome from SoCal...
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 10:53 PM
  #8  
Uncle Larry's Avatar
Uncle Larry
Seasoned HDF Member
Veteran: Army
15 Year Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,416
Likes: 56,983
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
Default

Welcome To The Forum From The Great Lakes State
 
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 11:45 PM
  #9  
lemonade_07flstc's Avatar
lemonade_07flstc
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 10,944
Likes: 276
From: Central IL
Default

Welcome to the Forums from Central IL
 
Old Apr 5, 2014 | 11:45 PM
  #10  
smoke71's Avatar
smoke71
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: talking rock
Default

congrats on the new ride and welcome from Georgia
 



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:55 PM.

story-0
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-4
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-5
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE
story-9
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

Slideshow: Graeme Billington's left-hand-drive Shovelhead is as much about problem-solving as it is about classic Harley form.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2025-12-30 11:27:08


VIEW MORE