10 Great Videos of Riding a Harley-Davidson
Riding a Harley is a ton of fun, but chances are you've only ridden a few models and have not experienced Harley in all of its various forms, or at certain events/locales. Check out some of these cool point-of-view videos featuring unique riding experiences.
1. XR750 Flat Track Action
Harley-Davidson's racing roots are tied to flat track racing on a dirt oval, so what better way to start off our offering of cool Harley riding videos than on-board a Harley XR750 piloted by Grand National Champion "Slammin" Sammy Halbert at the 2015 X-Games dirt track main event. While the course is not as long as the GNC mile or half mile tracks, the video gives the audience a great perspective of the bar-banging action as the riders buck and slide their way around the track. See the action from start to finish here.
2. Sturgis Main Street
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is an event that every Harley enthusiasts should experience at least once in their lifetime. The event takes place just outside of South Dakota's Black Hills National Forest and draws motorcyclists from all walks of life. The surrounding roads are incredible and the vendors, entertainment, and various activities make for an epic event. The number of bikes alone is a sight to see. Take a ride down Main Street of the 2016 Sturgis event with Dennis Dorval and his Harley Tourer here.
3. XR1200R Road-Racing
The 2008-2012 Harley XR1200R platform is arguably the best performing bike to come out of the H-D factory in recent memory, and as a way to showcase its performance, AMA launched the XR1200 road-race series in 2010. While these bikes in race-prepped form were no match for top-spec superbike and supersport machines in terms of speed, the XR1200 races were wildly entertaining with bar-to-bar action that saw position changes at every lap. Put a bunch of professional racers all on the same bike, and it makes for incredibly tight and exciting action. While on-board footage of an AMA race seems nonexistent, Al Fagan of FastBikeMag puts the XR1200 through its during a spec race at Brands Hatch, England. See it here.
4. Downtown Daytona Bike Week
Daytona Bike week draws thousands of motorcyclist from around the world each year. Enthusiasts come in droves to enjoy the various types of motorcycle races, wide variety of vendors, awesome motorcycling atmosphere, and great weather. YouTube user Jeremy Burchell gives us some great aerial shots as well as some nice footage from in the saddle of a Harley while cruising down the main drag. If you have never been to Daytona during bike week, this short video will give you a good idea of what to expect downtown.
5. Top-Fuel Harley 1/8 Mile Drag Race
Ever wonder what it would be like to go 0-150+ MPH in a matter of seconds? This video featuring multi-time NHRA Top Fuel Harley winner, Tommy Grimes, shows us just how quick the pulse-pounding twin of a nitro powered Harley can hustle its way down a drag strip. This is just a shorter 1/8 miles race, but in 5 seconds he still gets up to 150 mph. Don't blink or you may miss it!
6. The Love Ride
The Love Ride in Southern California has been considered by many to be the greatest charity ride in the nation. While numerous activities took place at Glendale H-D during the event, the following video of the 2015 Love Ride 32 highlights the ride from Glendale Harley-Davidson up to Castaic, CA. The cool thing with this video is that it is sped up 2000 percent to quickly show the lengthy ride in a matter of minutes from a first person point of view. Check out Otto Petersen's Love Ride video here.
7. Land Speed Record Attempt
Harley-Davidson's reach has expanded to just about every form of two-wheeled motorsports including land speed racing. Steve Huff has long been associated with fast Harleys, having competed in drag racing and land speed record attempts, as well as building custom bikes. Steve currently holds a handful of speed records at the Bonneville Salts flats aboard Harley-powered machinery, including one for over 200mph. While the video is not the best of quality by today's standards, it does give us an idea of the speed and difficulties of riding on the salt. See the video here as Steve Huff attempts to break 200 MPH on the salt with his partially streamlined v-twin.
8. Pikes Peak Hill Climb
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is undoubtedly one of America's greatest races, and the only one that occurs on a road normally open to the public. The 12.4 mile course features 156 corners, and snakes its way over 4,000 feet of elevation change from the base to the 14,000 foot summit. Individuals from around the globe come to test their skills and machinery at the annual event. While the event offers various car, truck and motorcycles classes, Harley's are typically found in the sidecars and heavyweight motorcycle classes. Take a ride here with Wes Orloff and his Harley-Davidson as he climbs his way up the infamous road course on his XR1200 Sportster. Be careful as things get bumpy towards the end!
9. Tail of The Dragon
While racing, charity events, and bike meets are good fun, an afternoon of riding through some twisties can make for a great day. There are thousands of great motorcycle roads across the nation, all with their unique features, but when the topic of the best place to ride a motorcycle pops up, The Tail of The Dragon in Deals Gap, North Carolina is often found near the top of the list. Follow along with Motorcycling Adventures as they put their Street Glide Special up against The Dragon on this spirited ride.
10. Harley-Davidson Livewire
If you know Harley-Davidson motorcycles, you know of the sound that their thunderous V-Twin engines produce; that unique exhaust exhaust note many folks spend time and money fine tuning to their liking. Now imagine how different things may be in the future, without gasoline burning internal combustion motors, but instead an electric motor that whistles as you go and has just a hint of gear whine. See how the the all-electric Harley Livewire prototype differs in sound from every other Harley made with this on-board test ride at the Milwaukee Mile.
To keep your Harley in great tune (or get it ready for spring rides), click on into the how to section of HDForums.com
