I feel I have betrayed my loyalty to Ducati in finding this thread, let alone reading the last page!!! Still rubbish then after all these years, What gives? Surely they got to wake up and smell the coffee and give products that might even consider against the mainstream offerings?
The Fat Bob has Showa suspension , Brembo 4 pot brakes and a few other bit's and piece's to make it a better bike. It's still heavy but it handle's pretty good, you have to be trying to get something to touch down and the brakes are excellent. The engine doesn't rev like I'm used to but it is huge fun short shifting and using all the grunt . Overall I think it will slow me down a bit which is no bad thing but I will still enjoy my riding and I still have my GSX-R750 for when I feel the need.
Not for me at all but then again I once knew of a guy who told me (had to take his word for it as he was just a workmate) that he bought a Tour Glide in Chicago, drove all of Route 66 & sold it in Santa Monica. If you’re going to do Harley, that seemed like the way to do it
Harleys are'nt really my cup of tea (at the mo) , but the only style of bike i would never ever own is a Jap copycat cruiser, at least if you are into them go for the real thing and get a kosher Yank Icon not an oriental copy of the real thing...
I've had HDs for nearly 30 years from pans to twin cams, chopped to near stock as is my current 98 FXDWG with just 5,000 miles on it which is the only one I have right now. I'm a slow rider in my 50s so its a good fit FWIW The MoCo has completley lost the plot with the new bikes, a key reason they are struggling to sell them for my mind. Will be adding a 916 to the garage shortly as I live in the mountains here in Japan
I think there are three types of Harley owner. The usual one, the guy who's a bank manager, has loads of money & likes to dress up in weird gear over the weekend, or when he's out walking his small dog & tell his neighbours he owns a Harley. He also likes to spend way over the top to have a load of Scremin' Eagle stuff fitted & doesn't notice any difference. The second would really like to be like the first type, but can't quite bring himself to dress up in weird clothes. Yet ! And the third, likes the custom scene. This group can also be broken down into sub-groups, one lot just like Harley based home builds & wouldn't be seen dead on a "normal" Harley, another lot like long forked choppers & another lot like the ye olde WLA/C Harley's including old Indians. There are sub-groups that straddle various combinations of the custom scene. I straddle the lot that like olde style Harley's & custom Bobbers ! Each to their own !
Was my 1st bike bought it few months before i even took a lesson Id have another to go down the shops and grab a coffee on a summers day with as it wouldnt roast my ass n balls
Over here you've obviously got the 1%'s , then those that like to dress like pirates because that's what the lifestyle dictates, yep most of them are badass mofo's, then there's the normal people who see them as just a motorcycle. I laughed a while back when I saw an x diavel rider with an open face and skull mask on. No guessing what he traded in.
@Spikelikemike Not a HD fan, but I could imagine myself pottering around in Kent on a sunny Sunday riding that black beauty.
Cost me less than £10 to fix this - made my own third link as there was no other option as for an 86 model few if any bits are available It did work and stabilised what was less than ideal previously Downside of this I had owned the bike for 20m years before I fitted this and then 6 months later decision was made to break bike and sell it as parts - a decision I have no regrets in making
this was my sportster, loved it but wasn't right for me at the time, I do find myself looking at the new softail line every now and then.....
Yep....thats pretty shocking....i will say....some time ago i saw a couple of indian bikes at a show (pics on the net) and they were both decked out with ohlins front and rear and, marchesini wheels. Essentially looked like a run of the mill naked bike....never been able to find the pics...i looked at those (and i might add seen nothing since that looked as good) for that style of bike....give me a decent naked bike any time...
There is a alot more to like about a Harley (I think) when you have a lot more serene open roads to ride on. Big cruisers like that are great at alot of what many people wanted them to be at. They are great for when you are not looking for ward to "Going for a ride" but you have to travel and you almost take the car. The big ones can be like riding your favorite chair out in the wind. And they have such support in the aftermarket for everything... you can really put your look on it with just some wrenches. Then the true customs. I love to see those rare awesome Ducati builds. But there are not many of them, or near as much access to as you could a custom Harley or one of the clones. And The paint and chrome were generally top notch... I dont know about their future. You can bet the NAME will continue as a brand though. I think with any luck, there is bad news all summer to fall. The prices Tumble... Then you and I pick up the one we always wanted on the cheap... Just saying. Rex
