HARLEY demo rides - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

POE-BOY SAMICH · 12-09-2006, 07:57 PM

Harley demo rides going on in my town this weekend.
Spent 1/2 the day riding different '07 models.

Ride/review:

Sportster 1200 Custom: REALLY didn't like this bike. The handling left a lot to be desired and the ride was crude. Even the smallest of bumps on the street crunched my spine in ways my C50 never has. The seat was also very uncomfortable for me and I could not see myself doing anything but short rides on this model. No offense to any 1200 owners out there, but I just can't see why anyone would buy this bike.

FXSTC Softail Custom: This bike was pretty smooth. Enjoyed the ride and had an extremely comfortable stock seat. Decent power, excellent/silky-smooth shifting (even compared to the great shifting of the other models listed here), and comfortable ride position. No real negatives for this model, other than the price.

FLSTN Softail Deluxe: Of the several Harley's I tried today, NOTHING came close to this bike. Very nice handling, extremely comfortable, smooth ride, and had none of the Harley vibrations at stops/slow-speeds. If I were going to buy a Harley and I could only choose from those models I tried today, hands-down, this would be it. Comfortable stock seat. The ride was one that allowed for enough comfort to handle the long-hauls, yet the handling and low center of gravity made it just as nice a bike for the rush-hour commute. 2 big thumbs-up for this bike.

FLHRC Road King Classic: Nice bike. This thing was made for riding at highway speeds. Loved the power and handling at 60-80mph. Definitely designed to take you away from the city lights and out to the open road. However, the Road King nearly vibrated the fillings out of my teeth at slow speeds and stop-lights. Other than the Harley vibration -- gotta give this bike a thumbs-up.

FLHX Street Glide: Way too much buffeting over the small windsheild for me to enjoy this bike at hight speeds and much too much vibration to relax at slow speeds and stops. This bike gets a thumbs down compared to the Road King above.

ALL MODELS...

PROS: Most of the models had a great feel at highway speeds. The engines packed enough power to instill confidence under any passing/accelerating situations. The fit and finish on each bike was excellent. Braking power was more than adequate on all models, even the lower costing Sportster 1200. However, BY FAR, my favorite thing about each of these models was their transmission. Shifting (up or down) was smooth and flawless. Those models with a 6-speed get extra marks/points.

CONS: NONE of the bikes convinced me that they were worth the price-tag. Even the Softail Deluxe that I fell in love with had me wondering why I'd spend $17k+ for it. Furthermore, those models with a case of the shakes were a real big turn-off for me. I have a buddy with a Dyna Super Glide Custom that complains of the shakes on his bike, but I never really thought they could be as bad as they are. Mind you, the bikes I rode today all had only 2k-5k miles on them, and I don't know if the shakes get better or worse with time/miles. Also, the exhaust note on the stock pipes was not very Harley-like. Paying so much for the bike, I wouldn't think I'd have to get the upgrade/after-market stuff to get my bike to sound "like a Harley".

OVER-ALL: I can't speak for the Harley reliability so many people question or defend (depends on who you're talking to) after a simple demo ride. That aside, who knows, I might buy a Harley someday. The rides today were BETTER than I expected because I had such a suspect opinion of these bikes over-all. I must end this review by saying however: I rode to/from the dealership in my '06 C50 and I gotta tell you honestly, there was nothing in those models above besides the transmission that I liked better than my C50 AND I only paid $7K OTD for the Suzuki........My smile was wider than usual while riding home with the C50 between my legs, and THAT was the greatest thing I could have gotten out of the demo-rides.

DO NOT FEAR, Demo-rides continue tomorrow and I will post a follow-up on this thread. I'll ride some of the models above for a 2nd time + I'll get to ride a few more models I didn't have time to ride today!!!