Which Harley would you hire?

[discotex]

I'm lucky enough to be heading to San Francsisco for a work at the end of the month so figured I'd go for a burn up and down the coast. I'll have a couple of days to explore so should be fun :yes:

The tough part is deciding on a bike to hire.. I figure "when in Rome" so a Harley is an obvious choice. That is until you have to pick a model....

As a sports bike rider I have no clue so.. Which would you pick out of these options and why?:

Street Glide
Road King
Soft Tail
Fat Boy
Sportster 883 (a bit cheaper)

I'm leaning towards the Fat Boy but purely because of Terminator :D

[White trash]

One up or two up? If you're riding solo and just a day trip or so, I'd take the Fatboy. If you're two up and need to carry any gear, or plan on going around a corner or two, take the Road King. Better handling and comfort than the Softail.

Either way, you'll love the experience.

[Kiwi Graham]

+1 for what trashy says plus the road king has hard luggage and a rack for the gear

[TIBLE_90]

I personally like the softail and would take that if i was planning on doing a trip for a couple days. For a day trip I'd get the sportster 883 or the nightster as I too am a sports bike rider and find that they could be a bit of fun on the twisties around the coast.

[Zamiam]

If it's day trips I'd go with a dyna as they are better IMO than any thing you've listed and closer to a sports bike (if you can call any HD close to a sports bike)

[JimO]

if you get the fatboy go for the optional shotgun holder

[discotex]

Thanks guys.. Only going to be two day trips from a base in South San Fran. Figure one North over the Golden Gate and one South around the coast unless I find any hot tips on the net.

I was sold on the Fat Boy looks but you guys have got me thinking it might be handy to have the luggage.. Mainly for camera and water bottle etc. I'm also planning on doing 6-8 hour days of riding so comfort is a plus.

What do you reckon about handling the extra weight? 350kg seems like a lot. Do you notice it?

I've pretty much ruled out the Sportster because of the small gas tank. Don't really want to get caught out down the coast.

[Flip]

You won't notice the weight, unless you park it nose down and have to push it backwards. Once they get going they feel relatively light.

[Taz]

Not sure what the ocean currents are like in san fran but the general rule of thumb is to get the heaviest one to prevent your boat from drifting.

[wysper]

You won't notice the weight, unless you park it nose down and have to push it backwards. Once they get going they feel relatively light.

Yeah, that really sucks. Even the sporty is heavy to push backwards up a small incline!

And good point on the tank, that is one thing that I will change on my sporty. A slightly bigger tank, I like the look of the 3.3 but the range is a bit short.

[discotex]

You won't notice the weight, unless you park it nose down and have to push it backwards. Once they get going they feel relatively light.

I'll have to be careful with there I stop. My CBR is nice and light so could get caught out there.



And good point on the tank, that is one thing that I will change on my sporty. A slightly bigger tank, I like the look of the 3.3 but the range is a bit short.

Yeah if I read it right it's a 6 on the Road King. Seems like a much safer bet when going off the beaten path.


Not sure what the ocean currents are like in san fran but the general rule of thumb is to get the heaviest one to prevent your boat from drifting.

:laugh:

[Big Dave]

Road King.

Fine motorcycle.

[martybabe]

Road king for me too, built to do the miles in comfort. I think you're in for a fabo time with any of them but the king gets my vote.

[Grubber]

Depends really.....do you want it for a door stop or an indoor ornamental?:laugh:

[Zamiam]

The weight is only noticeable at slow speeds e.g.around tight turns. You get used to it pretty quickly

[Big Dave]

Depends really.....do you want it for a door stop or an indoor ornamental?:laugh:

Q. What do you call a bloke riding a Triumph with Three Harleys?

A. Unemployed.