awayatc
9th January 2009, 22:34
Got my heritage softtail at X-mas,.........The weather was great, petrol cheap and not back to sea untill the 6th of January.....
On the 27th off to jackson's on the Maiden voyage, trying to keep up with Shrek and half a dozen other Kiwibikers.....
Took a bit of getting used to and was hard work compared to the Aprilia.......Somebody has got to be last, and I was not realy in a hurry anyways so....
After I cleaned the carb and airfilter the next day, she unleashed definitely another few (draught)horses....
Packed up one enormous saddlebag for me...the other one for the bike....(tools etc....)and of towards Nelson for a few days.
As the Kms stated to add up I got to know my latest little toy a little bit better.....
She is a lot heavier of course, and all the controls take a bit more thought and input.
At low speed with a big fat front tyre and handlebars that angle back she wants to be steered around corners....
However when the speeds gets up a bit she can be comfortably countersteered and leaned into the corners....
So much so that the floorboards scrape the tarseal easily....but since they hinge up it is not to big a deal..(I hope..)
2 Up the Fishtails scrape to road in bumpy corners....
Hopefully the softtail can be adjusted up a little bit....
Fuel consumption is better then my Aprilia....18/19 kms to the liter when pottering around, 16 kms to the liter when pushed a bit....
When overtaking, 3rd gear will go to 120 kms....and 4th and 5th keep happily pulling through after that... to try to rip your arms out of their sockets....
I did end up up on the gravel, and even up a steep 4wd drive track in the sounds....
Going down that track after some rain made my ringpiece tighten up considerably......
BAD IDEA, to heavy, front and backwheel lockup and slide very easily, no way of slowing her down untill I could just catch her on the gravel.....
The Harley feels and sounds great, easy to just "cruise"..
People give you more room on the road, don't seem to creep up close behind you in town and often come up to you at the servo or so for a look and a yarn...
After 2000 kms plus very enjoyable kms, I took the Aprilia again to go to picton and took the ferry north to go to work in New Plymouth....(Got 2 punctures on the way!!!!!)
The Aprilia is....well it is just a joy to ride...just a completely different sort of ride....
A bit like fish and steak, I love both .....
Cant wait to get back on my "tractor" again...
On the 27th off to jackson's on the Maiden voyage, trying to keep up with Shrek and half a dozen other Kiwibikers.....
Took a bit of getting used to and was hard work compared to the Aprilia.......Somebody has got to be last, and I was not realy in a hurry anyways so....
After I cleaned the carb and airfilter the next day, she unleashed definitely another few (draught)horses....
Packed up one enormous saddlebag for me...the other one for the bike....(tools etc....)and of towards Nelson for a few days.
As the Kms stated to add up I got to know my latest little toy a little bit better.....
She is a lot heavier of course, and all the controls take a bit more thought and input.
At low speed with a big fat front tyre and handlebars that angle back she wants to be steered around corners....
However when the speeds gets up a bit she can be comfortably countersteered and leaned into the corners....
So much so that the floorboards scrape the tarseal easily....but since they hinge up it is not to big a deal..(I hope..)
2 Up the Fishtails scrape to road in bumpy corners....
Hopefully the softtail can be adjusted up a little bit....
Fuel consumption is better then my Aprilia....18/19 kms to the liter when pottering around, 16 kms to the liter when pushed a bit....
When overtaking, 3rd gear will go to 120 kms....and 4th and 5th keep happily pulling through after that... to try to rip your arms out of their sockets....
I did end up up on the gravel, and even up a steep 4wd drive track in the sounds....
Going down that track after some rain made my ringpiece tighten up considerably......
BAD IDEA, to heavy, front and backwheel lockup and slide very easily, no way of slowing her down untill I could just catch her on the gravel.....
The Harley feels and sounds great, easy to just "cruise"..
People give you more room on the road, don't seem to creep up close behind you in town and often come up to you at the servo or so for a look and a yarn...
After 2000 kms plus very enjoyable kms, I took the Aprilia again to go to picton and took the ferry north to go to work in New Plymouth....(Got 2 punctures on the way!!!!!)
The Aprilia is....well it is just a joy to ride...just a completely different sort of ride....
A bit like fish and steak, I love both .....
Cant wait to get back on my "tractor" again...