Don't wave at me!

[cave weta]

Beware Southern Motorway commuters on Wednesday mornong.

Cave Wetas getting paid to deliver a Harley Ferguson with twin Lazyboys, Stereo and footpates to downtown Auckland.
I ve just been told its an 07 Roadking limited.

Will I need a pilot vehicle?:mellow:

[Big Dave]

No. you'll be pleasantly surprised by a feel good motorcycle that goes, stops and corners as a modern motorcycle should.

You only notice how heavy it is when feet are on the ground.

[Blackshear]

Ride with your feet on the tank brah, stop your legs getting absotively meated underneath it should it tip.

Naw, just be tedious and remember at all times it's a heavy bike.

[AD345]

You will also find yourself making short, unnecessary, bursts of acceleration at every overpass, concrete wall and other urban echo chambers.

[nallac]

hell we are allowed to wave,you just have to ignore us...with ya open face helmet and jeans and leather vest on,Harley T shirt is optional......

[cave weta]

hell we are allowed to wave,you just have to ignore us...with ya open face helmet and jeans and leather vest on,Harley T shirt is optional......

No!... You will know its me, Il be wearing my Muddy Enduro gear and a Red Bull helmet

[twotyred]

Beware Southern Motorway commuters on Wednesday mornong.

Cave Wetas getting paid to deliver a Harley Ferguson with twin Lazyboys, Stereo and footpates to downtown Auckland.
I ve just been told its an 07 Roadking limited.

Will I need a pilot vehicle?:mellow:

if you've ever felt the need to compensate... now's your chance...enjoy

[nallac]

thats not on!!!!!!. A harley rider without the mandatory leather vest:2guns:

[cave weta]

thats not on!!!!!!. A harley rider without the mandatory leather vest:2guns:

Body armour? :chase:

[98tls]

Dont forget to cut the fingers off them gloves eh.Oh and tassles........a must have.

[nallac]

Body armour :chase:

if its black it might pass...can ya get spray on tats for the ride?.

[Headbanger]

Alrighty, I have written it on the inside of my visor so I can't forget.

"Do not wave at Road King, Wednesday Morning, Southern Motorway"

Not that I intended to anyway, Nor will I be within 500KM of the southern motorway.

Couldn't you hand the task off to someone with the capacity to enjoy riding into Auckland on such a glorious beast?

[cave weta]

Alrighty, I have written it on the inside of my visor so I can't forget.

"Do not wave at Road King, Wednesday Morning, Southern Motorway"

Not that I intended to anyway, Nor will I be within 500KM of the southern motorway.

Couldn't you hand the task off to someone with the capacity to enjoy riding into Auckland on such a glorious beast?

Ive ridden AG100s in the pelting rain ,Ive push started TT500 on clay tracks.
Ive had the piston out of an RZ350on the side of the road to emery off a seizure. I rode a Triumph to work for a year with a drip tray hidden in the garden outside work so that I could save the oil for the ride home.

I rode this Harley the other week and yep its a cruiser- I just smile to myself that my work is riding tall spidery plastic and magnesium dirt bikes yet when
Harley Tours NZ need a 2 wheeled tour coach moved they ask me;) Im sure that I will love it

[Pixie]

No!... You will know its me, Il be wearing my Muddy Enduro gear and a Red Bull helmet

No no no,Dressing like a fag is compulsory

[cave weta]

No no no,Dressing like a fag is compulsory

Ill just cut the arse out of my Assault MX pants and put tassles on my body armour

[cave weta]

Morning Les!

Do you want to come for a ride tomorrow - 6am?

[nallac]

now you are getting it.....

[duckonin]

Beware Southern Motorway commuters on Wednesday mornong.

Cave Wetas getting paid to deliver a Harley Ferguson with twin Lazyboys, Stereo and footpates to downtown Auckland.
I ve just been told its an 07 Roadking limited.

Will I need a pilot vehicle?:mellow:

FFS plus you are getting paid to ride it....:whistle:

[Goblin]

No!... You will know its me, Il be wearing my Muddy Enduro gear and a Red Bull helmet:laugh: You HAVE to get pics!

[Burtha]

Skulls - lotsa skulls!

[pritch]

Saw a Harley at the Chateau to Plateau; there were little leather glove thingies on the brake and clutch levers with tassles the fat end of a metre long hanging off them.

I'm sure this isn't unique but I hadn't seen anything like that before. (I had a sheltered upbringing...)

Tassles like that would look silly on the VFR. Come to think of it, they looked pretty silly on the Harley.

[cs363]

Ha...you may not have the correct HD riding gear, but at least you have perfected the physique.... :rofl:

[madbikeboy]

Are you sure the address isn't Ponsonby road, maybe SPQR? To a gentleman named Merv, who owns white pants, and Audi TT and a boyfriend?

Oh, just reread, it's a Harley Road King, not a Vespa.

[martybabe]

Ho hum, take the mick all you like but just promise you'll be honest when ya report back on here. I'm betting as the prejudice wanes and the smile breaks out you'll hate your self for inexplicably having a good time.

Oh and if you think you might need to use the brakes soon, that's the time to apply them. :laugh:

Have fun :niceone:

[tigertim20]

you might actually (dare I say it) ... like the thing!!

[cave weta]

Ha...you may not have the correct HD riding gear, but at least you have perfected the physique.... :rofl:

bastard little hobbit

[Conquiztador]

How often do we see ppl starting a thread in anticipation of riding a bike?

Seldom I say. So this is a clear indication of how much this means to the rider.

I know how you feel. Just keep on repeating the following to your self and you be OK: "It is just a motorcycle, it is just a motorcycle, it.."

[cs363]

bastard little hobbit

:devil2::devil2: It's just a tractor, it's just a tractor, it's just a tractor...


Reminds me of that time at band camp when I caught you with that fat chick behind the bike shed. I think you were enjoying that more than you let on too.... :bleh: :Pokey:

[klingon]

Ill just cut the arse out of my Assault MX pants and put tassles on my body armour

:gob: I'm sorry... I will be waving. I won't be able to resist! :eek5:

[MadDuck]

...can ya get spray on tats for the ride?.

Wow what a marketing idea. For one day "wanna-be" Harley riders :innocent:

[cs363]

:gob: I'm sorry... I will be waving. I won't be able to resist! :eek5:


Given what you quoted, I think that would be classed more as pointing and laughing than waving...... :laugh:

[cave weta]

Well Im Back.
What a shit hole auckland is!
7.30 am passed the Autobahn (in 1st gear at walking pace) and it got slower from there:no: Finally got to Symonds St at 9.00am!

The Harley Road King Limited is a nice shiny bike with a lovely exhaust note above 3000rpm and a good stereo that you can hear clearly through your helmet. Thats the good stuff....

The rest of the news is dissapointing. I left Waihi in the dark at 6.30 I was annoyed by a shadow on the road in front of me all the way through the gorge and Paeroa- it turned out to be a harley emblem stuck in the middle of the headlight lens so that you knew that its a harley. A bit like the Bat signal that Bruce Wayne's man servent would shine on the clouds so that BatMan knew he was needed !- before texting was invented.
As I rode through Kerepehi and Netherton I became aware of a nasty tingling numbness just above my right knee- the aircleaner was sending throbbing frequencies into my inner thigh- not as pleasant as it sounds! A dawn broke behind me I played with the cruise control and enjoyed that, found that the two 6 foot whip antenna mounted at the rear on the spa pool surround would pick up all the auckland stations so I settled on George FM and listened to some indie sounds while I passed the glowing lights of the numerous maramarua cowsheds. The digital gear indicator was showing 6 so I went to drop it down a cog and noticed that the heel/ toe gear assembly was not as well designed as on the old C50 honda stepthru! - on that little bike it was a proper heel plate and on the front a toe gearlever that sat nicely under your foot. On this bike they had bolted two levers the same on- one facing the front- one facing the back. They were about 350mm apart, so you had to move your foot back to find the back one and forward to find the front one.
And they are both stuck up in the air way higher than you would expect to find them. KERCLUNK! - I shifted down - it was like engaging the PTO on a Nuffield tractor! and the digital gear position indicator didnt show 5- it just went out. - its just a TOP GEAR indicator. strange eh!?
Oh the brakes! described in 3 words.... shpincter fribulatingly exhilerating!
jeezus- dont ever follow anything on a harley closer than about two bus lengths. They are shocking! And the rear brake lever, that is comedy!- I have an old 6 ton Bedford truck and the Harley has a brake pedal just like it! you have to lift your foot off the floor boards or whatever they are called to use it. - it is higher up than your foot is long, so that you should realy have a block of wood under your heel to make it ergonomic- ha ha!
By the time I got to K road my legs were fuckin Cooking! the Road king has pipes on both sides and with my feet on the tarseal a lot of the time in that shit auckland traffic both calves were roasting on the pipes-remember that scene in the Bert Munro movie where he wrapped an electric blanket round his calf? I mean really HOT! also the clutch cover or whatever they call that huge chrome pan on the left was hellishly hot. THis bike is nicely built but terrible design!
The diametre of the handgrips mean that unless you have hands like a gorrilla you cant comfortably hold on and use all the 7 switches and functions each side . I found myself using my left hand to operate the cruise control which is on the throttle side FFS! and the clutch ugggh! - cable! my KTM has a beautiful hydraulic system - light and full of feel. They could try harder there too.
By the time I got to Symonds st my legs were almost medium rare, I could see why they have forward pegs and wear leather and not cordura- I could smell my pants just starting melting.
Final piece of design flair was the way the mufflers mashed into the kerb as as I backed in to park the beast. They have about 70mm ground clearance and protrude further back than the rear wheel.

There ya go! thats what I think!

Its no bloody wonder they spend so much time in front of pubs looking at them rather than riding them -God awfull it was!

[klingon]

Did you see me waving?! :wavey:

[cave weta]

Did you see me waving?! :wavey:

That wasnt me!:laugh:

[duckonin]

Sounds like you made it then ha ha :first:

[Big Dave]

A contradictory view.

http://www.kiwirider.co.nz/rhouse/hdlaunch.html

[klingon]

That wasnt me!:laugh:

So I waved at another Harley rider wearing tassels and the bum cut out of his cordura pants? Uh-oh... :pinch:

[MadDuck]

So I waved at another Harley rider wearing tassels and the bum cut out

...wasnt me :devil2:

[skidMark]

Won't need a pilot vehicle, need a tailing vehicle with a trailer.

[Headbanger]

God awfull it was!

Fair enough, At least you have ridden the bike in order to have an experienced opinion.

Not to be rude but do you have tiny hands,feet and legs?, Never seen that particular list of complaints before, seems bizarre that you would complain about the diameter of the grips and have to use opposing hands to manipulate the controls.

[cave weta]

A contradictory view.

http://www.kiwirider.co.nz/rhouse/hdlaunch.html

Right- Read it-

The only thing we disagree about is the 'one finger light brembo disc brakes.'
Maybe 'Racing Dave' felt that if he told the truth that manufacturers would think twice about giving bikes to journalists!

All the other points I made were not mentioned in the story.
Trust me - the details that I noticed will be seen by anyone who looks at these bikes objectivly and compares them, not to previous Harley Products but to motorcycles.

My calves are still medium rare and having to search for the rear brake lever is unacceptable. Nice paint and chrome though.

[cave weta]

Fair enough, At least you have ridden the bike in order to have an experienced opinion.

Not to be rude but do you have tiny hands,feet and legs?, Never seen that particular list of complaints before, seems bizarre that you would complain about the diameter of the grips and have to use opposing hands to manipulate the controls.

The only road gloves I have are winter weight and are a bit like oven gloves!
but true about the diameter- they are really fat! and because the bike has footplates you have to put your feet down further back than you normally would - especially in these gusty winds!

[Big Dave]

Maybe 'Racing Dave' felt that if he told the truth that manufacturers would think twice about giving bikes to journalists!


He is an honourable man and I endorse his comments 100%

For that matter I've never had any heat issues on a Harley, love the ergos, change up my bars to accommodate the 1" grips, wish all bikes had H-D switchgear, and find the rear brake to be suitable for the speeds the bikes carry.

Funny ol world.

Be interesting to see if you had the same impressions on a sportster.

[cave weta]

He is an honourable man and I endorse his comments 100%

For that matter I've never had any heat issues on a Harley, love the ergos, change up my bars to accommodate the 1" grips, wish all bikes had H-D switchgear, and find the rear brake to be suitable for the speeds the bikes carry.

Funny ol world.

Be interesting to see if you had the same impressions on a sportster.

a
Awww dave!... I did take a sporty around the Coro loop and ended up in the grass more than once!- the pegs hit the road easily! and the day after, my arse hurt so bad! the seat is bony.

By the way.... what's an Ergos?

[Goblin]

Trust me - the details that I noticed will be seen by anyone who looks at these bikes objectivly and compares them, not to previous Harley Products but to motorcycles.Couldn't agree more. Though I've never tried a big Harley I have ridden a couple and found them very cumbersome with very little brakes for the sheer weight of the things.

I dont think I will ever "get" the whole Harley Mystique thing but I dont begrudge those who do. One cannot compare them to any other bike as they are a breed of their own.

Great write-up Cave Weta! Did ya get any pics?

[Big Dave]

a
Awww dave!... I did take a sporty around the Coro loop and ended up in the grass more than once!- the pegs hit the road so easily! and the day after my arse hurt so bad! the seat is so bony.


Heat issues though? I'm wondering if its the girth of the machine.

My Buell gets toasty in summer, but never on a hog.


I like the challenge of a cruiser occasionally. Judging the cornering speed so perfectly that the contact is the softest kiss.

Not as much fun as going full tilt on a sportsbike, but its legal, non impounding, and less likely to be fatal.

[cave weta]

Couldn't agree more. Though I've never tried a big Harley I have ridden a couple and found them very cumbersome with very little brakes for the sheer weight of the things.

I dont think I will ever "get" the whole Harley Mystique thing but I dont begrudge those who do. One cannot compare them to any other bike as they are a breed of their own.

Great write-up Cave Weta! Did ya get any pics?

Thanks for bling!- I did take a couple of shots of it at the kerb.
not worth the megabytes to upload.

[Big Dave]

Tell me you weren't wearing MX pants?

[cave weta]

Heat issues though? I'm wondering if its the girth of the machine.

My Buell gets toasty in summer, but never on a hog.


I like the challenge of a cruiser occasionally. Judging the cornering speed so perfectly that the contact is the softest kiss.

Not as much fun as going full tilt on a sportsbike, but its legal, non impounding, and less likely to be fatal.

These things have a header on both sides- in just the wrong place, and that big black rear cylinder in traffic is just like having a gas heater blasting on full
between your legs.

As for the sporty- One thing I did sort of enjoy was the countersteering needed to set it in to a corner, its a bit speedwayish! -Motu would love it!

[Goblin]

I did take a couple of shots of it at the kerb.
not worth the megabytes to upload.Pity...was hoping for a giggle at the muddy enduro gear and red bull lid on a Hog. Would have looked a hard case.

[martybabe]

Ah well, an honest report I guess, some of the observations are down to simply different ergos, if you rode it for a week the foot brake would become second nature as would the grips, seriously when you adapt a lot of the stuff seems to work really well.

Good report though and 100% with you on the brakes, technique makes them work better but they are shocking especially as a $ 500 front caliper makes them perfectly acceptable stoppers, shame on you Mr Harley. Never had the heat or air cleaner vibration probs, maybe you were subconsciously clinging on with your legs in fear. They do get a bit warm in traffic but nothing like the buell nut cookers.

Anyway interesting read thanks :niceone: +1

[Big Dave]

ergonomics |ˌərgəˈnämiks|
plural noun [treated as sing. ]
the study of people's efficiency in their working environment.

It's morphed into bike jargon meaning how well the bike fits you and its intended purpose.

[cheshirecat]

You'll have to go the to gym. I was exhausted journeying up to the front to change gear and back, and I only needed to change three times.

[gatch]

I've never ridden a Harley, probably never will.. This write-up only furthers the stereotype that I had in mind, that most Harleys are poorly designed and fail to function as motorcycles should, the should be returned to the smelt, and fashioned into ship hulls or armor plating for tanks..

[Big Dave]

I've never ridden a Harley, probably never will.. This write-up only furthers the stereotype that I had in mind, that most Harleys are poorly designed and fail to function as motorcycles should, the should be returned to the smelt, and fashioned into ship hulls or armor plating for tanks..


With respect - I have ridden every variant and model regularly for the last 5 years - and that is not correct.

The vehicles compromise between 15% and 20% of the motorcycles sold.

You can't fool that many of the people that much of the time.

I share none of mr wetas criticisms and enjoy the machines for what they are. I find them very comfortable and highly enjoyable to operate within the constrains of the road code - or thereabouts.

[Rob Taylor]

I suppose this is where you quote the "God made" saying,is it:Punk:

[Horse]

This write-up only furthers the stereotype that I had in mind, that most Harleys are poorly designed and fail to function as motorcycles should, the should be returned to the smelt, and fashioned into ship hulls or armor plating for tanks..

Please continue thinking that, it leaves more for the rest of us.

I'd echo the "are your hands tiny" question to the OP. I have no trouble finding the controls on my Ultra Classic, and LOVE the HD self-cancelling indicators. The bike's layout does take a bit of getting used to coming from something else, but with respect in my (limited) experience that's true of any time spent on a different bike. I recently spent some time on a friend's 80s Honda and coming from my Ultra it felt like I was learning to ride all over again for the first half an hour.

As for the heat issue - I get the impression you were crawling in heavy traffic through to your destination? These bikes are air-cooled, and the newest models are running very lean due to US emissions regs, so they do run warm, especially at a walking pace. They're no good for lane splitting and I don't think I'd use one as a daily commuter in the urban hell you Aucklander's call "traffic".

[MarkH]

Its no bloody wonder they spend so much time in front of pubs looking at them rather than riding them -God awfull it was!

Your review was a great read, it can be great to get an opinion from someone that doesn't like a bike!

For anyone that doesn't agree - get over yourself, cave weta is allowed to not like a bike, even if you think it is great. Personally I have never seen the appeal of HD motorcycles, but if it is what you like then you should get one and enjoy the fuck out of it! One thing that I have noticed with bikes is the huge variety of ergonomics and styles of bike - different strokes for different folks and all that.

[saltydog]

I've never ridden a Harley, probably never will..that most Harleys are poorly designed and fail to function as motorcycles should, the should be returned to the smelt, and fashioned into ship hulls or armor plating for tanks..

Why argue with the man ay? Armour plating for tanks, thats a good one jock!
best I've heard all day.
Must have been something out there in the garage, I'm having a right chuckle tonight.