It wasn't an auspicious start to my virgin Harley ride. Just before end of work on Friday it started pissing down. Typical bloody Auckland weather, and me with a, very, strange bike to ride home in peak traffic.
I haven't ridden a bike with a full screen and wide bars for years, 20 to be precise, so it was an experience. But I arrived home safely to see a weather report of heavy rain up North, so it was a case of will we, won't we.
Staturday dawned dry, and with a barn door screen in front of us; I thought, how bad could it get?
The answer was not very, 30 seconds of drizzle was it. But the roads were wet so I was very circumspect. The sun came out leaving Whangarei and it was blue sky and dry roads from there. Then my confidence built; so did the speed, as you do. Until a mild little right/left 'S' bend north of Kawakawa. The right footboard touched with a screech, folowed by the left board with a bigger screech and a solid lurch and wobble for good measure. But it takes a lot to upset 300 kg's of iron. I still thought that I better modify my cornering technique to; 'slow in, slow out'.
This seemed to do the trick and the rest of the way to Pukenui was a placid tootling along with the Harley potato...... potatoing along, changing to POTATO, POTATO, POTATO for the odd overtake.
A stop at the Maunganui fish shop for the mandatory fry-up and then a short leg to Pukenui to catch up with old friends.
Sunday was cloudy but dry for our return with a fairly strong wind. Just north of Kerikeri a particularly strong gust hit us, I saw the tank bag start to lift and before I could grab it, it was gone. I watched it bouncing down the road at 110 km/h. We U-turned and went back with visions of destroyed glasses phones, etc. But it had one very small tear in the outer skin and nothing was broke. Tough gear that Givi stuff.
The rest of the trip was uneventful until Glorit on SH16. Then we saw the, sometimes, dreaded sight of a group of bikers at the side of the road. Sure enough, one of them had lost it on some gravel at the apex of one of Transit NZ's non-substandard roads and the bike went over the bank. Fortunately the rider wasn't badly hurt, but his bike was totalled.
We left the scene and about 3 km's further on, we saw bike headlights coming up fast behind. Then one headlight disappeared and the bike seemed to get a lot taller. This was one, serious, wheelie. I thought he was going to overtake us on the rear wheel, but I guess he proved his point and dropped it down. Great sight though!
A half an hour later it was home, sweet home again.
So that was my first Harley ride. Would I buy one ? No, just not my thing. But I do see the attraction. These are bikes in the old mould, they actually feel alive. As if they have a beating heart inside , not machinery. But they don't go and they don't handle.
And most non-bikers drool over them.They are posing pouches on wheels.
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, and of course i started the course today so the last good full day of riding was sunday for a bit.
Originally Posted by Lou Girardin
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