Don't wave at me!

[cs363]

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

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

[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 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?!

[cave weta]

Did you see me waving?!

That wasnt me!

[duckonin]

Sounds like you made it then ha ha

[Big Dave]

A contradictory view.

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

[klingon]

That wasnt me!

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

[MadDuck]

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

...wasnt me

[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?