Everyone's got a first Harley story, here's mine.
Well... I'm 40 this year and I live in Newcastle NSW. Its affectionately known as "Newy" by anyone who's ever been here long enough to hear the nick. I've been riding motorcycles continuously for the last 24 years and in that time I've owned a heap of bikes. I've spent the last 4 exclusively on HD's though and I am never going back to sportsbikes or trailies, they hurt my hammered old bones way too much!! 2005. The year I bought my first Harley and bought it brand new. The fulfillment of a childhood dream to own my very own HD and something I'd been horsetrading motorcycles towards for many, many years. I was finally going to own that Softail Custom I'd been dreaming about for over a decade.
Pain No.1 One fateful day in may I knocked off work and the Mrs and I headed straight into Frasers Motorcycles Newcastle so I could slap down my cash on a shiny brand new Harley. Imagine my surprise when the sales staff wouldn't give me a sniff of their best fart because I didn't look like some yuppie fucken lawyer or doctor. The assholes wouldn't even give me a bike brochure for fucks sake... all because I looked like a working class bloke in my work clothes. Un-fucking-believable. So... off to the big smoke in Sydney to see Metho Tom at Blacktown HD at the insistence of a few of the boys. Mate... they just couldn't do enough for me... chalk and cheese... what a fucking difference.
Pain No.2 Imagine my surprise when Warren the cool old sales guy tells me "Sorry mate, they don't make the Softail Custom any more". I'm going seriously what the fuck?? "But its their best looking model". Bummed out I start wandering around the bikes on the showroom floor. Roadking.. nah too chunky.... Fatboy... nah they're like assholes, everyone's got one.... Dyna.... nah hate the rear guard and instruments ... touring... no fucking way I'm riding a mobile tupperware party... faarrrkkkkkk !! Warren gets me to sit down and have a squiz at the model range, points out the softail standard. Did the math for all the shit I'd want to bolt onto it and came out at 40K... err... nope.... the minister for war and finance would have my balls. Getting pissed off now and having serious thoughts about finding a sweet old Pan. "Hey Richo... have you looked at the Nightrain"? Wazza asks. "Nope, whats that"? I reply "Its a Softail Custom with everything blacked out and drag bars" He says. Well it just so happens that black is my favorite color and I bought one in black pearl, fucked off the gay drag bars for a set of apes and paid the Harley tax for the free breathing screamin eagle stuff.
Pain no.3 Waiting 4 months for my bike to turn up in Australia. The day finally arrived and I got a phone confirmation from the shop saying to come down next week and pick up your bike, its here! Happy days! Well, not for long. My Mrs comes and grabs me outta the shed all ashen faced and points at the news on telly. There is Blacktown HD with a prime mover rammed through the shop and it all burned to the ground. the semi was parked right on top of where the pre delivery bikes were all parked. Oh-fucking-no ! Fucking-fuckitty-fuck-fuckers !! ArrggggghhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!! A frantic week trying to contact somebody.. anybody.. from the shop finally netted me a mobile number. My luck was IN !! My bike was still sitting in a shipping container on the wharf, took delivery a week late. From that day forward I called my bike "Lucky" and it stuck. Buying her was the best decision I ever made. That bike and I have been to hell and back in the 4 years I've had her and I will never sell her...ever ! I'll just give her to whatever grandkid shows the most interest in her when I'm too old and fucked to ride any more (fucken sad day that will be). I was out riding one day, clearing my head when I started thinking about what would happen to Lucky after I croaked it and thinking that ugly legal will fighting bullshit usually happens and the asset getting flogged off to any c*nt and the cash split up just sucked as a thing to happen to my special bike. Bugger it. I'll give her away when I'm an old codger but still kicking... that'll fuck em, they can't fight over her that way. Then I thought.... man... Imagine if I was back in my early 20's and my Pops did that for me.... "Here sonny... have my old 57 Pan... had her since new ya know..." Yeah.... put her in the right hands before I go. That'll fuck 'em.
fuck when i get to old to ride me bike i'll moth ball it and when i cark it they can bury it with me " src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/_default/emoticons/biggrin.gif" /> if not i know my missus neice loves me bike .......... got the photo graphic proof yes thats her little pushy pink in colour with basket and tassles
I rode Jap bikes when I was younger, and only came across to the "dark side" a couple of years ago. I bought a Sportster 883R which probably did'nt go fast (in comparison to the modern Jap equivalent), did'nt handle all that well, but she had tonnes of character. With the Screaming Eagle Pro exhaust, WOW!! What a sound. Sometimes I regret selling her, but that's life eh!!" />
Sorry to say but I have owned Jappas until my boss took me in to look at the latest 08 HD's. I saw pics of the rocker and said that was it. Dealer told me it was the last one available so I threw a deposit on it and picked my boss up off the floor. Waited 8 months and picked the black beast up on Friday the 13th just in time to ride her to my brother-in-laws funeral. Parker her up next to the front door and with the trucks to send him off. It has been the best thing on 2 wheels I have owned (I have had lots of bikes). Biggest regret is that I have waited till nearly 40 till I owned a decent scooter. Like a good women you need to refine and fine tune to ones liking but from then on, it is pure enjoyment and plesuure that is returned.
Wish I had of bought one years ago (would have saved a lot, buy bike for 17K ans sell for 5K ayeaar later, fuck that )
As once aid, "The price of cool aint cheap"
Fuck the rest, Harley is the best
It's 2 am and I can't sleep, I was the only one on here, but now it's ZED as well....
My first Harley was a 2003 Anniversary Softail Standard. Like a lot of other people I dreamed of having a Harley for years, but didn't quite have the spare cash to buy one. On top of that I guess it was not on the top of her priorities, if you get my drift. I had the list of dirt bikes before, but never went down the road of owning a Jap road bike, yes I did yearn for a 750 Honda back when they came out but once again never had the money.
Reading about Flan and his wonderful mum has made this easy for me to write this down. I also lost my Mum to the big C and she was one of the nicest ladies you could ever meet, everyone loved her and she never had a bad word to say about anyone. She knew I had this dream and she as good as said before she died that I should follow my dream. Well thanks to my mum, when her estate was all tied up and finalised I finally had some money. Did I save the money for a rainy day, NO, did I renovate the bathroom, NO, did I rewire the house, NO, did I buy a new car, NO, I went to PS and picked out the bike I wanted. They had a gun metal blue Softail on the showroom floor set up just like I wanted, except I wanted Black.
A few weeks later I took possession of my dream and I dedicated it to my Mum Hazel......
nice story !!! time stands still till that new harley arrives !!!then at my age it takes off tripple time.cheers mate .
For me the first was a 2005 Road King in purchased in early 2006, I figured the cruiser would be a easier to master after 26 years away from 2 wheels, and as we lived out in the Rural area in Darwin I had plenty of quiet roads to reaquaint myself with old skills, albeit a lot slower and with more caution than my early 20's
The first week I had the Road King at home drove the 'war office' crazy, spent 3 hours a day cleaning the Road King, 6 hours a day riding it and zero time on the slasher or fixin the leaks in the irrigation systems.....
Well for various reasons the Road King was sold in late 2007 as we moved to North QLD to get away & have a Sea Change (madatory when your about to turn 50? Her Idea) SO..... after suitable period of mourning (moaning) She said the fatal words 'Get yourself another Harley if that's what you want' After 2 months of looking (30+ bikes) I settled on a 2001 Low Rider with lots of shiney bits, 18000 km & obvious signs that it had been 'loved' by its previous owner -
Farkkkk what a different machine, after my first 150km run around the back roads between Mission Beach and Innisfail I got home, grabbed a beer and sat there for 30 minutes just staring at the Bike. Now six months later the first thing I do when I get home from work (4 Weeks on - 1 off) is uncover the bike, wipe it over, start it ect, ect..... Had a lot of expensive toys in the last 20 years (boats, cars & 4WDS ect...) but nothing that even comes close to a Harley - Guess it is true 'If you have to ask, you just don't understand'
Cheers
