I’m amazed at how you blokes reckon the suspension is shit. You pay a premium for a Harley and their suspension is just alright? What a rip. Definitely have to factor it into the budget it seems
Hey lads, I'm about to get my full license here in NSW and I've been eyeing up either a '95-'99 wide glide or even one of the newer 1690 ones.I've only ever ridden dirt bikes so I'm used to riding basically a heavy push bike and was curious as to if a Harley is a bit of a nightmare for a newcomer? Is the weight that bike of a deal? cheers guys
Yeah I reckon grab one mate. But be prepared to change the suspension. I have raised the rear suspension 1 inch and replaced the front fork springs, also dropped the fork tubes to raise front end. This basic mod cost about 1k and now I can ride for as long as I like or as hard as I like even 2 up. Prior to this the bike would not go around corners when 2 up without dragging the exhaust and frame. I much prefer the configuration of my FXDWG over my Speed Triple.
That’s what I want to a T. I imagine changing the shocks would be pretty straight forward. What brand are those?
Welcome to the forum. I'm new to Harley Davidson's as well. Two months now. My last bike was a Vstrom 650. There is a great difference between the two. I own a 2017 Road King, and the differences are chalk and cheese. I could throw the Vstrom around, and traffic was never an issue, neither was parking. It was an uncomfortable bike to ride, I always felt cramped, the seat was hard, the fairing was useless, and the bike was not ever meant to be on freeways. The rear mono shock felt every bump. The best thing about it was it was cheap, and didnt matter if it got scratched, or dropped, and I could leave it anywhere. Last year I only did 3000 kms on it. It was unpleasant to ride after 40 minutes.My Road King on the other hand is the exact opposite in every respect. I've done 7000 kms in eight weeks, and can see that that will be the norm. I can't leave it alone. It fits me like a glove. It is the most comfortable transport imaginable and loves the freeways and highways. Eats up the kilometers. It handles the twisties well , I love wrestling it into tight turns. It has a fair lean angle 32 degrees I think. I haven't scraped the floorboards yet. I'm sure I will as I get more used to throwing it about. What I do miss is the commuter aspect of riding. Ducking and weaving down to the shops, and parking it on the footpath, riding over gutters, and squeezing between tight places. I want a second bike. (Dreaming) The Triumph T100. It's only 715mm wide and with a 900cc engine will do the job nicely. My Road King is for the long haul trips. My favourite app now is Google maps.
Cheers for all the awesome info guys. Now, what pipes are out there that aren’t pumping out 120db but make a bit more noise than stock?
I’m not really one to really push to speed limit because of my job but it’s reassuring hearing that. You’d highside from jamming the pegs into the ground before riding off the tyre wouldn’t you?
Do Harley’s use all imperial measurements and those stupid star bits?
Just change the mufflers, most of the sound deadening is done earlier on in the headers with the cat. Even with straight through slip ons it will be fairly toned down.
Yep mostly imperial buy there are exceptions like brakes have metric fittings. Torx (star) fittings can be easily changed if necessary but they have their benefits. Once you get good quality Torx keys and socket bits I reckon they're better than allen style. The corner parts of allen head screws have a habit of rounding off if you get what I mean.
