Boog
Traveling Story Teller
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2013
- Messages
- 8,487
- Location
- Dumfries, Virginia
- Ride
- 2014 R3T, RAMAIR, Full Viking Dual exhaust
Alibi up front: I am not comparing any of these machines to the Rocket!
I went to the Colonial Beach Bike Festival on Saturday Oct 10 and test rode six Harleys. Why? Because variety is the spice of life and I knew Brahma would not get jealous if I rode a few other bikes.
First ride is the Soft tail Slim S with the 110 CI engine. This bike is painted to look like an Army bike of old and is set up for a single rider on purpose. As soon as I sat on it, I felt how light it is. The fat tire up front is nearly the same width as the rear tire that led me to think I was going to enjoy the curves. I have not ridden a 110 before and the guy warned me that it is torquey. I mentioned I rode in on a R3 and said I think I can handle it. Well, it does have good torque and I like it is personality very nicely. I compare it to the Victory Gunner, as both are close in feel, purpose and performance. I’m not sure if I should say this or not, but I think I like the Slim better than the Gunner. Both are great bikes for their class though. The slim had cruise control and I fell in love with that right away. The speedo is up front and easy to see but it has single digits you must multiply by 10 to know your speed in MPH; that is too hard for some of us… (Okay, I actually love its look). It has awesome parking lot manner and is so fun to push hard that I wanted to run off with it and forget the rest of the heard. With no windscreen to block the air, one gets the full blast just like any other but for some reason, this one was extra fun; maybe it was the cold air, I don’t know. Anyway, it is super easy to toss around in the corners at legal speeds and very comfortable to ride. I bet it would handle just as well at the illegal speeds to.
Next up is the Roadking with the 103 engine. I have liked these bikes for a long time and it was on my short list before I bought the R3T I have now. The RK has cruise control and a tall windscreen that worked very well at keeping the air under control. It has plenty of cruising power and is a comfortable bike to ride. It has the best parking lot manners of any of the bikes I rode this day. I think the bars can be a little higher and still be quite useable. Over all, I still like this bike a lot and with the new hard bag-opening lever, I say it is a winner; just overpriced.
Third up is the VROD, very pretty colors here. My biggest complaint is its slow speed manners; they are crap compared to the other Harleys. But then again, it was not built to go slow. In addition, a negative for me is this particular seat. I did not like it at all; the bolster bothered my backside a lot. With the complaints out of the way, oh how I love its get-up-and-go. Once the needle gets off the low side of the tach, this little scoot really hauls the mail! It is so unlike the other Harleys that it cannot compare. I have ridden one other before with a different seat that would make this one better and the forward controls are a burden so I guess I like mid mounts better, but in this configuration, it is easy to surpass the speed limit and take curves well over the limit. I know dragging hard parts is all the rage and this will touch down easy enough, (I did drag them on a right hand curve but the safety guy must have missed that as he didn’t scold me afterwards). I can see myself using this as a break away bike for when I want something lighter that still books out when I want it too.
Next up is the Sportster 48. It has the 1200cc engine and a fat front tire. Sitting position is good for my 5’ 9” frame and I did not feel overly big riding it. What I did feel was every bump in the road. That aside, this is a really fun machine to ride fast and handles extremely well. I rode a 1982 Ironhead 1000cc Sportster back in ’85 and the two bikes do not compare at all in the corners. This 48 is so much more fun than the old bike was. Power is instantly there and because it is so lite, it has great power to weight ratio; and it looks cool too.
Now for the heavies; I rode the CVO Electraglide next and was only briefly lost with the buttons and screen functions. However, before we pulled out I had the thing figured out. The sound system comes on right away and announces that it is the BOOM. That is nice but music is not my go to on a bike. (That idea was reassessed after listing to some great songs on the 13 miles circuit though). Comfort? You bet it is and has it in spades. This bike floats down the road with ease and handles extremely well. Power is instantly there and even with a moderately short windscreen, this one did not cause any head buffeting. I loved it.
Last but not least, especially in price ($40,000 plus) is the CVO Roadglide Ultra. As much as I liked the CVO Electraglide, this bike blows that one away in comfort and ride. The handlebars are free to move inside of the fairing and that makes a huge difference for me. It felt easier at slow and fast pace. The navigation system in both is great but sunlight seems to affect this one a little more than the first CVO as the position is slightly different. Still it is super nice to ride.
So, if I were going to buy any of these bikes for play or commuting, I would go with the Slim and its 110 engine. It is the most fun to ride around town with and does a good job on the curves. Sure, it isn’t as fast as the VROD, and it doesn’t have the wind protection that the bigger bikes have, but sometimes, those things are not important or wanted. If not the Slim, then I would go with the ’48 (which is slightly rougher) but still a lot of fun.
If I needed another long-haul bike, then the CVO Roadglide would fit that need quite well. I just need to win the big lottery to afford the thing.
Well, take it or leave it, all these bikes have a place for someone and each felt great. I am sure that if ridden as much as I ride the R3T, they will last a long time, but most people buy a Harley to store it in the garage or tow it to rallies and not really for riding; no bike can handle abuse like that a keep running. I’m just not that kind of fellow I guess.
I went to the Colonial Beach Bike Festival on Saturday Oct 10 and test rode six Harleys. Why? Because variety is the spice of life and I knew Brahma would not get jealous if I rode a few other bikes.
First ride is the Soft tail Slim S with the 110 CI engine. This bike is painted to look like an Army bike of old and is set up for a single rider on purpose. As soon as I sat on it, I felt how light it is. The fat tire up front is nearly the same width as the rear tire that led me to think I was going to enjoy the curves. I have not ridden a 110 before and the guy warned me that it is torquey. I mentioned I rode in on a R3 and said I think I can handle it. Well, it does have good torque and I like it is personality very nicely. I compare it to the Victory Gunner, as both are close in feel, purpose and performance. I’m not sure if I should say this or not, but I think I like the Slim better than the Gunner. Both are great bikes for their class though. The slim had cruise control and I fell in love with that right away. The speedo is up front and easy to see but it has single digits you must multiply by 10 to know your speed in MPH; that is too hard for some of us… (Okay, I actually love its look). It has awesome parking lot manner and is so fun to push hard that I wanted to run off with it and forget the rest of the heard. With no windscreen to block the air, one gets the full blast just like any other but for some reason, this one was extra fun; maybe it was the cold air, I don’t know. Anyway, it is super easy to toss around in the corners at legal speeds and very comfortable to ride. I bet it would handle just as well at the illegal speeds to.
Next up is the Roadking with the 103 engine. I have liked these bikes for a long time and it was on my short list before I bought the R3T I have now. The RK has cruise control and a tall windscreen that worked very well at keeping the air under control. It has plenty of cruising power and is a comfortable bike to ride. It has the best parking lot manners of any of the bikes I rode this day. I think the bars can be a little higher and still be quite useable. Over all, I still like this bike a lot and with the new hard bag-opening lever, I say it is a winner; just overpriced.
Third up is the VROD, very pretty colors here. My biggest complaint is its slow speed manners; they are crap compared to the other Harleys. But then again, it was not built to go slow. In addition, a negative for me is this particular seat. I did not like it at all; the bolster bothered my backside a lot. With the complaints out of the way, oh how I love its get-up-and-go. Once the needle gets off the low side of the tach, this little scoot really hauls the mail! It is so unlike the other Harleys that it cannot compare. I have ridden one other before with a different seat that would make this one better and the forward controls are a burden so I guess I like mid mounts better, but in this configuration, it is easy to surpass the speed limit and take curves well over the limit. I know dragging hard parts is all the rage and this will touch down easy enough, (I did drag them on a right hand curve but the safety guy must have missed that as he didn’t scold me afterwards). I can see myself using this as a break away bike for when I want something lighter that still books out when I want it too.
Next up is the Sportster 48. It has the 1200cc engine and a fat front tire. Sitting position is good for my 5’ 9” frame and I did not feel overly big riding it. What I did feel was every bump in the road. That aside, this is a really fun machine to ride fast and handles extremely well. I rode a 1982 Ironhead 1000cc Sportster back in ’85 and the two bikes do not compare at all in the corners. This 48 is so much more fun than the old bike was. Power is instantly there and because it is so lite, it has great power to weight ratio; and it looks cool too.
Now for the heavies; I rode the CVO Electraglide next and was only briefly lost with the buttons and screen functions. However, before we pulled out I had the thing figured out. The sound system comes on right away and announces that it is the BOOM. That is nice but music is not my go to on a bike. (That idea was reassessed after listing to some great songs on the 13 miles circuit though). Comfort? You bet it is and has it in spades. This bike floats down the road with ease and handles extremely well. Power is instantly there and even with a moderately short windscreen, this one did not cause any head buffeting. I loved it.
Last but not least, especially in price ($40,000 plus) is the CVO Roadglide Ultra. As much as I liked the CVO Electraglide, this bike blows that one away in comfort and ride. The handlebars are free to move inside of the fairing and that makes a huge difference for me. It felt easier at slow and fast pace. The navigation system in both is great but sunlight seems to affect this one a little more than the first CVO as the position is slightly different. Still it is super nice to ride.
So, if I were going to buy any of these bikes for play or commuting, I would go with the Slim and its 110 engine. It is the most fun to ride around town with and does a good job on the curves. Sure, it isn’t as fast as the VROD, and it doesn’t have the wind protection that the bigger bikes have, but sometimes, those things are not important or wanted. If not the Slim, then I would go with the ’48 (which is slightly rougher) but still a lot of fun.
If I needed another long-haul bike, then the CVO Roadglide would fit that need quite well. I just need to win the big lottery to afford the thing.
Well, take it or leave it, all these bikes have a place for someone and each felt great. I am sure that if ridden as much as I ride the R3T, they will last a long time, but most people buy a Harley to store it in the garage or tow it to rallies and not really for riding; no bike can handle abuse like that a keep running. I’m just not that kind of fellow I guess.
