>>Bert's Bike spotted Stateside<<

[Samster]

Hello Poo Pipe Pirates...................how've you all been in HondaLand?

I'm married, honeymooned and back - put two and a half thousand on a spankers ElectraGlideClassic over the past fortnight and have I got some stories to tell!........LOL

We did San Francisco down the coast through Big Sur, then over to San Jose, up and into Yosemite, then straight across the top at 10,000 foot in snow and ice, down into Nevada and through Death Valley at 40 something degrees C, few days in Vegas, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, back up to Lake Tahoe and then into the Napa Valley for a load of wine tasting and back into San Francisco through the Muir Woods. The HD never let us down in fact it stood up to the varying forms of abuse quite well, apart from the clutch frying early on - it never got off the line smoothly again after that.

Did you know that you can walk into shops off the street and shoot machine guns and all manner of weapons for a few dollars. LOL - seriously. It's obligatory to drag race ANYTHING that's alongside you at the lights. I rode 16 miles no handed, with my legs hooked over the front with the stereo blaring out the greatest rock radio station I've ever heard. Quality trip.

Found Bert's bike too!

 

[Supabird1100]

Welcome back Sam......belated congratulations to you both !!!! :beer:

Tell more about the Harley......got a genuine reason for asking what you thought of it.

Steve

 

[richard]

Welcome back Sam congratulations to you both sounds like you had a crakking time m8y..


Richard & Lindz

:beer: :beer:

 

[Fat Bert]

Samster YOU TART~~~!!

Be VERY careful what you post mate beacuse I still have the photo's and a great story about your stag night @ Matlock!!

Remember that you are a married man now [congrats] and I have the evidence of what YOU got up to in Matlock!!

Welcome back m8

 

[Samster]

Cheers Rich & Lindz, hope you're well............

Hello Steve - how's the roll ups? Still smoke free over here............miss the art of rolling though..........

You know what, in total honesty, the HD impressed me. I shall never again slag one the way I used to, and won't use my HD abuse signature anymore! The exact model was a 1450 FLHTCUI ElectraGlideClassic, injected, they do a carbed version too. It proved to be supremely comfortable for Amanda, literally the pillion gets a leather armchair. We hired from EAGLERIDER who believe that loud pipes save lives so all their machines have the Stage 1 treatment which means pretty much straight through pipes, great fun, loads of poppin' and crackin', makes throttle blips addcitive but after a couple of thousand miles became too loud.

My criticisms first: The riders seat height I found ridiculously low at 692mm, bear in mind that the beast weighs in at 780lbs empty, so fully loaded with Amanda and I low speed manoevres and even 10mph filtering proved very challenging. It felt like all the centre of gravity was above me!

Ground clearance is very limited as you'd imagine, lean angles of more than about 25degrees see the sidestand drag in left handers, and other parts drag in righthanders without trying too hard.

Both locks/latches on the side panniers had shaken themselves apart within a week, the components were found inside the panniers twice and had to be put back together.

The massive screen and the bat-wing fairing cosetts the rider wonderfully at speed but the pillion sits much higher up and gets severe turbulence than becomes unbearable above 80mph (open faced lid).

And that's about it - the brakes work very differently, with the rear seeming to provide similar stopping power to the front! Mind you, with all that weight over the rear and a pedal bigger than those in most trucks (B R A K E embossed in the pedal rubber..LOL) locking the rear loaded up took a really good stomp.

And now the good points! Lovely torque from the big Vtwin, never really a need to downshift, it would haul 5th through 25mph limits at 1100rpm and pull cleanly with a beautiful noise.

Excellent fuel consumption (well, compared to my 12R's pitiful 30mpg). I reckon I achieved an average of 43mpg. NO VIBRATION at all - not through the seat, bars, or floor boards. None for Amanda either. The bars flex a little if you pull on them.

Self cancelling indicators are the business! There's a single button on each bar, you just hit it, pull out for an overtake, cut back in and it switches off. How the hell they do that I don't know. I was well impressed. Great instumentation, highly accurate fuel guage, great tank range.

40watt per channel CD/radio is awesome. Combined with open faced lids it's a must have. Laid back in Amanda's lap cruising through Death Valley with my feet slung out front over the crash bars with Hendrix's Purple Rain blaring is a biking memory I will never ever forget.

Gearbox was superb. I was managing silky clutchless changes both ways through the box whilst I had the camcorder in the left hand.

Handling was predictable, no high speed weaves or wobbles, for the length of the thing and the weight of it I could not have expected more. I'd even say I had some fun!

Hard to say what the build quality was like - it seemed very good, the paint was excellent and the bike was spankers, unregistered in fact. Sod cleaning one though with all that chrome...........it would become an obsession. The pannier locks could be fixed with locktite.........

So d'ya mind me asking why you wanted my opinion Steve?

 

[Fat Bert]

You know what, in total honesty, the HD impressed me.

Can't you tell he's a boring old MARRIED man now???

"Samuel......here................NOW............"

Domestic bliss rules!!

ROFLMAO :} :} :} :} :} :f

 

[Samster]

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet - sorry 'bout the length of that! I haven't typed for ages...........feels good..........

Bertious - what are you on about............me and Orms had a crackin' days riding up in MincerVille met you lot at the fishy pub and got our heads down............

:f IXXRA lover

 

[Fat Bert]

and got our heads down............

Correct Sam - but your head was between that young biffa's thighs at the time

Don't tell me you can't remember?

 

[Supabird1100]

So d'ya mind me asking why you wanted my opinion Steve?

Cheers for the inside story Sam...better than any road test in a mag !!!!! :}

A few things have happened recently to make me question my future with the 'Bird....it could just be in my head, but I'm seriously thinking of chopping it in and having a change of direction.

I've owned Harley's in the past and have gone as far as booking a test ride day at the local dealers.....have got the new 1200 Sportster Custom and the Road King on the shortlist. Trace loves the look of the 'Glide and with your imput I'll add one to the list of bikes to try.

Cheers again Mate,

Steve :beer:

 

[Fat Bert]

Supa~~~~

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Not the Hardly Movingson

Why the change of heart?

 

[Samster]

I nearly rented the Road King, it's the same as the Glide, minus the armchair, massive top box, and some of the whistles and bells...............

I hear where you're coming from - I'm may take a change of direction too soon........I fancy another go on the tall Patrick Moore Beemer, the new 1200GS or even that big new KTM look like they may suit............

Bert doesn't know what he's going on about........he's just jealous cos I had a pass-out..........when are we merging with IXXRA Bert?

 

[Fat Bert]

Sam~~

Missed the old BWAHAHWHAHWBABWHAHWHAHWHAHAHHAHAHHHHHHHH!!

Merging?

 

[Supabird1100]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


Not the Hardly Movingson

Why the change of heart?

I can't really explain it Bert.....but for some reason the 'Bird just doesn't feel 'right'. The constant blasting at warp speed has lost some of it's appeal and with the growing 'speed-trap' mentality we live in I'm finding that I spend more time at legal speed than I do at 70mph+.
Each time I take the 'Bird out, because it looks like it's doing a ton before you fire it up, I'm feeling I have to ride it hard to keep up it's image. I came back from Snetterton on Tuesday evening, pottering at 65/70mph on the M11 and people were looking at me as if I had trouble with the bike !!!

Does it make sense....or is it me ????? :dunno:

 

[Fat Bert]

I can't really explain it Bert.....Does it make sense....or is it me ????? :dunno:

Understand where you're coming from mate - Gatso Land isn't any fun.

At 30mph - we all now have to drive/ride at 30mph
At 40mph - we all now have to drive/ride at 40mph

That's why bikers should explore the country roads like this
http://www.btinternet.com/~paul.carvill/002.htm

then hit next fro a birds eye view

Ask Sam about the Cat and Fiddle and "up and Downy" bit?

 

[Supabird1100]

I see your point Bert.......but to ride the decent roads you have in the Midlands or the scenic roads of the North, I have to ride for 3 or 4 hours to get to 'em !!!! The South has become a Gatso forest and most of my old favourite routes now have mobile Safety Patnerships van's on 'em most weekends. A lot of the guy's I used to see at out bike meets have got shot of their R1's, 'Blades and Gixxer's and are now riding super-moto's or big traillies. Insurance costs come down, running expenses fall, consummables are cheaper and less risk of points on the licence or a ban for 100mph+ speeding offences.

Would I still be welcome....?????.....Just think of the piss-taking you could do at my expense !!!!!!! :} :}

 

[nigs]

Sam

Looks like a fantastic honeymoon - who did you book it through. Wouldn't mind doing something like that myself, or maybe the Canadian Rockies.

 

[frenchuk]

Steve, I've got the answer: keep the bird or get a potatoe bike or whatever... AND move to France - you know it make sense!!!
First, grab a sick bag, then check that website www.caraman.net and check out the price, thne use forementioned sick bag uke:

 

[Samster]

Actually Nigs I didn't book it at all. I did some research on the net on North American bike tours - you know took a look at the routes that some of the guided tours take, worked out realistic distances that could be achieved each day comfortably etc, made a list of the top10 'MUST SEE' things etc.

Then I just booked cheap flights to San Francisco on the internet back in January. Got to SF, and then rang the SF branch of EagleRider who are the biggest bike hire company in the world (they only do Harleys, Indians, Crossers, Jet Skis and SnowMobiles) www.eaglerider.com

On this occasion the SF branch didn't have an ElectraGlide so I had to catch a train to their San Jose branch to pick one up.

I'll get some pics posted up on here tomorrow.............basically we had no real itinary, we had one shit map, and each night Amanda would take a look at it and plan a rough route with a goal destiantion to try to get to and we'd just cruise.............when we got knackered we'd just pull into a town, check in to a Motel (no more than ?30 a night - more than reasonable) and have some drinks and food and rest. No pressures, no pre-booked anything, we just did it off the cuff...........really nice, and the States is the place to do it without a doubt.

PM me or mail me at sam@cordery.com if I can give you any more info

 

[Wolfie]

then check that website www.caraman.net and check out the price

think matey's keyboard is fecked, all the letters are screwed up. :dunno: :dunno:

Sam must of been some good gear over there mate, still affecting you is it???? harleys uke: uke: uke:

get on yer bike and take a nice ride then come back to normal.

 

[Supabird1100]

Sam must of been some good gear over there mate, still affecting you is it???? Harley's uke: uke: uke:

OI !!!!!!....Andy.......NOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!! :} :}