Category Archives: Harley-Davidson Motorcycle

Get Lost!

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“Let’s Get Lost!” — my plan on how to spend Thursday with my twin brother.

He is home briefly from Europe to attend some meetings in Washington, DC. He took a few extra days to show his wife around his former stomping grounds, and planned some time to spend with me. His wife and my sister went shopping on Thursday, while my brother and I became “biker dudes.” Man, I love that big lug of a guy — he is my soulmate and even though he is four minutes younger than I am, he is my “big bro” (because he is six inches taller!)

He rented a Harley — just like my Road King, but black — and we went for a nice long ride yesterday, to nowhere. We would come to an intersection and play “rock-paper-scissors”. The winner of the game picked the direction for the next turn. We found some roads that I didn’t know existed, found a farm of llamas and rabbits, and enjoyed lunch at a roadside café that I had not seen before, right here in my home State of Maryland. We found some covered bridges (and some “uncovered” ones as well) and didn’t travel a mile on an interstate highway. I died laughing when a woodchuck ran across the road in front of my brother and he slowed and swerved to miss it, only to see the woodchuck stand on its legs and shake a fist at him! I swear it did!

I wore my Chippewa Firefighter Boots… okay (AZ), I admit it, I really DO have “favorite” boots that I wear more often than others, especially for riding my Harley on a hot day. These boots are super-dooper comfortable and don’t get hot, even though they are leather-lined. I got my brother into a similar-looking pair of boots, my Milwaukee Motor Clothing Trooper Boots, which he said were comfortable, even though he seldom, if ever, wears boots. But he did for me (even though I refused to wear plastic rental shoes when I was his best man at his wedding last year).

While it was a hot and humid day, reaching the peak of 97°F (36°C), nothing could be more enjoyable than tooling around 178 miles with my life-long best friend. Man, what a great day.

When we got home, we laughed and retold our stories, which of course became more like tall tales by the time we made them up (I mean, relayed them again). My partner smiled, laughed, and was heartened to enjoy happiness with us as I grilled a steak dinner with all the trimmings to enjoy eating on our deck.

Live and love life! Wear your boots! Love those you love hard, each and every day, and show them how much you love ’em. Life is short. Keep love and a smile handy, and all else will be grand.

Sixth & Cruise

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I am remiss in taking more pictures of my new Harley Road King, but I’m going to blog about a wonderful experience with it yesterday.

I was an invited speaker at a conference held at one of our federal government’s major training centers. This center is located about 65 miles north of where I live, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Once I get on the highway, it’s a steady cruise “up the road” to get there.

And man oh man, does this bike love to cruise. Harleys in this class now come with six gears instead of five. When you’re up in sixth and cruising at 66mph (105kph), it’s only revving at about 2500 rpm, so it’s smooth, fairly quiet, and produces no vibration at all.

The bike came with factory-installed cruise control. I never thought I would want it or use it, but I thought since it had the feature, I would try it out. Traffic was light, the road was wide open. I got up to the posted speed limit (perhaps a couple mph over), engaged the cruise control, sat back, put my boots up on the highway pegs, and just cruised…. sweet!

This bike is so heavy that it practically rides itself while cruisin’ along. The stock seat is comfortable, too. And the best thing of all is that my right hand didn’t get tingly. What I mean is that in the past, when I had to keep constant pressure on the grip to maintain a steady speed, my hand would get tingly and sometimes even go numb. Now on a long cruise, I can let the cruise control keep the speed steady, and relax my hand so it doesn’t restrict blood flow and cause the tingly feeling and numbness. I’m gonna really like going on longer trips with this bike! Just kick it up to sixth and cruise….

Wesco Boots on the Harley

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I didn’t have to leave this morning at my usual early hour because I was going to a meeting that started later, but I arose at my usual 4:30am. Fixed my partner lunch, then kissed him goodbye, wishing him a good day. Turned around and leathered up, including my tall Wesco Harness Boots.

I sat on my bike, contemplating what type of shot would look good. I took several. However, after looking at them just now, I realized how much junk I have in the garage! Political campaign signs, gardening stuff, trash and recycling containers, motorcycle gear, etc., etc. It was all in the background of all the photos I took, and was very distracting. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my good friend Bamaboy who is an excellent photographer, it’s to ensure the subject of your photo is the only thing your eye will focus on. So this cropped image is about the best I can do, for now.

Actually, I’m “boot-ticipating” again. Bama has sent me a pair of his boots to wear while riding my Harley. He offered me “first dibs” on boots he is thinning from his collection. I really like the Wesco Harness Boots, especially to have some fun in ’em akin’ to Bama. The boots will arrive soon, and I’ll wear ’em with pride on this bike. Photos to follow. Stay tuned…

Going leather-less on the new bike?

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My new Harley Road King comes with a rather large windscreen. My old bike didn’t have one, so I was accustomed riding full-bore into the wind. Even on a warm day, I could wear a leather vest and full-face helmet and everything would feel just fine.

When I took my first real long ride yesterday, it was about 84°F (29°C), which is comfortably warm. As I was riding, I found that I was getting uncomfortably hot while wearing my thick leather vest over my t-shirt. I had to ditch the vest or sweat to death. (I tend to sweat a great deal when even slightly overheated.)

Hmmm… I wonder… now that I have this windscreen, I may have to ride “leather-less” when it’s warm out. I am as comfortable in leather as my own skin. I have always worn some leather while riding my old bike. I guess this is another adjustment I will need to make. Well, perhaps just wear the vest and no shirt. That would be a hoot. But for now, I guess I’ll just be well-booted and wear a t-shirt. No gloves, either. They make me sweat like crazy, which is a clammy feeling I detest. I’ll just have to be extra careful and be comfortable.

Dehner Booted Ride!

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Saturday was a washout with chores to do around the house and some strong thunderstorms punctuating the afternoon with heavy rain and winds. Fortunately, there was no damage around our place, but it confined my activities to indoor stuff. I spent several hours doing genealogy work for my huge family, and updating our family website.

Sunday was another story. We awoke to a bright and sunny morning, and a warm one at that. I pulled on my CHP breeches and tall Dress instep calf leather custom Dehner Boots. I especially like the big Vibram soles, which give me good traction. After preparing home-made waffles for Sunday breakfast for my partner and me, I set off to break in my new Harley-Davidson Road King.

Man, that machine is big, and heavy. It’s quite a bit of work to maneuver at slow speeds and around corners. I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I rode on backroads and byways of my beautiful home State of Maryland. I saw a lot of other bikers out there. And a state cop directing traffic at an intersection where the stoplights were out looked at me, then at the boots and breeches, then back up at my face and gave me a salute! He was cute, and the gesture was unexpected.

I stopped along the way to have some water and just take a break. A Harley group was on a ride, and they stopped at the same place I did. I had a nice conversation with those guys. Several asked me about my boots, where I got them (through Stompers, of course), and how they felt on the bike. If these guys weren’t just beginning their ride, planning to ride for many more hours, I might have joined them. But I was getting tired and a bit sunburned (I forgot the sunscreen). I shook hands goodbye and took a gentle ride home.

I put on about 100 miles on the new bike, learning how it operates and handles. It practically rides itself when on the open road. It is very comfortable. I look forward to many more rides on this beautiful machine, booted all the way. (Hmmm, what boots will be next? Stay tuned…).

No More Shifter Scuffing of my Boots

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My new Harley-Davidson Road King has a classic heel-toe shifter and foot boards, rather than foot pegs and a single foot-controlled peg shifter that was on my Low Rider.

Having a single peg shifter definitely influenced the choice of boots that I chose to wear on the Low Rider. The shifting pattern was one press down on the shifter for first, then four upward motions on the shifter for the remaining four gears. Because you had to put the toe of your boot under the shifter to get into higher gears, boots would have to be able to withstand the pressure and regular scraping against the shifter. I could not wear cowboy boots, for example, because the left boot would be badly scuffed from shifting gears.

A heel-toe shifter allows you to shift down for first gear with your toe, but then the upward shifts through the range to sixth gear can be done with the heel of the boot. So I no longer will encounter the “shifter scuffing” problem.

Will that change the choices of boots that I will wear on my new bike? Probably not. I still will choose boots that have a lug or rubber sole, because of the traction such soles provide when the bike is stopped. Also, non-bikers do not realize how much a biker has to move a bike by “walking it” while seated on it, such as into a parking space, or getting into a riding formation when riding with a group.

Well, I do not really think I’ll have a problem having enough boots to wear on the new bike. And since I’m not a fashionista, I will continue to choose boots that feel good, are practical, and are comfortable for a long day’s ride. It’s not the looks or (heaven forbid) color-matching the bike’s deep red color — it is the practicality and comfort that matter most to me on the boots that I choose to wear both on and off the bike.

Harley-ticipating

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The Harley-Davidson Motor Company has stopped production on all new motorcycles this year. Their official spin is that the bad economy has slowed business. What they don’t say is that they had glutted the market by over-production of motorcycles for the past several years. Most people who wanted a Harley have one, or two…. But put this President’s mismanagement of our economy together with stopped production, and you end up with fewer bikes being available, dealers being less willing to negotiate price, and encountering those dreaded wait-lists. (I had to wait four months for my 1994 Harley).

Do you remember, perhaps as a kid, being told that if you save long enough, you will have enough money to buy what you want? Well, I had been saving diligently for years for a new Harley. I reached my goal in January this year. I started kicking tires of new Harleys since then.

I had promised my partner that I wouldn’t buy a new bike until I sold the one that I already had. The economic downturn that affects sales of new bikes also affected the used-motorcycle market. Mine had been up for sale since February. Fortunately, through some aggressive re-promotion on CraigsList, someone bought it from me and he took it home with him this past Saturday.

A sales guy at my local Harley dealer told me that the Crimson Red Road King on which I have had my eye on is the only one left, and he won’t be getting any more this year. Saturday afternoon, I confirmed my order for this new Road King. A color-matched tour pak will be installed on the back (it’s like a trunk), and a back rest on that, so perhaps some day in the future, my partner can join me on rides again. I also ordered a few more safety features too. But that’s it; I’m really not into adding a lot of chrome and other frills. I think the bike looks great just as it is.

Soon enough, the dealer will call me and say the bike is ready to pick up. Can’t wait! Rumble, rumble….

Saying "Safe Travels" to a Rugged Friend

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I have had my Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider for 5175 days now, which is 14 years, two months. I have ridden many, many miles on him. Back in the days when my partner could ride with me, we rode to my family ranch in Oklahoma, taking a week to get there, seeing sights along the way, and on the way back. We rode to Sturgis in August, 1995. I once commuted about 110 miles/day round-trip. Lately, though, his daily commutes are about 3 miles, round-trip.

He’s taken me on many back-road rides, rides to nowhere, rides throughout my lovely home state of Maryland, as well as nearby states of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. We’ve been through a lot together.

I love to leather up and put on big tall biker boots and just head out. I have no gizmos on this bike; no radio, CD player, or CB. No GPS. Just me and the soft throaty roar of my Harley. Riding him gave me a lot of time to think, wonder, and appreciate so many things.

Back in the day when my partner rode as my passenger often, I would serenade him with my less-than-stellar singing. How many times he heard me belt out, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, Oh What a Beautiful Day…“. Other times we would reach an intersection and flip a coin to determine which way to go. We would have a lot of fun “getting lost” for a day.

I am a bit melancholy, as I have a buyer lined up for this lovely bike. He’s coming tomorrow to take a test ride and complete the sale. I have a new Harley all lined up that I will take delivery on soon, but I hate to part with this one. He’s been a reliable, fun, and trusted friend. He’s never let me down or argued with me. Unfortunately, I can’t keep two bikes. I don’t really want to pay the insurance, nor do I have a place to keep two bikes. Plus, my partner would have a cow. So tomorrow, it’s “so long, ride safe, keep the rubber side down” to my dear friend. I hope the buyer will be as happy with him as I have been. sniff…sniff…

Summer biker commute returns!

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Now that Spring is really finally here and the deluge of rain has temporarily stopped, I’m back to taking advantage of a bill that I fought for and won in my county.

A few years ago, I engaged my elected officials (along with fellow biker-friendly activists) to have our county pass a bill that provides free parking for motorcycles at any local Metro (subway) station in the county. This wasn’t easy — doing anything that reduces revenue for any public entity is never easy — but it did pass, and I should reap the benefits of what I fought for.

Now each morning, I put on my business casual clothes, “office friendly” biker boots, chaps, biker jacket, gloves, and my helmet, and after doing the daily T-CLOCS inspection of the Harley, off I go to my local Metro station. I park the bike and lock it up six ways from Sunday, cover it, and then lock my gear in the trunk of my partner’s car so I don’t have to carry heavy leathers to and from the office. My partner gets to the Metro about a half-hour before I do. I then hop on the subway and I’m at my office a half-hour later. Doing this saves me $22.50/week.

Why don’t I ride the Harley to work? Several reasons: 1) cell-phone yapping cage drivers don’t see motorcycles; 2) riding in traffic is a pain in the ass and exhausting; I would have to pay $17/day for safe parking, as well as pay for more gas; 3) my insurance premium would go up, since my premium is rated by how and where I use my Harley; and 4) my employer provides a subsidy for using Metro, which it wouldn’t provide if I drove to work. Plus, Metro is quick, usually reliable, and less stressful — especially at oh-dark-30 when I depart my home to go to work, and early afternoon when I return. (I beat the crowds.)

I’m happy to be back in my summer commuting routine, back on the bike daily, using my gear for why and how it’s made, and be able to benefit from some of my civic activism.