[avneeshj]

I have always been a car person more than a motorcycle person but there have been 2 motorcycle brands that have always tickled my fantasy. Both are legendary names in the biking world - Harley Davidson and Ducati. So when it came to me making a choice of getting my first 'man' bike, it had to be one of these two brands. Out of all the Ducatis, I have always loved the Monster the most but the problem with that bike was getting approval at home. The whole concept of a naked bike was not understood by anyone around me. As far as the Harleys are concerned, I have loved the V-Rod since it was launched back in the day and also the Super Glide. However, I couldn't justify spending that kind of cash on what will be a weekend/fun machine at best. So my dream of being a part of these legends had to wait. The fact that my wife has always been completely against me riding a motorcycle did not help.

A few weeks ago, I told her about a friend of mine getting the RE Classic 500 and how it looked retro cool and how it would be a fun machine to have for the weekends. I showed her pictures and she got interested. On the weekend appeared an ad for the newly launched HD 48 in the newspaper and I show that to her. The 48 has the retro urban look done perfectly and that peanut tank and low stance had me drooling. She says that she loves it too and that I would look good on it. This was the first time I thought maybe owning a HD might be getting more real for me. We ended up at the mall with the HD showroom here in Delhi and although I wasn't convinced if 48 was THE bike for me, seeing it in person did it for me. I knew I had to have this. The next step was getting approvals from my parents and my dad being a serious rider back in the day was half convinced already and once he looked at the HDs in person there were no more questions. He told me to get whichever one I liked the best.

The only other option I considered was the Street Bob so I scheduled a test ride for both the 48 and Street Bob. It took the dealership over a week to arrange for the test rides as the bikes were for some reason in Chandigarh. I took the test rides but my heart was convinced on the 48 even before I rode it. The Street Bob was nice but I thought if I would get a Dyna it'd have to be the Super Glide. The 48 seemed younger and more appropriate for my age. The Super Glide can wait a few years I thought.

The next day I made the booking for a black 48. Capital Harley Davidson has promised me a delivery date in about mid August. I am glad that I'll be receiving my birthday gift a full month before my birthday haha! Now came the task of customizing the bike. I had told the SA that I have a mental picture of how I want my bike to look when it gets delivered. He told me that the Chrome consultant would call me later in the day and co-ordinate the whole accessorizing process. As promised, I received a call from the guy and I told him my requirements and within a few days I have decided on everything that will be going on my bike. The basic idea was to black out the bike as much as I can. I have a full spreadsheet of all my ordered items and now I know where HD really make their money . All these items have already been ordered so they can be ready for fitment by the time the bike arrives.

Now it has come down to me counting days till mid August and while I wait I am reading the book "Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough". It's been a while since I last owned a bike so I thought it would only make sense to read up and be as prepared as I can be. I have also selected a HD riding jacket for myself along with a helmet, gloves and shoes. I want my riding gear set to be all complete even before my bike arrives. I want to be ready for it as early as I can be. Although since this is a new area for me, I would like some advice from fellow members on my choice of gear and/or suggestions for the same.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by avneeshj

I want my riding gear set to be all complete even before my bike arrives. I want to be ready for it as early as I can be. Although since this is a new area for me, I would like some advice from fellow members on my choice of gear and/or suggestions for the same.

First off, congrats on the 48.

Its nice to read that you are going to be fully prepared gear-wise before you even climb onto the saddle.

The below threads have loads of information on helmets and riding gear.

Do feel free to post in the relevant threads if you need more information.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ar-thread.html

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...post-78-a.html

Wishing you many miles of happy and safe rides. Congrats again.

[avneeshj]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

First off, congrats on the 48.

Its nice to read that you are going to be fully prepared gear-wise before you even climb onto the saddle.

The below threads have loads of information on helmets and riding gear.

Do feel free to post in the relevant threads if you need more information.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ar-thread.html

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...post-78-a.html

Wishing you many miles of happy and safe rides. Congrats again.

Thanks n_aditya! I have already gone through most of those threads already and they have been most helpful so far.

[plimsollmark]

Avneesh,

Congrats on your superb buy ! Look forward to the photos when you get her home. I too was dabbling with the thought of the 48 but the delivery periods (over 6 months) in Mumbai put me off !
I have now booked the Ninja 650R !
Hopefully the Harley will be my 2nd one

Cheers.

[sridhar_setty]

Congratulations on your booking. 48 is a good choice which is a mix of power and simplicity. It can be customized to a large extent and definitely can be made according to your taste. And yes, HD selling a bike is just a beginning of their business. Accessories and merchandise is big for them.

On the riding gear, please consider gloves with some protection. The Harley ones are just useless from protection point of view. On one of my recent ride, a rider was not able to handle a turn and had fallen down with an injured finger. If he had a pair of gloves with proper protection, he would have been safe.

[ku69rd]

Congrats Avneesh on your choice of the bike. Just be a bit careful on the GC of the bike, Good Choice on the color as well

HD Accessories are quite competent and safe. They have quite an exhaustive collection to choose from.

[avneeshj]

Originally Posted by plimsollmark

Avneesh,

Congrats on your superb buy ! Look forward to the photos when you get her home. I too was dabbling with the thought of the 48 but the delivery periods (over 6 months) in Mumbai put me off !
I have now booked the Ninja 650R !
Hopefully the Harley will be my 2nd one

Cheers.

Thanks plimsollmark! My DSLR and I are both looking forward to the 48. Congrats on your 650R! From what I read on the forums so far, it seems to be an excellent motorbike.

Originally Posted by sridhar_setty

Congratulations on your booking. 48 is a good choice which is a mix of power and simplicity. It can be customized to a large extent and definitely can be made according to your taste. And yes, HD selling a bike is just a beginning of their business. Accessories and merchandise is big for them.

On the riding gear, please consider gloves with some protection. The Harley ones are just useless from protection point of view. On one of my recent ride, a rider was not able to handle a turn and had fallen down with an injured finger. If he had a pair of gloves with proper protection, he would have been safe.

Thanks sridhar_setty! I have been a silent reader of your experiences with your HD on xbhp. Thanks for the heads up on the Harley gloves. I was going to buy one of those but since you mentioned this incident I'll look for others. Any suggestions for gloves for the extremely hot weather that we have here in Nagpur?

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Congrats Avneesh on your choice of the bike. Just be a bit careful on the GC of the bike, Good Choice on the color as well

HD Accessories are quite competent and safe. They have quite an exhaustive collection to choose from.

Thanks ku69rd! Yeah I have heard quite a bit about the GC and that I have to be careful with it. That was the 1st thing I was asked to be careful about when I was getting a test ride of the 48. I think for the most part I should be alright but will definitely be extra careful.

Here is a list of accessories that I have finalized for my 48 so far. I think this should be enough to make the bike exactly how I want it. I wanted to go with Vance & Hines Shortshots Staggered Black exhaust but that would void my warranty so decided to stick with Screamin' Eagle.




Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

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[sridhar_setty]

Please don't go for pillion seat. Go for a full seat. What about back rest? Without that no one is going to sit behind you for second time

Do you have parking issue? If not, no use of the security system. Just a disk lock will do the job. Instead invest in probably Ape Hangers...

I sense that you might probably like Vanes & Hines. But, you don't get them here and need to import . Have a look at these: Vance & Hines: Performance Exhaust Systems

[avneeshj]

Originally Posted by sridhar_setty

Please don't go for pillion seat. Go for a full seat. What about back rest? Without that no one is going to sit behind you for second time

Do you have parking issue? If not, no use of the security system. Just a disk lock will do the job. Instead invest in probably Ape Hangers...

I sense that you might probably like Vanes & Hines. But, you don't get them here and need to import . Have a look at these: Vance & Hines: Performance Exhaust Systems

Thanks for the tips Sri! I am not going for the full seat since I don't like the look of it. Mostly I'll be riding solo but for the times I'm not it'll be for short city joyrides and I can put the pillion seat in place.

I'm thinking of the security system for when I park the bike in public places and such. At the house it's no issues at all. Do you think it'll be useful enough for public parking? I'm not a fan of ape hangers so I'm going to stick to the stock bars for now.

I have noticed a HUGE difference in the dollar prices online for the same parts compared to the prices quoted by Capital Harley-Davidson, Delhi. Is there a way I can order these parts online and get them shipped to India? What sort of duties are involved? Any tips/tricks on ordering parts online?

[shrini78]

For OEM look at the following sites they are usually cheap compared to the HD Stealers.
These guys always give 20% off from your MSRP. I used to buy from them when I was in US. I dont know about their int'l shipping policy

https://shop.zanottimotor.com/

Harley-Davidson® Parts and Accessories

If you wanna buy some non-OEM parts like Kury then ebay would be a better place and also

Harley Davidson Parts | Harley Davidson Accessories | Kuryakyn | Motorcycle Parts (do note these guys also have a store in ebay where it might tend to be lil' cheaper compared to their online store)

Also you might be interested in jpcycles they also tend to give pretty good deals.

New-Roc HD these guys are good for clothing & merchandise. I purchased my leather jacket worth 420$ for 280$ (brand new with tags)

If u wanna save tons of money on exhaust I recommend these guys
American Custom | harley exhaust | custom exhaust | custom harley exhaust | custom harley parts | harley exhaust pipes | harley pipes | harley mufflers | harley davidson pipes | exhaust for harley | harley sportster exhaust | harley softail exhaust |

Lemme know if u have anymore questions

[avneeshj]

Originally Posted by shrini78

For OEM look at the following sites they are usually cheap compared to the HD Stealers.
These guys always give 20% off from your MSRP. I used to buy from them when I was in US. I dont know about their int'l shipping policy

https://shop.zanottimotor.com/

Harley-Davidson® Parts and Accessories

If you wanna buy some non-OEM parts like Kury then ebay would be a better place and also

Harley Davidson Parts | Harley Davidson Accessories | Kuryakyn | Motorcycle Parts (do note these guys also have a store in ebay where it might tend to be lil' cheaper compared to their online store)

Also you might be interested in jpcycles they also tend to give pretty good deals.

New-Roc HD these guys are good for clothing & merchandise. I purchased my leather jacket worth 420$ for 280$ (brand new with tags)

If u wanna save tons of money on exhaust I recommend these guys
American Custom | harley exhaust | custom exhaust | custom harley exhaust | custom harley parts | harley exhaust pipes | harley pipes | harley mufflers | harley davidson pipes | exhaust for harley | harley sportster exhaust | harley softail exhaust |

Lemme know if u have anymore questions

Shrini78 thanks so much for these links! The first 2 links provided by you do not ship to India. However I found decent deals on ebay both by individual sellers and ebay stores of HD dealers. A lot of these would ship international using USPS Priority International. I have had really bad experiences with USPS International shipping as it is handled by Indian Postal Service here in India so it is usually VERY VERY delayed. Even if I ignore that fact, I am not aware as to how much duty I'll have to pay for importing any part or where and to whom I shall have to make this payment. This is my main concern as of now. I am also trying to find sellers who would ship using DHL or FedEx which might be more reliable than USPS.

As far as exhausts go, I have decided on the Black Screaming Eagle exhaust since it wouldn't void my warranty. I'll bookmark this link you have given also for whenever I want to make a change again.

Thanks again for you input and any more info regarding duties and such would be most welcome.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by avneeshj

I am not aware as to how much duty I'll have to pay for importing any part or where and to whom I shall have to make this payment.

This should help in calculating an approximate amount on taxes, duties, etc.

Duties if any are paid at the customs office or at the post office depending on the shipping method.

[sridhar_setty]

Originally Posted by avneeshj

Thanks for the tips Sri! I am not going for the full seat since I don't like the look of it. Mostly I'll be riding solo but for the times I'm not it'll be for short city joyrides and I can put the pillion seat in place.

I'm thinking of the security system for when I park the bike in public places and such. At the house it's no issues at all. Do you think it'll be useful enough for public parking? I'm not a fan of ape hangers so I'm going to stick to the stock bars for now.

I have noticed a HUGE difference in the dollar prices online for the same parts compared to the prices quoted by Capital Harley-Davidson, Delhi. Is there a way I can order these parts online and get them shipped to India? What sort of duties are involved? Any tips/tricks on ordering parts online?

I guess you might have seen Sundowner Deepbucket. It looks big on the pillion, but your pillion will feel very comfy. There are more options, check them out... Lot of the guys here don't like their pillion seats.

I have never parked in public parking places like Malls/Theatres. We mostly hit the highways and some coffee meets in the city where we can keep an eye on the bikes.

I agree that there is a huge price difference. If hand-carried from US, they would be damn cheap (compared to Indian MRP ). But, if you get them shipped and pay duties, the difference reduces to good extent. Even after that you can expect at least 10% difference from US and India prices.

Originally Posted by shrini78

For OEM look at the following sites they are usually cheap compared to the HD Stealers.
These guys always give 20% off from your MSRP. I used to buy from them when I was in US. I dont know about their int'l shipping policy

https://shop.zanottimotor.com/

Harley-Davidson® Parts and Accessories

If you wanna buy some non-OEM parts like Kury then ebay would be a better place and also

Harley Davidson Parts | Harley Davidson Accessories | Kuryakyn | Motorcycle Parts (do note these guys also have a store in ebay where it might tend to be lil' cheaper compared to their online store)

Also you might be interested in jpcycles they also tend to give pretty good deals.

New-Roc HD these guys are good for clothing & merchandise. I purchased my leather jacket worth 420$ for 280$ (brand new with tags)

If u wanna save tons of money on exhaust I recommend these guys
American Custom | harley exhaust | custom exhaust | custom harley exhaust | custom harley parts | harley exhaust pipes | harley pipes | harley mufflers | harley davidson pipes | exhaust for harley | harley sportster exhaust | harley softail exhaust |

Lemme know if u have anymore questions

Both Zanotti and Surdyke have declined International shipping.

Agree on the pipes. Go cool and suggest to change it as next step.

@Shrini: Hope your bike shipping is on track. Waiting to see your bike in action... Next month?

[avneeshj]

Originally Posted by sridhar_setty

I guess you might have seen Sundowner Deepbucket. It looks big on the pillion, but your pillion will feel very comfy. There are more options, check them out... Lot of the guys here don't like their pillion seats.

I have never parked in public parking places like Malls/Theatres. We mostly hit the highways and some coffee meets in the city where we can keep an eye on the bikes.

I agree that there is a huge price difference. If hand-carried from US, they would be damn cheap (compared to Indian MRP ). But, if you get them shipped and pay duties, the difference reduces to good extent. Even after that you can expect at least 10% difference from US and India prices.

I had seen the Sundowner Deepbucket but didn't like the look at all. Like I said earlier I am more concerned with the look than the comfort of the pillion . I might even get a new seat from a different vendor when I go to the US next. I have heard great things about Mustang Seats and do want to try one out sometime in the future.

The fact that random people might try sitting/touching my bike while it is parked has me worried and hence I am spending money on the security system. It's not cheap so I am re-thinking my decision.

I have emailed a couple of US based dealers with eBay stores asking them for shipping quotes for shipment of 3-4 items together. I'll keep this space updated about the replies I receive from them.

[shrini78]

@avneeshj
USPS is always the best & the cheapest option, they have a tie up with EMS so its good.
UPS/DHL/FEDEX are so darn expensive that u wont beleive the price of shipping.

If u really want the look of seat but not comfort then i'd suggest "Badlander". Dont ever go for a sundowner or tallboy they are really comfortable but looks so friggin big & ugly.
Those 2 seats would suit a bagger style MC not for dyna/softail & definitely not for a sporty. Your seat will look bigger than the bike

@Sridar my container is on track & will reach sometime Aug 1st weekend & looks like it'll take 3 weeks for me to clear the bike.
Will be comin down to BLR prolly sometime next week, lets see if I can catch up wit u