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-   -   Want to buy a Harley-Davidson. Which one? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/115360-want-buy-harley-davidson-one-3.html)

Excellent pointers Haroon. You've hit every nail on its head. :thumbs up

I've transitioned to pleasure-biking (was limited to commutes earlier) since the last 2 years or so and have been amazed at the varied skills and techniques that apply to each class/model of bikes. Riding a dirt bike is not the same as riding a sports tourer or even a street bike.

Not sure if you're aware of Haroon's exploits on two wheels but he has owned and ridden/toured a HD and many other bikes very extensively. :)

Sure I may not be the best qualified person to give comments on this particular thread, but having some first hand experience with a sportster (and having gone thru the HOG experience way back in 2000) as well as some first hand knowledge on big bike touring and bikes in general (which BTW is a major passion for me), thats why I have attempted to share my thoughts with the thread opener who is looking for some sincere advice from fellow members. And honestly, I find most of the comments posted here by harley owners as well as other sbk owners are very straight forward & relevant to what the thread opener is looking for. I do also appreciate the knowledge you have shared on the suspension upgrade, which you had enquired 2 days back on another thread for aftermarket shocks for Harleys.

Elaborating on riding the bike in slushy conditions, which was merely one of the points in this discussion, I have clearly mentioned in an earlier post that if you consider lots of touring anywhere in India, you have to be prepared for the occasional bad/slush roads which may probably constitute less than 10% of your total touring, nevertheless you have to factor it in but does not necessarily have to be a deal breaker on buying a bike. As a simple example- The route from Bangalore to Mangalore is a fully tarmac state highway, however, after sakleshpur in the Shiradi ghats the asphalt on the road at best lasts only for about 3-4 months in a year, while during the other months it is an unending series of dreadful deep troughs, lose gravel & mud - potholes are gross understatements! If you have some riding experience you can still ride thru on any Harley (don’t bring in the ground clearance into the discussion here coz the tall BMW R1200GS also was scrapping its center stand in many places). Now see my below picture which we fortunately rode in dry conditions and think for a moment when it rains for a couple of hours before such a ride, wouldn’t a large HD Fatboy or Roadking especially with its forward foot controls handle like a pig?? That’s all I said earlier….so if a person is ready for it, its ultimately his choice of bike.




BTW, I have followed (with respect & admiration) the below sportster rider on his trip to Magadan in Russia.


2011 Travel Bike Harley 1200 XL/GS Dirtster! - YouTube!

Full story here:

Can a Harley make it to Magadan? - Page 24 - ADVrider


I am sure he will put to shame many so called enduro touring rider wannabes on flashy BMWs & KTMs!!


.

Thanks for bringing such exploits to my attention. I wish to be like him and am working towards that.

Please understand where my grief stemmed from- details and specs of parts. Its like people saying they dont know the average their vehicles give- how condescending is that... and then to talk about upgrades and not tell people- to whom it may benefit- the part numbers or details.

Elsewhere on the Forum, I have asked the same, about what is probably the most common world wide upgrade to a SuperLows' GC problem- the Progressive Shocks and Springs with part numbers, and yet no one will comment on if thats the right thing...

Its a 20K gamble to import those parts and find they were for the wrong bike... or "boss, simple - you should have just changed the headlight-" kinda deal...

My diatribe is NOT directed to any individual, its more my grief...

So help me.

KD.

One must have a reasonable understanding of what one is getting into before jumping in and complaining.

HD aftermarket is a universe by itself, and the whole idea of HD ownership is customization to one's taste. If you think that the Progressive suspension upgrade is the only solution, be bliss in your ignorance. If you are expecting someone to have a readymade solution for your GC problem with the SuperLow, it just shows how much you have studied HD.

But venting on an unrelated thread by throwing out flaming comments is not the right way to learn either.

Good Luck with your Harley ownership experience.

Cheers

Ride Safe.

Super thanks for the wishes. I am searching for Progressives in India- I know what I want.
Know anyone who has them or can help?

KD

Might be hard to get Progressive officially in India. Check out these guys:

Dirtbike Parts, Side By Side Parts, Harley Parts, Sport Bike Parts.

Little hard to navigate through the catalog, but best prices and good shipping.

Cheers

Ride Safe.

So did you finally make a purchase?? I just booked my Iron this march, awaiting delivery!!

The ground clearance is an issue for many :D

Read somewhere else that RE Classic's is 140mm. Hope this helps when comparing.

And that of Bajaj Avenge is 169!

Hello All,

A very good evening and I have been trying to decide on picking a cruiser and the narrowed choice is finally between (based on my drive comfort/ test ride and max budget)

1. Harley Davidson Fat Boy
2. Suzuki Intruder M1800R
3. Triumph Thunderbird Storm

The prime objective is long drives and even short commute in the city, office ride and back would be 40kms (may not be the most easiest to do on daily basis, but keeping my hope alive)

I wanted to seek the views of our group and senior members, advice/help and personal experiences.

Thanks in advance,

Regards,
Vivek Nath

Have ridden the Fat Boy and Intruder, between the two i'd pick the Fat Boy. There's something about these Harley's thats missing in other bikes. I used to be a hater until i rode a Fat Boy. Before that i had ridden a Superlow and an Iron, wasn't too impressed with them and thought they were not worth what you pay for. But after riding a Fat Boy my whole impression of Harley Davidson changed. Even without the cult factor it is impressive.

Short commutes in the city? Nearly impossible in either, expect it to be the same with the Thunderbird Storm. Parking these bikes in between other bikes and backing them up is quite difficult.

Thank you slicvic and really appreciate your reply and personal feedback. Surely helps a lot to come closer to my final choice. Will go and try the Triumph Storm this week and then share my experience as well.

Narrow down to two - TD them back to back (say with in one hour of each) on the same stretch of road and then take a call).

Fat Boy is one of the better bikes from HD and TB Storm is a fantastic cruiser and you can eat up miles without even feeling it. Intruder I find is missing "something" when compared to the other two.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

Thank you Ram for your feedback and suggestion. The challenge I have been facing at Bangalore- Tusker Harley has been non availability of the FatBoy's for a Test Drive. And now they informed that they have stopped taking bookings for the FatBoy special due to backlog (stretching to next 6 months deliveries) :Frustrati

Will try my luck with the TB Storm TD and share my views.

Thanks once again.

I would prefer the normal fatboy and not the Fatboy special as a cruiser. The reason being the special has a harder clutch and this gets really tiring to the hand after a while. The special is a bit quicker than the normal one, but i don't think i cruiser is bought for it. I am not sure if you have considered the Super glide custom as well, but do have a look at it too.

The Intruder i would discount unless its only for the highways. I found it having the worst turning radius and very tiring to ride in the city.

I can't say much about the Triumph as i have only seen reviews and not riden one yet.

Hi Speedy, thank you for your candid comments and personal experiences. Since you mentioned, I will try out the Super glide custom as well over the weekend (hoping they have a bike for TD). The Fatboy is more easily available with usual waiting period of 3-4 months.

Intruder seems to be definite no, basis the comments and feedback from senior members and experiences.

Planning to try the Triumph storm this weekend and will share my views.

Thank you once again.