[argchoff]

Congratulations Stig. Great choice of bike. I had booked the same bike n same colour but regretfully had to cancel the booking due to my bad back and the harsh suspension. Do invest in progressive suspensions and a nightster handlebar and you'll have a perfect ride. Ride safe.

[TheStig]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Congrats!
I think i saw you yesterday at around 5.00 - 5.15PM on Jagathy - Poojapura road. Eye catching colour and a very nice shade

Thank you Sankar! I think you saw somebody else . I was at home that time. Scorcher also spotted another AW Iron in TVM a few days back.

Originally Posted by alphadog

Hey Stig

I cannot stop drooling and cant take my eyes of your steed.
The whiskey color looks very nice!. I am not surprised at all with all the attention the bike has been getting. A sure-shot traffic stopper.
Wishing you lots of long rides and fun with the bike.
Cheers

Thank you alphadog.

Originally Posted by AC_genius

Hey Stig,

Heartiest congratulations on your ride. I too share the same love so can connect with your experience. Amber Whisky has the same effect as the Whisky is the name

Be prepared to pay the Harley Tax brother. Soon the upgrade and accessories itch will get the better of you and your wallet. Enjoy the journey.

Happy riding.

Thank you AC genius! Yes yes I've already got the piggy banks out.

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Hello Stig (since I don't know your name)

Congratualations on the AW.

It has a lot going for it and I am sure you will enjoy it a lot as time goes by.

There was a mention of Poojapura somewhere by Sankar in this thread, are you located somewhere there abouts. I will be in Trivandrum the whole month of July 2014, would be good to catch up if you are around.

JKD, Sankar, Scotcher etc, see if we can catch up sometime

I am also hoping for the rains to give me some clear windows to ride, whilst I am there.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

Thank you Ram! We all should definitely meet up. Would love to meet your Bonnie.

Originally Posted by createrkid

It's been raining amber whiskeys on team bhp, ain't it? :-)
You've got yourself a fantastic ride and did I mention color? How easy is it to control one at crawling speeds? Saw an 883 the other day at the signal, the rider almost toppled it 2 times.

Thank you createrkid. It can be a handful at crawling speeds, especially if the rider is short. But I'm getting used to it now.

[Shubz]

Welcome to the Amber Whiskey fold, Stig! Congratulations on your buy!

As Dhiraj mentioned, get your rear suspension to its stiffest. You will enjoy it.

Allow brakes/tires etc to bed in well.

And Showroom folks will promote only Screaming eagles (which according my own opinion) is no better than stock (in terms of sound)

The typical Harley sound is - when you go for VnH! Don't worry about warranty issues. Nothing can go wrong. Get it done at the dealer workshop itself. They will procure it for you, fix it for you. Any issues, they surely would support you. Keep them in good spirits

I am on VnH 3" Twin slash slip ons, Stage 1 A/C, Super tuner, Phat spark plug wires, SE performance spark plugs! And a monster is on the prowl! (you may check on my thread)

[Abhishekjp]

Congratulations Stig. Even i am one of the Amber whiskey Iron owners. Buying a Harley is a life changing moment and it makes you wonder why did i wait for so long to get myself one. Ride safe.Cheers.

Shek

[I am on VnH 3" Twin slash slip ons, Stage 1 A/C, Super tuner, Phat spark plug wires, SE performance spark plugs! And a monster is on the prowl! (you may check on my thread)[/quote]

Hay Shubz

May i ask how much did VnH cost you ? I am looking at as for my next upgrade (Post monsoon) along with a nightster handlebar.

Thanks
Shek

[Urban_Nomad]

There was a matt black Iron standing in a parking lot that I could see from my gym's locker room glass wall.

Gorgeous!!! Its a beautiful bike no doubt. I was staring at it for a good few minutes. Have never seen an amber whiskey in person (well; the bike's colour I mean) but I am sure it would look great.

Congratulations bud. Enjoy yourself.

[TheStig]

So a few days after delivery, I realised its going to be a pain to maintain the paint. I wanted to apply Paint Protection Film (PPF) on all painted parts, but was advised against this as certain Supercar owners in India has to suffer paint damage due to adhesive undergoing some sort of reaction in our hot and humid weather.

Bhpian Scorcher referred me to Petes Smartzone in Trivandrum. I had previously seen the work they have done in their Cochin branch and it was quite impressive. So went over to Petes and handed over the bike.

First two coats of Chemical Guys Wet Mirror Finish was applied to all painted parts. Then Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 was applied to the fuel tank, oil tank cover and battery door. After this the bike was finished off with Chemical Guys Celeste Paste Wax for the Metallic painted parts and Chemical Guys 53 Paste wax for the gloss painted parts. Total cost came to Rs. 6,100. Got a big discount thanks to Scorcher.

Work in progress. Seat and front Fender were removed for ease of access



Chemical Guys Celeste Paste Wax. MRP Rs. 25,000 for this pack!



The finished product!



Pics taken when I went for a ride on a lazy morning. Special thanks to Bhpian anupam9557 for the pics and edits.





Crossed 1000 Kms today. The first of many many more

[Avior]

The 4th pic is magnificent. Could be used for a Harley ad! Brings out the true colour I guess. And now I know why everyone loves this colour so much (since I haven't yet seen in person).
Congrats !!

[Urban_Nomad]

Nice pics - although............

Personal experience brother - Your knee will probably be one of the 1st things to go bump on the tarmac if you were in that unfortunate situation. Get some knee guards if not full blown riding pants.

Get these before vinny and hynie or horny monkey type add ons.

Gloves are as basic as it gets. You will use your hands to either break your fall or support yourself as you slide. You have a nice pair of gloves. Why not wear them?

ATGATT. Take care!

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by Abhishekjp

May i ask how much did VnH cost you ? I am looking at as for my next upgrade (Post monsoon) along with a nightster handlebar.

Shek - My VnH cost me about 28K Plus Labor etc. And I am going for the 4" chrome riser instead of the Nightster handlebar

Originally Posted by TheStig

I wanted to apply Paint Protection Film (PPF) on all painted parts, but was advised against this as certain Supercar owners in India has to suffer paint damage due to adhesive undergoing some sort of reaction in our hot and humid weather.

Bhpian Scorcher referred me to Petes Smartzone in Trivandrum. I had previously seen the work they have done in their Cochin branch and it was quite impressive. So went over to Petes and handed over the bike.



Crossed 1000 Kms today. The first of many many more

Congrats on 1000 kms! Wish you multiples of the same in real quick time!

Good thinking on not going for the PPF film. I have seen an Amber Whiskey with PPF film on it here at the showroom and it just looks Ewww!

Hope you have taken care of bolt joints etc to prevent any kind of rusting as you are in a coastal area..

After a wash, please ensure you slip the rubber down near the accelerator cable, and wipe it dry. Moisture usually accumulates there and things could start rusting.

[TheStig]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Shek - My VnH cost me about 28K Plus Labor etc. And I am going for the 4" chrome riser instead of the Nightster handlebar



Congrats on 1000 kms! Wish you multiples of the same in real quick time!

Good thinking on not going for the PPF film. I have seen an Amber Whiskey with PPF film on it here at the showroom and it just looks Ewww!

Hope you have taken care of bolt joints etc to prevent any kind of rusting as you are in a coastal area..

After a wash, please ensure you slip the rubber down near the accelerator cable, and wipe it dry. Moisture usually accumulates there and things could start rusting.

Thank you Shubz. What must I do with bolt joints to prevent rusting?



So its been just over a month since I got the bike. Covered around 1,800 kms so far, and the bike was also due for its first service.

I had received a call from the service center about a week before the due date to make a booking. So booked myself a date. On the day left early morning from Trivandrum and rode to Cochin. Began raining on the way, so stopped and donned my rain suit.

Handed over the bike at 9.30am and all work was completed by 3.30pm.

The following work was done:

1) First service (Includes oil change, new oil filter, and other inspections)
2) Headlamp adjustment
3) Front shocks bearing adjustment
3) Rear brake squeaking noise rectified

Total bill came upto Rs. 7,125.

Also got the opportunity to test ride a Fatboy. I have nothing else to say except WHAT A MACHINE!!! I have made up my mind to get one before I kick the bucket.

A beautiful Amber Whiskey Fatboy destined for some lucky dude!




I'm satisfied with the work done and frankly quite puzzled as to why there was an uproar over the service quality at the Cochin dealership sometime ago. The service adviser was a polite and informed guy. Overall experience was very nice.

This is the oil they use. Purchased this for a friend and fellow Harley owner.


The return journey was quite a mess. I rained non stop from the moment I left Cochin till I reached Trivandrum. The bike looked like it has taken part in some rally stage.



I was so distressed by the condition of the bike that I immediately went and purchased a high pressure washer to further augment my bike washing capabilities.

So one month on I'm happy to report that the bike is just awesome. No issues whatsoever. The brakes have more bite now and the engine feels a lot more smoother post service.

Also had a chat with the sales guy regarding sourcing Vance & Hines exhaust for my bike. The honest dude suggested V&H himself and said he will do it for me. So currently I'm plotting and planning to get V&H for the bike. Watch this space!

[Shubz]

Stig,

Didn't want to quote the whole post,

What must I do with bolt joints to prevent rusting? -- Not much besides ensuring that water doesn't remain there after a wash. May be a blast of compressed air and/or A quick spray of WD40 should do.

2) Headlamp adjustment
3) Front shocks bearing adjustment

Can you please elaborate on the above 2 points? What headlamp adjustment? What bearing adjustment?

Regarding VnH - i would reply to your PM shortly.

[AC_genius]

Hey Stig, great to see your escapades and fun on the rides. Neat buy on the high pressure washer. I have been looking for something like that. How much did that cost you and how effective is it?

I am realing under a biking dry patch. The weather here in Delhi is at the extremes. There are insanely hot days and then days where cars get washed away with the torrential rains. Praying for happy days to run up my KMs.

Cheers! Hope all the amber whisky guys can go a ride together someday.

[TheStig]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Stig,

Can you please elaborate on the above 2 points? What headlamp adjustment? What bearing adjustment?

The focus of the headlamps were all wrong. Basically low beam was pointing to the ground and High beam was nearly as useless. As a result I was forced to use High beam at all times. Now its been rectified.

About the front shocks, they used to make a noise when the bike went over an uneven or recently patched up road. Another Harley owner rode my bike and pointed out to me it was not normal. So upon inspection at the workshop we found that some bearings inside the shocks had become displaced. the Service adviser explained this happens as a result of the bike falling into huge potholes. And I do recall falling into some large, deep, un expected potholes. So they were readjusted, and now the bike feels more comfortable (or maybe I'm used to the ride now )

Originally Posted by AC_genius

Neat buy on the high pressure washer. I have been looking for something like that. How much did that cost you and how effective is it?

I am realing under a biking dry patch. The weather here in Delhi is at the extremes. There are insanely hot days and then days where cars get washed away with the torrential rains. Praying for happy days to run up my KMs.

Cheers! Hope all the amber whisky guys can go a ride together someday.

The brand is called Skil. Its an American brand which was bought by Bosch few years ago. Price is 4900. Comes with a six month warranty for the motor. And it's highly effective to wash your bike/car. The gun also has a adjustable nozzle to control the water flow. Also comes with a Foam can.

Yes I agree about the weather. So unpredictable. Some days it starts to rain while there is sunlight.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Stig,

3) Front shocks bearing adjustment

Can you please elaborate on the above 2 points? What headlamp adjustment? What bearing adjustment?

Originally Posted by TheStig

About the front shocks, they used to make a noise when the bike went over an uneven or recently patched up road. Another Harley owner rode my bike and pointed out to me it was not normal. So upon inspection at the workshop we found that some bearings inside the shocks had become displaced.

Likely that the bearing in question is what is known as the "head race bearing"

This is ususally on the lower and upper ends of the the T stem, the yoke connected to which holds the front tubes/fork pipes.

Some times it requires slight tightening around first service as the factory setting gets a furthr seating specially on use on rough roads.

That is my take - it happened on many of my bikes in the pas as well

An informative link here

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/how...-head-bearings

With modern sealed bearings and lubricants etc the scenario may not be as drastic as mentioned in the article in the link, but it still happens.

Another link shows waht it really is - http://www.dansmc.com/steering_bearings.htm

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

A

[crazybiker46]

Just bumped into this thread

Congrats on your bike Stiggy boy!! Looks nice in the orange shade

Go for an exhaust upgrade and also invest in good riding pants (mesh with knee pads would do)

Ride safe & enjoy!!

I see you have a problem with cats, what happened to bike cover purchase? Anyway the ones i suggested are not long lasting, The cover i purchased when i got my bike lasted only for 3 months Since its cheap i went and bought a new one for another 3 months.

O.T Regarding high pressure washer, was it purchased locally or online?