Here's why I might know something, 'cause I grew up with a dad who is one of the most respected mechanics in the area. Where you were maybe around 1,2 or 10 Harley riders back-in-the-day . . . I was around hundreds. Riders who needed work. You got major feedback. They were from all aspects of Harley-Davidson riders: Long distance, drag racers, dirt trackers, clubbers, touring, customizers, do-it-yourselfers . . . all of them.
I remember when the FXR came out. Rubber mount. A rubber mounted shovelhead with a 5 speed transmission? (too much shifting) Belt drive (biker's called it "rubber band drive") What a joke. "That belt won't hold." "Now Harley took away "the mystique" and the vibration of what makes a Harley a Harley . . . bitch bitch bitch. The FXR wasn't an immediate success. It was kinda a "sissy bike" No shit. Wide Glide? YES - FXR? (not for real bikers). The only dudes riding those silly FXRTs were guys who didn't want the BMW. It was built to compete with the Windjammer equipped Honda's and Kawasaki's . . . no shit. They didn't make a whole lot of 'em (that's why there ain't a lot of 'em around . . . A lighter weight (single guy rider) traveling Harley. Before the FXRT your choice for light weight was a full dressed Sportster XLH (like my black one). Soon the FXR got ridden, word got around. The "old bikers" liked the cushion. They liked low-maintenance. Away went the choppers, here came the FXRs and the rest is history. Just like the history of the JD, the history of the VL, the 45, the history of the Knuckle, the Pan, the XLCH, the Softail, the Dyna, the Buell, the FLHX . . . it's just more history. The history of Harley-Davidson Motor Co.
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"Times Don't Change - Men Do." I don't know who originally said that, but it's a solid statement. If you like Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, and have a lifetime commitment towards them (like I do) different models come and go, and it's interesting to see what factory design changes happen every model year. I see a lot of bitching, but you can't compare a sportbike to a Harley to a CRF to a Ural to a ???? They are different animals made for different purposes. Half these bitchin' dudes can't even change their own head gaskets or know where the bolts go, so they have no idea what it takes to build a machine. I say, ride one, strip it, jam it, stroke it, paint it . . . do whatever you want, but it's still a new H-D design with their latest engine, attempting to improve power and handling. Fail or not, I'd like to see them succeed on the track and on the street. I don't own a new Harley, but feel I help the company through promotion and feedback towards riders I talk with, who ride new Harleys. I attend events where 95% of the motorcycles are Harley-Davidsons. I still buy genuine Harley oil and run it in all my bikes. I frequent the local Harley dealership, and refer them to potential customers for sales and service. I'll keep riding my old iron 'cause it's what I know and it's a tribute to the motorcycles Harley-Davidson once manufactured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - and prove to the younger generations that you can ride old Harley iron and have a hell of a lot of fun.
I wouldn't hesitate in a minute to pack this thing up, fill it with fuel, gear up . . and hit the road for a multi-state tour of super slabs and back roads. The headlight is ugly, but I'll bet it lights up the road through fog and darkness. The bags look solid. I'd ditch the reflectors - The blacked out lower windshield is neat. Maybe a short sissybar . . . I'll bet it'd go 100,000 miles.
But, I still like panheads.
6 comments:
Well said Noot, Just took a 4500 mi trip in July with two good friends. The whole time leading up to this we were going to ride old stuff, Bobs 70 Guzzi Ambassador ,Daves 70FLH, and my 68FLH which is stripped down custom. Well I blinked and ended up taking my 01 FLHRI only because 68 is kick only. Being long in tooth could not see myself kicking that thing across USA and back. Whole point is that I had a REAL good time anyway,only downer was some jackmeat swiped my leathers in Oregon.
Doesn't matter what we ride, just so we ride.
BC
My most reliable vehicle is my 72 Ironhead. It starts easy, runs great...just dependable. These are not words used around "Ironhead" very much. If Harley has a problem it's because the bikes are so good you only need to buy one. They have another problem.
In the 70's, and before, you could walk into any dealership and buy parts for anything with the Harley name on it. Shims for your cams? Got em right here. Not any more they don't.
Now I go into a dealership (all glass & concrete now, like the Ford place) and I get blank stares and shrugged shoulders and sometimes the "We can probably order that" stab in the heart. The service department (which I've never much needed, but I'm not going to do my own bottom end) is 100 bucks plus per hour for "school trained" techs that have never seen an Ironhead bottom end, never mind set one up.
In the Omaha area you need two names: Butterfields & Columbus H/D. Bob butterfield, sadly, just passed but Vivien & Breeze are there. Need those shims for your Ironhead cams (on a Sunday?!)? Coming right up. I got 5's & 7's. The guy who runs the service department at the Columbus HD has been doing this stuff since the 50's. He's a genuine machinist and if anything has ever been thought of, he's probably tried it; and made it work (70 bucks per hour for genius). He set up my crank after I had sent it, stupidly, to some unnamed dragon guy. Does Omaha have an H/D dealership? Haven't been inside one in 4 years. I can't think why I would. It's a nice ride to Columbus.
Hey Jon, Cool you had a fun trip, I'm glad you went - life is short . . . and Dave, there's plenty of '72 Sportsters still running around, I see 'em all the time !
The aging process is just weird...In the late 1960's everybody wanted a Sportster..That's what most of the "outlaw" guys rode in So Cal..
In the mid 1980's nobody rode a Harley... I remember some kid on a passing
car on the freeway pointing at me and the parents weren't sure what kind
of motorcycle it was (1978 FX).
In the late 1980's, sitting at a light, with straight pipes, LAPD car rolls down their window, I cringe, then I'm surprised when the cop says "nice bike"...10 years earlier I who have been ticketed and maybe got my bike impounded..
It is kinda sad that all the dealerships now are run like a boutique...Not my
jam, if you know what I mean...I'm a 3rd generation Californian, with a Montana attitude...... And I love your website..
Hi Noot,
When I first saw them ( kind of look like other brands as opposed to a Harley) and heard they had dropped the Dyna, my first thought was WTF? But I guess you have to ride one and see how it goes. With Harley, we are used to evolution, not revolution and so a motor change one year, and then a frame the next is maybe a bit fast for us.
I agree with the comments about the cost of going to a dealer though. I have a twin cam, 2 shovels and an ironhead. You want to support them, but the factory dictates prices and they don't carry or know about or even care about old stuff. Two weeks ago I took some Shovel wheels in to get the end play in the bearings set up right as I don't have the tools to do it right, and they said, We don't really work on any thing older than 10 years. To be fair, they did do it, but it wasn't something they seemed to want to do. And as for parts.....
Anyway keep up the good work. Love reading your blog.
Cheers Pete
I guess the new models really dive through the curves?!? The old soft-tail models always ride nice (unless you lower them too far, not as intended) I've rode them on multiple mile trips back in the 90s. I like the new frame, maybe strip one so you can see more of the shock, etc.
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