RumbleRoads
Member
My name is John Wesley Froberg and I live in Falkville, Alabama U.S.A
Got my first Harley July 8, 2006 and still riding it today.
Here is my first story:
It was a Saturday when I went to Rocket City Harley Davidson to look at the new street bob motorcycle. I thought it had a cool hard look to the bike on the web site and I wanted to see how it looked in person. It cost was a bit less than the bigger street bikes I really wanted but could never afford. And if one day I was ever going to own a Harley the MSRP made it look like a payment I could live with.
I was getting tired of all the bulk of my Honda Valkyire Interstate and had ridden Valkyires for about the last four years. For the last year I had been thinking a change was in order.
Now I was there just to look and not buy anything. But while I was at the HD dealership they brought out a 2005 Heritage Softail Classic. It had custom Rush pipes, and a stage one air flow kit. Also, a tack speedo combo. It was the bike I always wanted for the last seven years but could never have afforded. And no, this one was not cheap. It had just been traded in with only 2700 miles on it and looked like brand new, in perfect condition. They told me it was from a customer who traded for a new bike, with them, twice a year on average.
Heck, they had two buyers lining up while I was there, no joke. They were asking me if I was buying it because they wanted it. But I had fist dibs. My Valkyire had over 32,000 miles on it but was in great condition. I thought the HD dealer would not give me more than six grand for my valk but after haggling with them an hour they offered 93% for the top NADA value for trade in, eight G notes. So now it looked like I was in for a test ride.
The first ten miles I went by my self, then doubled back to pick up my ole lady. I wanted to get a feel for how the bike handled with and without a passenger. This was my first ride ever on a Harley of any kind. In the first mile I knew I had never felt anything like this before in all the years I had been riding. The bike seemed to know what to do on it’s own, as it was an easy ride, just like spreading butter on bread. It fell into the turns like it knew what to do. It handled like no other bike I’ve ridden in the cruiser category. Its like the H.S.C has a mind of its own, falling into the corners and pulls itself out with ease. Saddle was comfortable and the cowboy slumped riding position is so easy on my back I don't even miss or need a backrest. Riding was so stable and smooth it was almost scary.
No, pencil pushing geeks could have created this motorcycle. It was obvious men who have spent many years in the saddle designed this machine. It was if this bike was made just for me. This motorcycle fit me like a Trojan.
The American V-Twin is a time-honored, incredibly good-looking design.
The engine with it's Rush exhaust pipes sounded like a thunderstorm rumbling at idle and with a twist of the throttle it rumbled up to sound like a P-51 mustang WWII fighter plain! Deep throaty rumble. Where was the vibration I always heard about? The 88” b engine (counterbalnced for smoothness) was smooth but with just a little kick of the v-twin that felt so good, so right. And hold up a min, I had always heard Harleys did not have much power. Well this one did, it ran like a scalded whore on Sunday.
So I went back and still thought it was not going to happen, as there were still things to work out in the deal. But the Rocket City HD dealer took up a lot of time with me and we finally hammered out a deal I could live with. I got a six-year warranty that even covers oil changes. Heck, they come out to my house and pick it up on a flat bed truck, when it’s time for maintenance. Honda never did that. Dang!
The dealer stayed with us an hour and a half past closing, just to answer all my questions before I said the final "yes" to the deal. No pressure at all, just good salesmen.
The Heritage sits a lot lower and handles better then my old Honda. When I trading it in I lost the lockable sattel bags and trunk, cruise and radio but gain a bike that is more fun to ride and handles better.
Just got back from a 1300 mile trip with a buddy on a Duece. In the high speed sweepers I could not keep up on my top heavy Valkyrie.
Later after riding off into the sunset back home we had to rest a bit, as both of us had our hearts pounding from the ride. My sweet ole lady asked me if I missed my old bike. I said no, I got the better bike. I asked her if she missed it, and shaking her head, she said no, not a bit. She said she really likes my heritage because of the way it looks she says it has more style.
I found out HD is NOT a fancy yuppie label. The bike seems to have a soul. I can’t put it into words. My HD feels like a motorcycle should feel when riding it. I am starting to understand now. Over the years I have heard HD getting dissed by some folks who were way off base. Them folks must have never ridden one. Yes, that test ride was that big of a difference, that it sold me back into debt when my last bike was paid off. Next time I hear someone talking down about HD, I’ll tell them, “If you haven’t ridden a Harley then you just would not understand”.
P.S.
I got the best wife in the world! She told me to keep both bikes if I wanted to. She told me that we both have jobs, I got a good raise at work this year, our car was paid off, and I was not getting any younger. It was time after all these years, and she wanted me to have that Harley. My ole lady and I have been married for 16 years now. How did my ugly ole mug get so lucky to land a woman like her?
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Harley-Davidson keeps the best of tradition and the American spirit in the heart of its motorcycles. Between 1936 and 2007, engine designs released by Harley represent a constant tweaking of the same classic V-twin, 45-degree, air-cooled engine and I like that.
It's really hard to put into words but HD motorcycles do have unique character & soul all there own. It’s the artistry of the machine and over 100 years of American engineering that you can feel when you ride a Harley-Davidson.
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That's my first Harley Story.... What's yours? :s
