This will be anathema to some riders and meaningless to many non riders. But some days are just Harley days. Today was one.
It was a beautiful morning. Blue sky, warm, somehow everything looked fresh. Being early on a Saturday in France, the streets were empty. I was blessed as I was about to climb on a big Ducati, a lovely bike and nearly new.
But.
What I wanted to be doing was climbing on an Ultraglide and firing that big motor into life. If you haven’t got the bug this will be beyond you. If you have then you might as well stop reading now as you’ll know everything I’m about to say.
For many motorcyclists, Harley’s are overweight, overpriced and over hyped. Weighing in at over 800lbs (386 kg) it’s hard to argue the first point, though if you watch American cops do their thing with cones, you’ll see that they become weightless when ridden well. And at prices starting at £30k. Starting at… I’ll concede they’re expensive. That said, they hold their value well – but I’m not going to fight hard on that one.
Overhyped though. No. There is nothing like a big twin. Clearly there is a lot of heritage there. Harley is the oldest motorcycle company still producing. Everyone recognizes a Harley, it’s a storied brand. Plus I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think the big twins are beautiful. Proper motorbikes. For me though it’s the riding experience that makes the bike magical. Other bikes, you go out on a ride. But you go out for a ride “on the Harley” it’s a fundamental part of the experience. And, for the naysayers amongst the riders out there I’ll just say this. Look at the mileage the big ones do. They get used. Which is not surprising, the riding position is relaxed, the V twin lopes, you can put some music on and, if the sun is shining, and the roads are good, then in the saddle of a HD is a beautiful place to be.
So, for me, some days are just Harley days. This was one of them.
peteryder2003 