I spent six hours in the saddle yesterday, putting a modest 85 miles on it. Damn! The bike feels good under me, and it's a fuckin' animal! The first time I really opened the throttle merging onto 580, I had to back off after two seconds because I was going too fast to merge. This bike is really fast.
I spent most of the day just riding around local streets in Livermore, and in the hills above Oakland. The low speed maneuvers were a little awkward at first, but I seem to have pretty much gotten the hang of it. I even did one full-lock U-turn. Not as smoothly as I would have liked, but I managed it nonetheless.
The bike feels solid and sound. The suspension is a bit firm, but I can adjust the shocks a little softer. I haven't bothered because I will be carrying more of a load tomorrow when I hit the road. The saddle is REALLY comfortable, and fits my ass perfectly. The peg positions, and bars are just right for me. I have to adjust the heel rests and brake pedal position just a little. The only thing not quite perfect is that the horn really sucks, but I found it more useful to just pull the clutch make it bark when a car is approaching from a side street and hasn't made eye contact. Also, the steering stem is a little loose. I'm surprised that the previous owner never noticed it. It is basically impossible to get into neutral when stopped. The clutch drags enough that I have to snick it into neutral just before I put my feet down. I didn't bother at first. My other low speed skills required too much of my attention. Once I got more comfortable, it became second nature getting it into neutral approaching a light.
One pleasant surprise, (well, unexpected, but not that surprising,) is that a factory service manual was included. I was happy to see that.
The pipes are a little loud for my taste, but it sounds great. I will pick up some ear plugs before hitting the road. I set off half a dozen car alarms in Oakland!
The previous owner loved to buy his gear from the local stealer. All the accessories, like the bags, luggage rack, windshield, all are HD branded. He directed me to the local HD dealer so that I could pick up a "T" bag. I was a bit surprised by how small the saddlebags were, and I clearly would not be able to pack my stuff on the bike. I know, I know... the stealer was probably the most expensive place to get what I needed, but I was not going to spend the next 3 days shopping around, only to return to the stealer in the end. They may not have the cheapest prices for stuff, but so far, other shops that I have gone to have not been able to even come close to the selection and quality of the gear that I have seen at HD dealers. If I had more time, I could be more selective, and order what I need. The "T" bag that I got is very versatile, and has great capacity. $200 was a little spendy, but I think you might spend close to that no matter where you got it.
My daughter lives in Oakland. She took me to pick up the bike.
The first thing she said when she saw it was, "The Jesus fish has to go." It had a Jesus fish on the battery cover, but it was just a chromed plastic thing stuck on with adhesive. I need to get some WD-40 or something to dissolve the adhesive and clean off the remnants.
The bike is a real head-turner. Whenever I stop, people will pause to admire it. I am not a "status seeker" or someone who is always looking for attention, but this bike grabs attention just as a matter of course. Some people like the yellow and pearl white flame paint job. I am not crazy about it, but I have no intention of changing it this year.
