Looking at Bikes

[mygar]

So spent a lot of time at 2 harley dealerships looking at bikes.

Took a look at some of their leather jackets... wow im impressed with how much higher quality mine are from what they had in stock.

Thanks FL!

 

[Bfd70]

Ok, but which bikes.

 

[Guppy]

For a bike comparable to your jacket, you should really be looking at Brough Superior...

 

[mygar]

Ok, but which bikes.

For the riding i anticipate doing most of time and fit for me physicallly... and aesthetically.... the 48 sportster is screaming at me

 

[red devil]

Their leather jackets are certainly nothing to discuss here

 

[mygar]

For a bike comparable to your jacket, you should really be looking at Brough Superior...

Need to read up but on that brand... seem to be an expensive motorcycle that was dicontinued and being brought back..

 

[Bfd70]

I owned a 48 in the past. Great looking bike. Fun to ride. City range is limited to 80 miles which given the suspension and forward controls is when you want to get off anyway. That said i did ride it on a 4 day 1200 mile trip. Feel free to pm with any questions.

 

[mygar]

I owned a 48 in the past. Great looking bike. Fun to ride. City range is limited to 80 miles which given the suspension and forward controls is when you want to get off anyway. That said i did ride it on a 4 day 1200 mile trip. Feel free to pm with any questions.

Yes, they are not touring bikes for sure. I think it fits 90% riding i will be doing. Longer rides... need to plan fill ups. The comfort level... well i probably can tolerate more than most. I regulary ride (road bicycle) on 50 to 60 mi stints... 3 to 5 hrs without stopping depending on terrain

I for sure will contact you for questions. Thx!

 

[ton312]

The 48 is awesome man. Looks like it would chew up city rides and short day trips no problem. God I miss riding so much. Let another summer slip by. When my daughter is older and weekends return to me I will get back in the saddle. My dad taught me at 14 and I rode almost everywhere until she came along. When I can I'll sell my chopper and build a sporty or CB cafe racer and just smile til my face hurts. I'm jealous man!

 

[VillainOfNash]

I really like some of their older jackets, I have about 6 of them from the 1950’s and they’re so much more impressive than anything they’re putting out these days.

And I agree...the 48 is awesome aesthetically and really fun to ride.

 

[mygar]

The 48 is awesome man. Looks like it would chew up city rides and short day trips no problem. God I miss riding so much. Let another summer slip by. When my daughter is older and weekends return to me I will get back in the saddle. My dad taught me at 14 and I rode almost everywhere until she came along. When I can I'll sell my chopper and build a sporty or CB cafe racer and just smile til my face hurts. I'm jealous man!

Hey im on the back side of these "nesting" years lol. Enjoy your time with family and dont wish them away... they are precious. You will be wiser... richer more than likely... and have lots of time to indulge again.

I was high octane for long time doing crazy stuff. Spent 10 yrs jumping out of planes fighting fires before "growing" up... well i have been grown up for awhile. Time to let loose a bit while im still physically able to

 

[Bfd70]

Kids love bikes! Get them the right gear and bring them with.

 

[JMax]

48 certainly is a nice bike. If you like the fattie up front take a peak at the fat bob. Throw in the 114 and rip wherever the heck you want. I may do that in the next year or so...been fighting the urge for a smaller bike to let loose on.

 

[mygar]

I did look at a fat bob... but yea at this stage ... too big for me to mentally get a grasp on lol

 

[JMax]

I did look at a fat bob... but yea at this stage ... too big for me to mentally get a grasp on lol

Test ride both. I think you’ll find that the lower center of gravity on the FB may actually make it an easier bike to “get a grasp on”. Either way, enjoy the road man.

 

[mygar]

Test ride both. I think you’ll find that the lower center of gravity on the FB may actually make it an easier bike to “get a grasp on”. Either way, enjoy the road man.

Thanks man

 

[rocketeer]

Harley Davidson branded jackets.
A Harley Shovel(1969) riding friend always wanted a genuine Harley jacket so decided to source one out in the 1990s, he found out that none were made in the USA anymore but were now manufactured in Vietnam. After a personal chat with his long time HD dealer he found out that this was a lot to do with legal issues for accident claims.
It appeared that were someone to have a major claim in an accident where the jacket or other HD branded clothing had contributed to injuries Harley Davidsons name and reputation could well be damaged to some degree in the media etc, whereas were the clothing items made elsewhere by another company the blame could be put on the doorstep of the clothing manufacturer keeping Harley in the clear. As well as lowering the manufacturing costs.
I looked in our local dealership recently and could not find anything in the clothing department that read 'Made in USA'.
J.

 

[Edward]

Need to read up but on that brand... seem to be an expensive motorcycle that was dicontinued and being brought back..

Brough Superior were a high-end British motorcycle manufacturer that were in business from 1919 to 1940 (selling their first bikes in 1920). They were the first British superbike manufacturer - if memory serves, the BS SS100 was the first British motorcycle to have 1,000cc engine. Many race-riders rode BS bikes to victory in the inter-war years. Their primary claim to fame nowadays is that they were the favoured brand of Lawrence of Arabia; he died on his seventh; his eighth, which was on order awaiting delivery when he died, is now on display at the Imperial War Museum, London.

A new company bought the rights to the name in 2008 and showed a new model Brough Superior SS100 in 2016. Lovely looking bike, though I dread to think thed cost - doubtless way more than a Harley(!) - http://www.broughsuperiormotorcycles.com/the-ss100/the-new-ss100.html Given unlimited money and time, I'd love one..... though a Black Douglas might be more realistic, one day.... http://theblackdouglas.com

Harley Davidson branded jackets.
A Harley Shovel(1969) riding friend always wanted a genuine Harley jacket so decided to source one out in the 1990s, he found out that none were made in the USA anymore but were now manufactured in Vietnam. After a personal chat with his long time HD dealer he found out that this was a lot to do with legal issues for accident claims.
It appeared that were someone to have a major claim in an accident where the jacket or other HD branded clothing had contributed to injuries Harley Davidsons name and reputation could well be damaged to some degree in the media etc, whereas were the clothing items made elsewhere by another company the blame could be put on the doorstep of the clothing manufacturer keeping Harley in the clear. As well as lowering the manufacturing costs.
I looked in our local dealership recently and could not find anything in the clothing department that read 'Made in USA'.
J.

I find that somewhat dubious. Certainly true that it's 'someone else's fault' in terms of the court case if they outsource the production of the jackets to a licensed manufacturer, but that could be done in the US equally, no need to go overseas for that alone. In terms of bad pr, of course that will always rebound on Harley if it bears their name as official product. I suspect it's far more likely that, as is ever the way with this sort of operation, it proved cheaper to outsource the production of branded merchandise, and they felt that they could outsource outside the US and still rely on the saleability of the HD lifestyle brand to make a profit, al other things considered and all profit margins balanced.

 

[Downunder G Man]

Harley "branded" jackets as sold by HD dealers here in Australia were more often than not USA made up into the early 1990's. Always good quality leathers.

Since FOREVER it now seems they are made in Pakistan/China/Vietnam. The price DID NOT COME DOWN !

Quite the opposite. I always wore my Eastman Luftwaffe as my main "bike" jacket anyways. Personally I like my jackets to be "plain" and not covered in HD logos etc.

I also have a USA made "Genuine HD" branded Denim Trucker , all motorcycle adapted ,press button down collar etc etc.
Tight in the sleeves to prevent "ballooning" on the road. Large rear Harley No # 1 badge and other small logos.
Made around 2006 and I wear it as a riding jacket on days over 35C when leather just COOKS you

 

[Edward]

Harley "branded" jackets as sold by HD dealers here in Australia were more often than not USA made up into the early 1990's. Always good quality leathers.

Since FOREVER it now seems they are made in Pakistan/China/Vietnam. The price DID NOT COME DOWN !

Not an unusual phenomenon, really. I remember when DMs sold their eight-hole, standard made in England boot for £45. By the late nineties, the quality had been dropped a little to keep it at £45. Eventually, they moved production to China, but kept dropping off the quality year on year to keep the price the market demanded. Now, some of that market that demanded the price be kept artificially low whine that the quality has dropped. I think that model, still made in China or possible Vietnam now, is still around £50, but the quality of the last pair I handled was shockingly awful compared to the early 90s. They do, of course, make much better quality boots for much more money, but that's another matter!