First Decent Ride

[brooke]

Just about every one I grew up with rides a Harley and I have ridden a few of theirs . I started on dirt bikes then motocross and didn’t actually own a street bike till I was 35 . My best teenage buddy bought his first bike at 50 , a 100 th anniversary Fat Boy . It’s what I call robin egg green and cream , has those big white walls on disc style aluminium rims . It’s a real looker , not just the best looking Harley I’ve ever seen , perhaps the best motorcycle I’ve ever seen .
A high school friend I lost to an accident 2 years ago had 7 or 8 Harleys . He was pharmacist and rode more miles than anyone , it finally caught up with him , no fault of his own .
Red Bob and I went to Sunday school together and our dads biked together in the 40’s . He’s a real piece of work and real Harley guy . Years ago he had the so called fasteest stock Harley on the island , he didn’t make it that way he bought it from a guy who knew how to make anything fast . On the Harley Club Poker Run Fund Raiser he got a bit excited and insisted on a drag race against my 84 Honda CXE 650 V twin pushrod model . It was 2 zero for the Honda . When we got to the next stop Bob took the helmet off and announced to all that he lost to that little white thing out there ! Soon he had a V Rod but he was hard on equipment and I think they had clutch issues when punished , not a good marriage. Now he runs a Hyabusa in the mid 9’s ,still has a couple of Harleys ,will be 72 this month .
Black Bob wrenched at the Honda shop I worked for and chopped a CB 750 , he died 2 years ago in Ontario where he had a couple of a HD stores and built choppers . He probably had more of his bikes on the front page of Chopper Magazine than any other builder in the world .Harley made him a very rich man .
Macky was 750 triple wheelie expert at sixteen and hard tailed his new Kawasaki 900 . He had a shop right inside the Harley Club , which is supposedly one of the best in Eastern North America , where he did Harley engines from all over the region especially the older ones . Each summer when coming home from golf I pass the cemetery full of people in leather and know they are visiting Macky and a few others .

Smoke em while you can boys and enjoy no matter the brand ....

 

[Philois]

Just about every one I grew up with rides a Harley and I have ridden a few of theirs . I started on dirt bikes then motocross and didn’t actually own a street bike till I was 35 . My best teenage buddy bought his first bike at 50 , a 100 th anniversary Fat Boy . It’s what I call robin egg green and cream , has those big white walls on disc style aluminium rims . It’s a real looker , not just the best looking Harley I’ve ever seen , perhaps the best motorcycle I’ve ever seen .
A high school friend I lost to an accident 2 years ago had 7 or 8 Harleys . He was pharmacist and rode more miles than anyone , it finally caught up with him , no fault of his own .
Red Bob and I went to Sunday school together and our dads biked together in the 40’s . He’s a real piece of work and real Harley guy . Years ago he had the so called fasted stock Harley on the island , he didn’t make it that way he bought it from a guy who knew how to make anything fast . On the Harley Club Poker Run Fund Raiser he got a bit excited and insisted on a drag race against my 84 Honda CXE 650 twin pushrod model . It was 2 zero for the Honda . When we got to the next stop Bob took the helmet off and announced to all that he lost to that little white thing out there ! Soon he had a V Rod but he was hard on equipment and I think they had clutch issues when punished , not a good marriage. Now he runs a Hyabusa in the mid 9’s ,still has a couple of Harleys ,will be 72 this month .
Black Bob wrenched at the Honda shop I worked for and chopped a CB 750 , he died 2 years ago in Ontario where he had a couple of a HD stores and built choppers . He probably had more of his bikes on the front page of Chopper Magazine than any other builder in the world .Harley made him a very rich man .
Macky was 750 triple wheelie expert at sixteen and hard tailed his new Kawasaki 900 . He had a shop right inside the Harley Club which is supposedly one of the best in Eastern North America where he does Harley engines from all over the region especially the older ones . Each summer when coming home from golf I pass the cemetery full of people in leather and know they are visiting Macky and a few others .

Smoke em while you can boys and enjoy no matter the brand ....

I think my thread got hijacked somewhere along the way, not a worry it’s a little bit like Chinese whispers, always funny to follow where it leads.
Great story Brooke, everyone knows someone a little like this, as the saying goes life is short....

 

[Hurtle]

Mu apologies, Philois. Didn’t mean it to end up such a mess.

 

[brooke]

Thanks for getting past that guys but on a local level the story goes on ... Our local HD dealer just had his franchise pulled a couple of months ago . We never had a dealer on Prince Edward Island until he took it on a few decades ago and he represented the brand very well . He had the nicest bike store around and several of my friends worked there . I purchased parts and clothing there whenever I could and visited the service department at Xmas with some goodies for the staff . They sell lots of atv’s , snomobile’s (Polaris) so getting an Indian franchise would be a natural but I suspect Motoplex has a lock on that one .
From what I read HD is making a hard right turn to concentrate on their traditional clients while curtailing their efforts to attract new customers with the new smaller displacement liquid cooled models which despite getting excellent press are not flying out the door . I think over a hundred stores have been slashed in Canada hopefully to make HD a more Elite brand .
Have seen this sort of thing before.... not a good scenario....could be serious.

 

[Hurtle]

Thanks for getting past that guys but on a local level the story goes on ... Our local HD dealer just had his franchise pulled a couple of months ago . We never had a dealer on Prince Edward Island until he took it on a few decades ago and he represented the brand very well . He had the nicest bike store around and several of my friends worked there . I purchased parts and clothing there whenever I could and visited the service department at Xmas with some goodies for the staff . They sell lots of atv’s , snomobile’s (Polaris) so getting an Indian franchise would be a natural but I suspect Motoplex has a lock on that one .
From what I read HD is making a hard right turn to concentrate on their traditional clients while curtailing their efforts to attract new customers with the new smaller displacement liquid cooled models which despite getting excellent press are not flying out the door . I think over a hundred stores have been slashed in Canada hopefully to make HD a more Elite brand .
Have seen this sort of thing before.... not a good scenario....could be serious.

That’s sad. Closing dealerships is the thin edge of the wedge.

 

[Qship]

HD closed two long standing dealers in New Brunswick, Canada, Right next to Brooke's province of PEI as well. Only HD dealer in our province now is in Moncton, about 1.5 hrs from me and a lot farther for many in our province that may have thought about buying a HD but now with no dealers or service close by, why would they. Also bad for peeps touring thru our province that may need service or repairs.

 

[Vector]

HD closed two long standing dealers in New Brunswick, Canada, Right next to Brooke's province of PEI as well. Only HD dealer in our province now is in Moncton, about 1.5 hrs from me and a lot farther for many in our province that may have thought about buying a HD but now with no dealers or service close by, why would they. Also bad for peeps touring thru our province that may need service or repairs.

How far is a Triumph dealer?

 

[triumph david]

I 0wn two of the best bikes built they are Triumph and Harley Davidson, i really don't know which i like the best, but i can say they have both taught me a world of knowledge about mechanics!

 

[Qship]

How far is a Triumph dealer?

Same distance, same City of Moncton. Only one in all of Atlantic Canada. They have been good to me, but I thought long and hard before buying my Triumph, the second from them, due to the distance for servicing(that I can't perform), and any warranty work.

 

[brooke]

I 0wn two of the best bikes built they are Triumph and Harley Davidson, i really don't know which i like the best, but i can say they have both taught me a world of knowledge about mechanics!

Bet they showed you a few life lessons too . Not saying that you picked up on them .

 

[brooke]

Seriously thinking of a 900 Tiger but will wait till next year now to see the Honda CB 1100 x .
Having local service gets more important as you get older , not that I’m getting any older .

 

[triumph david]

brooke, i bet that 1100x will be a great bike!

 

[brooke]

It should fit the niche that I am growing into . First reports indicate it fits between a sport tour and an ADV . If I miss the little bit of dirt stuff I do , I’ll get a 250 something or other that I can pick up by myself. Last few years my riding has become more vacation style than adventure .

 

[Vector]

That 1100X looks nice. Like a BMW RT with reliability and 1/2 the cost to maintain.

 

[brooke]

That 1100X looks nice. Like a BMW RT with reliability and 1/2 the cost to maintain.

True . When I bought the Tiger I was waiting for Honda to fill their middleweight vacant spot . When it arrived with 50 HP and a single front disc I lost it . I hit the Google machine and the Tiger was the hottest thing on wheels . I literally bought it sight unseen , the dealer delivered it to my shop and I gave the driver a cheque .