Yep I rode to Tennessee and back with my cuz who is a die hard Harley guy. He rides a Ultra Classic. to say we had some long hot days is an understatement.
He is a big dude 6"7" and many times when we were stopped in traffic I would see him struggling with the clutch with the pissed off look on his face. I would smile and wave..and he would reply with the finger and a few f bombs..fun times.
This week we traveled to Digby,Nova Scotia for The Wharf Rat Rally http://wharfratrally.com/
He took his wife this trip and on the way back he lost the toe of his shifter. The screw backed out from all the shaking. He never had the right size allen key to properly tighten it back up. I helped him out by using good old gun tape to hold it in place.
I have a Go-Pro on my bike so I had it all on video. I politely made a short vid of the episode and posted to his Facebook page and again I got some words of love in reply.
Can't speak for Harleys around the country but I can tell you what happens around here.
First, most buy a bike just a little bit more than they can afford. Then they immediately replace the exhaust with some sort of straight thru exhaust. Then they buy the obligatory bad boy shades. Now they're all set - they drive to the nearest Dairy Queen (or something similar) and drive around and around trying to impress the teenage girls who work there.
Do all the drivers do that. No. However, most do something similar and almost never take long trips (recent survey indicated that Harleys in Maine average about 2,000 miles per year).
BTW, I once owned a Harley - for 6 months.
I've sat on a Harley several times. Never left under power on one though...
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
I rode this past Sunday with 5 HD's. First stop for coffee 35 miles in. Next stop for lunch, maybe another 30 or so. Eat, shoot the breeze, ready to go....nope...out come the cigars. Another hour. Next stop, about 20-25 miles, beers, shoot the breeze, then munchies. Leave there, head back towards RI, stop for supper. I was out from 10:30 am to 8pm and did a total of 175 miles.
That's a Harley long ass day right there. This weekend, riding with wings....easily 5-600 miles between the two.
“Gibraltar” 2016 white deluxe has been sold.
I don't mind the occasional poker run with friends like that however mostly I ride by myself. One of the most recent poker runs I saw here had the last three stops within a mile of each other. I laughed that people were making such a big deal out of it. This is a beautiful area and there are numerous good poker run loops that actually get you some riding in and still get the Harleys home on time...