New owner 1st impressions

[glengarrygr]

I purchased a 2013 F6B last month. After a 1 way flight, I had to drive it 8 hours from Las Vegas back to Carson City, NV. My first thought was "I made a mistake, this motorcycle has a VW beetle bolted onto the front forks". The size was intimidating but honestly, by the time I was out of his subdivision I felt fine. It's true, the LCG does make for easy handling. Record high temps. Saturday it reached 118. I saved my arse by reading a bit about surviving a desert run in the heat. A trick that saved me: one bag of ice between my thin leather jacket and my wicking t-shirt, plus another on my handlebars...both bags picked with holes from a pen. The ice water cooled me well. The bags last about an hour. It was essential for comfort. My impressions of the F6B are in bullets for brevity; and other car forums have an unwritten rule about how posts should include pics to tell your story. Feel free to skip down to the F6B impressions.

My Experience
Started in dirt as a kid. I am a retired Road Racer (Privateer). Qualified for 3 pro races (Loudon, Daytona, Mid-Ohio) in the 90s, but admittedly, when in the national pro level races, I was a back-marker. Humbling experience.

My current bike
2014 Harley Breakout CVO w/ V&H Big Radius

Past bikes
Sucker Punch Sally's bobber
2009 Street Glide
2006 Road King
2013 Road King
2014 Ducati Monster
A boatload of sport bikes trashed on the tracks


My F6B
2013 Black 14k miles
Cobra exhaust
Madstad
Chrome added to lower area


F6B Pros
Wind protection
LCG handling, agility
Madstad is rad; I could smoke a White Owl back there
Acceleration (wow)
Looks like a bullet train
I am shocked at how many people comment on the bike's looks. Everywhere.
I love my F6B; just as much as past HDs.

F6B Cons
By far worst thing is Cobra pipes; WAY to loud. Sounds cool up to 40mph. Then it is like a low drone roar in my ear as if a baritone tenor was on the pillion blasting in my ear. I plan to put stock pipes back on. HD tour bikes I've had delivered a smooth sounding rumble at speed.
Plastic looks like stolen from a Honda Accord (wonder if anyone modified this)
Not digging the lack of a 6th gear. In the desert at 90mph I was at 4k RPMs if my memory is correct. But I know the Honda flat six will be fine.
Stock seat. I recall in 7th grade being propped up on a pommel horse. Same feeling. Help! I want the Saddlemen RoadSofa but lists show fitment for 2014-2017 for F6B. Why not my 2013? . I do see the Saddlemen Profiler available. Also read about difficult fitments on aftermarket seats.
I'd pay more for better looking plastic on the dash. I think HD wins in that category, but Honda wins in the engineering category. IMHO.

That's it. I am pleased with my purchase. Thanks for having me here, and I look forward to contributing.

[glengarrygr]

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[wjduke]

I’m on a long trip right now. The seat, to me, is fine. I have to wiggle around every once in a while, that’s it. This bike is so solid on the highway. I listen to that purr all day long. She doesn’t miss a beat. I actually feel bad for her. I’ve been averaging 5-600 per day. Been on the move for a solid week. This is why I named her Gibraltar. Solid bike. Some minor faults, yes, but as Teach always says…best bike ever.

[glengarrygr]

wjduke; Fall River? My dad grew up in New Bedford...our family grew up in Lakeville, MA. on Long Pond. My dad passed in 1980 and my step father was a State Trooper stationed out of Fall River. That's a lot of miles per day! I bet the stock seat would be fine if I was taller...(I am 5'7")

[wjduke]

That’s my riding area. Lakeville, Rochester, out that way. I work out of New Bedford and my mother and sister live there now.
I did 674 today to get to my sisters in Houston. BTW, I stayed in a dinky motel last night on old Rt66. Had to buy a hat for the occasion. It was dinky, but I’m telling you guys this….it was $60 for the night, and just as good as any we paid four times as much for. The Fabulous 40’s it’s called, Adrian, TX.

[F6Dave]

BTW, I stayed in a dinky motel last night on old Rt66. Had to buy a hat for the occasion. It was dinky, but I’m telling you guys this….it was $60 for the night, and just as good as any we paid four times as much for. The Fabulous 40’s it’s called, Adrian, TX.

There are lots of nice old motels along the original Route 66. A decade ago I stayed at one in Tucumcari, NM. It was built in the 1960s, with the large rooms that were typical then. It was spotless and priced absurdly low. The bed felt nearly new, but most of the furniture was decades old, yet in surprisingly good condition.

I spoke with the owners for a while. They had moved to NM from Pennsylvania. They loved all the Route 66 nostalgia, and were working hard to keep a piece of it alive.

I was amazed at how many guests were from overseas, visiting the USA specifically to drive Route 66. They must see it as a piece of history that you can still experience. I met a group of nine Swiss police officers, riding Route 66 on rented Harleys for a magazine article back home. I also met three old guys from Australia who had bought a beautifully restored '65 T-Bird convertible in Tennessee. They were driving it to L.A. on Route 66, where they would ship it back to Australia. I also met two guys driving the old Studebaker Hawks in the photo below to a rally. One was the very rare Super Hawk with the factory Paxton supercharger.

[glengarrygr]

Great photos...and what a memorable trip.

[JackB]

You have a great collection of bikes.
Hope your other bikes don’t get jealous of the F6B.
I have some stock mufflers that I might sell.
Enjoy your new ride.

[glengarrygr]

Ok Jack, I am in the middle of a job relo that will take me from Carson City NV to Atlanta. Movers come end of July. So I'll be looking to sell the Cobra 15-piece band pipes after that.

[maxrider]

TBR pipes and Torq loopz, to eliminate your drone, for sure anything better than "stock" and you never get off the bike

Welcome on board.