Cool Hank.Help me here Hank, I'm trying to get the facts in proper perspective.Reading that, I take it you worked at a dealership and not for Harley Davidson and then that was almost 10 years ago.
We all would like to believe that everything about our Harley's should be perfect but unfortunately we know better.
They should, they should, they should, but they don't, facts prove to all of us daily that our bikes are not perfect.
That's why we buy the top of their line product and then spend another $5K to $10K on it after the sale to get them to our satisfaction.
Your father is lucky. He owns a FXR 4 and IMO the value of that experience is worth much more than any thrill a ZX-6 could give me.
Hopefully, some day soon you can also experience that thrill (and agony) of Harley ownership.
As some have said, "it's a love/hate relationship" but it's cost we have earned because we paid the price.
SBB
SBB,
Yes, I worked for the Harley Dealership here in Rochester, MN. I worked parts, then as a service writer, and also as the warranty guy. Not for the company directly, but it still brings the same amount of love/pride for the company...and the same dislike issues as well that most people on here share. It's been seven years since I've left the shop. In my opinion, there have not been a lot of major advances, just some minor upgrades; self adjusting primary chain tensioners, ABS on certain models, FI on all models, standard larger displacement x2 on most models (you know, 96 and now 103ci...we'll keep the 110 separate because it's not across the board...yet.) In my opinion, the biggest and most welcome improvement is the new FLT frames in 2009. While working at the shop, I've ridden hundreds of bikes for short sprints. Now that I get on one for hundreds of miles, I don't know what everyone's raving about.
I guess I just expect more in the ride department, because that's what they should be able to do the best. Going in a straight line is all well and good, but on a CVO bike where everything should be standard, don't you think the handling should match the rest of the bike? Even in 2000, cartridge forks should've been standard as well as adjustable compression/rebound damped rear shocks. On the FXR, the front and rear are sprung like a Sporty...for a couple hundred pound more bike.
It's also true it's my father's bike. I've never said it's mine, just ours as it's something he likes to share with me. He knows I love the bike too. He also knows that I hate certain aspects of the bike. He's so upset because he can't ride it in standard form that he's let me bring it home to Rochester for the remainder of the summer so he doesn't have to see it in his garage...constantly reminding him he can't ride it. The 100 mile trip from La Crosse for him was enough. In his words "It's a classic looking Harley, and that's why I like it, but it's one miserable riding b#*$h." I don't disagree with that. It runs like a top, "sounds" like a Harley with the Samson's, and I think it looks great. So yes, it's not my bike and the only thing I put into it are love, miles, and gas. He's buying the accessories to make it what he thinks it should've always been...the model that H-D riders always seem to say is the greatest handling/riding model ever built.
He's going to put the Traxxion set up front and rear, ride it, then take it to his few H-D friends' house to show them how he believes an H-D should ride. After that, it's getting a Screamin' Yellow Pearl sidecar and will be a cruiser with utility. When I do buy an H-D, it will most likely be this one as I'll be either the one person he'd sell it to or it will be by default because it's willed to me.
Just so you know, I just used ZX-6 because it's something I've ridden for quite a few miles in the past and had a ton of thrills on. 120mph in what seemed to be two blocks is quite the rush. Not taking the FXR4 anywhere remotely close to that...to many irreplaceable parts.
Author
Topic: True-Track (Read 2372 times)