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[porkypig]

Okay, since I have been away for the last week or so, thought I should briefly air my thoughts about the new 2011 Convertible.  I rode from Washington State to Sturgis (1000 miles)  solo on my '10 and was amazed at how well it perfomed, stock from the factory.  At 75 or 80 (at times) it was never lacking for power.  Ran like a dream.  So, I was a little skeptical about the new '11 being much better for the extra $$'s required to own one.  got there Monday evening but never got around to taking a demo ride until morning of Friday (the last day of demo's at Sturgis.)  Actually got a peek (got to walk around one for about 5 minutes or so) on Tuesday afternoon.  Was impressed to say the least, especially with the mini-apes.  They have really done a nice job on them.  Can't see any evidence of a weld at all.  Now jump to Friday for the demo ride..........
I got a spot to ride fairly quickly.  Actually rode it 4 or 5 times that day.  My first ride was extremely eye opening as far as what the moco has done with the new model.  I loved the mini-apes, as I said.  They are very comfortable even though they rest a few inches higher than the '10.  Cruise control was oh......so nice..........  remember last year when the manager of the team that built the bike put his arm around my shoulder and said, "______, I'm going to tell you why we don't have cc on the softails.....there is no place to hide the module".............   Well, this year they "found a place to hide the module".   I believe they flashed the computer module and added throttle by wire to create a great, clean-looking product.  Finally, technology has triumphed in a mighty way...........and brought us Cruise control.   Now, as it is a digital speedometer it is easy to select your speed, push the button and wal-lah! It stays right there!  Nice to be able to take your right hand off for a spell and rest it.  And, especially if you are travelling with someone in a cage, you can lead the pack and the cager doesn't have to constantly adjust their speed as yours changes because it is difficult to maintain a steady speed (much easier in a car because cc is pretty much standard) so it easier to stay together out on the flat through Montana, etc.  So, I loved that feature.  Remember when we saw the saddlebags for the first time on the '10 and I thought, "they are about 2/3 of the capacity as the Heritage"??  Well, I made a comment about them being larger on this bike and a Moco rep agreed with me and said this year they had a requirement for being able to put (1) 1/2 helmet in each bag.  On the '10 there is a huge space between the bottom of the bag and the side of the bike as though they never were designed especially for the convertible.  that has always bothered me.  They fixed that issue and I think the Alamigator style leather is a real plus. Plus, they open like the fiberglass baggers and so also have the locking feature.  Unfortunately........the rep said they didn't sell that many matching tour paks for the '10 so they are not going to offer the tour pak in matching alamigator skin.  Dang!   Oh, well, I am getting ideas for doing a matching design on my existing tour pak already.  Can't comment on the ABS braking system because it is difficult to simulate yourself sliding down the highway in many different scenarios but from what I have heard it could very well save your life someday in some instances.  Hope so.  Now the ride itself...........it seemed like the one I tried had a bit more punch than my '10.  It really went!  At speeds above 60 or 70 it seemed just fine as far as the wind turbulence problem we all experience.  May be a possible combination of the hands up a bit higher and cutting some of that wind coming off the same-height windshield as '10 as well as my "genuine corinthian leather glove" fitting Shoei RF-1100 helmet.  (I could do a great commercial for that helmet company!)  I would say possibly the change in the handlebars diverts the lion's share of the air over the windshield away or at least doesn't have nearly the effect as on the '10.  Now there may be those of you that disagree on that note but it is just my opinion.  I felt very comfortable with it.  Remember, these are still motorcycles, specifically Harley's, and for me the thrill of the ride is a little breeze in your hair and the accompanying rich, throaty sound of the pipes.  I guess if I want it to sound like my old '77 Honda 750 K-4 and ride like inside of a cage, I better buy a Goldwing or something a little more tame.  

[porkypig]

The keyless ignition is nice in that you don't have to turn the bike off with the ignition switch or risk running your battery down.  You just turn off the "kill" switch, walk away and everything turns off.  Later, turn on the kill switch, push "start" and drive off.  Just don't forget your keyfob or you are hosed!
A bit of disappointment is in how they attach the lower bracket of the saddlebag to the rear footpegs.  I have footboards on my '10 and will have to become creative in refitting them to the new bike. 
The colors are very nice as well.  The scarlet bike is beautiful but a little much.  Better really like scarlet because it is all that!  This year my favorite is probably the maple metallic/ roman gold with copper graphics.  the blue did nothing for me.  Again, all my opinions. 
The seat trims in Alamigator are done very well.  Not sure why they did that but my gf is from Louisiana so she should appreciate it.  ha! 
After I rode it the first time, I needed to get back on and ride again.  It was that nice!  Maybe a teeny bit more skill needed to turn the bike at very low speeds due to the shape of the handlebars but imagine that skill will come quickly. 
Now, here's the clencher....for me.........it seemed as though the floorboards are an inch or so lower which for me gives me the comfortable feel that I like.  The '10 always felt like the boards were up a little higher than the Heritage (actually the seat on the convertible sits lower which gives that feeling) and I initially hated the feel.  These felt exactly right but with my archaic method of measureing the two, the new actually appears to be the same as the '10.  Not sure but it felt realllllllly good! 
Toggling thru the instrumentation on the '11 is controlled by the upper rocker switch on the horn button.  You can toggle thru all the dials without taking one's hands off the left bar.  Also tells which individual gear you are in......Seemed better. 
And of course they didn’t put on saddlebag guards as only had minimal response from the forum last year.   Oh, well, I tried.
Well, there you have it and I have probably earned another "very serious penalty for spending more time typing than riding" award so will try to make this closing brief........  In a nutshell, the new model is different enough that I told my dealer to put my name on the one that is coming late October.  Until then, my '10 does the trick.           Pork

[Kevinski]

Hi Pork,

Great write up. Any pictures?

Cheers,

Kev

[porkypig]

sorry, Kev. but after just returning from 2 days of riding hard to get back from Sturgis and going right back to work, driving the vanpool, harvesting my lawn, and sawing up wood, I have had no time to even look at pictures.  Everything I saw is on the internet as well.  Take care.    Pork.

[fastbikedroid]

Great review - the bags on my 10 drove me a little batty since I was always forgetting a snap, etc.  Plus I typically left them off so when I'd put them on / off I'd reflect on how much metal to metal contact there was ... and wondering when I was going to scratch something.  Sounds like the new bags are a lot more practical.  I wonder if the new wiring / bus makes a bar swap easier.

[porkypig]

are you thinking of swapping out the mini-apes for something a little less radical??  that crossed my mind as an option as well down the road.