Hardly-worthitson
Recently a good number of Bike column inches have been devoted to Harley-davidsons. Positive verdicts, including ‘spot-on’ (Bike, January 18, p46). My brother and I spent October riding 3500 miles across the USA on an Electra Glide and a Road Glide – including a bit of Utah. The hire shop reckoned the Road Glide ‘the best Harley’ because of its framemounted fairing. The H-D website claims, ‘Once you experience the wind-cutting power of the framemounted shark-nose fairing… it’s hard to get behind anything less.’ Let’s say the H-D marketing people don’t seem to have tried anything more. They should… Both 107ci Milwaukee 8 H-DS were lumbering, cumbersome and handled like bricks. At one point my brother reckoned he would rather stick needles in his eyes than ride any more Harleys. True, lots of torque and both Harleys never missed a beat. But they also roasted us both with heat from the rear cylinders and neutral, ah neutral, where is it when you need it? So, we’ve done the headline thing – USA on Harleys – but it was such a pleasure and relief to be back on my Pan and BMW and my brother on his Yam. You know, things like performance, handling, comfort, effective fairings – enough, I could go on. Brilliant trip, though! Julian Popple, email Oh dear, then you probably aren’t going to like our bobber group test on page 104. Then again…ma